About VSports
VSports Cricket Store is a family-run business located in Coventry, United Kingdom since the 1980s. They specialise in providing high quality cricket gear, supplies and custom made bats to Cricket fans all over the world. With hundreds of products available for every level of player, their mission is to help people enjoy their favourite sport even more with a high-quality, curated selection of cricket equipment.
VSports has built an excellent reputation and referral network over the years for their commitment to quality and service. Combined with their expertise and passion for Cricket, V Sports prioritises trust and a commitment to excellent customer service.
Business Goals & Challenges
The challenge for VSports was to find a platform that could handle the complexities of eCommerce, financial operations, and in-store sales/inventory for their growing business. They needed something that could connect their sales floor to their backend, from purchase to shipping.
As their customer base and the popularity of eCommerce grew, so did the need for an easily deployable solution that could provide seamless order fulfilment and payment processing across multiple sales channels. With no one-size-fits-all solution available, VSports needed a custom-tailored approach that could meet their unique needs. They were determined to find the best option for their business — one that could help them streamline operations and provide customers with a superior shopping experience.
The team was in search of scalable technology that would enable them to efficiently manage growing customer demands, protect their data, and ensure maximum customer satisfaction. It was essential to find a platform that could evolve with their business and provide the highest quality service for an increasingly digital world. VSports had to be sure that any potential system would meet all of their expectations today as well as into the future.
Creating A Plan | Solution
VSports knew they needed to streamline their operations and focus more on customers. Owner of VSports, Vee Udeshi, sensed the growing need for eCommerce and required a solution that could grow with his business. He needed something that was quick to deploy and easy to use both in interfacing with customers and for his employees. With this goal in mind, the owner of VSports, Vee Udeshi, reached out to Craig, founder of MOD Commerce. Vee Udeshi decided on MOD Commerce because it was a Craig recommended a complete solution that would connect every part of their operations as well as help the company thrive in the growing eCommerce space. After careful consideration and collaboration between the two, a plan was developed that leveraged MOD Commerce CMS and Retail, as well as several other supporting apps:
MOD Commerce CMS: to create an optimised, secure website built with backend SEO best practices in mind to boost rankings and performance.
- eCommerce Website
- Email Hosting
MOD Commerce: to connect and streamline the online and offline business
- Point of Sale
- Product Manager
- ebay and Amazon Sync
- Shipping Label and Tracking
- Warehouse Scanner App
Take my Bookings: an easy and intuitive way to organise bookings
The Best Thing I Ever Did: Succeeding During Uncertainty or Innovation through Uncertainty
When COVID struck, VSports, like many brick-and-mortar businesses, faced uncertainty.
MOD Commerce helped VSports thrive during a challenging time by providing an add-on to their existing system. With Take My Bookings, owner Vee Udeshi was able to take one appointment at a time instead of waiting in the store. This allowed him to keep the business safe while providing customers with individualised attention and support. Customers responded positively and loved the system, giving Vee peace of mind that her business was safe and secure. MOD Commerce appointment system allowed VSports to continue operating despite the challenges posed by COVID-19. Vee Udeshi still uses Take My Bookings to this day to organise customer appointments.
Apart from implementing a new tool that helped them serve customers through a pandemic, VSports thrived during what could be considered perilous times for other businesses. Between 2019 and 2021, online store sales increased by 390%. Meanwhile, eBay and Amazon sales nearly doubled.
Overall, between 2019 and 2021, VSports grew total sales by 11%. Because of the presence of thriving eCommerce channels, the company was able to actually increase their profits due to lower overhead thanks to online sales.
Results: Skyrocketing Smart Business Growth
Since working with MOD Commerce, VSports has been able to do what they do best: help customers find the best Cricket supplies on the market.
In the words of Vee Udeshi, “We have seen tremendous changes in terms of organisation, speed, and ease of use. Our customers are now able to navigate through our website quickly and easily, as it makes much more sense than before. Additionally, MOD Commerce constantly provides better ways of doing things that make the process simpler and easier to focus on the business. For example, with the application up and running, I can easily review the stock and inventory reconciliation instead of having to go to multiple places. MOD Commerce support is also incredibly helpful; their innovation and attention to detail is what has helped us skyrocket our sales over the years.”
Vee Udeshi and the team at VSports have been able to easily keep up with the demands and opportunities in eCommerce without complicating their daily workflow and helping them work more productively. While VSports represents a classic pastime, they have created a nimble and agile foundation to help them overcome challenges and grow strategically.
The Risk of Inaction Was Too High
When the world shut down in the Spring of 2020, many brick-and-mortar retailers faced uncertainty and hardship.
According to a report entitled The Impact of COVID-19 on UK small businesses, the total cost of COVID-19 for businesses in the UK (where VSports is based), was upwards of £126.6 billion. Moreover, 25% of small businesses estimated that they would return to pre-pandemic levels of profits by Spring or Summer 2022.
The owner of VSports, in partnership with MOD Commerce, wanted to implement end-to-end commerce growth opportunities, both in store and online. Before the pandemic even hit, VSports was able to diversify the revenue portfolio and maximise their reach to move inventory into the marketplace. By using MOD Commerce as a one-stop solution, VSports was able to do more and sell faster long before the pandemic hit. With a strong commerce foundation across multiple channels, VSports was actually able to experience growth during a troubled time for many businesses, especially brick-and-mortar retailers.
Transforming Sales through Integrated eCommerce
When VSports implemented the MOD Commerce ecosystem, they were looking to add new online sales channels, specifically Amazon and eBay.
In 2016, VSports sold the majority of their products in store, with a small amount of sales via their own online shop. These channels resulted in an annual sales of £45,575.00.
By implementing MOD Commerce software ecosystem, VSports opened and accelerated the growth of new online sales channels while boosting operational efficiency. From January - August 2022, the company’s annual sales had reached £258,302.00 in the first 8 months of the year.
Quick facts
Increasing total sales by over 450% in less than 6 years (even through a pandemic!)
Taking eBay and Amazon sales from £0 to over £500K in less than 6 years.