How RUDSAK Doubled Customer Data & Halved Checkout Time

Background

RUDSAK started in 1994 in Montreal as a passion project by Evik Asatoorian, aiming to blend art, modern tailoring, and performance fabrics into outerwear and accessories. Over three decades it grew from a single studio in the city’s garment district to 25 Canadian boutiques plus a flagship in New York City. The brand earned a reputation for delivering sleek styles, technical features like waterproof zippers, and meticulous finish. But while their online site thrived, the in-store technology lagged behind the luxury image they’d worked so hard to build.

The Challenge

In stores, associates used Microsoft Dynamics 365, which kept physical and digital sales data in separate silos. Team members often spent extra minutes toggling between plug-ins, spreadsheets, and scripts just to learn if a shopper had purchased online. Data mismatches—like typos or extra spaces—made things worse, and recovery efforts ate into selling time. For a brand built on personal connections, the technical friction undercut the smooth, tailored experience RUDSAK promised.

Associates couldn’t quickly pull up a returning customer’s online basket or past purchase details in real time. Even something as small as mentioning a jacket from last season required manual lookups that were slow and error prone. As a result, sales teams lost context, footprints in the sales journey were incomplete, and checkout lines were longer than they should be.

The Solution

RUDSAK made the switch to Shopify POS, which created a single repository for every customer interaction—whether online or in store. With Shopify customer profiles, associates now see each shopper’s purchase history, saved items, and preferences on a sleek tablet in under a second. No more jumping between apps or dealing with logs that break when someone mistypes their name.

To roll it out, the team mapped critical processes before any code changed hands. They used the intuitive interface and in-depth Shopify resource library to train staff in just two hours on average. Unlike previous rollouts, fewer than 5% of employees resisted; the rest picked it up and felt comfortable from day one. Tablets replaced antiquated registers, giving team members the freedom to wander the floor and answer shoppers’ questions on the spot.

The Results

Within weeks, in-store transaction times dropped by 50%, falling to under a minute per order. Unified profiles meant RUDSAK now captures nearly twice as much customer data, fueling targeted outreach and more relevant product advice at checkout. Tourists love the frictionless ship-to-home option, and locals appreciate real-time access to warranty and return history. Plus, when associates ask “How did you like that black parka you tried last winter?” it hits home—because they know which parka.

Centralized data removes the need to manually reconcile names, addresses, and purchase records each day. The finance team can run live reports without juggling spreadsheets. And with all customer interactions logged, RUDSAK has the foundation to expand rapidly: adding new locations or moving into markets outside Canada won’t require stitching together fractured datasets.

Looking Ahead

Armed with a modern POS, RUDSAK plans to test AI-powered product recommendations and further streamline care for high-value shoppers—all without losing the personal touch that made them famous.