Demandware® Inc. (NYSE: DWRE) the industry-leading provider of enterprise cloud commerce solutions, has announced that american golf, Europe’s largest golf retailer, is leveraging Demandware Commerce as the digital commerce foundation to power its omni-channel strategy.
The company recently re-launched seven ecommerce and mobile sites on Demandware across Europe, including americangolf.co.uk, onlinegolf.co.uk, onlinegolf.de, onlinegolf.se, onlinegolf.dk, onlinegolf.fr and onlinegolf.eu with additional sites planned for Italy and other countries. The initiative is part of the company’s strategic move from an on-premise platform to a cloud-based solution to support its aggressive growth plans.
Fast time to market is critical for high growth retailers like american golf
Over the last 35 years, american golf has grown from a small business located on a golf course in Lancashire, UK, to Europe’s largest golf retailer, with 102 stores in the UK and Republic of Ireland. The company needed a digital commerce solution that would enable it to enter new markets quickly and operate efficiently without compromising quality and user experience. american golf selected Demandware because it provides a robust, scalable platform that allows it to launch new sites fast and effectively manage multiple sites across geographies and channels. Compared to its legacy on-premise platform, american golf was able to significantly decrease time to market by using Demandware.
“We achieved in three months with Demandware what would have taken up to a year and required far more resources with our in-house platform,” said Pat Foley, Head of eCommerce at american golf. “We launched seven web and mobile sites in a very short period of time and are now able to easily replicate changes across the entire estate, rather than dealing with sites, one at a time. We’re now at the front foot in every area, from daily management right through to international expansion. The Demandware platform is stable, reliable and allows us to act with speed and agility.”
The Demandware Commerce platform has enabled Foley and his team to focus on strategy and growth, rather than day-to-day performance management. Previously, Foley would typically spend 50 percent of his time resolving issues. With Demandware, site performance issues are virtually eliminated and his team is able to dedicate their time to enhancing the customer experience with new features and functionality.
omni-channel features
The new american golf sites include several omni-channel features, including integrated omni-channel gift cards, flexible delivery and in-store collection options. In addition, the company now has a holistic view of customer information so that it can personalize the shopping experience and interactions across sites.
“Fast time to market is critical for high growth retailers like american golf,” said Jeffrey Barnett, chief operating officer at Demandware. “Managing the complexity of multiple brands, channels and geographies, along with responding to the accelerating demands of consumers, can be a daunting task for many retailers, especially when they’re weighed down by the limitations of traditional platforms. With Demandware, retailers can simply move faster because they are empowered with the tools and capabilities necessary to master omni-channel retailing, while leveraging the operational efficiencies of our cloud model. As american golf continues to evolve its omni-channel operations, it can rest assured that Demandware will continue to scale and innovate to support their future strategies.”
american golf worked with BE EXCELLENT, a certified Demandware LINK solutions partner, on the platform migration project. In addition, it leveraged pre-built integrations to third-party technologies available through the Demandware LINK Technology Marketplace.
american golf www.americangolf.co.uk
Demandware www.demandware.com