Sport Clips Haircuts

The optimization of procurement processes stands as a critical element for success in the retail industry. Sport Clips Haircuts, the nation’s largest franchise dedicated to men’s and boys’ hair care with almost 1,900 locations in the United States and Canada, faced significant challenges as it navigated the post-pandemic world. The company's mission to provide a "championship haircut experience in an exciting sports environment" was hindered by unsustainable operational changes made during the Covid years. The shift toward a decentralized purchasing environment, while maintaining stringent control and visibility over spending, was imperative for Sport Clips to sustain its growth and continue delivering exceptional service.

Faced with these challenges, Sport Clips turned to Amazon Business for a comprehensive solution that would streamline store operations and procurement processes. By adopting a framework for multi-location organizations offered by Amazon Business, Sport Clips was able to grant access to all company-owned locations and training centers, dramatically transforming its procurement strategy. A key component of this framework was the implementation of approval workflows and Guided Buying, ensuring that purchases adhered to the preferred lists established by the company store operations team. “Before Amazon Business we were using Sam’s Club and Walmart and our Area Leaders were having to deliver product to each of their stores. Taking the savings we now see on Amazon Business out of it, we are already saving time and money by not running products to each store ourselves. On top of that, our accounting team has greatly appreciated the fact that each store receives their own invoice, making their reconciliation process significantly easier. By streamlining our process our stores aren’t running out of supplies, while they wait for their Area Leaders to deliver their supplies needed to run their store.” – Brandy Owens, Sport Clips Company Store Operations Specialist.

The introduction of solutions like consolidated invoices by store markedly enhanced Accounts Payable Reconciliation Efficiencies. This not only improved visibility into each store's spending but also significantly reduced the administrative burden on the accounts payable team. Additionally, the consistent utilization of reporting and analytics tools allowed Sport Clips to identify the most cost-efficient products and restrict certain items within the marketplace, optimizing its procurement strategy further. The inclusion of Business Prime ensured that stores received supplies promptly, negating the need for offsite purchasing, thus maintaining operational efficiency.

Furthermore, Sport Clips became an early adopter of the Amazon Business (AB) Associated Accounts Program (AAP), which enabled the brand to leverage additional savings and value-added features across its franchise network. The Associated Accounts Program (AAP) played a crucial role in extending additional value and savings to Sport Clips' franchise partners, showcasing the program's effectiveness in fostering a symbiotic relationship between franchisor and franchisee.

Looking ahead, the relationship between Sport Clips and Amazon Business is set to further enhance cost-saving opportunities. Taking full advantage of all the benefits included with Business Prime. Sport Clips company-owned stores have enabled Your Catalog, a feature which has received strong positive feedback as it has provided an improved user interface for each of their stores. Users (or The Stores) appreciate how it streamlined their purchasing process by highlighting preferred products prominently on the home page, further reducing the time spend searching for the products they need to keep their stores running smoothly. As for future possibilities, Sport Clips is currently exploring the option of integrating additional Business Prime tools/features, such as Business Giving as a potential avenue for employee incentives. This collaboration underscores the importance of strategic alliances with industry leaders like Amazon Business, which can greatly boost operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness in the retail sector.