Client Case Study · Retail Technology & System Implementation
Enabling Omnichannel at adidas Canada: Fixing the System Behind the Inventory
adidas Canada wanted to launch a true omnichannel experience, buy online and return in store, across roughly 250 adidas and Reebok stores. The blocker was not ambition, it was the systems. Inventory data was not flowing correctly from the distribution center into store systems, so no omnichannel platform could be trusted. IMA Consulting traced the technical root cause, fixed the system data flow, and helped clear the way for the omnichannel software rollout.
- Client
- adidas Canada
- Industry
- Apparel and footwear retail
- Scale
- Roughly 250 adidas and Reebok stores served by one distribution center
- Services
- Root cause analysis, systems integration, omnichannel enablement
- Technologies
- SAP, Jira, Salesforce POS, OmniHub, Microsoft Suite
- Companion study
- See the reporting and scorecard case study for the store process side
The Challenge: An Omnichannel Vision the Systems Could Not Support
Until this project, adidas Canada had no online experience that translated into its stores. Customers could not buy online and return in store, a major gap in the ideal experience. Leadership wanted to close it with an omnichannel platform, but the systems underneath were not ready. Inventory data moving between the distribution center and store systems was unreliable, and any omnichannel software built on that data would inherit the same errors.
Our Approach: Trace the Problem Through the Systems
Follow the data from the distribution center to the store
The investigation led to a new, heavily automated one million square foot distribution center in Brant, Ontario. Working with the warehouse lead, IMA examined exactly how shipping data was supposed to flow into each store’s receiving software, and where it broke.
Find the technical root cause
Because the distribution center was fast, it shipped partial purchase orders and generated a shipping notice for each shipment. Those notices should have appeared in the store system, but in practice only a final shipping notice actually moved the inventory into the store’s software. Whenever a single item was missing from a purchase order, no final notice was sent, so the store could not receive any of that product. It was a system logic flaw quietly corrupting inventory across the network.
Fix the system data flow and integrate the platform
IMA shared the finding with the senior leadership team so the system issue could be corrected, restoring an accurate flow of inventory data from the distribution center into stores. With the data foundation repaired and integrated across the technology stack, from SAP and the Salesforce point of sale to the omnichannel hub, the retailer could finally deploy an omnichannel platform it could trust.
The Results: Omnichannel Software on a Foundation That Works
Fixing the shipping notice system removed a hidden source of error that had been undermining inventory across roughly 250 stores. With the distribution center and store systems finally sharing accurate data, adidas Canada deployed its omnichannel hub, OMNI-Hub, a full year before the pandemic turned buy online and pick up or return in store into a necessity. Because the software sat on integrated, reliable systems rather than broken data, the omnichannel experience actually worked, and the business was ready for the surge in demand while many competitors were still catching up.
New omnichannel software cannot fix broken data, it only ships it faster. Fixing the system first is what let the platform deliver the experience customers expected.
Why It Worked
The win came from treating omnichannel as a systems problem, not just a software purchase. IMA traced the data through the distribution center and store systems, found and fixed the technical flaw at the source, and made sure the platform was integrated on a reliable foundation. Diagnosis, integration, and sequencing, systems before software, are what turned an omnichannel vision into a working reality.
Frequently Asked Questions
What system flaw was breaking inventory at adidas Canada?
The distribution center shipped partial purchase orders and generated a shipping notice each time, but only a final shipping notice actually moved inventory into the store system. When an item was missing from a purchase order, no final notice was sent, so the store could not receive any of that product. Fixing this system logic was central to enabling omnichannel.
Why does omnichannel retail depend on system integration?
Omnichannel models like buy online and return in store require the distribution center, point of sale, and inventory systems to share accurate, real time data. If those systems do not talk to each other correctly, the online inventory a customer sees will not match the shelf, and the experience breaks.
Can new omnichannel software fix inventory problems on its own?
No. Software exposes broken data faster rather than fixing it. adidas Canada had to correct the underlying system flaw and integrate its distribution center and store systems before the omnichannel platform could be deployed successfully, which happened a full year before Covid-19.
Related case study: Reporting, Scorecards and SOPs: Lifting Inventory Accuracy from 81% to 95% — the reporting and process side of this same story.
Planning an omnichannel or systems rollout?
IMA Consulting helps retailers get the systems right before the software goes live, tracing data problems to their source and integrating the platforms that omnichannel depends on. If your technology is running ahead of your data, let’s talk.
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