Case Study: Varsity Brands achieves scalable, on-demand custom e-commerce storefronts and increased fundraising with Heroku

Heroku App Spreads Team Spirit by Generating Customized E-Commerce Micro-Sites

Varsity Brands launched Varsity Colors to help local cheer squads fundraise by selling team-branded merchandise through customized online storefronts, but needed a way to rapidly multiply stores, automate fundraising tracking, and integrate with legacy back‑office systems while keeping setup and management simple for busy teams. The challenge was to build a highly scalable, reliable platform that let sales reps create personalized stores quickly and provided teams with real‑time sales visibility without adding operational burden.

Working with Trifecta Technologies, Varsity implemented a Salesforce-centered solution with custom Force.com and Java apps running on Heroku, using Database.com, REST APIs, RabbitMQ, SSL and DB2 middleware to integrate ERP, payment (CyberSource) and OMS systems. Sales reps can design and publish microsites in minutes, teams get admin dashboards and automated sales tracking, and Varsity handles payment processing and fulfillment—resulting in thousands of cost‑effective, rapidly deployed storefronts, increased brand reach, and more efficient fundraising.

Varsity

Tammy Pilgreen

VP, Operational Strategy