Case Study: RDO Equipment

Before Akeneo, RDO’s eCommerce ambitions were hindered by the complexity of their data ecosystem. The company relied on two ERP systems – CDK Global (Intellidealer) and a homegrown S2 system; neither of which were built for modern eCommerce. 

These systems stored product data inconsistently, making it difficult to aggregate and standardize information for online sales. This challenge was magnified by RDO’s vast inventory of 750,000 parts and 2.2 million products, many of which lacked key metadata, images, or accurate specifications.

The lack of automation and efficient workflows meant that even simple product updates required hours of manual work. Bulk editing and filtering were not feasible, forcing teams to manage product updates one at a time. 

RDO’s fragmented data landscape required a significant overhaul to support their eCommerce growth. Their IT team had to manually transform raw data into structured formats, a process that was both time-consuming and error-prone. 

Additionally, product listings lacked critical enrichment, such as high-quality descriptions and images, making it difficult for customers to find and evaluate the right parts or equipment

online. These gaps in product content limited RDO’s ability to provide a seamless digital buying experience and compete effectively in the eCommerce space.

With eCommerce growth as a core business goal, RDO knew that its existing data management approach was unsustainable and needed a transformative solution.

To address these issues, RDO implemented middleware solutions to bridge the gap between its ERP systems and Akeneo. These solutions acted as a data transformation layer, ensuring that all product information entered Akeneo in a standardized and structured format.

This eliminated the need for extensive manual data corrections, significantly improving efficiency and accuracy. With structured data flow in place, RDO was able to fully leverage Akeneo’s capabilities for enrichment, automation, and syndication, setting the foundation for scalable digital commerce success.

One of the first steps in implementation was integrating Akeneo with RDO’s two ERP systems. These systems housed massive amounts of product data, so RDO’s middleware solution streamlined the transfer of data, ensuring product information was always up to date and structured for Akeneo.

Empowering Teams with Automation & Bulk Editing

With Akeneo’s bulk editing capabilities, RDO can update thousands of SKUs in just a few clicks, dramatically reducing manual effort and increasing operational efficiency. This streamlined approach to managing product data at scale has empowered marketing and eCommerce teams to keep product information accurate and up to date without the bottlenecks of manual processes.

Additionally, Akeneo’s Rules Engine allowed RDO to automate data consistency checks, ensuring attributes such as pricing, descriptions, and categorizations met defined standards, which freed up valuable time for employees to focus on higher-value strategic initiatives.

Enhancing Product Content for a Better Customer Experience

Beyond data consolidation and automation, RDO sought to enhance the quality of its product content. Many parts and equipment listings previously lacked detailed descriptions and images, limiting customers’ ability to make informed purchasing decisions online. 

With Akeneo, RDO centralized over 650,000 digital product assets, ensuring every product page featured rich and accurate content.

The company is also embracing AI-powered enhancements. Using Akeneo’s AI-generated product descriptions, RDO can transform basic feature lists into compelling, easy-to-understand narratives, making it easier for customers to find and purchase the right equipment.

The Results: Transforming Product Data into Business Growth

Today, RDO’s teams have complete confidence in their product data. With Akeneo as a centralized source of truth, they’ve eliminated the fragmentation and inconsistencies that once slowed operations. This streamlined structure has improved how they manage inventory and enrich product content across channels.

Accelerated Online Sales Growth

In the first two years post-implementation, RDO doubled its online parts sales year-over-year. Even as the market matured, they continued to see strong growth, with sales increasing by 20-35% annually over the past two years.

Time Savings & Efficiency Gains

Bulk editing, automation, and filtering tools have cut product update time from hours to minutes, allowing teams to work more efficiently and shift focus toward higher-impact, strategic initiatives.

Enhanced Customer Experience

By enriching product listings with structured, accurate data and more detailed descriptions, RDO has significantly improved the online shopping experience. Customers now find high-quality information more easily, leading to increased engagement and satisfaction.