Geiger’s Sporting Goods and Apparel Story

Our store was founded in 1932 by our grandfather and grandmother in the years following the Great Depression. I’m a third-generation co-owner of Geiger’s Clothing and Sports in Lakewood, Ohio. For over 80 years, our brick-and-mortar stores have specialized in outdoor wear, menswear, womenswear, footwear, and sporting goods.

Celerant Technology in the Sporting Goods Industry

Our previous retail software wasn’t meeting our needs, and Celerant significantly improved our ability to analyze purchases and sell-through. It was an integrated system that connected everything from the general ledger to point-of-sale activity, making the transition very smooth. Although we had other options, we found that Celerant truly met our business needs.

We sell team sporting goods and provide team outfitting for local groups, charities, and schools. Celerant software allows us to invoice these orders while consolidating all associated costs. For large orders, it also enables us to bill parents and groups individually and track the entire process, from merchandise selection through sales and customer billing.

Celerant’s Evolving Solutions

The reason we’ve remained successful for 87 years is that we continue to listen and evolve, and one of our greatest steps forward was adopting Celerant. We knew they were at the forefront of eCommerce, even though we hadn’t entered that space at the time. Having inventory connected across all our stores and online channels provides tremendous value. Celerant excels at delivering that capability.

Celerant and Avalara Sales Tax Integration

When Geiger’s entered eCommerce, we recognized the need to collect and remit sales tax. Fortunately, Celerant already had a partnership with Avalara. Avalara calculates the appropriate tax for each destination to which we ship, helping us track tax amounts and remit them to the correct jurisdictions.

Sales tax requirements vary by state. In Ohio, for example, different counties and municipalities have different sales tax rates. This complexity can create significant stress for a business trying to make online sales easier. The Avalara and Celerant integration was simple and seamless for us. It’s a set-it-and-forget-it solution.

Ready for Future Innovation with Celerant

We don’t have to worry about whether the system is working. Instead, we can focus on the products we offer our customers and the service we provide, because that’s what we do best. With our partnerships with Celerant and Avalara, we know we’re ready to face the challenges of an evolving retail environment and continue succeeding in our local communities and online.

We used to think that a mom-and-pop shop couldn’t compete with larger retailers. Now, we have customers all over the country.