Summary

A long-time player in plumbing and heating, Rampart Supply is guided by four strong, customer-centric words: “working harder for you.” Originally a family-owned company, and still run with that ethos, genuine relationships are central to the way Rampart’s business operates. So when they needed a product content management solution to support their e-commerce journey, finding the right partner was as important as finding the right tool. Rampart found both in DDS and our CONTENT/io solution.

90,000 SKUS, 900 Vendors & One Ambitious Goal

Rampart Supply has always been known for their deep, diverse inventory and excellent customer service. However, when they launched an e-commerce business, translating that established sense of value and quality to an online platform was a daunting task.

With 90,000 SKUs from 900 active suppliers, the sheer volume of work was Rampart’s biggest pain point. Their team was effectively starting from zero and getting detailed, enriched product data from manufacturers into their new e-commerce platform was essential for a successful launch.

“With DDS, I feel like I am talking to someone on my team.”
ANDY DAVIDSON
Marketing Technology Director, Rampart Supply

At Rampart, customer experience always comes first. That means their product content isn’t considered truly A-grade unless it includes images, full product specifications, a description, and spec sheets. Ideally parts, videos and diagrams too. “Those are all things that give a rich experience to the user,” says Rampart’s Andy Davidson. “If a product doesn’t have content, it gets skipped. Images are particularly critical. All the other things are important, but an image is number one.”

Coordinating with manufacturers and then manually organizing and manipulating product files for every one of those 90,000 SKUs required significant resourcing and long turnaround
times.

“For one person that’s not feasible,” says Andy. “I had a choice. Hire a large team internally or lean on someone with expertise who already knows the process. DDS is critical for us because they know the technology side.”

After we began working together, Rampart soon started benefitting from DDS’s unique blend of organization and technology. Manufacturer product data now arrives at Rampart in a format that is consistent and easy for Andy to review. It saves precious working hours and eliminates the need to train one of his team members in data management.

Collaboration and Communication With Manufacturers

Reaching Rampart’s goal is an ongoing process. All 900 of their suppliers must be onboarded and, sometimes, even sold on the value of enriched content. And, even then, data may come in that doesn’t meet the negotiated specifications.

Of course, establishing good communication and collaborative processes with manufacturers ensures the best results with CONTENT/io. It’s a space where the DDS team has been able to step in and facilitate.

As Rampart’s “expert on staff,” DDS takes care of technology and automation, while their full-time e-commerce employee focuses on updating product data, initial manufacturer outreach, and working with DDS on any identified discrepancies.

Today, Rampart relies on DDS for the clear, accurate updates that help them plan. They learn in advance what’s been provided by the manufacturer, how DDS is organizing and preparing it in line with e-commerce best practices, and what they will ultimately receive in their data feed. In turn, Andy has found DDS receptive to his feedback and ideas for how we can improve.

Steady Progress Toward A-Grade Content

One year after the launch of Rampart’s e-commerce site, they have increased products that have those all-important images by over 55%. The majority are sourced from manufacturers via CONTENT/io and approximately 10% come from an initiative at Rampart to photograph products in their warehouse.

Online revenue is steadily increasing at Rampart. While there’s more work to do, the future looks bright. Every day is a step closer to Rampart’s customer-centric goal of A-grade content for every item. Says Andy, “It’s all about the content. Content leads to conversion.”