The sporting goods industry in the United States has yet to experience major innovation disruption since the pandemic compared to other industries. New equipment purchases have reached new records, with current projections value the market at $126 billion in sales. However, retailers continue to close, and supply chain issues are crippling the market. As part of that market, golf has experienced a resurgence since the beginning of the pandemic, as demand for new golf clubs is experiencing record highs. However, the industry is plagued with problems, including the significant rise in counterfeit golf clubs, delayed lead times, and high return rates.
A new startup looks to change the status quo in golf, particularly in an industry with little tech available for equipment purchases other than traditional retail and eCommerce platforms. Cadi Kiosk is officially launching in summer of 2022, and offering the sports equipment industry an omnichannel and autonomous marketplace poised to change how products that first need a demonstration are purchased. By presenting an autonomous retail solution for golfers, Cadi allows them to demo clubs and instantly purchase these from self-service kiosks at golf courses, entertainment venues, and driving ranges or online from its e-commerce platform.
Using Data to Change Golf
Cadi has developed a proprietary and innovative solution for the needs of both golfers and facilities such as golf courses, entertainment venues, and even retail. Cadi uses proprietary tech including sensors to track golf clubs from their system of micro warehouses to use by the customer. A customer can approach a Cadi kiosk and experience a streamlined testing and purchasing process. This is enabled through the creation of a Cadi account, where the golfer can make club selections based on recommendations from the platform, see what clubs are in stock in a nearby kiosk, and try the club out on property. The platform offers a similar experience using the eCommerce platform, as clubs are shipped directly based on player data providing recommendations, and a demo of clubs at a venue convenient to the player.
A sensor which is embedded in the club tracks the location of the product and this is communicated through the users account as well as Cadi's platform. The sensor can track the product to know its precise location at all times. This is an improvement over the traditional retail mechanism of manually tracking inventory through employees scanning products. The Cadi system has been designed with golf in mind but the technology is easily transferable to other kinds of retail environments. This has the potential to drastically improve the handling of inventory and increase the overall effectiveness and convenience of inventory tracking for any retail business.
In a traditional retail environment employees would manually scan inventory daily. This is inefficient and consumes a great deal of time without being particularly effective. In 2018 alone inventory shrinkage caused retailers a whopping $50.6 billion in losses. While this is roughly 1.38% of all retail sales it still represents a massive amount of lost revenue for retailers.
Cadi has developed an automated solution to this problem in collaboration with their engineering team. This technology took a year to develop and a further nine months to test and refine. Through automated tracking with sensor technology Cadi is able to eliminate the need for manual tracking entirely which will save both time and money. Additionally, the use of micro warehouses and this sensor technology reduces the need for several employees and other additions to overhead per location, resulting in faster, automated shipping and product management.
The Cadi team was composed of experts from many different sectors who all contributed their vital knowledge to the development of the product. The Cadi kiosk was also tested by customers who provided much needed feedback in order to improve upon the product and make it more effective and easier to use.
About Cadi
Cadi Kiosk is finalizing a StartEngine campaign with over $2 million raised from over 2,000 investors across the United States. Additionally, the PGA pro golfer Paul Casey endorses the brand, and is not currently signed to any golf equipment manufacturer, preferring to use a mix of clubs best suited for his pro career. The StartEngine crowdfunding campaign ends April 2022, with a projected launch in June 2022.
Final Thoughts
The Cadi kiosk is the result of extensive iteration, development and testing to produce a product which is highly efficient and solves a common problem plaguing all forms of retail industries. While the Cadi kiosk was designed with golfers in mind and provides an elegant solution to the needs of golfers needing to test their products before purchase, the technology is easily transferable to other retail businesses. This is particularly true of retail businesses and products which customers prefer to test before they commit to a purchase. Cadi has integrated sensor technology into products to create a seamless user experience which improves the quality of life for both customers and retailers.
