Customer Spotlight: Carhartt

Carhartt, founded in the United States in 1889, is a globally renowned apparel brand known for the quality and durability of its clothing lines. Initially focusing on workwear for manual laborers, over the decades Carhartt has grown into a recognized apparel leader worldwide. Today, Carhartt has a strong retail presence, with an international portfolio of retail outlets, a vast wholesaler network, and a popular and growing e-commerce platform.

the challenges faced by Carhartt

Thanks to the growing complexity of their product catalog and internal workflows, Carhartt needed a software solution that made the lives of their employees easier while meeting the evolving demands of their omnichannel, multi-market sales and marketing operations. The company faced three key challenges when it came to their product data management:

• Inefficient data correction
  The primary Carhartt faced was inefficiency in correcting data errors. Product information was fragmented across multiple Excel files stored on shared drives, making it difficult to identify the most current and accurate data. This situation necessitated numerous meetings and manual efforts, wasting valuable time and resources.
• Data governance gaps  
  Carhartt’s legacy system could not restrict user edits to specific product attributes, resulting in inconsistencies. There was no workflow to validate data accuracy before syndication, causing errors to propagate through the system. Moreover, without standardized methods, data entry was inconsistent, further complicating data management.
• Customer information gaps
  Errors in customer information presented a significant challenge. Numerous inquiries stemmed from inaccurate or missing product details, resulting in substantial costs from retailer chargebacks.

To meet these challenges head-on, Carhartt needed to implement the right solution for its people and processes, alongside the right implementation partner for their operational demands. To meet these needs, Carhartt turned to inriver and our implementation partner, Valtech.

Carhartt’s PIM journey with Valtech and inriver

Carhartt’s journey to a different way of working looked like this:

1. Finding the right PIM

Even though Carhartt previously had a PIM solution implemented, internal teams were still working in spreadsheets and data siloes. Following a decision to move away from this fragmented working culture, the need for a new, unified PIM platform was clear. Inriver was identified as the PIM software that could facilitate this culture shift.

2. Getting the right implementation partner

Before they truly began their inriver journey, Carhartt identified the need to widen their focus from adopting new PIM technology to transforming their entire approach. This realization led them to partner with Valtech, a trusted ally with a shared commitment to innovation.

3. Focusing on the people and the processes

Valtech played a key role throughout the implementation process, understanding that the essence of success lay beyond the realm of the PIM technology alone. Working together, Carhartt and Valtech took an approach that the success of their PIM project was not about technology, but the people and processes behind the technology.

“The most important aspect of PIM implementation is the change management and understanding its implications on people, processes, and governance. Let the people and process design the technology; don’t let the technology dictate your approach.”

Melissa Dyke, Carhartt

Product Data Information Data Steward

4. A custom data model

To meet evolving data demands, Carhartt and inriver worked together to develop a custom data model. This data model featured a three-level product hierarchy and seasonality requirements. It also included the important functionality of being able to syndicate data to external channels. 

5. New workflows and processes

Carhartt designed and implemented comprehensive product lifecycle and user workflow processes with support from Valtech’s Organizational Change Management (OCM) team. To ensure these new tools were successfully adopted, Carhartt and Valtech undertook new workflow training for teams across the organization. 

6. Comprehensive integrations

Carhartt’s existing ERP and PLM systems were configured to centralize product data into the inriver PIM platform, ensuring consistency and accuracy. An outbound connector was implemented to synchronize product data across Carhartt’s e-commerce platform, maintaining consistency for customers at every digital touchpoint.

inriver x Carhartt: The results so far

Following the implementation of the inriver PIM, Carhartt has already seen these results:

1. Single source of truth

Carhartt achieved a single source of truth for product data by consolidating all information into the inriver PIM. This eliminated the need to search through multiple spreadsheets, enhancing collaboration and efficiency. Product enrichment became more streamlined, with final validation processes ensuring data accuracy before dissemination. Additionally, data model upgrades reduced duplicative, incorrect, or inconsistent data. Benefits of this single source of truth include:

• CVLs for Translation: Implementing Controlled Vocabulary Lists (CVLs) improved the accuracy and consistency of translations. 
• Reduction or Elimination of Seasonal Enrichment: Streamlined processes reduced the need for seasonal data enrichment.  
• Shared Enrichment Paths: Unified enrichment paths led to a single source of truth, enhancing data consistency. 

2. Standardized data governance

Data governance was standardized by developing detailed data models that included precise data types and completeness criteria, ensuring standardized data entry. User workflows were implemented to ensure all Carhartt teams enrich their data in the PIM before sending it to endpoints. These workflows also tracked the enrichment progress, providing clear timelines for completion. Access restrictions were put in place, preventing unauthorized edits to critical data attributes. 

3. Improved customer experience

Customer experience saw significant improvements as well. Establishing required attributes ensured that customers had all the necessary information to make informed purchasing decisions. Clear and consistent completeness criteria significantly reduced the chances of costly retail chargebacks due to inaccurate product information. Additionally, streamlined data enrichment and validation processes improved overall efficiency and accuracy in product data management. 

inriver x Carhartt: The key takeaway

Carhartt’s journey with inriver has represented a significant step change when it comes to their people and internal processes. However, thanks to their close collaboration with Valtech, they could overcome the challenges of change management and integration with the support and understanding of a trusted implementation partner. By connecting SAP ERP with SAP Commerce Cloud, inriver and Valtech enabled the entire PXM journey for Carhartt, resulting in a better overall customer experience. Following PIM implementation, Carhartt now has the means to achieve sustainable, data-driven growth, all by letting the people and process design the technology.