Founded in 2011, Gadero began its journey as an online retailer specializing in garden tools, log cabins, decking floors, and fences. What started as a modest venture in the Netherlands has rapidly expanded into multiple European markets, including Belgium, Germany, and France, catering to the growing demand for quality wood and garden supplies that boomed during particularly the COVID pandemic. However, with growth came challenges, particularly in managing the expanding product catalog and scaling operations efficiently.
In its early years, Gadero invested significant resources into developing a proprietary Product Information Management (PIM) system to manage its product data. However, as the business flourished, the limitations of this legacy solution became increasingly evident. The outdated system lacked the flexibility and scalability needed to support Gadero’s expanding product range and global footprint.
Gadero’s initial PIM system struggled to keep pace with the company’s rapid growth. As the product catalog expanded, the system proved unstable and insufficiently scalable, hindering operational efficiency.
As Gadero expanded into new markets across Europe, the lack of reliable product information posed a significant challenge. Translating and localizing content for different regions became cumbersome, impeding the company’s international growth ambitions.
Gadero aimed to provide a seamless omnichannel experience to its customers, blending online and offline interactions as people tend to want to touch and feel their particular products. They want to see how the fabric will react to different weather-types, and feel the strength of the material before purchasing. However, achieving this goal required reliable product information that accurately reflected the unique characteristics of their natural wood products and facilitated personalized advice and experiences, both online and in physical locations.
Gadero’s eCommerce and Marketing teams were clamoring for a change. Their objectives for the PIM project were clear:
Finally admitting that an outdated solution from 2011 can’t properly support modern-day omnichannel product experiences, Gadero turned to Akeneo for a composable solution to their product information woes.
With Akeneo technology, Gadero was able to:
Improve efficiency and time-to-market: With a modern, composable, and centralized record of product information, Gadero was able to streamline their internal processes and in turn, experienced a significant improvement in internal efficiency and time-to-market. The cohesive communication between teams and technology enabled smoother collaboration and content management, facilitating faster product launches and updates.
Increase revenue & average order value: With enriched, standardized product information within Akeneo PIM, Gadero was able to enhance product recommendations, leading to increased revenue and higher average order values. The ability to cross-sell and upsell products based on accurate and comprehensive data directly contributed to revenue growth.
Migrate to a composable architecture: As a member of the MACH Alliance, Akeneo’s PIM solution aligned with Gadero’s vision of adopting a composable architecture that prioritized flexibility and scalability. By migrating to a MACH-Certified PIM system, Gadero successfully overcame the limitations of its outdated infrastructure, paving the way for sustainable growth and adaptability to evolving market demands.
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