Impact Story – BlastOne
Revolutionizing BlastOne’s Online Presence
BlastOne, is a leading provider of supplies and equipment to contractors in such varied fields as manufacturing, energy, and defense, and has offices in the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Malaysia, with dozens of distribution points throughout. They have grown to market dominance over 30 years by building trust with their B2B clients, providing the materials and expertise needed in a timely manner.
BlastOne’s goal was to provide their clients with the same, high-touch, experience online that they get when transacting in traditional ways
Understanding the Challenge
BlastOne presented us with several challenges they were facing with their web presence. Their existing WooCommerce solution was not well configured, they wanted to sync their eCommerce solution with NetSuite, their ERP system, and they wanted their site to become an easy to use solution for their customers in order to grow their business online.
Their most unique challenge was to provide their clients with real-time shipping information. With thousands of products, multiple warehouses, various shipping methods (including freight) and business on 2 continents, we found this to be an intriguing challenge.
Improving Customer Satisfaction by improving the UX
To address the customer’s ease of use, we provided a completely new user interface, with easy to follow mega-menu and customized product pages. We also instituted a powerful natural language search to assist the user in finding precisely what they are looking for, quickly.
Site Speed Enhancements
Site speed is such an important factor for an eCommerce site – it feeds into the overall User Experience and is an important factor in Search Engine Rankings – so we developed a personalized solution that included redundant virtual private servers in a private cloud environment and developed sophisticated caching solutions.
Mobile Optimization
Even for a B2B business in the construction industry, mobile optimization has become an essential aspect of a web design. (In consumer-facing sites, mobile web access is 70+%, in B2B it can be up to 50%!) Along with the new UI developed for the desktop, we created a highly customized mobile version. This mobile interface optimizes the UX, taking the user from roll-overs and clicks as seen on a desktop, to a vivid landing page layout with an easy scroll and tap of key features, a powerful search, and traditional hamburger menu in the banner-like fixed header.
We also added a prominent button to the header for users who just want to order products. “Shop” is a great call to action, and the Shop menu is a custom categorization of the product types offered.
Enhancing Operational Efficiency
A key component of the BlastOne solution was the development of a custom shipping function. This sophisticated program calculates shipping details for items found in multiple warehouses, selects the nearest shipping point to the client, understands whether the products are shipping via parcel service or freight, and then calculates the total cost and ETA. They aimed to achieve functionality found only in industry leading sites like Amazon and Grainger.
This functionality is integral to a 2-way sync with their ERP system, which has enabled BlastOne to streamline their operations, reduce manual errors, save administrative time and increase productivity!
Aligning Tradition with Innovation
Transforming BlastOne’s online presence was a critical step in aligning their digital capabilities with their long-standing reputation for excellence in the blasting and coating industry. By understanding their unique challenges and providing a tailored solution, we helped BlastOne continue their tradition of supporting contractors with real-world expertise and innovative solutions.
Continuing Support for Lasting Success
Our partnership with BlastOne continues to grow. They put their trust in NDIC to manage the intricacies of their web presence, allowing them greater flexibility in growing their business. From the day-to-day maintenance, to high-level strategy sessions, we are truly an integral part of the BlastOne team and a partner in their future success.
