SportHero is an established brand focused on trading official equipment and sports items from the Italian brand Macron – one of the leading suppliers of clothing for professional and amateur sports clubs in Europe. SportHero works with both end consumers and professional organizations in Bulgaria, offering customized solutions for teams, referees, and sporting events.
The partnership between SportHero and PLANA Solutions began with a clear goal: to create a new website integrated with an ERP system to facilitate the ordering process and improve the brand's online presence. Up until this point, the information and product publishing processes required significant human resources and time - especially when updating product catalogues.
At the heart of the solution is a new website built entirely using the PLANA Solutions platform and integrated with the internal ERP system.
- Centralized operation - products, pricing and inventory are maintained directly in the ERP system
- Connected sales - orders placed through the website are automatically recorded in the sales modules
- User friendliness - easy to navigate interface, filters and product categories
- Secure and flexible checkout - support for online orders with manual confirmation communication
- Single process - from new product upload to delivery - all tracked in one system
Business dynamics and product portfolio development require flexibility in the management of item information.
Our team developed a configuration that allows easy addition of new items, updating of descriptions and attributes, and synchronisation with external data sources. The solution provides the automation and adaptability needed to maintain an accurate and up-to-date product database in the ERP system.
A key component here is the use of artificial intelligence to translate product descriptions. Instead of manually editing hundreds of texts, the system automatically:
- Reads the original text (in English or Italian)
- Performs the translation into English
- Saves both the original and the translated version for full traceability
- Displays the finalised translation on the website, ready for customers
This saves hours of manual work and allows faster introduction of new collections each year.
Following the implementation of the website and automation, the system was also extended with connectivity to the partner's internal processes. Included:
- Warehouse module - to maintain up-to-date units and product visibility
- Sales module and Purchasing module - to process and track orders
- Basic reporting and control - through internal purchase locking mechanisms
- Ability to integrate additional modules - email marketing, blog, knowledge base, etc.
The partner uses only those functionalities they need at the moment, but the architecture allows for quick upgrades without the need for new developments.
Automated translation with the power of AI
One of the highlights of the solution is the use of artificial intelligence to automatically translate product descriptions directly on import. This saves significant time required for manual editing and allows the site to be updated in a timely manner whenever product changes are made.
The system also stores the original text, which allows for flexible maintenance and future adaptations, for example in other languages.
Read more here.
Integration with internal processes
The website is fully linked to the ERP system using the following modules:
- Warehouse - for managing products, quantities and prices
- Sales and Purchasing - for registering and tracking orders
- Documentation and Reports - for traceability and analysis
- Marketing and Blog - with potential for development and automation
This creates a solid foundation to work more efficiently without the need for additional systems or manual transfer of information.
Potential for development
The foundation built allows for future upgrading in several directions:
- Development of the blog section and creation of a knowledge base
- Email marketing and personalised campaigns
- Potential multilingual support if needed
- Expansion of automations for catalog updates
Conclusion
The SportHero project is a great example of how, through the right combination of technology, understanding of specific needs and a partnership approach, real business process optimization can be achieved.
The platform we created is not just a website, but a complete solution linking online sales with internal operations - with an eye to the future and growth opportunities.
