Green Trail

Green Trail, a specialty store for hunting, fishing, and dog supplies located in Pieksämäki, has been in business for over 30 years. Its selection includes both international brand-name products and the company’s own brand products, catering to both beginners and more experienced enthusiasts.

"Basically, if you ever venture off the asphalt, you've come to the right place," says entrepreneur Jari Huuskonen.

In recent years, the focus of sales has shifted from brick-and-mortar stores to online sales. The company uses the Jeemly point-of-sale system, which includes features tailored for gun and outdoor stores by Confirma, as well as an online store integrated with it.

Seeking Growth Through E-commerce

The story of Green Trail began with Huuskonen’s passion for hunting: he went on his first hunting trips with his father when he was just a couple of years old. After graduating from school, he founded a wholesale business that primarily resold products from domestic manufacturers to other companies. After moving, the goods were transferred to a garage for storage, where they ended up on display almost by accident. Consumer interest in the products grew, and so many customers began visiting that Huuskonen decided to rent a storefront in town.

– In the early days, all the information was in our heads, and we memorized the various items, their prices, and our customers. However, as the business has grown and the sales cycle has accelerated, a modern store management system has become essential, Huuskonen explains.

In 2011, Green Trail made a conscious decision to start pursuing growth. As a result, the company began exploring suitable e-commerce solutions. Since it was already using Confirma’s point-of-sale system, implementing the Flowvy e-commerce platform was a natural choice. The online store was first launched in Finland, but today Green Trail also has its own online stores for Swedish and international customers. Huuskonen believes that, in today’s world, an online store is the only way to succeed in a competitive industry.

It's all about customer service

Although Green Trail’s business is focused on the web, Huuskonen sees customer service as a key competitive advantage for the company: The faster, better, and through more channels you serve your customers, the more satisfied they will be.

– Customers have often come to our brick-and-mortar store from far away to pick up a product they read about online. Upon discussing the matter in more detail, it has become clear that the product the customer is looking for isn’t necessarily the best possible choice for their intended use. All of our salespeople are not only experts in the field but also hunters themselves, so they’re able to recommend the product that’s exactly right for the customer’s needs. In fact, we often receive feedback about how a salesperson’s expertise has kept customers coming back to our store time and time again, Huuskonen says.

Huuskonen hopes that more Finns would dare to embark on the path of entrepreneurship.

– This is a great field if you have the kind of personality that doesn’t give up easily. Small businesses are important in our country because, after all, they employ the majority of our population. So let’s give it a try!