Stores of an Athletic Footwear Brand Get Fit with Abound Managed Services
The retailer lowered its operational costs by implementing predictive maintenance and energy-savings strategies.
The Client
One of the largest athletic footwear brands in the USA with more than 5,000 stores worldwide.
The Challenge
The retailer aimed to harness advanced technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), to automate store operations, decrease energy consumption, and comply with company-wide operational policies. Additionally, they sought to minimize technician visits by utilizing remote commissioning, monitoring, and troubleshooting of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) equipment throughout their network of stores in the USA.
Their objectives included:
- Enhancing occupant comfort through improved temperature compliance across all stores.
- Improving energy efficiency of the stores through better monitoring and controlling of store equipment.
- Optimizing store equipment operations and maintenance processes to minimize carbon emissions.
The Solution
The retailer partnered with Carrier Abound for its expertise in achieving these objectives for multi-site organizations. The plan involved rolling out its AI-driven solution and remote service to over 400 stores in the USA in a phased manner. Carrier Abound deployed its managed services offering, which leverage store energy data, equipment behavior analytics, and field service management, to optimize store operations and enhance savings across the enterprise.
After the initial study and analysis, the Carrier Abound team arranged and installed the open protocol site hardware kit – which included Building Automation System (BAS) controllers, room comfort controllers, sensors, and central supervisors – and then commissioned them in a timely manner. The retail stores were then on-boarded onto the Abound™ Insights platform to provide centralized visibility to facilities staff and our service team.
The Abound Insights platform facilitated the implementation of predictive maintenance for the stores' equipment, providing insights into enterprise-wide store operations. Centralized analytics and reporting through the Abound Insights platform improved how the retailer could plan maintenance activities and helped minimize equipment downtime. The platform also identified malfunctioning and now-working equipment, allowing for proactive resolution and, consequently, enhancing store uptime.
As part of the Managed Service Offering, the retailer’s teams and their vendor partners were supported by our Carrier BluEdge™ Command Centers. The centers are made up of specialized teams of domain experts and data scientists. They study the predictive insights from the platform to define action plans and ensure they are completed on time. They work 24/7 to proactively manage equipment operations and maintenance as well as provide quick responses and remote support to store managers. The centers support the retailer’s stores by handling store and technician calls, proactively acting on recommendations from the Abound Insights platform, and monitoring equipment performance across the connected stores.
This engagement model helped make the retailer more proactive in handling equipment operations and helped their employees understand energy conservation measures.
The Result
The retailer was able to make store operations more proactive and improve temperature compliance, save energy, and optimize the equipment maintenance process.
Results delivered in the period February 2020 to March 2025:
- Averaged approximately 11% in energy savings
- Over 77% of HVAC issues were resolved remotely
- On an average, 94% of the calls were answered within 20 seconds, reflecting strong responsiveness by the BluEdge Command Centers
“We can manage our store environment better now, thus providing a healthier in-store experience to our customers and our employees. The centralized analytics & reporting is great, allowing us to plan our maintenance activities better and reduce downtime. In fact, the average remote resolutions of HVAC issues has helped significantly reduce technician visits. This saves us not only cost, but also the associated emissions from truck rolls to our stores, allowing us to contribute to fighting climate change. This helps us reduce our carbon footprint and meet our sustainability goals.”
-- Director of Facilities at the Retailer