Outdoor Retailer, Thermacell, Increases Web Conversions by 23% and Web Sales by 72% with nChannel
A great outdoors company, Thermacell is a worldwide leader in mosquito repellent and tick tubes. Their products protect millions of people from the harmful effects of insects in over 30 countries around the globe. Thermacell is sold at major retailers, drug stores and outdoor companies including Amazon, Bed Bath Beyond, CVS, Dicks Sporting Goods, Home Depot, Target, and Walmart. Thermacell has experienced tremendous growth due to the wide adoption of their products. To capitalize on that growth, Thermacell decided to update their B2C website to drive more consumer orders and launch a portal for B2B orders to help their sales team become more efficient.
Challenge
Thermacell set a goal to increase online revenue 67% year over year but to do so, Thermacell needed to improve and streamline their technology stack. They were happy with their ERP provider, Netsuite but found their eCommerce platform to be cumbersome, bulky, and time- consuming. They needed a more flexible solution that was API friendly and responsive to the complex needs of a growing business.
Thermacell turned to their website design partner, Trellis for expert advice on modernizing their eCommerce instance. Trellis recommended a full-scale upgrade that included moving to Shopify Plus and creating a seamless integration with Netsuite for maximum efficiency and control over their inventory, orders, shipping, and tracking. Using the right connector would be critical to creating a complete eCommerce solution that could successfully interface with marketplaces likes Amazon, their warehouse, and their online store.
Solution
Trellis recommended nChannel as the connector between Shopify Plus and Netsuite, but Thermacell performed their due diligence by evaluating three other providers. After extensive vetting, Thermacell selected nChannel for their managed solution offering; their small team needed a reliable partner to act as an extension of their organization. Also, nChannel could facilitate Thermacell’s plans to build a dedicated B2B portal using Shopify Wholesale, which was a critical part of their future growth plans.
Thermacell signed with nChannel in December 2017 with a goal to launch the new website and integrations by late Spring. Digital and eCommerce Marketing Manager Josh Silvia led the project and worked with Thermacell’s Chief Marketing Officer, Finance, Operations, Customer Care, Sales, nChannel, and Trellis to ensure all affected departments were an integral part of the process.
Results
In May 2018, Thermacell launched their entire product line online using Shopify Plus, NetSuite, and nChannel. The nChannel integration specifically helps with order management, inventory synchronization, and supply chain management by making it easy to:
- Process orders and update inventory levels across all sales channels in real-time
- Update customer information as orders are placed
- Provide shipping statuses and process returns in a timely manner
- Offer multiple payment methods, including gift cards
- Update prices in Shopify to reflect price adjustments or promotions in an instant
This functionality accelerates fulfillment, avoids overselling, and eliminates countless hours of manual data entry.
The combination of an enterprise-grade eCommerce platform, a robust ERP system, and highly flexible integration platform enabled Thermacell to improve the overall buyer experience by creating a more user-friendly website that meets the expectations of modern shoppers. For example, their previous shopping cart required customers to complete up to six pages before making a purchase. The new integration reduced that journey by 25%. Thermacell also gained the ability to offer gift cards and create new promotions while keeping the associated data synchronized between their online store and backend systems for accounting purposes. Operationally, the integration allows marketing, sales, and finance to focus on growth strategies rather than finding workarounds based on what they couldn’t do.
As a result, Thermacell started to enjoy significant revenue gains just one month after launch. They increased their website conversions by 23%, and web sales increased by 72% putting Thermacell on track to surpass their initial revenue goal by the end of the year.
With such tremendous success under their belt, Thermacell is ready to launch their dedicated B2B dealer portal where partners can securely log in and place orders online. Sales reps can tailor products and customize prices based on each partner’s interests, so dealers don’t have to wade through Thermacell’s entire product line. Instead, they only see products that complement their business or industry and can supplement their inventory on-demand. This, in turn, speeds up the sales process by eliminating manual inputs and reducing time to approve orders. This unique ability to deliver multiple price lists and products by dealer is a massive benefit of the nChannel integration.
“ We could have saved money and selected a less expensive solution, but we needed specialists that were willing to act as an extension of our team. Other vendors didn’t have the expertise or market history. I believe that you get what you pay for, and we couldn’t risk going with a vendor who might disappear in a month. With nChannel’s managed solution, we get an email from Support as soon as something needs attention and feel comfortable paying a little more to know that somebody is always looking out for us.” – Josh Silvia, Digital and eCommerce Marketing Manager
