Family-Owned Hardware Business Staying Competitive with Cloud-Based Solution
North Plymouth Hardware, located in Plymouth, Massachusetts, is a small, family-owned hardware store and sells hardware, home improvement supplies, grills, lawn and garden items, and tools.
As the town of Plymouth becomes more commercial, the hardware store’s focus on customer service continues to make it the go-to place for the local community.
“Since starting the business around 47 years ago, I’ve faced competition from superstores like Walmart and big box stores such as Target or Home Depot,” explains Charlie Vandini, owner of North Plymouth Hardware. “My focus on providing an essential service to my community has enabled me to stand apart and create a loyal customer base.”
With Epicor Propello, I can now multi-task and complete jobs in the course of about five minutes, which I’ve never been able to do before. I can be working on purchase orders, receiving orders, and doing bookkeeping, all while sorting out in-store pickups and taking order numbers. Since moving to Epicor Propello, it’s clear the platform is the central piece of the puzzle in continuing to drive the business forward.
To remain competitive, Charlie recognized the importance of updating his store’s legacy point of sale system. He knew they had to move away from on-premises to a cloud-based solution.
“I’d been using the on-premises system for over 20 years, but updates were complex and piecemeal,” Charlie says. “Epicor Propello was the perfect opportunity to move my retail systems to the cloud and ensure I could benefit from future updates and new features as I needed them.”
"We were really excited to move to Epicor Propello. There’s always some risk in change, but the Epicor team made this an easy transition. Our staff picked it up quickly, and the improved processes allow us to better serve our customers and community,” he shares.
Epicor Propello also proved to be invaluable in coping with unexpected events. When a storm brought down a computer in the back office, Charlie was able to continue running the store.
“Having Epicor Propello meant I could get back up and running immediately as I could use any standalone computer to run the store,” he says. “It’s something I’ve never been able to do before and basically kept me in business.”
During COVID-19, were able to offer curbside pickup and Epicor Propello made the process very easy.We could instantly check what products we had left in stock in real-time, making sure orders were fulfilled and customers weren’t disappointed.
Having a retail management solution that can smooth any business disruption has been transformational for North Plymouth Hardware. Like many other independent retailers, the store had to quickly adapt when social distancing and mandatory stay at home orders came about. Epicor Propello gave Charlie the ability to find new ways to serve his customers.
“During COVID-19, were able to offer curbside pickup and Epicor Propello made the process very easy,” Charlie shares. “We could instantly check what products we had left in stock in real-time, making sure orders were fulfilled and customers weren’t disappointed.”
Epicor Propello has also helped Charlie work more efficiently and reduced time-consuming tasks so he can focus on other areas of the business.
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