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Fridro's Redesigned B2B Portal is Already Delighting Users

Advanced categorisation with the capacity to manage up to 200,000 items

100% automation of data synchronisation between ERP system and the online shop

Full personalisation of prices and conditions for 9,000+ customers

90% reduction in manual data entry with automated import from suppliers

Advanced item management and improved user experience

About FRIDRO d.o.o.

Founded in 1991, FRIDRO Ltd. is one of the region's leading suppliers of industrial tools and protective equipment. With a 30-year tradition and a presence in six countries (Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Bulgaria), the company processes more than 450 shipments for its customers on a daily basis. They operate on a one-stop shop basis, with a wide range of protective equipment, cutting, clamping and measuring tools, grinding tools, hand-held power and pneumatic tools and other workshop equipment.

The company is proud to work with more than 9,000 satisfied customers, providing them with products from renowned and trusted manufacturers. In addition to sales, they also offer technical support and consultancy, including innovative solutions such as intelligent tool and material management machines. Their approach is based on understanding the specific needs of their customers and providing complete solutions for different industries.

Transforming an Old Online Shop into a Modern Digital Sales Channel

Despite the success of their business, FRIDRO was faced with the challenge of an outdated solution that no longer met the needs of their business customers. The five year old platform had become a barrier to providing an optimal user experience and efficient management of the extensive product range.

"Our old webshop was simply no longer fit for purpose. More and more customers were expressing their dissatisfaction to us - it was difficult to find the products they were looking for, the categories were not organised in a meaningful way, the overall experience was far behind what other companies were offering, especially the big international players," explains Dejan Stemlak, Head of Commercial, Fridro d.o.o.

The existing system did not allow advanced product categorisation, personalised pricing and process automation. Each product, which had different variations (e.g. different sizes), was managed as a completely separate item in the system, which led to lack of transparency and search difficulties. In addition, limitations were encountered in the synchronisation with the PANTHEON ERP system, which made it difficult to maintain up-to-date information on stocks, prices and special sales conditions for different customers.

A Plan for Change: A Strategic Approach to Digital Upgrading

FRIDRO's management was aware that they needed a complete overhaul of their online shop, taking into account both internal business processes and modern trends in online commerce. In cooperation with the Stroka Business Group, they designed a solution based on an upgrade of the nopCommerce platform to version 4.6.3, with a number of customizations for the specific needs of B2B business.

"Years of observing the market have given us a clear picture of what kind of online store we need," explains Stemlak. "We carefully followed the best practices in the industry, especially of multinationals. Our main challenge was to organise the data in a systematic way to optimise operations and provide the best user experience."

The renewal process was carried out in close cooperation between the teams of both companies. FRIDRO contributed a deep understanding of the business processes and the needs of the customers, while the Stroka Business Group proposed optimal solutions with its technical expertise and experience in the field of e-commerce.

"The Stroka Business Group team impressed us from the start with their professionalism and approach. They offered us a number of innovative suggestions - both for visual design improvements and for the systemic organisation of the data behind the scenes," emphasises the project manager at FRIDRO d.o.o.

Intelligent Categorisation System

One of the key benefits of the redesign is the advanced categorisation of items. Whereas the previous platform only allowed a basic categorisation, the new solution introduces a sophisticated system where products are logically grouped by model. This means that different sizes of the same product are now presented as variations of a single item, which significantly improves transparency and facilitates search.

"Previously, each item was a separate unit, even if it differed from the others only in size. Now we have thousands of precisely classified items, each with its own clearly defined position in the system," explains Dejan Stemlak. "Instead of nine general categories where everything from masks to shoes and gloves fell under 'protection', we now have a clear hierarchical system that allows customers to find them quickly and intuitively."

Connected Systems: Advanced Integration with PANTHEON ERP

A key element of the redesign was improved integration with the PANTHEON business information system. The new platform enables synchronised management of all business data in one place, ensuring consistency of information and reducing the need for manual work. "The advanced integration, which has been upgraded by the Stroka Business Group, has enabled us to manage all data in one place - in PANTHEON," explains a company representative. "Every time a customer logs into the online shop, the data is automatically synchronised. This means that all information - from stock and prices to individual discounts - is always up-to-date and accurate, which significantly simplifies operations and improves customer confidence."

A particularly important gain is the automation of order transmission. "When a customer places an order, it is automatically transferred to PANTHEON, where our team only needs to make a final check, adjust details if necessary and confirm. The system then automatically sends the customer a confirmation with the exact delivery times and final prices. The whole process is now significantly faster, more reliable and with less room for error," adds the Sales Manager.

Personalised Sales Terms: Tailored to the Customer

The new B2B platform developed by the Stroka Business Group is not just a shop, but a real personalised business portal. Every customer has access to a personalised experience - from prices and discounts to payment methods.

"Our new platform acts as an advanced B2B portal, allowing full personalisation," explains the management. "Each customer sees their own specific terms, agreed prices and payment conditions. This is a significant improvement compared to the previous generic solution, which did not allow this level of customisation. Customers value this enormously as it saves them time and provides relevant information without unnecessary searching."

Automation: Intelligent Import of Supplier Data

To ensure comprehensive and up-to-date information, the Stroka Business Group has implemented an automated system for importing data from key suppliers such as Ejendals, Precitool, Widia, Stock and others. The system enables:

• importing all product features, including translations
• integration of descriptions, specifications and technical data
• import of photographs, including 360-degree views
• automatic grouping of items of the same type
• displaying items in a table of contents
• integration with new categorisation

"This innovative component has significantly reduced the need for manual data entry and at the same time improved the quality of product presentation," explains Stemlak. "What previously required hours of manual work is now automated, allowing us to focus on the strategic aspects of the business instead of routine tasks."

First Harvest: Measurable Results from Digital Transformation

Although the redesigned platform is only at the beginning of its journey, it is already having a tangible impact on the company's business. Improvements are reflected in both customer satisfaction and the optimisation of internal processes.

Improved User Experience

Customer feedback has been extremely positive. Telephone surveys reveal enthusiasm for the new platform, its transparency and advanced functionalities.

"The response from customers has exceeded our expectations," says a company spokesperson proudly. "Practically everyone is expressing satisfaction with the new platform. A few have suggested additional functionalities, such as the ability to quickly re-order items already purchased or to convert old orders into a new basket. We are already incorporating these ideas into our development plan."

Operational Revolution: Re-launching Internal Processes

The cooperation with the Stroka Business Group has resulted in significant time and energy savings for the internal team. The automation of processes has drastically reduced the amount of manual work and the potential for errors.

"The Stroka Business Group has managed to automate most of our processes, so now everything is done via email," explains the Sales Manager. "When our team receives an order at PANTHEON, they can immediately see all the relevant information - from special prices to special conditions. There is no longer any need to time-consumingly review order forms and price lists, which means faster order processing and higher customer satisfaction."

Extending the Range: From a Limited Range to a Comprehensive Offer

The new platform enables the efficient management of a significantly larger product range. Whereas the old store only supported a limited number of items, the new store allows the management of up to 200,000 products.

"The system we have designed allows us to expand our offer ambitiously. We are only at the beginning and manage around 80,000 items, but our vision is to reach 200,000 items. Such an expansion would have been simply impossible with the previous platform."

Looking to the Future: A Strategy for Further Development

FRIDRO and the Stroka Business Group will continue to work closely together even after the completion of the redesign project. Together they are developing a strategy for further optimisation and expansion of the digital platform.

Personalisation of the User Experience

One of the main goals for the future is to further personalise the user experience. FRIDRO wants to implement advanced algorithms that will recommend products to customers based on their past purchases and needs.

"We are building a platform that will grow with our customers. Our vision is an online shop that automatically adapts to each customer - showing relevant items, offering personalised promotions and providing an intuitive experience. We want shoppers to find all the information they need on our platform in one place, quickly and efficiently."

Cross-border Reach: International Expansion

Although the current online shop is focused on the Slovenian market, FRIDRO is already planning strategic expansion to other markets in the region.

"Together with experts, we have designed a platform with the potential to expand internationally," explains a company spokesperson. "Currently, our online shop covers the Slovenian market, but our strategic goal is to expand to Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia and Bulgaria. The new platform is already technologically ready for this step, which allows us to expand in a gradual and deliberate manner."

Improving Based on Feedback

The company is also focusing on getting feedback from customers, which serves as a basis for further improvements to the platform.

"The collaboration did not end with the launch of the new platform, but only turned into a partnership for continuous improvement. We analyse customer feedback on an ongoing basis and work together to find innovative solutions to new challenges. This agile approach allows us to stay one step ahead of the competition and adapt quickly to the changing needs of the market."

Partnership for Digital Excellence

The success of the FRIDRO online shop redesign is the result of an effective collaboration between the client and the contractor. The Stroka Business Group team, with its expertise in digital solutions, ensured the technical implementation, while FRIDRO contributed an in-depth understanding of customer needs and business processes.

"The Stroka Business Group really understood our business challenges," emphasises a company spokesperson. "They offered not just a technical solution, but a complete business transformation. Through numerous working meetings, we have jointly developed a platform that is visually appealing, user-friendly and at the same time system-sophisticated. Their holistic approach exceeded our expectations."

This success story proves that with the right approach and partnership, it is possible to transform an outdated digital platform into an advanced tool that not only meets the current needs of a company, but also lays the foundations for future development and growth in an increasingly competitive digital market.

For more information about our web solutions, please contact us at [email protected] or call +386 (0)2 88 79 780.