FringeSport leaves the heavy lifting to Brightpearl

The background

FringeSport was founded in 2010 by Peter and Alex Keller, two brothers from Texas with a passion for the type of no-nonsense, muscle-aching workouts that make most people break out into a cold sweat.

As former college athletes and dedicated CrossFitters, they could see the extreme fitness movement spreading and immediately knew they needed to be a part of it. They bring the tools and equipment of elite fitness within reach, allowing anyone to build a truly world-class strength and conditioning facility in their own home.

FringeSport’s well-tuned business model allows them to get strength and conditioning equipment to their customers faster and cheaper. They have 12 employees and sell via eBay, Amazon, two retail locations and through their Shopify Plus webstore.

We managed to squeeze in a quick catch up with Peter Keller between workouts to tell us a bit more about his business.

The challenge

One of the toughest jobs for any retailer is keeping track of inventory. “We’ve found keeping track of all our inventory pretty tough. Too much inventory on hand and you can take a real hit to your cash; not enough inventory and you can’t fulfill orders. This can be especially difficult if you have multiple retail locations, sell through multiple channels and have products that are sold as “kits” or packages like we do,” Peter explains.

Key Challenges:

• Difficulty keeping track of inventory
• Disconnection between POS in store and online sales
• Costly shipping management

Peter continues: “We also have to contend with shipping weights, it’s another big challenge for us. Freight costs can be astronomical; if any mistakes are made it can become very costly for us.”

The solution

Peter tells us: “Managing inventory across multiple channels is no longer an issue. You can buy 10lbs bumper plates or you can buy a package that includes bumper plates, barbells and spring clips and Brightpearl knows to deduct the inventory at the product level. We no longer have to use spreadsheets and manually input data, which massively reduces the risk of human error. We’re confident that our inventory is always accurate because of Brightpearl. Our Office Manager used to have to double as the Inventory Manager too but can now leave the heavy lifting to Brightpearl.”

“We’ve been successfully using showrooms in Texas by using Shopify’s point of sale, which automatically hooks up with Brightpearl. We’re able to sell equipment and provide a personalized service to our customers in multiple showroom locations. It’s great for customer service and reaching a wider audience in Texas. It also helps as we’re able to ship straight from the two warehouses by using Brightpearl’s dropshipping feature.”

The future

FringeSport’s future plans include rolling out more showrooms and continuing to help people achieve their health and fitness goals by supplying the gear needed at a great price – all with fast fulfillment and industry-leading customer service at the helm.

“By using Brightpearl and Shopify Plus, we have the time to run a successful and growing business, as well as doing what we love; staying fit and active. I have the time to stay active in CrossFit and I’m even training for an upcoming ultra marathon,” concludes Peter.

www.fringesport.com