Tennis-Point, a leading provider of tennis equipment and fashion, delights customers throughout Europe and the world with over 30 brick-and-mortar stores and a successful online store. In order to offer its customers a seamless shopping experience even in markets with customs borders, Tennis-Point relies on the flexible and efficient cross-border solutions from MS Direct. With digital customs clearance and sophisticated returns management, the Swiss full-service provider guarantees a smooth process – from order to return.
Founded in 2007 by tennis enthusiasts, Tennis-Point has developed into one of the largest specialist retailers for tennis worldwide in just a few years. The company offers its customers a wide range of over 50,000 items from leading brands and exclusive product lines. With stores in countries such as Germany, Spain and Italy, Tennis-Point serves players of all levels. The expansion into Switzerland, a market with high purchasing power and low VAT rates, is particularly attractive. For the successful implementation of its cross-border strategy, Tennis-Point has relied for years on the expertise of MS Direct, which has provided crucial support for growth at international level.
Excursus: Adapting an online store to the target market.
Expanding into new markets is not just about shipping products and customs clearance. It also requires adapting the online store to local expectations. The most important areas to focus on include:
- Domain: It is worth setting up a country-specific domain to increase trust in the store. A local domain also achieves better search engine rankings in the respective countries, making the store easier to find.
- Language: Consumers expect to be able to shop in their native language. The online store should therefore be fully translated, including product descriptions, customer information and FAQs.
- Currency: For a trustworthy and smooth ordering process, all prices including VAT should be stated in the respective national currency.
- Payment methods: Different countries prefer different payment methods. An online store should definitely offer the most popular local payment methods.
- Duty-free deliveries: Unexpected customs duties annoy customers. Ideally, customers should therefore not even notice the customs process and receive their orders duty-free.
- Local returns processing: Returns are an inevitable part of online commerce and are just as important in cross-border transactions. Complicated returns procedures deter customers. Efficient processing of returns in the destination country offers considerable advantages. It allows customers to return items to a local address and often results in a faster refund. Retailers benefit from faster inspections and consolidated returns to the main warehouse.
The challenge.
Tapping into the Swiss market was a promising opportunity for Tennis-Point, but it also entailed some administrative hurdles. As a retailer, you need a Swiss VAT number and a fiscal representative – a person resident in Switzerland who legally represents the company. In addition, registration with the centralized billing procedure of the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (ZAZ) is required in order to correctly process import duties. There is also the obligation to document all relevant product data, such as origin and weight, for future customs clearance. Tennis-Point therefore turned to cross-border specialist MS Direct to handle these complex requirements. The aim was to design the entire process in such a way that the end customer would not notice any of the administrative steps. Returns processing was also to be handled locally and integrated efficiently into the existing process. A scalable and transparent system was crucial in order to guarantee smooth processes even at peak times.
- Support with VAT and ZAZ registration
- Efficient & reliable customs clearance process
- Scalable and local returns management
The Solution.
In close cooperation with MS Direct, an optimized delivery process was created that significantly reduces the workload for Tennis-Point. MS Direct not only takes care of registration and administrative procedures, but has also implemented an efficient customs clearance process. Carriers transporting Tennis-Point’s goods across the border can declare them at one of the numerous transit customs offices. With the help of a collective customs clearance procedure, the products are cleared quickly and without unnecessary interruptions. The goods are then handed over to Swiss Post, which delivers them directly to the end customer.
MS Direct set up a sub-address for returns processing at its location in St. Gallen. This enables Swiss customers to easily send their returns to a local address. Upon arrival, the returns are immediately checked and digitally recorded. The relevant data is transmitted to Tennis-Point overnight, which means that refunds can be processed much faster – a clear advantage for Swiss customers. Processed returns are temporarily stored and sent back to the Tennis-Point warehouse every two weeks. MS Direct also takes care of customs clearance and refunds.
«MS Direct has been a strong and reliable partner for Tennis-Point for many years. Whether export or import customs clearance or returns processing in England and Switzerland - together we always find perfectly customised solutions for the needs of our customers.»
Olaf Koch, EVP Logistics, Tennis-Point
The UK solution.
The British market also presented Tennis-Point with challenges when the UK left the European Union. With the sudden introduction of a customs border, the company had to rethink its logistics. Thanks to MS Direct’s experience in Switzerland, a customer-friendly and scalable cross-border solution was developed for the UK within a short space of time – including low and high order value processing and local returns processing. The advantage for Tennis-Point: with MS Direct, they have a central point of contact for both markets, Switzerland and the UK, which covers all customs issues and provides a perfect overview of all shipments and invoices.
- Optimal customs & VAT processing for Switzerland and the UK
- Transit customs clearance for faster delivery times
- Local returns processing in Switzerland and the UK
The Benefits.
The combination of MS Direct’s scalable cross-border and returns solutions and an optimized delivery process has successfully established Tennis-Point on the Swiss market. The partnership with MS Direct also enabled a fast and efficient solution for expansion into other markets with customs borders, such as the UK. MS Direct acts as a central point of contact for all customs issues and provides all the necessary documents in a digital, audit-proof and clear format. This not only saves Tennis-Point time, but also costs. Thanks to this seamless solution, Tennis-Point can keep its promise to customers: a first-class shopping experience that is smooth and uncomplicated – in all markets. This is how modern cross-border e-commerce works!
- One point of contact for all customs issues
- Administrative facilitation
- More satisfied customers thanks to imperceptible customs borders and local return options
- Growth through the development of new markets
Would you also like to open up new European markets with customs borders without having to deal with lengthy customs formalities? Then do as Tennis-Point does and rely on our cross-border solutions. We will be happy to advise you personally, our sales team will be happy to find the right solution for you.
About Tennis-Point
Tennis-Point is the leading specialist retailer of tennis equipment in Europe. Their range offers a diverse selection from rackets to shoes, from T-shirts to training jackets and includes a variety of popular tennis brands. With their online tennis racket advice, customers can find the right product for their needs.