How !nk Custom Tees Scaled to $3.2M with BigCommerce and Acumatica

Overview

In early 2020, !nk Custom Tees faced a moment of truth when the live events and high-volume print orders that had powered its growth suddenly vanished. As colleges and sports leagues paused gatherings, the Houston-based merchandising agency found itself scrambling to serve clients who now demanded fully managed ecommerce storefronts rather than bulk screenprinting alone.

Founded in 1988 by Holt Condren and a fearless partner who literally built the business parachute-first, !nk had always led with creativity. The team printed T-shirts for college students and executives, and even designed swag for the Cotton Bowl and Macy’s Day Parade. But when the pandemic hit, everything changed almost overnight.

Challenges

To meet new demands, !nk launched multiple ecommerce shops simultaneously on platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and BigCommerce. But juggling five storefronts stretched their small staff thin. Orders slipped through the cracks, data lived in silos, and customer service became reactive rather than proactive.

Meanwhile, inventory levels and order statuses were scattered across spreadsheets and separate dashboards. Instead of designing eye-catching prints, the team spent hours reconciling mismatched order records and troubleshooting platform glitches.

Crafting the Solution

After selecting Acumatica as its new ERP backbone, !nk evaluated three ecommerce options that could connect via two-way API: Magento for deep customization, Shopify for its ease-of-use, and BigCommerce for enterprise scale. BigCommerce emerged as the winner, offering native integration with Acumatica and the flexibility to grow without extensive development overhead.

The integration process involved mapping thousands of SKU records, establishing real-time order flows, and syncing customer data without data loss. One aspect that become pivotal was architecting failover checks to prevent oversells when inventory moved below thresholds.

By partnering with BigCommerce’s Solutions Architects and Technical Account Managers, !nk adopted best practices in storefront design and data migration. Personalized training sessions ensured the team learned API patterns and platform nuances from the pros.

Results

In less than twelve months, the newly unified ecosystem generated remarkable outcomes for clients. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes saw its FCA Gear store achieve $3.2M in sales—an impressive 186% lift in revenue from the prior year—while orders jumped 57% and conversion rates climbed 28%. At the same time, support tickets dropped by 30% as customer service reps leveraged centralized analytics.

The UNDERDOG brand for NBA player Bobby Portis experienced viral demand spikes whenever new designs hit the court. Social media buzz translated directly into hundreds of orders overnight, proving the power of integrated commerce and real-time fulfillment.

Technical Stack & Partnerships

!nk’s new model hinges on Acumatica ERP syncing product catalogs, pricing, and financials automatically to BigCommerce. Apps like Avalara automate complex tax rules while ShipStation streamlines international and domestic shipping. Zonos ensures customs and duties are handled at checkout, unlocking global markets.

Throughout the project, the BigCommerce Professional Services team provided ongoing guidance—delivering strategic reviews, performance tuning, and custom integrations that kept the rollout on-time and under budget.

Looking Ahead

With a dozen active merchants on the platform and more in development, !nk Custom Tees now operates like a startup within a seasoned agency. The team plans to explore headless commerce architectures, omnichannel loyalty programs, and AI-driven personalization next—all while preserving the creative spark that launched the business in the first place.