Kintec Finds the Perfect Fit for Online Expansion with BigCommerce
8%
increase in average order value
42%
decrease in cost per click
111%
increase in orders
Canada’s go-to source for specialty footwear and orthotics
Founded in Vancouver in 1991, Kintec Footwear and Orthotics now has 11 (soon to be 12) store locations around Canada. In that time, the business has made a name for itself as having not only the largest specialty and running footwear inventory in Canada, but also expertise in orthotics. Â
Kintec is not new to online selling, as it has had an online store for nearly a decade. However, it was only in the last year — in part because of changing buyer behavior around the COVID-19 pandemic — that it has embraced ecommerce as an equally important part of its business.Â
In addition to just expanding its ecommerce store to drive more sales, Kintec also committed to making it a truly seamless experience for its customers. As Kintec’s Marketing Manager Tyler Ireland explains: “We want to create that perfect omnichannel experience. So just because you bought in-store before, you're now able to continue your shopping experience online and get just as strong a service to find that perfect footwear.”
CHALLENGE
Magento was walking when Kintec was ready to run
Prior to BigCommerce, Kintec’s website used Magento. When the company realized it wanted to make its online store a bigger part of its overall strategy, they knew that a change was needed.Â
Simply said: Magento wasn’t getting the job done. Ireland explains: “We would be preparing for Black Friday; we would have all of it up there, and the site would crash. We would have to be on the phone with our developer and point of sale integration just trying to fix everything.”
In addition to the issues of site reliability, they also faced concerns with malware and site speed and performance. “Every issue you could think of was happening. And beyond that, it was slow,” said Ireland. “We would have times where it would take up to a minute for a page to load, and we were losing customers because of it. We realized we were putting too much money, as well as human resources, into trying to fix an issue that just was unfixable.”
In order to take its site to the next level, solve current challenges and create a truly omnichannel website experience, Kintec knew it was time to change technology.
SOLUTION
BigCommerce powers the perfect omnichannel experience
Kintec considered Shopify before ultimately settling on BigCommerce to evolve its site. BigCommerce was selected because Kintec wanted a site that could scale with its growth. It was also recommended by Red Rook who provides Kintec’s point-of-sale system.
Once the decision was made, the brand turned to development agency Weizen Young to help it build the site to do exactly what it wanted. In addition to creating a phenomenal build-out that allows Kintec to provide the experience it desired, Ireland describes how they partnered on the project: “They were really able to hold our hands and guide us to where we're continually optimizing our site. They support us with industry best practices and SEO to keep us on top.”
Kintec’s internal marketing team is also excited by the ease of use of the platform. “Before on Magento, it took time to learn. BigCommerce is very intuitive,” says Ireland. He also adds that making changes has been a straightforward process. “Working with Weizen Young, it’s also been very easy to customize in the ways that we want. If we see something a competitor is doing or something we want to try, there’s always an easy solution to make it happen.”
Technical Features:
Marketing:
GoDataFeed
Stamped.io
Shipping:
Shipstation
ShipperHQ
“It just runs. It's smooth. Our time in the back end isn’t spent fixing things or on the phone dealing with something not working. Our only time on BigCommerce is when we're optimizing and making our sales grow”
Tyler Ireland Marketing Manager, Kintec
RESULTS
Big gains and repeat customers
The experience since moving to BigCommerce has been night and day. In addition to addressing its site speed issues, Kintec is now able to make more efficient changes to keep the site optimized.Â
One big marketing channel for the brand is sending direct emails to its growing database of contacts. Kintec uses email marketing to share with its customers all about weekly features and deals, new launches and more. BigCommerce integrates cleanly with its email platforms. Kintec also found that BigCommerce’s native features for abandoned cart emails have been a sales driver.
Now that site speed isn’t an issue, not only are new customers coming more and more to the site, but former customers are returning as well. “We're setting records in online sales. We've hit month over month highs on footwear throughout, and ecommerce is really pushing that,” says Ireland. “Our ecommerce sales in the first quarter of 2021 were more than what we had in total for all of 2019.”
LOOKING AHEAD
Continuing to invest in ecommerce and customer experience
Kintec has no intentions of slowing down when it comes to ecommerce, especially as the numbers show its customers are excited to have one more option for buying its footwear.Â
A consistent priority for Kintec has been in ensuring its in-store and online customers have an unbeatable experience wherever they choose to shop. One of the more innovative aspects of its in-store experience is Kintec’s 3D FitScan™ System. Customers step onto the 3D FitScan™ and within 5 seconds, it produces hundreds of data points that build a three-dimensional model of customers’ feet. Once the scan is completed, Kintec runs the data through its database, powered by AI, to match it to shoe shapes to determine the best shoe for each customer. Kintec is currently working with BigCommerce to integrate this technology to its website so customers who start their Kintec customer journey in-store can continue it online.
Ireland says Kintec is excited to keep optimizing the site and making it the best possible experience for customers. BigCommerce is a big part of that plan. “It just runs. It's smooth. Our time in the back end isn’t spent fixing things or on the phone dealing with something not working. Our only time on BigCommerce is when we're optimizing and making our sales grow.”
Published: June 2021
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