CBS Sports modernized with Lightspeed to build a legacy that lasts

Outdated systems and limited visibility.

For over four decades, CBS Sports has been a staple in the Morganton, North Carolina community, outfitting athletes and adventurers alike with sporting gear and outdoor apparel. But running an independent sporting goods store isn’t what it was 40 years ago; the retail landscape has evolved and staying competitive now takes more than just good instincts.

For co-owner, Carson Searcy, that meant rethinking how the business runs behind the scenes. Before switching to Lightspeed, CBS Sports relied on a legacy system that left a lot to be desired. It was clunky, hard to use and, worst of all, bottlenecked the team’s operations.

“We were reliant on just one person to upload and manage inventory,” Carson explains. That meant incomplete data, limited visibility into what was actually moving and less time spent helping customers find the right fit.

The lack of accessible reporting also made it hard to plan ahead. Without historical insights or real-time trends, forecasting was more guesswork than strategy.

Smarter tools that save time and reduce errors.

Making the switch to Lightspeed changed all that. With Lightspeed NuORDER, Carson now reorders top sellers in five minutes with just a few clicks; no more hours spent uploading spreadsheets line by line.

“It’s saved me massive amounts of time on reordering items,” he says. “Now we can just click it and reship them almost immediately.”

He also uses Lightspeed’s reporting capabilities to get a clearer picture of the business. Whether it’s tracking year-over-year trends or digging into seasonal bestsellers, he now has the data to make faster, more confident decisions.

Lightspeed Payments has also streamlined things at checkout. With no need to manually key in amounts or reconcile multiple systems, the team has reduced errors and saved time on daily close-outs.

But the most immediate impact? Empowering the whole team. Unlike their old system, Lightspeed is intuitive enough for everyone to use confidently. “Now everyone’s an expert,” says Carson.

Looking ahead.

CBS Sports is already looking toward the next 40 years. For Carson, that means growing strategically, leaning into tech that supports their team and staying nimble as the industry continues to shift. And with Lightspeed in their corner, CBS Sports is ready to keep evolving without compromising the values that got them this far.