For years, the DST platform has served as the primary source for current and standardized product information in the bicycle industry. Meanwhile, the system, conceived and developed in the Netherlands, is being used by more and more international suppliers, wholesalers, and brands to share product information. This increases opportunities in the international market for all partners, whether they are suppliers or retailers, says Harmen van Es, interim platform manager of DST and employed by Dynamo Retail Group.
As DST is deployed in more countries, manufacturers and affiliated retailers alike benefit from the up-to-date information the system provides. Such a database of nearly two million products contains not only current and relevant product information, but retailers can also link their point-of-sale system and webshops for free via the DST API. This saves time and money, ensuring that purchasing and sales run smoothly! And just as importantly: customers who come with specific wishes or questions can always be assisted effectively.
“High-quality product information ensures that you can always provide customers with the correct information,” says Harmen van Es. “By unifying product data, you enhance your service level. Thanks to the system, retailers have information on every product they have in stock, but they can also access specifications for products they do not have available but could potentially order. In this way, they inform customers optimally and never have to turn them away.”
Multilingual system
The DST platform received a significant upgrade with the growing popularity of the e-bike. Not only in the Netherlands but also in surrounding countries, this resulted in an expansion of the standard: the central platform where detailed and validated product information converges. Furthermore, it led to a multilingual system, featuring Dutch, German, French, and English code lists, suitable for product information in any language.
“A system in which all data converges, is shared, and compared prevents unnecessary complexity,” says Van Es. “This benefits not only suppliers but also all affiliated retailers.” He still calls the system the best standard available within the industry, one that also effectively facilitates the growth of the Eastern European and southern (including German and Spanish) markets. “Because you can load product information in any language within the platform, the data also becomes fully available for those markets.”
The system is now also valued outside of Europe. “There is even data available in Korean via the platform. The advantage of having access to data from all suppliers after a one-time integration is being embraced by more and more partners.”
Better timing
For suppliers and retailers, the platform provides guidance with a view toward sustainability. Van Es: “The era of ‘model years’ for bicycles is over. Where new models used to be introduced twice a season, suppliers now prefer to launch innovations at the moment they see the market is truly ready for them. In doing so, they prevent retailers from being confronted with large amounts of old models/stock and the associated depreciation. Products remain visible in the system throughout their entire life cycle.”
Aggregation platform
Van Es also observes that DST is at the forefront of data systems. Even in the UK, where larger point-of-sale systems are used, the aggregation platform for data from the Netherlands is being chosen in more and more places. “That is a recognition of the quality.” For international suppliers, there is the advantage that product news and associated data can be shared with the entire world via a single system. “This allows them to anticipate customer needs very quickly.”