How INTERSPORT Schenk halved delivery times and won new clubs with refinemate
In-house textile printing instead of external service providers as a growth driver.
About
The specialist sports retailer INTERSPORT Schenk has been the place to go for sports enthusiasts, companies and clubs in the region since 1994.
Head office
Bad Langensalza, Germany
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The challenge
In textile printing, INTERSPORT Schenk struggled with high costs, long delivery times and dependence on an external service provider, which impaired growth and customer satisfaction.
Result
Since switching to refinemate, INTERSPORT Schenk has been able to flexibly map the entire process itself, from planning and design to printing, thus saving an enormous amount of time and money.
-50%
Delivery time for customers
+30%
Orders
7
New club customers
The challenge:
Despite decades of established business and a good local network, INTERSPORT Schenk was unable to exploit its potential in the areas of team sports and textile printing. In textile printing, the company worked with an external local service provider
, which supplied finished transfers and took on graphic design work. This led to increased costs, long delivery times and delays, which had a negative impact on customer satisfaction. In-house production using traditional software was not an option due to the lack of trained staff and the fear of dependency on individual employees. These factors hindered growth and the development of new revenue streams.
The solution:
INTERSPORT Schenk decided to redefine its textile printing from the ground up with refinemate. Instead of passing on the clubs' orders to a local print service provider, the printed materials are produced entirely in-house - without the need for specialized employees. refinemate allows the team to efficiently handle all design and printing processes themselves - a big step away from dependence on external service providers. The software also enables INTERSPORT Schenk to manage its club and corporate customers in a modern way for the first time, including the organization of teams with assigned design templates and the upload of club and sponsor logos. In addition to the existing thermal press, the technical equipment was expanded to include a professional cutting plotter.
The result:
In the first 12 months alone, 7 new association customers were acquired. Overall, the order volume increased by 30%. INTERSPORT Schenk's decision to insource textile printing ensures faster responsiveness to customer requests and significant cost efficiency. As a result, delivery times have been reduced by as much as 50%, which has delighted customers. For all its advantages, the use of refinemate eliminates the need to rely on the specialist knowledge of individual employees, a major and widespread problem when using conventional graphics and printing software. At the same time, INTERSPORT Schenk remains flexible with the setup to supplement in-house production with external transfers for special requests such as 3D logos.
The future of personalization for retailers:
INTERSPORT Schenk has recognized that the future of textile printing for stationary sports retailers will be shaped by the use of more user-friendly software, as the traditional route has become too complex due to the shortage of skilled workers. Customers increasingly expect short delivery times, flexibility and high quality at competitive costs. In addition, offering personalization through in-store print on demand is a crucial service component in order to assert oneself in the market and give customers a good reason to visit the brick-and-mortar store.