Ace Hardware Selects BA Insight to Power Next-Generation Search Solution

BOSTON - March 10, 2015 - PRLog -- BA Insight announced that Ace Hardware selected its Knowledge Integration Platform to power its next-generation ACENET, a search-driven intranet portal serving independent retailers and employees nationwide. Unified product and content search improves store efficiency, maximizes upsell opportunities and improves customer satisfaction.

The new ACENET, already running in over 3,000 stores, uses the BA Insight Knowledge Integration Platform along with SharePoint 2013 to drive more precise, accurate, and complete search results. Ace Hardware store owners and staff can use a single interface to quickly access product information, real-time inventory, pricing data, and corporate information. The solution surfaces targeted content based on the user’s geographic location, specific store attributes, and unique search preferences.  ACENET is being deployed across the company’s 4,700 independently-owned stores.

“Access to relevant product and inventory information is the lifeline for Ace retailers, and our search has to be the best out there,” stated Scott Heyer, Ace Hardware’s Manager - Store Systems. “BA Insight was a unique choice because of its comprehensive product capabilities and deep expertise with SharePoint and search. ACENET takes advantage of the new Web Content Management (WCM) and search capabilities in SharePoint 2013, brought to life by BA Insight. The new platform has a friendly user interface, great navigation, and an easy-to-use product comparison and shopping cart, allowing us to extend new cross-selling opportunities to Ace retailers.”

“Retail organizations such as Ace Hardware rely on quick and easy access to actionable information to drive sales and customer satisfaction. Ace Hardware’s new search-driven application will help its franchises be more efficient, serve their customers better, and increase revenue,” said Massood Zarrabian, Chief Executive Officer of BA Insight. “We are thrilled that Ace Hardware chose our platform and expertise to rapidly create their next-generation ACENET.”