Jim Lawrence had already achieved success with a bespoke ERP and e-commerce solution, but they were looking for a solution that would grant them more control and more design options.

Preparing for Further Growth

When it came to online sales, Jim Lawrence was ahead of the curve. They had been reaching both consumers and professional buyers with their web store for years, with half of their sales taking place online.

This innovative approach to e-commerce has helped Jim Lawrence grow organically every year. In anticipation of further growth, the company started looking for an IT setup that would help them continue and accelerate their expansion – both within the UK and beyond.

“As a growing business, we wanted to have a more powerful platform with more control,” says Marta Dyer-Smith, E-Commerce Manager at Jim Lawrence. This meant it was time for them to move away from their bespoke ERP — developed by a local company — and look for a solution that offered the flexibility and security they needed to realise their ambitions.

Finding a Future-Proof ERP

Jim Lawrence’s main requirement for a new ERP system was that it would be able to scale to keep up with the company’s success. It also had to combine strong standard features with the option to customise where necessary.

They selected Microsoft Dynamics NAV and started searching for an e-commerce solution that would integrate with it.

… And a Web Store to Match

Integration and ease of use were key priorities for Jim Lawrence’s new web store, and that is exactly what they found in Sana Commerce — which they ultimately chose over Magento. “We did consider Magento, but Sana was more cost-effective,” says Dyer-Smith. While her first impression was that Sana Commerce was more geared to B2B companies, the Sana University and other resources soon made it clear that Sana would let them perfectly serve all their clients. “We experimented with the test site and tried out everything we wanted to do – all without having to ask for support.”

Beautiful and Easy to Manage

The ease of use Sana Commerce demonstrated during the selection process has proved to be a huge benefit now Jim Lawrence’s new web store is up and running. Even though the company sells 20,000 products, each with up to 5 different finishes, the web team is able to manage all web store content efficiently. It’s also easy for new team members to pick up, which ensures that the new Sana Commerce web store can scale along as Jim Lawrence continues to grow. All this is possible without sacrificing the look and feel of the web store. “It’s so easy to create our own design and images,” says Dyer-Smith. “The web store has good design, user experience and navigation.”

Improved Conversions and Communication

While an excellent user experience is a great achievement in and of itself, Sana Commerce has also brought another not insignificant benefit for Jim Lawrence. “The conversions have improved compared to the last site,” says Dyer-Smith.

The new web store isn’t just great for finalising sales, though: it has also proven to be a huge help in client communication, and a step further toward offering an omnichannel experience. “Our customers often like to ask questions via the phone or online,” says Dyer-Smith. Sana Commerce has helped improve the online contact, with the web store’s chat functionality letting the sales team connect with buyers through the site.

But the new web store has helped streamline orders placed via the phone, too. “Our sales team can process phone orders faster, as the clients have already looked up the necessary information online.”

Jim Lawrence, Managing Director added “Sana is easy to use and will scale with the business. We’ve seen great conversion levels and the Sana web store allows us to continue to offer excellent customer care.” With their new web store providing the tools they need to take every part of the customer journey to the next level, Jim Lawrence is set to continue their annual growth – now bolstered by the power of ERP-integrated e-commerce.