A big investment
Much like Wild Republic seized on the opportunity to help zoos with merchandise sales, it recognized another opportunity that it could develop into another line of business, sparked by a conversation with Utah’s Hogle Zoo.
The director there, who had a strong relationship with Pillai, called the company looking for an enterprise resource planning system. Rather than refer the zoo to a vendor, Wild Republic offered to build the software for them … at no cost. Instead, the company would trade them the ERP for exclusivity on all plush and toys in the gift shop, offering consignment on the inventory and billing the zoo for what was sold.
As other zoos began to call with the same need, Wild Republic hit a snag.
“We discovered a lot of the challenges and bugs with the software, and then we discovered our programming language was outdated,” Chandran says. “So when that contract ended with Service Systems (which operates the Pittsburgh, Detroit and Cincinnati zoos), we turned around and went back into full redevelopment.”
The company hired programmers and put them up in an office in Coimbatore, India. They built a new product in a couple years. But, through conversations, Wild Republic found clients didn’t want a retail-only system. They wanted a system that could do retail, food, membership, admissions, educational resource programs and e-commerce in one integrated platform.
“There are companies out there that are spending significant amounts of money, but they’re not using the full functionality of the system,” he says.
So Wild Republic turned to its newly formed division, KMIT Solutions — those folks working from India — and went into redevelopment with plans to do a full ERP system for the client. A big investment.
The outcome was Focus Point 360 point of sale venue management software. And it was a success. It led to deals being closed with the Akron Zoo and has grown to service approximately 30 clients, with the largest being Woodland Park in Colorado and Milwaukee County Zoo.
Handshakes and lunches
For Wild Republic, it’s all about the company’s core market — its zoo, museum and aquarium clients — and how it can better serve them.
“It’s not just that we’re selling them — it’s not just transactional with the plush and the toys, but it’s a transformational relationship with these people because it’s more, how can we be a full-service partner,” Chandran says.
The launch, integration and maturation of the capabilities of Wild Republic Retail and KMIT Solutions has moved Wild Republic beyond being just a plush toy supplier. The company has positioned itself with a full-service model offering to provide greater value to clients.
“We go in with the mindset to each client saying, ‘Here’s how we can support you beyond just your merchandising needs with the IT system and with our retail background, some knowledge that we can share with you as a retail operator and how you could make more money in your shop,’” Chandran says.
It means being consultants rather than a transaction partner, offering advice based on the knowledge gained from four decades of handshakes and lunches.
“We really want to help them transform their business,” he says.
Takeaways:
» Relationships matter.
» Always be on the lookout for new opportunities.
» Be the partner your customers call when they’re stuck.
