Why We’re Showing Up at OR 2025
At Versa Cloud ERP, we’re excited to announce that we’ll be exhibiting for the first time at the OR Trade Show 2025—come meet us at Booth 27033! With a strong track record of supporting thriving outdoor retailers like Gravity Cartel and Propain Bikes, we understand the unique demands of businesses that need to go beyond the limits of platforms like Shopify. Whether it’s streamlining operations, improving fulfillment, or managing rapid growth, we’ve helped outdoor brands scale up—without losing their edge.
Introduction : The Turning Point for Outdoor Brands
Every year, the OR (Outdoor Retailer) Trade Show becomes a magnetic gathering point for outdoor brands, industry leaders, and retailers looking to stay ahead of the curve. The 2025 edition is no different. Packed with innovation, sustainability conversations, and gear built for every element, the event is more than just a showcase—it’s a turning point.
This year, there’s a noticeable trend emerging: more outdoor brands are leaning into direct-to-consumer (DTC) strategies and launching on platforms like Shopify. The platform makes it easy to set up a beautiful storefront, manage basic orders, and connect directly with customers. But after the lights fade at OR and the orders start piling in, something happens—a lot of these fast-growing outdoor brands realize they’re outgrowing Shopify’s core capabilities. That’s where ERP integration comes into play.
What’s Trending at OR 2025? The Word Is “Scale”
If there’s one word buzzing around OR 2025, it’s “scale.”
Outdoor brands aren’t just showing off new collections—they’re sharing stories of rapid growth, expanded channels, and the challenges of managing inventory, wholesale orders, eCommerce, and retail all at once. Shopify may have helped them get off the ground, but as growth accelerates, operations begin to feel disjointed.
You’ll hear stories from founders like:
- “We launched with a small team, used Shopify to keep it simple, but now we’re shipping across the country, working with retailers, and handling 5x the inventory.”
- “After OR last year, demand spiked—and so did fulfillment errors.”
- “We love Shopify, but the backend became chaotic.”
There’s a growing recognition that a sleek front-end doesn’t equal operational strength. Outdoor brands need a system that can manage everything behind the scenes.
The Operational Ceiling of Shopify: Growth That Outpaces Simplicity
Shopify is incredibly powerful for launching and marketing an online store. But its simplicity is also its limit when growth kicks in. Let’s break this down:
- Inventory Management Challenges: As SKUs grow and multiple warehouses come into play, manual syncing or basic apps just don’t cut it. Shopify’s native inventory tracking works for a single-channel setup, not for managing stock across B2B, retail, and online.
- Fulfillment Friction: Fulfilling orders from different locations, tracking backorders, and integrating with third-party logistics becomes frustrating without a centralized hub. Many outdoor brands find themselves toggling between spreadsheets, apps, and support tickets.
- Lack of Forecasting Tools: With no built-in forecasting, Shopify makes it hard to plan inventory purchases around seasonal peaks—especially post-OR when demand can be unpredictable.
- Limited Financial Intelligence: Brands struggle to tie revenue back to inventory costs, overhead, and fulfillment. Reporting tools don’t go deep enough to make data-driven decisions.
What all this adds up to is operational drag. And operational drag is the one thing you can’t afford when the spotlight hits your brand after a major trade show.
The Impact of Seasonality on Outdoor Brands Post-OR
Outdoor brands are no strangers to the seasonal nature of demand. From summer hiking gear to winter sports apparel, most product lines experience sharp spikes and dips depending on the time of year.
The OR Trade Show often acts as a kickoff to one of those seasonal surges. Excited buyers, retailer commitments, and pre-orders all pile in at once. But here’s the catch—if you don’t have the right systems in place, seasonal demand can feel more like a tidal wave than an opportunity.
Many growing brands on Shopify find themselves scrambling to keep up after OR. Stockouts happen because they didn’t forecast well enough. Overstocking occurs when teams overcompensate. Fulfillment delays creep in as volumes exceed expectations.
This is where ERP becomes a strategic partner—not just a tool.
A modern ERP solution helps you:
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Forecast based on historical data and projected sales from events like OR.
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Automatically adjust purchase orders to meet seasonal needs.
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Track vendor lead times, helping ensure you’re stocked before the spike hits.
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Set inventory buffers for fast-moving SKUs, so you’re never caught off guard.
It’s not just about surviving a busy season. It’s about owning it—without burning out your team or disappointing your customers.
Why ERP Is the Secret Weapon for Post-OR Success
An ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system fills in the gaps and provides the muscle behind the momentum. Instead of jumping between tools, spreadsheets, and disconnected systems, ERP centralizes and automates the key workflows you rely on.
Imagine this:
- You leave OR with a flood of orders, and your inventory auto-updates across every channel—Shopify, Amazon, your warehouse, and retail partners.
- Your fulfillment team receives clear pick-pack instructions. No duplicate orders, no lost shipments.
- You check a dashboard and instantly see what sold best, what’s running low, and which supplier can get you restocked fastest.
- Your finance team can forecast cash flow based on real-time sales, expenses, and inventory cost data.
This isn’t a distant dream. It’s exactly what ERP enables when it’s built with growing consumer brands in mind.
The Shopify + ERP Combo: Where Front-End Meets Fulfillment Mastery
For many founders, ERP sounds like a big, scary enterprise system—something only Fortune 500s use. But modern cloud ERP platforms are designed for SMBs. When connected with Shopify, they provide a unified system where:
- Orders flow seamlessly from storefront to warehouse
- Inventory adjusts in real-time across all channels
- Customer data, invoices, and POs are automatically recorded
- Fulfillment processes are streamlined
This creates consistency. It eliminates fire drills. It gives founders and teams breathing room to think strategically instead of just reacting to daily chaos.
It also allows for omnichannel expansion—want to sell on Amazon? Launch a wholesale portal? Run pop-up retail events? ERP ensures you’re not duct-taping systems together as you expand.
Choosing the Right ERP Before the Trade Show Buzz Fades
Timing matters. Post-tradeshow excitement drives traffic, PR coverage, and demand. If your backend isn’t ready, it’s easy to stumble.
Here’s what outdoor brands should look for in an ERP solution:
- Native Shopify integration – No patchy APIs or third-party connectors.
- Real-time inventory tracking – Across warehouses, retail partners, and dropship orders.
- Order-to-cash workflows – So you can follow every sale from website to bank.
- Demand planning tools – To help avoid stockouts or overstocking after the buzz.
- Easy reporting dashboards – So you’re not drowning in data but have clear insights.
- Scalable pricing – You shouldn’t be penalized for growing.
The ERP you choose should feel like an upgrade, not a burden. It should give you clarity, not complexity.
OR Exhibitors Already Embracing ERP to Power Their Growth
Talk to any founder who’s made the leap to an ERP, and the sentiment is similar: “I wish we’d done this sooner.”
These brands aren’t waiting until things break to invest in infrastructure. They’re aligning their operational backbone with their brand vision. They know it’s not enough to deliver performance gear—they need performance processes.
We’re seeing:
- Brands implementing ERP before peak seasons or launches.
- Teams automating fulfillment processes to free up staff time.
- Finance teams getting a grip on inventory valuation and COGS.
- Founders using insights to pitch smarter to retailers post-OR.
ERP doesn’t just support growth—it enables it.
Frequently Asked Questions: Scaling Outdoor Brands After OR
As more outdoor brands explore scaling beyond Shopify, especially after an event like OR 2025, these are the questions we hear most often:
1. Can I keep using Shopify and still integrate with an ERP?
Yes. In fact, that’s often the ideal setup. Shopify continues to power your customer-facing storefront, while the ERP runs your operations in the background. The two work hand in hand—your team doesn’t have to give up the familiar interface of Shopify, but gains operational control where it matters most.
2. What’s the right time to move to an ERP?
If you’re seeing growth across multiple channels, dealing with inventory issues, or struggling to track orders and costs in real time—it’s time. A good rule of thumb: if you’re managing operations with more than 3–5 disconnected tools or spreadsheets, ERP can simplify your life.
3. Will my team need IT experience to use an ERP?
Not anymore. Modern, cloud-based ERP platforms are built for usability. You don’t need to hire a tech team to get started. In many cases, onboarding is smooth with just a few training sessions, and your day-to-day workflows are actually easier and faster than juggling apps.
4. How does ERP help after OR specifically?
OR is a visibility booster—great for exposure, but it can overwhelm backend systems. ERP ensures that when the post-show orders and retail inquiries start coming in, you’re ready. It keeps inventory synced, automates fulfillment, and helps you track every dollar tied to product movement. In short: it keeps the momentum going.
Conclusion: Making the Most of OR 2025—Build a System That Matches Your Ambition
The OR Trade Show is about visibility, connection, and momentum. But momentum can be fleeting if your systems aren’t ready. Shopify gives you a clean, compelling storefront. ERP gives you the engine to power everything that happens after the sale.
When the show ends and the real work begins, smart outdoor brands will be the ones with a system that can handle the pressure.
So ask yourself:
- Is your backend built to scale?
- Will your operations support the growth you’ve worked so hard to create?
- Are you building a brand, or just managing orders?
The difference often lies in what’s behind the scenes. If you’re heading into OR 2025, it’s the perfect moment to rethink your systems. Because when the next surge comes, it won’t wait for you to catch up.
And with the right ERP by your side, you won’t have to.
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