Atkins web store homepage design 1920x1080

John Atkins & Co. Ltd

  • Established in Ireland in 1878
  • Wholesaler and retailer of farm and garden machinery and parts
  • Migrated from Sana 9.3.5 to Sana Commerce Cloud
  • Running on Microsoft Dynamics Business Central 365
Boost Conversion
50%

of B2B business is now done online

Price Calculations
200%

YTD revenue increase for B2B business

Simplified order processing and fulfillment
190%

YTD revenue increase for retail business

    B2B wholesaler uses ERP e-commerce to deliver seamless experience

    Atkins is Ireland’s leading farm and garden machinery supplier with quality products from well-known brands such as Kubota, Honda and Husqvarna. The company was founded in Ireland in 1878 and has since undergone a series of expansions and acquisitions.
    After research into various e-commerce platforms, and a recommendation from its ERP partner, Simply Dynamics, Atkins selected Sana Commerce to replace its existing e-commerce software. The project was led by e-commerce manager Joe Doherty who knew that real-time integration between the company’s ERP and e-commerce would create a more seamless experience for their B2B customers. Atkins first implemented Sana 9.3.5 in March 2020 and then moved over to Sana Commerce Cloud in April 2021.
    Atkins - Customer Quote Image - Sana Commerce Case Study

    Sana Commerce Cloud

    Making moves from 9.3.5 to Sana Commerce Cloud

    Since migrating to Sana Commerce Cloud, improvement in page speed has been one of the most notable changes between 9.3.5 and SCC. The performance of the site is significantly better than it was. This has improved customer experience tremendously. Rendering has also been improved between mobile to tablet to desktop.

    Joe notes that the visual design capabilities are particularly improved. Now, Atkins no longer needs an external contractor because the Visual Designer in Sana Commerce Cloud is so easy to learn and use. Atkins often offers seasonal promotions and product sets — with the Visual Designer Joe and his team can create attractive banners and pages on the web store.
    Native ERP Integration Sana Commerce Cloud

    “The migration to SCC was very, very straightforward — it was just a matter of copying and pasting the information. The initial setup with our ERP partner, Simply Dynamics, was also completely smooth. They were able to get the two systems talking to each other within an hour.”

    Atkins color logo 200x60 Joe Doherty, E-Commerce Project Manager at John Atkins & Co. Ltd

    The process

    From creation to publication in less than 4 minutes

    The Atkins team does a considerable amount of page building, which is part of what makes SCC such a valuable tool for them. “The tools that are available to us from Sana Commerce enable someone with some technical background to build pages.” Compared to the design capabilities of 9.3.5, building pages is much easier. In Sana Commerce Cloud’s Visual Designer, Joe can build a full page — including creating a product list, product page and content page — and publish it on the site in 4 minutes. While this was possible in 9.3.5, it was clunkier and not as seamless. The new and improved Sana Admin is also more intuitive and easier to use.

    The results

    Improved customer adoption, 50% of B2B business moved online

    Atkins chose Sana Commerce due to the tight integration between its Business Central 365 ERP and web store. B2B business is a significant growth part of the company. Atkins maintains a policy to only sell online to B2B customers who have an account. Fortunately, since the site operates so smoothly and seamlessly, most customers don’t have any issue creating accounts and ordering online. In addition to the improvement in speed and CMS, the biweekly product updates have also been another key feature of Sana Commerce Cloud that the Atkins team enjoys.

    Key results:

    • Over 50% of business now conducted online
    • B2B business is running at 200% YTD
    • B2C business is running at over 190% YTD
    • Reliable and accurate stock available via the web store, 24/7
    • 160% increase in overall traffic compared to 2020; with organic search traffic accounting for more than 80% of these visitors

    The success of the Atkins web store, which won the E-Commerce Success Award at last year’s B2B E-Commerce Awards, is a result of the cooperation from and work of the entire B2B team.

    Project heroes

    Joe Doherty

    E-Commerce Project Manager

    Joe has been with Atkins as the E-Commerce Project Manager since September 2018 and has over 10 years’ experience with e-commerce under his belt. At Atkins, with significant support from Managing Director, Mark Wolfe and Parts Manager, Tom Whelton, Joe is responsible for moving the development of the website along and constantly improving product presentation.

     

    Tom Whelton

    Parts & Distribution Center Manager

    Tom has been with Atkins since 1986 and has been instrumental in the development of the Atkins B2B business. Tom started out as a Stores person in the Atkins Camden Quay office, moving with the company to Carrigrohane Road in 1994. Tom now manages the B2B business and warehouse.

    Explore how similar companies have found success

    Do you want to increase traffic and boost sales?