Conns Cameras

Beloved Irish camera and electronics retailer Conns Cameras saw online conversion rates increase by over 130% with WebSell’s integrated e-commerce solution.

Traditionally a walk-in business, Conns Cameras had to pivot online when the coronavirus pandemic hit, and they looked at WebSell to transform their business

A family-run business with over 50 years of history, Conns Cameras is a beloved Irish retailer based in the heart of Dublin. Known for its exceptional customer service and expertise in cameras and electronics, Conns delivers a personal touch while managing a vast catalog of over 7,000 products.

Conns Cameras relies on the Retail Management Hero (RMH) point-of-sale system provided by Positive Retail to streamline in-store operations. When WebSell, a leader in RMH-integrated e-commerce solutions, partnered with Conns, the retailer embraced the seamless integration between their POS system and online store to enhance their operations and provide a superior shopping experience for their customers.

The story

A family legacy meets modern e-commerce

Conns Cameras, a family-run business in the heart of Dublin, has been a trusted retailer for over 50 years. Known for its outstanding customer service and expertise in cameras and electronics, Conns has built a loyal customer base, with many team members serving customers for more than 15 years. Their website initially served as an online catalog in the early 2000s but evolved into a fully functional e-commerce store.

When the coronavirus pandemic forced retail lockdowns, Conns had to pivot quickly to online sales. Fortunately, they had partnered with WebSell just months before, setting the stage for an e-commerce transformation.

We couldn’t work out the right way to go until we found the guys at WebSell, who have been brilliant. In the last year the site has been a godsend with everything that’s happened.

Gareth Craig, IT & Communications Manager at Conns Cameras

The challenge

Delivering exceptional service online

Conns Cameras faced several challenges as they sought to modernize their e-commerce presence:

• They needed to reflect their dedication to exceptional customer service on their online store while managing a catalog of over 7,000 complex product variations.
• Their previous e-commerce platform, Shopify, lacked the flexibility and responsiveness they needed to stay competitive.
• Integrating their Retail Management Hero (RMH) point-of-sale system with their online store was critical to ensuring accurate product listings, inventory synchronization, and seamless order processing.
• They required an advanced search solution to help customers navigate intricate product names and variations.

You can’t beat Amazon on price, so you have to beat them on your knowledge, your service, and your ability to solve problems.

Gareth Craig, IT & Communications Manager at Conns Cameras

The solution

A tailored, collaborative approach

Conns Cameras partnered with WebSell, a leader in RMH-integrated e-commerce solutions, to build a new website tailored to their unique needs. The project included:

• Seamless integration with RMH, enabling automatic synchronization of inventory, pricing, and product details.
• A custom FACT-Finder search integration, ensuring customers could easily find and trust the right products.
• Enhanced promotional tools to display and time offers accurately, minimizing errors and protecting margins.
• Collaborative development and communication that ensured the site launched smoothly before the busy holiday season.

Shopify didn’t have the same flexibility and quick reaction time that WebSell had. With WebSell they would say yes, that’s on the list. Not only did WebSell seek our input, but they would build on our ideas and come up with even better ways of doing it.

Gareth Craig, IT & Communications Manager at Conns Cameras

Conns Cameras sought a fresh direction for their website in late 2019, prioritizing flexibility and collaboration—something they felt was lacking with their previous platform, Shopify. They turned to WebSell, introduced by their long-time partner Positive Retail, the leading distributor of Retail Management Hero (RMH) in Ireland.

WebSell’s expertise in RMH integration made them the perfect fit. A key milestone was integrating Conns’ trusted FACT-Finder search system, ensuring precise results for their 7,000+ product catalog. This seamless collaboration not only met Conns’ needs but strengthened partnerships across all parties involved, setting their e-commerce platform apart from competitors.

The whole implementation process was very practical and encouraging. The collaborative approach was brilliant and made things very easy. Development and communication proceeded smoothly and allowed us to launch on schedule before a busy Christmas season.

Gareth Craig, IT & Communications Manager at Conns Cameras

Loyal Conns Cameras customers have also commented on how the new site design has made shopping online a much better experience. From displaying promotions in a timely fashion to finding a way to categorize and display every product, it’s made the e-commerce store a reliable and rewarding online destination for Irish camera enthusiasts.

The way promotions are displayed on the website and being able to time promotions so things only appear when they’re meant to appear was excellent. Having an offer hang around or show up late can cause huge headaches for our whole business. As the margin is so tight on a lot of camera gear, it’s vital that our Special Offers & Promotions are always appearing in a timely manner.

Gareth Craig, IT & Communications Manager at Conns Cameras

The results

Significant growth across all metrics

The new e-commerce platform delivered outstanding results for Conns Cameras:

• Site Visits increased by 11%.
• E-commerce Revenue grew by 64%.
• Order/Visit Conversion Rate skyrocketed by 133%.

Order numbers and order values lifted dramatically when we made the switch to WebSell. While the pandemic did cause an increase, pre-pandemic we were already seeing an uptick in all main KPIs.

Gareth Craig, IT & Communications Manager at Conns Cameras

The learnings

E-commerce as a transformative tool

The Conns Cameras story highlights several key takeaways:

• Service is Key: Prioritizing customer service online is critical in competing with larger e-commerce platforms.
• Collaboration Drives Success: A flexible, collaborative partner like WebSell ensures custom needs are met and exceeded.
• Integration Matters: A seamless connection between RMH and the website saved time, reduced errors, and enhanced operations.
• Agility and Timing Are Critical: Managing promotions and offers effectively ensures profitability and customer satisfaction.

With WebSell’s support, Conns Cameras continues to thrive as a trusted destination for camera enthusiasts in Ireland, both online and offline.

Being able to closely integrate our offline and online sales has proven to be particularly vital in the last 12 months as the retail landscape changed utterly in the face of a global pandemic. We’re aware that we aren’t even using the full capabilities available from the tight integration of RMH with WebSell, but being able to change information in one place and know it will seamlessly replicate from our local database to the website is very reassuring. The biggest impact though has definitely been how simple and quick the ‘Get Web Orders’ feature makes the processing of online orders.

Gareth Craig, IT & Communications Manager at Conns Cameras

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