In the world of DIY, one name stands out: Wovar. What began as a graduation project has grown into a company that serves both residential and commercial handymen with an extensive range of products. Despite setbacks, Wovar continues to push the boundaries by combining ambitious goals, resilience, technological innovations and optimal customer service. Now Wovar is partnering with us and rb2 to re-platform to facilitate their international growth. Read on for the story behind Wovar's success, and how a necessary replatforming is key to international success.
Everything for the handyman
Wovar offers a wide range of products for handymen. "We want to convince handymen to get started on their projects themselves. What sets us apart is that we offer not only fasteners, but also other products aimed at specific jobs, both indoors and outdoors," says Justin Meppelink, Marketing Manager at Wovar. Besides private handymen, Wovar also serves many business (B2B) customers, from smaller landscapers to self-employed workers and large construction companies.
Optimism and sky-high ambitions
Wovar began as founder Jesse's graduation research into the need for screws at Gadero, an online timber store. And the need proved great: since then, fastener specialist Wovar has grown into a company with about 110 employees.
However, the journey to success has not been without obstacles: last year, a fire completely destroyed Wovar's warehouse and office. But Wovar is resilient. "We are now in the process of building a new building: 8,000 m², 12 meters high, semi-automated roller conveyor, fast delivery and lots of storage possibilities." The new building offers Wovar all the room it needs for international growth. "Because of our growth ambitions, we already had plans to move to a larger location. But the fire has accelerated that process," Justin shares with optimism. This shows the true spirit of Wovar: regardless of challenges, the company continues to move forward and grow.
Re-platforming with rb2 and PAY.co.uk.
However, Wovar's growth ambitions are so great that the current systems cannot handle the intended growth. Justin: "We just ran into limitations at one point. And then expansion is difficult." To grow internationally, Wovar needed to switch to other platforms that work more efficiently, allow for more sales locations and can handle more volume. Wovar also wanted to improve the customer experience and be able to integrate more features.
That's why Wovar opted for another big project: a re-platforming. For this project, Wovar engaged rb2, named the number one digital production agency in the Netherlands by Emerce. It was decided to re-platform to rb2' s BigCommerce and CoreConnect.
"CoreConnect can be seen as a central traffic hub for composable commerce platforms where the different components of a tech stack such as a CMS, ERP or a payment service provider, come together. CoreConnect offers turnkey integrations of various best-of-breed technologies allowing us to deliver a working MVP within weeks."says Jeroen van Mierle, Commercial Director at rb2.
And we are also contributing to Wovar's growth goals, confirms Kelvin Huizing, Integration Manager at PAY.nl: "Our goal is to support Wovar in achieving their growth goals.This is why we supported the re-platforming with dedicated support and explanation of our API."
The solution built by rb2 with CoreConnect is not only of great interest to Wovar, but also offers opportunities for other merchants. CoreConnect, in fact, has a reusable integration with us. This allows for a head start in realization time, and this offers significant advantages when re-platforming."The solution of PAY.nl provides a generic international solution with multiple payment options, for which we only have to realize 1 integration," says Jeroen of rb2.
All payments via PAY.nl
Although Wovar's focus is primarily on their online presence, their physical store in Groningen still plays a crucial role in their business strategy. "We want to offer business customers the opportunity to pick up their orders in Groningen. Especially if someone needs it right now.Then a physical store is essential anyway, and we want to offer that convenience."
A key to success in this regard is their partnership with us, which allows Wovar to accept payments in their physical store. This allows customers to pay conveniently and securely on-site, and with the same efficiency and reliability as the company's online payment processes. Justin explains: "We can link these payments directly to our other payment systems.This allows us to streamline our service."
Reliable, good rates and "you feel like a valued customer"
When Wovar was looking for a payment provider, PAY.co.uk came out on top. "We chose them because of their reliable reputation and good rates," says Justin. "Now that we have been working together for several years, they are proving to be a very valuable partner. They think through everything from processes for refunds and bill payments for business customers to, of course, re-platforming."
The personal experience also appeals to Wovar. "At PAY.co.uk you really feel like a valued customer and not a number. They offer personal contact and are always ready to help. It's nice to have a partner who is committed and thinks with you," says Justin. "We are confident that they are the partner for our grand international ambitions."
Do you also want to use efficiently arranged payments for more online growth? Perhaps you are also thinking about re-platforming? We are the partner who will relieve you of this and help you. Contact us today.