Driven by a mission to create products that inspire joyful shared memories, Kent Watersports has long recognized that a strong wholesale network is key to its success. With a portfolio featuring Hyperlite, HO Skis, O’Brien, Connelly, FatSac, Aquaglide, BOTE, Seipel Marine, Barefoot International, and Liquid Force, Kent’s Watersports Division needed a scalable platform that would not only support growth but also deepen its retailer relationships. This led them to partner with Elastic Suite—a B2B platform designed to simplify and enhance the wholesale ordering experience.
Why Kent Chose Elastic Suite: Inspired by Success in Snow Sports
The journey with Elastic Suite began when Kent Outdoors brought on Arbor Snowboards, a well-established brand in snow sports, which had a positive experience onboarding the platform as well as wide adoption in the snow sports industry. Arbor’s seamless transition highlighted the potential for streamlining operations across Kent’s entire watersports division. Seeing the success of this initial implementation, Kent’s team recognized that Elastic Suite was the right choice to support all their watersports brands, ensuring consistency and ease for their retail partners.
By joining Elastic Suite, Kent Watersports aimed to streamline its wholesale processes and create a seamless experience across its diverse lineup. Elastic’s multi-brand dashboard now enables Kent to manage everything from Hyperlite to Liquid Force in one place, delivering an efficient ordering process that makes it easier than ever for retailers to place orders and access inventory.
The Path to Implementation and Training
Kent Watersports embarked on a phased rollout of Elastic, with a focus on training to ensure each brand felt comfortable and capable with the platform. So far, five of their seven brands have successfully gone live, and Elastic has been there every step of the way, supporting the team to hit critical milestones, even reaching go-live goals on New Years Day.
Elastic’s flexibility with flat-file integration and support for Microsoft D365 individual instances has allowed Kent to customize the platform for each brand’s unique needs. Throughout this process, Elastic’s account manager Brad, a former rep himself, provided invaluable support, with additional training and support, bridging the gap between technology and real-world sales challenges.
Supporting Reps and Retailers with a Streamlined Ordering Process
For Kent’s reps, especially those handling HO and Hyperlite, adoption has come quickly. Many of their specialty retailers already had experience using Elastic, making the transition easier. With Elastic, ordering is faster and more accurate; reps can place orders, add products to shipments, and finalize orders over a quick video call, eliminating much of the back-and-forth that plagued the old, manual process.
Kent’s retailers now experience a streamlined process that not only saves time but also boosts accuracy. Elastic’s digital catalog has helped reduce the need for printed materials—a process that Kent hopes to fully transition to digital in the coming years. With more retailers adapting to this modern approach, Kent can focus on delivering exceptional customer service with a better and more rounded ordering process.
Growth & Retailer Commitment
Since adopting Elastic Suite, Kent has seen meaningful growth in retailer engagement and order volume. With tools designed to streamline the ordering process—like real-time inventory updates and the option to add products to existing shipments—Kent’s sales reps can process orders faster and more accurately, benefiting both retailers and the business.
Building Towards the Future of Customer Support
Looking ahead, Kent Watersports is planning to expand its customer support team, further enhancing retailer support with Elastic Suite’s advanced tools. With this partnership, Kent is more than just a brand—they’re a dedicated ally to retailers, committed to shared success.
Through Elastic Suite, Kent Watersports is giving back to its retailer base, delivering a technology-driven wholesale experience that meets today’s needs and builds toward tomorrow’s goals.
