Dunham’s Sports, a regional sporting goods chain operating primarily in the Midwest, is partnering with an ecommerce solutions platform to finally allow Dunham’s gift cards to be purchased online.

The chain will be leveraging CashStar’s eGift Card platform, which shoppers can use to purchase digital gift cards on the retailer’s Web site. The collaboration will augment an already adequate digital offering from Dunham’s Sports, which provides a significant chunk of its inventory for online shoppers but was conspicuously missing gift cards on its Web site—something that consumers were quick to notice and request from the retailer.

“Without digital capabilities, Dunham’s Sports was missing a core function of a comprehensive gifting strategy,”said Gerry Gilbert, vice president of product at CashStar. “That includes a powerful ecommerce solution to attract new customers and leverage last-minute gifting opportunities.

“Moving beyond the obvious need to support in-store, physical gift cards, Dunham’s Sports selected CashStar to provide its online customers with a simple, secure and intuitive user experience, whether they’re purchasing on a mobile device, tablet or desktop. Their new eGift Card experience also allows consumers to choose from a variety of digital gift card designs and personalization options, as well as the choice to email the card directly to the recipient.”

CashStar
Comprised of more than 225 stores in 21 states across the U.S., Dunham’s Sports is a full-time bricks-and-mortar sporting goods store focused on fishing, hunting, apparel, footwear and classic athletics equipment and gear.

Before adopting CashStar’s solution, Dunham’s Sports gift cards were available for in-store purchase only. The company received feedback from customers citing their desire for the ability to purchase the store’s gift cards online, and to help meet customer needs, Dunham’s turned to CashStar’s Commerce platform.

Now, Dunham’s new eGift Card experience allows consumers to choose from a variety of digital gift card designs and add personal messages for recipients. Designed for desktop, tablet and mobile devices, the eGift Cards can be delivered instantly to the recipient or purchaser via email, with an optional special layout designed for printing and hand delivery, all done through the CashStar Commerce platform.

Competitive sector
Even though Dunham’s is an important purveyor of outdoor and sporting goods in the Midwest, its foot dragging in mobile advancement up to this point is slightly alarming. Even retailers much smaller than Dunham’s have implemented various mobile solutions, not to mention competitors such as Dick’s Sporting Goods and Cabela’s.

Dunham’s does (or, at least, did) have a dedicated SMS program, which seems to be popular within the sector. A Cabela’s executive at the Mobile Shopping Summit said that segmentation has driven exponential growth of its SMS program, which sees 71 percent of sign-ups take place in store (see story).

And competitor Dick’s Sporting Goods successfully tapped into the hubbub surrounding this year’s Summer Olympics, rolling out a mobile-optimized microsite where fans can browse Team USA members’ profiles, receive updates on favorite athletes and track donation amounts to youth sports organizations (see story).

“Retailers of all sizes are competing for consumer spend and if they want to receive it they need to meet their consumers’ expectations for convenient and engaging experiences across all channels,” Mr. Gilbert said. “A digital gifting program complete with mobile storage and redemption options is something that every retailer should consider.”