Kadro Solutions

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the E-Commerce Director of Nite Ize, Inc

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We design and manufacture inventor-driven products that organize your life, protect your gear, light your way, and creatively solve your everyday problems. Our mission is to keep “Inventing a Better Way” for you to live, work, and adventure.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Kadro Solutions to accomplish?

• Website Development

SOLUTION

How did you find Kadro Solutions?

Referral

Why did you select Kadro Solutions over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned
• Highly skilled team

How many teammates from Kadro Solutions were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We hired Kadro to assess our Magento2 site and repair an extremely large number of issues that our previous developers could not fix.  Key deliverables included identifying all of the customizations and making our site functional for ecommerce.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The Kadro developers were able to identify and fix the site issues and moved us from a recovery and constant damage control to evolving our platform to a functioning ecommerce site. 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They deliver items on time, excel in their work, and are incredibly responsive to our needs.

What was your primary form of communication with Kadro Solutions?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I appreciate their level of knowledge and ability to offer a variety of solutions for the constantly evolving ecommerce environment.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Kadro Solutions could have done differently?

We are incredibly thankful for Kadro and their skills.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the EVP, IT of Big Bike Parts

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Design, manufacturer and distribute aftermarket powersports accessories for motorcycles and side-by-sides.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Kadro Solutions to accomplish?

• Fix bugs and issues with new website after a different developer messed it all up.
• Help design and launch a new brand website.
• Ongoing site improvements and feature updates.

SOLUTION

How did you find Kadro Solutions?

Online Search

Why did you select Kadro Solutions over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit

How many teammates from Kadro Solutions were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The first goal was to fix many bugs that a prior developer had left us with. Our vision for our original site was not executed properly, and was a poor user experience, and the prior developer was unwilling to fix all their mistakes without an increased budget. We sought out Kadro to help us get our site fixed and running quickly. Which they accomplished, able to execute on our vision much faster and more efficiently than the prior developers.

Because of the good experiences with the fixing of the original site, we had Kadro start fresh with a new site build for a new brand. They helped setup a second Adobe Commerce page for us, fully custom theme'd and with all the bells and whistles we wanted, again at a fraction of the time and cost of other developers we had worked with.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Elimination of bugs, functioning working site, launch of new brand site.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They have excellent PM, with a dedicated team member for all PM related tasks, and constant communication. Everything was accomplished on the deadlines set out, if a deadline was tight they would allocate more resources to see it done on time.

What was your primary form of communication with Kadro Solutions?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The fact that they have a dedicated US based team help considerably, we have a complex site that requires a lot of strict filtering rules, and custom setup for finding product, because it must fit your vehicle. We also had a vision on how the experience of getting to the product should be, and many times things were lost in translation when dealing with the prior developers. 

Working with Kadro we were able to layout our ideas in general laymans terms, and they were able to convert that into a workable development ticket, which after the ticket was outlined and formulated, and quote was provided on how long it would take to execute the plan outlined in the ticket. Once approved, it was understood to be completed in the timeframe they outlined.

This process has helped ensure we get exactly what we want, and don't end up paying extra for work and re-working.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Kadro Solutions could have done differently?

I think overall, having dealt with 10-20+ different development, software, type companies, Kadro Solutions has been one of the most transparent and clear with the work and expectations for each project. I think every company has areas they can improve upon, and Kadro is no exception, but nothing severe enough to mention here. Overall they do a great job communicating and executing on tickets.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an industry leader for high-performance audio, home theater, and whole home automation products and services. I’m the general manager for our online business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Kadro?

For 40 years, we’ve been a brick and mortar retailer with two stores. We had a website, but it didn’t have any commerce functionality. The site was intended to drive traffic and phone calls to our store fronts. With e-commerce growth rates being what they are, we wanted to make sure we positioned ourselves to have a successful launch with e-commerce.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted to come to market with a site that would be better than our competitors. We looked at a number of specific integrators that worked with Magento to handle the development. We worked with a couple of companies and selected one agency who did a lot of our UX and UI design. Through our RFP process, we also ended up choosing Kadro to be our systems integrator and to develop our custom website then integrate with Magento.

We have two world-class showrooms with our retail stores, and we wanted to have a virtual world-class showroom that would give customers a similar experience to what they would get if they came to the stores. We have a sound profile on our home page where, through a series of six questions that the visitor answers, we’re able to determine that customer’s interests. As a result, we’re able to recommend both content and products that are tailored and specific to their interests. There’s product reviews, comparison guides, buyers’ guides, etc. We feel that’s similar to the experience users would get if they talked to one of our sales reps at our stores. That’s different than anything our competitors are doing. 

We have a lot of other functionalities where we feel like we’ve been able to marry both content and commerce. We create a lot of content through buyer guides, comparison guides, product reviews, video reviews, etc. Those are seamlessly integrated with our commerce platform. Kadro did a good job with those pages.

Then, just being able to execute on a lot of the innovative features that come with the Magento 2 platform like comparison guides, the cart functionality, video presence, and also our technology stack integrations.

How did you come to work with Kadro?

I had worked with their VP of business development through another company that I worked with. We made sure we included them in our RFP for the launch of our new site. We sent that out to a number of firms and narrowed it down to three strong prospects. We awarded the project to Kadro for a number of reasons. We felt like they had a good sense of our team, and they were able to demonstrate a fair amount of competency given some of the client references they were able to provide. They’re a Magento-certified developer, so we felt comfortable that they had the ability to execute the implementation and launch. Another deciding factor was that they were local, allowing us to meet in the same room and have white board sessions.

How much have you invested with Kadro?

The project cost $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2016. We wanted to complete the project by June. The design portion of the project was supposed to last four to six weeks, but it lasted four months. Kadro started working on the project in June and we did a soft launch in October with a full launch in November. The first 60 days of launch, they were working on maintenance issues. We’ve continued to work with them for additional support and also new projects going forward.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We had zero commerce before, so we don’t have year-over-year growth stats. But we did see a very high average order value. Currently, we have a $700 average order value. We think it’s successful to be able to build a site where people are comfortable spending that type of money on a high consideration purchase online. We saw our traffic increase five times within the first 60 days of launch. Part of that was going from a regional site to a national e-commerce site.

How did Kadro perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve had a lot of conversations with them around some of the challenges we’ve had with project management. We have a weekly client call, and on occasion an in-person meeting. We communicated through email and Redmine for ticketing.

What did you find most impressive about Kadro?

They’re not afraid to take on a big challenge. We had a lofty ambition and they learned along the way, never shying away from the challenge. That was encouraging and admirable. I think we were the first customer in North Carolina to launch on Magento 2, so we were pioneers, and they were willing to take the journey with us.

Are there any areas Kadro could improve?

They could improve their project management. Some of the developers would want to solve the problems on their own instead of leveraging other third-party tools and resources.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company deals in after-market automotive accessories. I am one of the lead developers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Kadro?

We needed to migrate our e-commerce platform from an antiquated and broken ColdFusion version to Magento.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Kadro was responsible for everything, starting with the initial planning in terms of assets, timelines, and cost. Kadro worked with us from an application standpoint. We used Rackspace for hosting our platform. As we moved towards development, we worked closely with Kadro and Rackspace in launching the site. Our database included 25,000 different part numbers.

How did you come to work with Kadro?

I researched Magento development companies and found Kadro amongst the results.

How much have you invested with Kadro?

The total cost of our project with Kadro falls in the $50,000-200,000 range.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Kadro in May 2014. Our website was launched in October 2015, so our work with them is done for now. I've been working in this field since 1994, and Kadro is the best development company that I've ever dealt with. They've provided insight and depth of knowledge into the software development process, so I would use them again if the opportunity presented itself.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Through Kadro's help, we were able to migrate completely from our hardware to the Rackspace and Magento deployment. The process was as seamless as anyone could ask for. We didn't lose any sales during the site switch; we didn't even take a bump from an SEO standpoint.

Most companies could not hope to go live within the 4th quarter of a year and not feel some difficulties, but we were able to achieve this without an impact in our sales. We've continued to grow since then.

How did Kadro perform from a project management standpoint?

There were never any surprises in terms of billing, which can always be a big issue. Kadro was very thorough in the statement of work, providing info on how much they achieved within an hour of work. Working through hourly contracts is a standard practice in the Midwest, but we needed to consider how much was actually being done for the cost. Kadro delivered more in any given hour than anyone else I've dealt with. There were no surprises, they never nickel-and-dimed-us, and had excellent customer service. Calls were usually returned within the hour. If I texted my project manager, I would usually receive a reply within 5 minutes.

What did you find most impressive about Kadro?

I appreciated the level of service from a client standpoint. I used to work in a development house. As someone coming from the other side of the desk, I've been impressed with Kadro's customer service.

Are there any areas Kadro could improve?

Kadro should hire more developers. They're getting to be very popular, which is a testament to their capabilities. I never felt that my projects were being sacrificed because of insufficient manpower, but Kadro could definitely double their team size and be just as busy as they are now.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Kadro?

Any prospective clients could benefit from having deep knowledge from an IT standpoint. My relationship with Kadro was easy, but someone less astute in technology may have trouble understanding some of the things that Kadro is doing. This makes for a less easy project management experience.

Any project works best if it's started from ground zero, rather than being taken over. In our case, Kadro fixed a mess that was already existing, but we basically replaced our old website with one built by Kadro from scratch.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Garman Homes is a homebuilding company.

What is your position?

I am the owner and operations manager in the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Kadro?

We lacked a point-of-sale software solution through which our sales team could sell new homes. We wanted to track every cost associated with building a home, thus creating upfront contracts that could simplify the homebuilding process. The scope of the project entailed the entire job cost with which a homebuilding company would be confronted.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Kadro built a point-of-sale software for our homebuilding company. They also built a purchasing back-end that could handle orders, bids, and contracts. We started the project from scratch, designing, and building it in partnership with their team.

How did you come to work with Kadro?

We had worked on a software project a few years ago with an out-of-country company. It did not go very well. Kadro came highly recommended by someone. We met with one of their principals and had confidence in the fact that we could work with them. They were a local company, which we also appreciated. We didn't shop around for other candidates.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

During a period of five years, we've spent between $1 million and $10 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2011. We have an ongoing relationship, having worked with Kadro on several large projects for the various companies that I own.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

During the five years in which we've used Kadro's software, our sales volume has tripled, affecting profit in the same way. With the help of their business-organizing software, we've tripled in size.

How did Kadro perform from a project management standpoint?

Custom software development is a personal experience. Kadro was very willing to dive in and learn our business in order for them to get better at building the software. I am very pleased with the knowledge they acquired of my business by the time we finished the project.

What distinguishes Kadro from other providers?

They are very smart businessmen. I've worked with several software companies and noticed that they tend to be simply software people. Kadro has a few team members who dive into a business and get to know it better than some of my employees. This is the key to our success.

Is there anything Kadro could have improved or done differently?

We've had an agile development process, so we made it up as we went. They were responsive to making the right changes when needed.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We're an online apparel and shoe retailer.

What is your position?

I am the Internet marketing director of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Kadro?

We were having problems with our Magento platform.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

We needed to make the platform completely responsive. We also needed to upgrade from a very early version of Magento to the current one. Aside from this, there are hundreds of little projects that Kadro has taken care of on a weekly basis.

How did you come to work with Kadro?

We considered three companies in the southeastern US, in order for us to be able to talk to them directly. We were most comfortable with Kadro out of all three in terms of expertise level and management professionalism.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The total cost of their services so far has been around $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2014. Our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We've grown more than we ever expected. Our relationship with Kadro has been very successful, doubling our revenue. We started out with a lot of bad code on our Magento platform, as the result of working with developers in Ukraine and other places. We've had to completely revamp our coding, and Kadro has straightened out most of our problems, helping us with server security and other issues.

How did Kadro perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very organized. Kadro has a dedicated project leader, and they give us weekly updates on progress in terms of what will be deployed and what won't be. Aside from this, there is a monthly schedule of deployment dates.

What distinguishes Kadro from other providers?

They have expertise in many different arenas, employing security, plug-ins, and email teams. If anything comes up, we don't have to go any further than giving them a call.

Is there anything Kadro could have improved or done differently?

I can't think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Reeds Jewelers is a family-owned jeweler that has been in business for 70 years. We're predominantly located in the southeast, but we go as far north as Pennsylvania, as far west as Texas, and as far south as Florida. We maintain a presence of about 70 brick-and-mortar stores, and we also have a web presence in the form of reeds.com.

What is your position?

I am the Director of Multi-Channel Sales, and I’m also in charge of e-commerce in the company. My responsibility is to oversee the web presence and consumer credit.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Kadro?

When we originally pursued a web presence and created our site, there were some problems with our initial integrator in the form of significant budget overruns and functionality issues. We were unable to launch our platform, so we contacted Kadro. We were actually their very first client.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

They reworked our product and got our company launched online. We have been with them since that time. This took place before I came on board with the company.

Our most recent large project involved integrating a new site search. Kadro has been working to add functionalities for our filtering and site search. Our company has a complex rule set. Our e-commerce manager has worked in conjunction with them in sorting through data, making sure that everything lines up properly. We haven't launched it yet because it will require a lot of work and training for our staff.

We're now in the midst of a project involving migrating to M2. Kadro is one of two companies we're dealing with. They built the bulk of our internal user experience, which is the reason for working with them.

How did you come to work with Kadro?

The company that we initially hired to do our site work came into some problems and possibly went out of business. They were then bought by a different group. We reached out to Kadro because they were associated with the company which we knew. They were brand-new at the time, not even doing any marketing. We simply knew of them because they had done a small project for us, unrelated to the website.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

We employ Kadro on an hourly basis. Their current rate is $175 per hour.

We have worked on fixed-price projects in the past, like the Pandora bracelet configurator. That project had a cost of around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our relationship with them goes back about 15 years. We continue to work together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

One example project we've worked on was developing a Pandora bracelet configurator. It involved taking a flat image and making it possible for users to add up to 12 different items, taking orientations into account. It was a complicated project, but it was delivered on time, and we received great praise from the Pandora company.

How did Kadro perform from a project management standpoint?

In the nine years in which I've worked with their company, we've completed 60-70 projects. We appreciate the fact that, because they're developers who understand our system, Kadro can be very helpful in the initial discovery phase, asking the right questions on topics we may not have considered. They are also helpful when bringing in a new provider, helping us integrate specific products into our website and working with other development teams. Other collaborators may not be as sophisticated as them in terms of documentation, but Kadro has worked on every project in a consistent manner. They're also good in terms of following up after a project is done. From a customer service perspective, they always make themselves available and strive to understand what our problems are, fixing them in a timely manner.

What distinguishes Kadro from other providers?

The thing that stands out particularly for us is the fact that Kadro takes our business into consideration. There are times when they will bring a project to us or make us aware that there is a change in the market which we should consider, instead of us having to go to them with our problems. They're a great partner who actively tries to find ways of making us think about our business. Another thing we appreciate about Kadro is that they're a good resource of information for our company, whether it is to do with general items, or the state of technology with regards to certain types of functionality we might look at. We can simply ask questions and make decisions on projects. Kadro sees our business as being a partnership. 

Is there anything Kadro could have improved or done differently?

As we enter in more complex projects, timelines can run a little longer than what we'd like. This does not make Kadro any different to other companies we've worked with. They fall well within the norms of delivery for this type of work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of AEC Online Store

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Build Custom Online Stores for companies across the United States - We decorate 80% of the products we sale including Embroidery, Sublimation, Laser Etching and Printing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Kadro Solutions to accomplish?

• A strategic partner to support our Online Stores
• Build Custom Applications that make our solution unique
• Keep software current and up to date
• Identify areas of potential improvement UI/UX

SOLUTION

How did you find Kadro Solutions?

Online Search

Why did you select Kadro Solutions over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Good Listeners

How many teammates from Kadro Solutions were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Bulk Order Forms, Logo Selector, Logo Placement, On Account vs. Credit Card Purchases, Shipping, Public vs. Master Stores, etc.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Ability to secure and retain clients

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

We never worried about time.  Systems needed to always work.  Quality was more important.

What was your primary form of communication with Kadro Solutions?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Good people.  Work hard to meet our goals.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Kadro Solutions could have done differently?

A few of the managers assigned to our account have suddenly left Kadro.  It would be nice to get a call and heads up of these changes in advance.