Case Study — SM Brands / FILA Australia

Built to Scale

FILA Australia is a legacy brand. Ready to replace their ecommerce platform and connected systems - turning a pandemic-era brand resurgence into a stable, scalable foundation for growth.

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CLIENT

FILA Australia

GROUP

SM Brands

SECTOR

Retail/Athleisure
& Footwear

PLATFORMS

Shopify Plus

INTEGRATIONS

Osipos & Styleman

built by Pipelabs

→ Platform fully replaced → Manual processes automated → Inventory unified across locations → Omnichannel offer switched on → Foundations built for future growth → Platform fully replaced → Manual processes automated → Inventory unified across locations → Omnichannel offer switched on → Foundations built for future growth

The Situation

A heritage brand ready to scale

Part of SM Brands in Australia, FILA saw a brand resurgence with the rise of athleisure and nineties-nostalgia trends.

During the pandemic, consumers were engaging with FILA as a heritage brand - and SM Brands had an opportunity to scale their ecommerce business model, building strong foundations for future growth in digital sales while helping their team work more effectively.

The brief: replace FILA Australia's existing ecommerce platform and all connected interfaces.

Following an in-depth review of systems and processes. The main driver was to improve the online and omnichannel offer for customers, and ultimately increase revenue.

Built on Shopify Plus, with Osipos and Styleman in the stack and integrations delivered by agency partner Pipelabs - a platform replacement done properly.

What 6R focused on

1. System strategy

Supporting the business to build a system strategy, evaluation process, and decision-making tools.

2. Delivery on commitments

Managing vendors, tracking progress, and support through testing and rollout preparation.

3. Cross-team communication

Internal communication and reporting, process review and refinement, measuring impact.

Problem to Solution

One platform reset for future trade

Replacing a mature ecommerce stack meant tackling selection, integration and inventory in parallel.

Challenge - Platform Selection

Which ecom platform will fit best?

Solution

A requirements shopping list, not a guessing game

It was unclear whether a replacement of one, some, or all systems was needed — and there were no shortage of platform options to weigh up.

  • A thorough review of existing systems and processes

  • An comprehensive requirements list to compare options

  • A smooth, efficient selection of system and implementation partner

Challenge - Integrations

Manual, clunky systems holding good intentions back

Solution

Automate the handoffs

The team had every intention to serve customers and the business well — the tools just weren't helping them do it.

  • Clear business processes and rules established before automating

  • Reliable, tested integrations built by the implementation partner

  • Seamless data transfer between systems, replacing manual re-entry

Solution

One consistent view of stock, everywhere

Complex omnichannel and multi-location inventory rules meant stock couldn't easily be transferred or sold across locations.

  • Data integration between the online store, ERP and POS systems

  • A business-wide decision to treat inventory one consistent way

  • Sales teams empowered to access stock across every location

The Results

A foundation built to last

Not just a better front end - a stable base the business can keep building on.

Less reliance on legacy

Reduced dependency on the systems and third parties that were causing issues.

Less manual work

Flexible processes that require far less manual effort from the team.

A stable foundation

An agile base the business can keep building on as it grows.

Built for what's next

Ready to keep up with the growing demands of a resurgent brand.

The project didn't just improve FILA Australia's online and omnichannel offer for customers — it built foundations for future growth.

In their words

What the business gained

What changed with the new website?

"The new website we launched looks better visually and improves the customer experience dramatically — but that's just the tip of the iceberg; behind the front end we also completely rebuilt the ecommerce foundations of the business."

Chris Bright, GM eCommerce — FILA Australia

What's different about how the team works now?

"We shifted the reliance on systems and third parties that were causing issues and established flexible processes that required far less manual work for the team. We now have a stable and agile foundation that we can build upon, constantly improving our offer to customers and keeping up with the growing demands of the industry."

Chris Bright, GM eCommerce — FILA Australia

Got legacy systems holding back your next chapter?

Let's talk about where you are now, and how to get moving again.

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