Background
Protool have been providing precision tools for Formula One cars and premium airlines since 2009 and rapidly became one of the leading brands in the industry. They sell at a wholesale level across the UK, with the majority of their B2B customers operating in England and Wales. As their wholesale business is set to expand globally, they needed a solution that set them up for fast, scalable, sustainable growth.
The challenge
With an expanding B2B customer base, Protool wanted to shift away from manual processes. Automating and updating the wholesale aspect of the business would not only save them time but also reduce the risk of human error in a highly-precise environment.
With a number of their competitors updating their websites to cater for the wholesale market, Protool knew they needed fast implementation and an easy-to-use system that would empower their customers as well as their Sales team. They wanted a simple interface for their customers to boost sales, AOV, and loyalty.
One of the biggest challenges Protool faced was around the increments needed for each of their products. Some product sizes or lengths vary by 0.1mm, so Protool needed to be able to list a range of products with small, incremental changes in an understandable, easily-displayed way. This needed to be instantly recognisable for customers on product pages as well as within their website’s search feature.
The solution
With our order rules for pack sizes, weights, and prices per order, Protool were able to optimise their B2B sales for increased AOV and revenue. The ability to set order volumes based on quantity of products or weight/ price limits is crucial for them due to the high-precision level of increments required within each product description and listing.
The incremental values of their product range were a key focus within this partnership. Using SparkLayer’s ‘collections’ features, Protool have been able to list their huge range of products correctly and easily, with filters and simple search tools optimised for the best customer experience possible.
The introduction of our masquerade-ordering solution, our Sales Agent tool, was quickly adopted across their teams, too. This feature enables Protool’s Sales team to order on behalf of their end customers, creating an enhanced customer experience and speeding up the sales process.
Using credit limits for different customer groups has also helped Protool align their back- and front-end processes; this enables them to set specific net terms for customers based on their working relationships so far and manage it all from one place. With the removal of manual processes and spreadsheets, Protool’s team have further exceeded customer expectations.
The results
SparkLayer’s functionality has already led to more empowered product searchability and inventory management. Combined with the enhanced visibility of their products, this has led to a better customer experience and increased loyalty and retention.
Protool quickly found that their customers were making the most of the ‘collections’ feature on their new B2B site, with products being easier to find and order. They integrated an improved AI search bar that can sync with SparkLayer’s functionality to streamline B2B ordering, too. Products can now easily be searched, with additional filters added to accommodate the 0.1mm increments required.
Additional solutions like Brightpearl and Shopify were easy to integrate with SparkLayer and have saved Protool time and effort while improving both their Sales team and end customers’ experience on the wholesale site. In addition, the ability to discount products and manage price-specific discounts for every product has been hugely successful.
The implementation of our Sales Agent feature, combined with our Company Users functionality, has empowered Protool’s Sales team. With more control and autonomy over ordering and approving, every member of staff has specific permissions and functions within their wholesale business. This layer of self-sufficiency has been adopted by their Sales team and end customers for an added bonus within the customer journey.
It took a matter of hours to get set up and our AOV has gone from £120 to £160 already. The team did an incredible job - they came along and saved us. Without their time, we couldn’t control the credit limits to update in the frontend." ~ Chris Humphreys, Website Developer & CRM Team Leader
Explore more
To learn more about Protool, their product range, and the story of their brand, visit their website.
To see how SparkLayer works with Shopify, you can explore via the links below: