Renowned bathroom, plumbing, and tile merchants, McDaids, have implemented K8 Trader from Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS) as their new digital business management system so they can improve efficiencies and deliver greater customer service in-store and online. KCS is a world-class ERP and business management software provider for merchants, distributors and retailers, and K8 Trader is their comprehensive cloud-based solution for small to medium-sized businesses. Having used and evaluated a number of systems, McDaids are embarking upon a profitable new chapter in their history with K8 Trader as they expand and future-proof their business.
Established in 1974 on the Isle of Doagh, McDaids is a family-run business that sells to tradespeople and the public from their extensive store in Buncrana, County Donegal. ‘It’s great that K8 Trader is fast,’ says Lisha Mhlanga, McDaid’s IT & Marketing Executive. ‘Product enquiries happen instantly, meaning we can serve customers quickly and further improve our service levels.’
One key differentiator was K8 Trader’s ‘one-screen’ functionality. This feature makes it easy for staff of all abilities to administer the various parts of a successful merchant business, with instant access to the information they need. Also, the tile-specific features create a smoother sales process for the business. For example, a big challenge for tile merchants concerns how they calculate the tiles needed for a project.
‘Instead of sales staff working out tile shipping requirements by hand,’ Lisha explains, ‘they simply input the length and width into K8 Trader to instantly learn how many tiles and boxes they need. It’s a very intelligent system,’ Lisha adds, ‘yet so simple in how it helps us maximise sales.’
McDaids found their previous ERP system took too long to process sales orders and enquiries. With K8 Trader’s fast Sales Order Processing module, products and records appear instantly. As the movements are updated immediately within the system, McDaids can confidently sell without multiple checks.
‘Before, we’d have to devote two days to running stock takes. But with K8 Trader, sales and goods received update immediately, so we’ll always have the correct closing stock value. Also, seeing instant trading stats – with positive and negative results for each line – saves time and helps make better decisions. K8 Trader is a real game changer for us.’
‘We’re delighted to partner with McDaids,’ explains James Mitchell, KCS UK & Ireland Managing Director. ‘We’re always innovating and delivering software solutions to help our customers be more successful. One such example is WebPro, our fully integrated B2B and B2C web platform, which McDaids will shortly introduce in their business. Once in place, McDaids will save more time and lose that second layer of processing as orders taken on the website feed directly into their management system for immediate processing.’
‘We can trade with increased confidence because K8 Trader is a cloud-based system,’ Lisha concludes. ‘We know that all our customer data is secure and protected in case of any cyber-attack or system failure. So, we can get on with providing outstanding service to our customers without worrying about backups or server maintenance.’
You can learn more about the advantages of K8 Trader at www.kerridgecs.com
