MORGAN HILL, Calif. (BRAIN) — In a letter to retailers this week, Specialized said that it has enabled automated inventory data exchange with four major retail point-of-sale providers. The company is inviting dealers to subscribe to share their inventory data.
Retailers who opt in will provide Specialized with a daily feed of inventory units by SKU. Through the API interfaces, Specialized will gain visibility to retailers' inventory, which the company can then post on its website. When a consumer is on Specialized.com searching for a certain item on the product finder, the company can show the nearby retailer who has it in stock.
The Specialized.com website will provide real-time visibility of inventory in stock at retailers.
The company is only capturing Specialized inventory in units. More than 100 dealers have registered already, according to Jeff McGuane, USA market leader for the company.
Specialized worked with Lightspeed, Microsoft RMS, Ascend, Edge Technologies and QuickBooks to develop the API interfaces to enable the automated data exchange. But McGuane said retailers can also upload their inventory data manually with a flat file.
"We did our homework and we have captured on a volume basis over 75 percent of retail dollars relative to those top four systems," McGuane said. "Our objective is to get every [Specialized] retailer to participate. That will create the best experience for the rider when they're online and searching for products they're interested in. We're hoping also to get all of the dealers to sign up given the benefit and value of all the programs we can support them with.
"As we move forward that feature will allow us to do consulting with retailers on selling trends and identify opportunities for them, based on what's happening nationally or regionally," McGuane added.
S_Connect is available to all Specialized retailers free of charge.
McGuane said Specialized will begin sharing sell-through information with dealers participating in S_Connect at the end of the first quarter. They will also have access to search results from Specialized's website to know what consumers are looking for.
The goal, McGuane said, is for better inventory planning with retailers through a much richer set of business performance metrics and analytics, and to have a better understanding of real-time demand to ensure the company has the right inventory at the right time.
The data exchange program was first announced to dealers at the company's summer dealer event last year, where the company said it was the first step of an "integrated marketplace strategy."
Specialized began allowing approved dealers to sell parts and accessories — not bikes — on their own websites Oct. 1. Dealers had to opt in to data exchange to gain the right to sell online.
Specialized is still working with SmartEtailing's Supplier Sync service, which shows warehouse inventory from participating brands on retailers' websites.
