With a new NuOrder-led platform, Grassroots Outdoor Alliance retailers can take advantage of advanced ordering features including improved ship-by-date ordering, the ability to quickly create orders by importing UPCs and quantities, ATS reorders, and integration at the POS. | Photo courtesy NuOrder
Order now, a leading B2B commerce platform, is launching a new shopping experience for Grassroots Outdoor Alliance Dealers this fall.
Grassroots Outdoor Alliance is a network of 96 independent retailers in 195 locations in 42 states that work together to support the growth of specialist, independent outdoor retail. Members are admitted upon completion of an application, interview, review of key business metrics, and final board approval, giving them access to a variety of events and services that may benefit their company. The Grassroots Outdoor Alliance is seen as a catalyst for the success of its retailers and distribution partners and is seen as an important influencing factor in the outdoor industry.
The partnership between the two companies was originally announced in autumn 2020 with the common goal of revolutionizing the buying process with a new digital platform. In developing the platform, NuOrder used interviews and research to gauge what retailers were looking for and found they had a faster and more efficient process for writing orders in addition to having a single place to set order shipping dates, review, and delivery can adjust orders as needed and upload advance booking tables. The retailers also said they needed a platform that would allow them to safely place orders by visualizing the entire range before it is in stores.
The platform is designed to be visually aligned with the nature of the apparel industry, which helps NuOrder stand out from other sell-through reporting companies. The visual nature allows buyers and brands to view reports in a form that makes it easier for them to analyze their business, rather than showing lines of text and numbers in spreadsheets.
“The grassroots partnership gives NuOrder’s mission to transform the retail process a strong voice, with an emphasis on helping independent retailers. This new season focuses on the first priorities shared by grassroots retailers and we’re just getting started. Our commitment to continuous innovation continues with each new season, â€said Olivia Skuza, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of NuOrder.
With the new platform, grassroots retailers can take advantage of advanced ordering features, including improved ordering by shipping date, the ability to quickly create orders by importing UPCs and quantities, ATS reorders, and integration at the POS. Basic retailers also have access to the latest virtual showroom features and the use of advanced features such as NuOrder’s proprietary EZ-Order feature, which enables brands to send shippable line sheets straight to a retailer’s inbox while also easily storing styles to remove, user-specific discount and price rules as well as order export templates.
Grassroots has long been committed to a wholesale purchasing solution with uniform processes across all brands. The partnership is in line with Grassroots’ mission to invest in digital technologies that streamline the buying process. In the future, NuOrder will be the only platform supported by Grassroots for its retailers to place orders.
“The historical offerings of B2B sales platforms are specifically designed to meet the needs of a product brand, while NuOrder works to build a platform that focuses on the retailer’s experience and time needs. To a retail shopper, it’s similar to the difference between buying a hundred products in a hundred stores and buying a hundred products in a single store, â€said Rich Hill, president of the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance. “The goal here is to directly improve the financial health of retailers by visualizing, budgeting, planning, and buying it easier and faster. Improved efficiency means better decisions during the buying process and more time for the workshop. “
Updates and improvements to the NuOrder platform will continue to be released in the fall of 2021. These updates include the ability to import spreadsheets, add multiple color options to the shopping cart more easily, and determine the size based on shipping dates selected by the buyer. Retailers will be able to organize and quickly make adjustments across shipping dates with fewer clicks, have access to multiple order views, and import orders from the platform through integration with retailers’ POS systems. Future plans for the platform are to use sell-through integration to allow for easy re-ordering so retailers don’t miss out on sales or other important opportunities.
At the beginning of this year NuOrder was acquired by Speed ​​of Light, a provider of cloud-based omni-channel commerce platforms to create an industry-leading bridge between buyers and sellers by making product ordering easier for retailers.
