How Cricket-Hockey manages global payments using a single solution

Managing payments “under one roof”

Handling all payments with a single provider rather than multiple platforms makes it easy to keep track of sales and grow Cricket-Hockey’s customer base, Jamie and Christian say.

With a mobile-friendly flow, the ability to track all transactions from one dashboard and more, PayPal helps small businesses like Cricket-Hockey run their business more simply and cut down on admin work, saving time and money.

These streamlined operations are especially important when your small business relies on the notoriously unpredictable English weather. After more than a decade of increasing sales, Cricket-Hockey’s success came to a halt in 2012 when it rained non-stop, “There was 100 days of cricket lost,” Jamie said. “All this stock came in and nothing had been sold. We could not pay our suppliers because no one was buying equipment. So, we had to get on the phone and be honest with them.”

Transparency was the key to getting through this rough patch. Fortunately, the Cricket-Hockey team was already well-versed in bouncing back from adversity.

Betting on the internet, before it got big

Cricket-Hockey started in 1999 as an internet-first storefront with a humble 20 square-metre shop to its name—wagering that the web would be good for business. While the team’s foresight would eventually pay dividends, its status as an online store created issues with suppliers early on. Many of them would only sell to the business if it kept the bricks-and-mortar location open.

“There was no blueprint for internet business,” Jamie says. “So, it was very difficult the first couple years. We had to keep our store going just to keep our suppliers going. Now that’s all changed.”

Breaking through to consumers in the early days of the internet also came with its own set of challenges. Shoppers were reluctant to enter payment details on a website for a business they didn’t know and hadn’t visited in-person.

“The internet has changed massively [since the business started in 1999]. We’ve always tried to stay ahead to make people feel comfortable coming to us, and a huge part of that has been the payment systems we use online,” says Christian, who succeeded his father to co-lead the business 10 years ago.

True to its roots—the Cricket-Hockey online store accounts for approximately 85% of total sales today. To ease its customers’ concerns and bring them comfort while buying equipment, Cricket-Hockey counts on PayPal to make it easy to check out quickly and securely via the payment method they choose. “It’s always a challenge having multiple providers with integrations into your system,” Jamie says. “By just [using PayPal], it makes our business so much easier to run. We can focus on other things rather than worrying about different integrations and different providers and financial institutions.”

The business moves that helped make millions

Buoyed by a loyal fan base and a knowledgeable staff, Cricket-Hockey has continued to make a dedicated effort to meet customers’ needs—and reach new ones. In 2006, the company launched an in-house equipment brand that took the market by storm, showcasing colourful graphics and vibrant designs meant to attract younger players, while also offering more appealing sales margins.

After the rainy 2012 put a damper on the year’s sales, the company worked to expand its presence globally. Now it sells in locations like the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, ensuring that it can sell equipment 12 months of the year regardless of what the weather is like in England.

Other smart business moves, like offering a range of higher-end products with flexible payment terms, have prevented cash flow from becoming an issue. “Top-end products have made a difference with payment structures like PayPal Pay in 3*,” Christian says. “This has been massive to help spread costs over a two-month period, and it makes a difference for customers going through a service that they trust.”

Together, these efforts helped Cricket-Hockey achieve its first £1 million year in 2016—almost two decades after it was founded. The second million came the very next year.