London-based backpack and accessories brand, ROKA London, has implemented Inventory Planner by Sage to supercharge its inventory planning processes and support its plans for continued growth.
Since launching in 2017, ROKA London has specialized in selling colorful, stylish backpacks and outdoor accessories to its ever-expanding customer base. The multichannel merchant originally reached high levels of success with B2B sales, stocking its popular product lines with over 1,500 UK retailers and even more internationally, in countries such as the USA, France, Spain and Australia.
In recent years, ROKA London has focused its aims on digital sales via its Shopify Plus webstore, in part by upgrading its tech stack – and has consequently seen phenomenal digital growth of over 70% year-on-year.
With plans to continue this trajectory in both the UK and US, ROKA London was inspired to try Inventory Planner. The team heard about the top-rated tool in a recent Brightpearl webinar; which featured an interview with Shopify and UK apparel brand, Passenger, who also adopted Inventory Planner to boost direct-to-consumer sales.
ROKA London formerly depended on spreadsheet-based inventory planning, but chose Inventory Planner due to its time-saving, robust features and swift functionality, including its accurate sales forecasting and automatic, data-led purchasing recommendations.
It’s also deeply connectable – able to swiftly extend to the many popular e-commerce apps top retail businesses use to build a best-in-class tech stack, including ROKA London’s chosen e-commerce platform, Shopify Plus.
The team has already gained access to the tool’s granular inventory insights and precise purchasing recommendations, which eliminates the need for time-intensive spreadsheet calculations and significantly reduces human error.
Additionally, having full inventory visibility means ROKA London can work towards custom inventory KPIs, and go as granular as variant level such as color, style, or size. With such in-depth data, ROKA London can identify its best-selling, slowest-moving, and most profitable items for all markets, channels and geographic locations, empowering the team to make informed purchasing decisions when growing into other territories and demographics.
With ambitions to become a multi-million dollar, omnichannel brand, the team at ROKA London recognizes the impact of using comprehensive inventory intelligence to rapidly scale.
The merchant is attacking its international growth from all angles; introducing Google Workspace to facilitate remote working, a boost in their use of Google Ads and Shopping, and championing the brand’s overwhelmingly positive TrustPilot reviews.
With Inventory Planner by Sage alongside, ROKA London is confident that the only way is up.
Peter Gough, COO at ROKA London said; “Inventory Planner is one of the most significant changes we’re implementing this year.
“This platform is a game-changer, it’ll take us to another level. We’re reaching a point where stock management and finance are becoming more complex; and we need better insights into our operations and purchasing decisions.
“Traditionally, we relied on gut feelings and instincts, but now we have data coming into the picture. This will be the next big shift for us.”
“ROKA London is a hugely successful brand with epic sales results for both B2B and direct-to-consumer” said Justin Press, SVP Customer Success at Inventory Planner. “Implementing Inventory Planner is a smart, sensible next step for them – allowing them the means to boost digital sales as they expand into more and more territories and demographics.”
ROKA Chief Operating Officer Peter Gough talks about the brand’s five year plan to build a global outdoor lifestyle brand with global sales of £40 million on the Lightning 50 E-Commerce Growth Hacking Podcast
