Nahdi
Adobe Commerce proves the best medicine
When Nahdi first burst onto the healthcare scene back in 1986, few could have predicted what was to come.
The launch of two pharmacy outlets in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was just the beginning of a journey that would see the company go on to become the largest pharmaceutical chain in the Middle East and North Africa.
Now, operating under a massive network of more than 1,100 pharmacies in the Kingdom, Nahdi is a national and regional leader in the sales and distribution of medicines, children accessories and medical equipment.
Furthermore, it has become a pioneer in the healthcare sector, empowering people to live healthier lives through making pivotal changes in their lifestyle choices.
In 2018, Nahdi teamed up with SQLI to create a brand-new digital ecommerce experience that would meet its growing status and needs.
“The transition to Adobe Commerce was smooth and easy. I have been involved in so many smaller projects where they were not delivered on time, with major problems along the way. This one should be described in training manuals.”
Why Adobe and SQLI?
The existing e-commerce platform was unable to fulfil the company’s needs or future ambitions. With more than 1,100 stores, multiple warehouses and millions of customers, the company wanted a UX overhaul with a complete omnichannel commerce experience that would increase sales across its retail stores and digital channels.
Several companies made the shortlist for the implementation, but SQLI stood out. Pawel Dabrowski, Nahdi’s head of omnichannel, said: “Adobe Commerce was more flexible and robust and in terms of value for money, there was no better platform for us.
“When we were looking for partners to lead the implementation, SQLI met us and brought the confidence both from a business perspective and from an understanding of the overall ecosystem.
“Other potential partners had more of a sales approach, but SQLI could answer all of our technical questions and the examples he could provide, such as the work SQLI had completed for Screwfix, showed they had the solutions for our needs.”
How did SQLI meet the brief?
The new omnichannel experience was built on Adobe Commerce, powered by Magento, and Magento Order Management, integrating Nahdi’s existing back-office Oracle systems.
Adobe Commerce would provide Nahdi with a secure, flexible and scalable commerce foundation. Magento Order Management would help the company to better manage its order information across its sales channels – web, mobile, stores and warehouse – and give Nahdi real-time visibility of its inventory. The whole implementation would enable the company to operate through a convenient fulfilment service: ship-from-store, ship-from-warehouse and click & collect.
As part of an omnichannel approach, a multitude of payment options were implemented. A direct mailing service for newsletters, links to social media pages and order tracking services were also established to give customers a better all-round experience while driving sales and conversion rates.
Challenges along the way
A complex solution and highly-customised build meant there were some conundrums with the database migration and redesigning of the data flows, which were proving difficult to navigate.
Pawel said: “There were challenges along the way – as with any large-scale implementation – but SQLI’s technical understanding, flexibility and ability to swiftly solve complex issues, was behind the project’s huge success.”
The results speak for themselves. A month after launch, Nahdi experienced its highest ever site traffic and best basket size and conversion rates. Site traffic increased by 150 to 200 percent, with new customers up by 67 percent. The company also saw a 33 percent rise in repeat buyers and revenue growth of 600 percent in 12 months. Meanwhile, the new platform has seen load times double in speed, and bounce rates down from 55 percent to 40 percent.
Results
A month after launch, Nahdi experienced its highest ever site traffic and best basket size and conversion rates. Site traffic increased by 150 to 200 percent, with new customers up by 67 percent. The company also saw a 33 percent rise in repeat buyers and revenue growth of 600 percent in 12 months . Meanwhile, the new platform has seen load times double in speed and bounce rates down from 55 percent to 40 percent.
Pawel added: “We experienced a lot of critical incidents with the old platform and set-up which was less complex than this one. The website, connectivity and payment systems would go down, or there would be issues with the checkout not working. Adobe fixed the vast majority of these problems. Now, we rarely experience them. It’s a huge achievement.”
A growing partnership
Every year, businesses that have shown exemplary leadership within their industry are recognised and awarded by Adobe. This year, Pawel won the coveted Magento Live Commerce Ace Award for ‘creating a unique vision and delivering commerce excellence.’ The partnership with SQLI is maturing, and now incorporates third party delivery. Telesales features, orders through the phone, and new promotional features and other systems are on the horizon. Pawel added: “We want to expand to UAE next year and bring even more capabilities to the website including payment, promotions, segmentations, so many things – we want to remain a leader in the market.
“We had an interesting, challenging and successful first stage. Now we are passing through the second stage, and soon on to the third stage. There are a lot of learnings and we are growing together, but I’m very happy we chose SQLI.”
Profile
Industry: Pharmacy chain
Number of employees: 12,000
Location: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Background: With its headquarters in Jeddah, Nahdi Medical Company is a leading chain of Saudi retail pharmacies. It manages and operates a nationwide network in 143 cities and towns across the Kingdom, which makes it one of the most prevalent and the fastest growing companies in the region. As per our company’s firm belief in being a “community pharmacy”, Nahdi Medical Company doesn’t solely serve the community by its products, but it also educates society through various health awareness programs and prevention campaigns. The company uses its extensive local knowledge and network to invest in the development of the Saudi community.
