Paladin POS Case Study
Featuring Village Ace Hardware
“There were a lot of features that made the choice easy.”
– Joe DiSano
Joe DiSano
Owner
Village Ace Hardware
43 East Genesee Street
Baldwinsville, NY 13027
204 South Manlius Street
Fayetteville, NY 13066
2701 Erie Drive
Weedsport, NY 13166
Phone: (315) 638-4026
Website: acevillagehardware.com
A Simple Solution Enters the Picture
Paladin is Worth it
Out with the Old, in with the New
About Village Ace Hardware
“I don’t feel like an outsider missing opportunities.”
– Joe DiSano
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“There were a lot of features that made the choice easy.”
– Joe DiSano
Why the Switch?
As Village Ace looked for a new system, the large up-front fees for technology that could be obsolete in a year just didn’t seem like a logical business move.
They needed a solution with a reasonable pricing model to regain ROI sooner while staying current with technology. They wanted better Ace integration without the threat of missing out on marketing opportunities. The system had to be simple to operate and understand, with direct access to customer support and a more logical inventory ordering process.
Village Ace quickly discovered that the developers at Paladin were able to take a complex group of steps and simplify them for the end user. The complicated operations happen in the background so users can work with a clean, usable design.
Their Paladin POS system provides them with a number of benefits:
A powerful and customizable, yet easy-to-use system
Easy to give feedback and feature requests to Paladin
A reasonable pricing model that offers maximum ROI & free updates
Streamlined and cohesive suggested ordering
Seamless integration with Ace Hardware's Instant Savings & Rewards
Custom reports designed for their individual needs
Interface with Margin Master
The ability to email invoices and P.O.'s directly from the POS system
Paladin is Worth it
Village Ace has saved time and money while gaining efficiency and productivity.
Instead of feeling like they were missing opportunities with Ace, they found the integration with Ace Hardware’s Instant Savings and Rewards programs to be seamless with Paladin. In addition, Paladin’s ability to “lock in” specific inventory details mean they have greater control over what’s changed when Ace hotsheets are processed.
They were also impressed with Paladin’s “kits” feature, where items that are usually purchased together can be combined into a kit. DiSano loves being able to go into any customer’s account and review any previous invoices. It’s a feature he finds himself using constantly.
When DiSano needed a report that Paladin didn’t already offer, he worked directly with the developers to create a custom report. Even though he was charged a fee to offset a portion of Paladin’s development time, he says, “I don’t regret it one bit. I’m happy I did it. I use that report all the time, and it’s fantastic.”
“I see how Paladin saves time and money because every technician can go right to the developers, and that means a lot less frustration for us.”
– Joe DiSano
“The developers at Paladin are able to take a complex group of steps and simplify it for the end user.”
– Joe DiSano
Out with the Old, In with the New
Paladin POS was Village Ace’s third point-of-sale system. The first was archaic and expensive. The system was complicated, attempting to provide too many features without performing enough of them well. As owner Joe DiSano describes it, “I was paying a lot and getting very little. I was extremely frustrated.”
The second system offered better pricing but its Ace Hardware integration was cumbersome and the customer support was not ideal. DiSano felt like an outsider missing opportunities with Ace Rewards and other Ace marketing offerings. All support requests had to be funneled through a dealer, adding frustration and long wait times. The ordering system didn’t make sense — there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to why certain items were automatically reordered, and suggested order report generation was painfully slow.
Village Ace purchased Paladin POS in October 2009. They were eager to solve the issues experienced with the previous systems, and went live in the spring of 2010.
“I can now truthfully recommend my POS system to people and feel really good about it.”
– Joe DiSano
About Village Ace Hardware
Village Ace Hardware opened their doors in 1980 and currently operates three successful stores totaling over 27,000 square feet in upstate New York. Their loyal customer base, convenient location, and approachable customer service representatives have been the keys to their success.
Their three stores offer extensive inventory for contractors and do-it-yourselfers. Their focus on delivering outstanding customer service on every sale has given them a strong foothold in a market often dominated by big box stores. Village Ace is proud of their commitment to their local communities, and those communities have responded with support and loyalty.
Village Ace Hardware’s products and services include over 24,000 lawn and garden, plumbing, electrical, and hardware products, paint sales and design consultations, rental equipment, repair services, and unique gift shops with extensive holiday collections.
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