Building a data-driven intelligence for the European cycle industry
The Challenge
The European cycle industry lacks access to accurate, relevant, and timely sales data. As a result, retailers and distributors struggle to track demand and predict what products to order and in what volumes. This uncertainty often leads to overstocking or shortages, creating significant cash flow challenges - particularly for smaller and mid-sized players.
At the same time, brands and manufacturers face limited visibility into market trends, making it difficult to benchmark performance against peers and competitors. Existing market intelligence solutions do not adequately address these needs: they are often delivered too late to support effective decision-making, are expensive or lack the transparency required to be trusted as reliable, high-quality business intelligence.
The Solution
The pilot demonstrated strong demand across the European cycling industry for accurate, timely, and transparent retail sales data. With over 30 German businesses expressing interest in subscribing to MDSi and 16% market coverage achieved during the project, the initiative generated critical momentum toward a full commercial launch in Germany in Q1 2026. Engagement from key retailer organisations further validated the platform’s relevance and long-term adoption potential.
Through collaboration with Edinburgh Napier University Business School, the project proved that large-scale cycle industry inventory data can be successfully gathered, cleaned, analysed and transformed into actionable insights. The AI-powered decision tools achieved demand forecast error rates below 10% at full-market level, surpassing industry benchmarks and providing a clear competitive advantage for MDSi and its future users.
The project also established a scalable technical and organisational foundation for European expansion. The implementation of Veloconnect 1.6 B2X, combined with a robust cloud-based data architecture, enables efficient data transfer and standardisation across markets. Partnerships with national cycle industry bodies position MDSi to replicate this model in other countries, beginning with the Netherlands and Spain in 2026.
Making an impact
The pilot demonstrated strong demand across the European cycling industry for accurate, timely, and transparent retail sales data. With over 30 German businesses expressing interest in subscribing to MDSi and 16% market coverage achieved during the project, the initiative generated critical momentum toward a full commercial launch in Germany in Q1 2026. Engagement from key retailer organisations further validated the platform’s relevance and long-term adoption potential.
Through collaboration with Edinburgh Napier University Business School, the project proved that large-scale cycle industry inventory data can be successfully gathered, cleaned, analysed, and transformed into actionable insights. The AI-powered decision tools achieved demand forecast error rates below 10% at full-market level, surpassing industry benchmarks and providing a clear competitive advantage for MDSi and its future users.
The project also established a scalable technical and organisational foundation for European expansion. The implementation of Veloconnect 1.6 B2X, combined with a robust cloud-based data architecture, enables efficient data transfer and standardisation across markets. Partnerships with national cycle industry bodies position MDSi to replicate this model in other countries, beginning with the Netherlands and Spain in 2026.
Lessons learnt
Strong partnerships are essential for market adoption in a fragmented industry. The close collaboration between industry bodies, academic partners, and technology providers enabled MDSi to combine domain expertise, trusted networks, and advanced analytics. Engagement from influential retailer organisations proved particularly critical in building confidence and accelerating participation.
A user-centred approach from the outset significantly improved product relevance and usability. Personas informed by retailers of different sizes and data maturity levels helped shape the data model, dashboards and decision tools. Continuous user feedback ensured that the platform addressed real operational challenges rather than theoretical use cases.
Finally, standardisation and transparency are key enablers of scale. Aligning data transfer with the widely adopted Veloconnect standard reduced technical barriers for retailers and distributors, while the use of trusted cloud technologies supported reliability and scalability. These choices will be central to extending MDSi efficiently into additional European markets.
