State-of-the-Art B2B Ordering System Eliminates Paper Waste, Improves Accuracy, Saves Time & Money
Steamboat Springs and Denver, Colo. – Monday, December 6, 2007. After months of planning and implementing, SmartWool, the outdoor industry’s leading Merino wool apparel, socks and accessories company, launched its new state-of-the-art business-to-business (B2B) system last week in partnership with CenterStone Technologies, Inc., an international developer of Web-based sales order management software for manufacturers of apparel, footwear, equipment and accessories. The new B2B system, iVendix, will provide SmartWool with a convenient and easy-to-use online ordering system for more than 4,000 retail dealers and sales reps throughout North America. At the same time, the new system will eliminate paper waste, improve order accuracy, increase efficiency and lower overall transaction costs.
"We wanted the best B2B platform available. At the same time it had to align with our corporate goals and culture. iVendix has a proven track record as the most accepted sales order management system in the industry and fits well within our strategic platform," explained Norma Hansen, SmartWool’s director of sales administration. "CenterStone will help SmartWool remain easy to do business with by allowing our dealers and sales reps to make orders at their convenience while eliminating human-caused errors. Also, by automating the process we will reduce our paper waste and get closer to achieving our overall corporate waste reduction goals. And most importantly, it saves time and money for everyone involved with the transaction."
"SmartWool is an iconic and much sought-after brand for a large percentage of specialty retailers that use our B2B solution, so we are very excited that SmartWool is now live on iVendix, and we’re ready to start accepting orders on their behalf. We speak with specialty retailers every day, and an enormous percentage of dealers in the lifestyle apparel, outdoor recreation and sporting goods industries have indicated that they want to conduct business with SmartWool at their convenience on a 24/7 basis using CenterStone’s solution, " said Peter O’Neil, executive vice president, sales and marketing, of CenterStone Technologies. What a great testament to the leadership team at SmartWool that they pay such close attention to their customers, the specialty retailers. Our iVendix solution delivers a large and extensive user community that is continuing to grow at a very rapid pace. And it is the adoption rate by this user community that will drive the ROI for SmartWool. Based upon our success with other brands that sell through specialty retail, we have no doubt that CenterStone will contribute to the ongoing growth and success of the SmartWool business," O’Neil added.
Brands currently using CenterStone’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform and make the company’s other solutions available to retail customers and sales reps include: The North Face, JanSport, Vans, Reef and VF Imagewear, part of VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC); Pearl Izumi, a division of Nautilus, Inc. (NYSE: NLS); Marmot Mountain, Ex Officio and Marker Apparel, brands of Jarden Corporation (NYSE: JAH); Under Armour (NYSE: UA); Helly Hansen; Perry Ellis Intl. (NASDAQ: PERY); Geneva Watch Group; Cleveland Golf, and Fidra Golf, part of Quiksilver, (NYSE: ZQK); SmartWool, a division of Timberland (NYSE: TBL); RipCurl; Billabong; Sport Obermeyer; Smith Optics; KHS Bicycles; Dale of Norway; O’Neill Clothing; Hot Chillys; Petzl; Sole Technology; Icebreaker; Four Star Distribution; Buck Knives; Fresh Produce Sportswear; Yakima Products; Patagonia Europe; The Orvis Company and others.
About CenterStone Technologies, Inc.
CenterStone Technologies, Inc. operates a multi-tenant, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform and provides Web-based sales order management applications in six languages and local currencies in North America and Europe with widespread adoption by specialty retailers and sales reps. CenterStone’s e-commerce solutions are on track to process more than $1.2 billion dollars in wholesale transactions in 2007. CenterStone makes vendors more competitive by driving revenue growth, providing increased inventory turns at retail, reduced customer service costs, and greater speed to market, thus improving relationships with their customers–retail dealers. Additional information about CenterStone Technologies, Inc., based in Denver, Colo., with offices in San Diego, Calif., and Paris, France, can be found on the company’s Web site at www.centerstonetech.com or by contacting Pat Smith/OnTarget Public Relations at 303.333.1516.
About SmartWool
A wholly-owned subsidiary of The Timberland Company, SmartWool is a leading performance brand of wool-based apparel, socks and accessories. Nothing can compare to SmartWool® products for the ultimate in performance, comfort and easy care. SmartWool® fiber is superior at vaporizing moisture, controlling temperature and odor and is guaranteed not to shrink. It’s also a renewable resource that illustrates the design genius of evolution. For information on the full range of SmartWool® products or to find a dealer near you, please log onto SmartWool’s award winning website: www.SmartWool.com, or contact Alli Noland, Stanwood & Partners PR, at 307.733.1514.
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Contact:
Alli Noland
Stanwood & Partners PR
307-733-1514
anoland@wyoming.com
For CenterStone Technologies:
Patricia (Pat) Smith
OnTarget Public Relations
303.333.1516
pat@ontargetpr.net
