2024 started off strong for Modern Retail, where we were fortunate enough to send delegates down to Orlando, Florida for the 2024 Orgill Dealer Market. On February 22-24, 2024, Orgill held their annual Dealer Market, where over 30,000 vendors, customers, and partners gathered to admire the latest and greatest achievements in the hardware business. Modern Retail got the amazing opportunity to showcase their hard work on IMPACT eCommerce; an e-commerce platform designed specifically for Orgill dealers. Modern Retail has been working with Orgill and Elastic Path since 2023 on this targeted e-commerce platform, and the Orgill Dealer Market is just the first step in introducing IMPACT eCommerce to thousands of hardware stores across the country.

Orgill, founded in 1847, is the largest independent hardware distributor in the world– supplying more than 75,000 products to tens of thousands of retailers worldwide. With care, dedication, and one of the industry’s largest truck fleets, Orgill reports that most clients receive their shipment within only 48 hours of placing an order. Orgill strives to help their customers thrive on every level, which they show by their decision to partner with Modern Retail and Elastic Path to create IMPACT eCommerce.

Modern Retail and Orgill Collaborate

Orgill’s goal with IMPACT eCommerce is to make ecommerce more attainable for the everyday hardware store owner. “A retailer’s job is extremely difficult,” says Modern Retail’s Todd Myers, “Now you are asking them to do a website, email marketing, product photos, make sure everything is integrated with the point of sale system, it’s a lot.” All of this and more, on top of the daily ins and outs of running a successful business can be overwhelming for retailers, no matter how long they’ve been around. This is where IMPACT eCommerce comes in, offering a huge advantage by automating the ecommerce side of your business. Myers goes into detail on what IMPACT eCommerce can do, saying, “Dealers get this integration with a point of sale system, they get all the product content written out, they get all of these images populated, they get everything nice and organized on their website, and it’s all done at once.”

IMPACT eCommerce utilizes a tiered program, ranging from a Quick Start to a Full Service integration. Myers explains more, “They have organized and structured this in a way that has made it really simple for people to get started. Even if you just want to start in the first tier, IMPACT eCommerce can grow alongside you and your business.” If you are looking to build your business from the ground up, or just looking for some product inventory support, IMPACT eCommerce can help, no matter your business needs.

The Pickup Hub

Along with a stellar website, retailers can also get use of the OMS (Order Management System) designed by Modern Retail, the Pickup Hub. Similar to the Modern Retail Admin Panel, the Pickup Hub is a one-stop shop for all your order fulfillment needs. With a big focus on BOPIS (buy online pick up in store) and BOSS (buy online ship to store), Modern Retail has made it so easy for customers and retailers alike to get the exact products they need quickly and efficiently. “If a customer wants to place an order, and the item that they want is out of stock, they can still place it and Modern Retail’s integration will place an order with the Orgill distributor to get that order on the next supply truck headed to the pickup store,” Myers explains, giving one example of the many things that the Pickup Hub can achieve.

The Dealer Market

While Modern Retail’s main objective was to field questions and offer support for IMPACT eCommerce, there were still plenty of opportunities to explore the sales floor. The three-day event had everything you would find at your local hardware store and much, much, more. Modern Retail’s Kelly Pinkas was astounded by the scale: “You name it, they had it. Dog food, power tools, paint, everything was there.”

It was not only the size of the event that was amazing, it was seeing how every member of the team, Orgill, Elastic Path, Epicor Eagle, and Orgill, came together to present the product. “It’s a big deal,” Pinkas notes, “We did the integration with a new platform, we built a whole second OMS [Order Management System], and we set up ways to maintain it. To see IMPACT eCommerce used and promoted at such a big event is amazing.” Pinkas isn’t the only one moved by their involvement, Myers says, “A piece of me is really proud that a company as big as Orgill has faith in a company like Modern Retail to pull this off for them. We all worked really well as a team, everybody was focused on doing a good job, and we pulled it off.”

Florida had more in store for Pinkas and Myers than the Orgill Dealer Market, and after a friendly round of mini golf (guess who won), the pair wrapped up their successful week and headed home. The Modern Retail team was delighted to attend the Orgill Dealer Market, and are looking forward to an amazing year to come.