A leader in the giftware industry partners with Experian and achieves a distinct competitive advantage.

Client

Among the largest privately owned and operated firms in the giftware industry, Roman, Inc. is a leading producer and exclusive distributor of more than 15,000 giftware items. The company's mission is to be the leader in the Christmas, inspirational and special occasion markets by providing innovative merchandise of superior quality and value matched only by its level of customer service. Based in Roselle, Ill., Roman is best known for its award-winning Seraphim Classics[R] Collection and the world-renowned Fontanini[R] Heirloom Nativities[TM]. In addition, Roman offers an assortment of Christmas decorations, including Roman Lights" prelighted artificial trees, tree trim, holiday collectibles and much more.

The company has national and international retail show rooms in major markets, supported by a dedicated national sales force. Constructed in 1987 to meet the growing company's immediate and future needs for show room, administrative and warehouse space, the company's 165,000-square-foot state-of-the-art headquarters facility includes a 15,000-square-foot show room. In 1998, Roman began shipping from its 400,000-square-foot national distribution center in Addison, III. Annual sales volumes are approximately $130 million.

Challenge/Objective

Like many companies in the holiday and occasional giftware business, Roman extends credit to dealers that depend on strong holiday sales to achieve their goals. While product is ordered and shipped months ahead of the traditional holiday selling season, payment is not expected until December. In order to manage the risk this arrangement presents, Roman needed a reliable predictive credit risk scoring resource that would help the company in its relationships with about 13,000 independent dealers and 3,000 to 4,000 new business-to-business prospects each year.

Roman's Director of Credit Tessie Danklefsen was dissatisfied with the services provided by her previous vendor, which were plagued with software problems and frequent price increases. Instead, in order to help her manage risk and maximize her company's profit potential, she sought a single source for evaluating and scoring her existing customers and new business prospects that would be fast, consistent, accurate and flexible.

Solution