Soft-launched at the start of 2020, Ten-25’s pioneering new cloud ERP system for merchants has been given a New Year rebrand to celebrate its first year in the market.
Formerly referred to as UT400, the browser-based system will now be known as Merchanter.
“UT400 was originally our internal name for the system,” explains Ian Oldrey, MD at Ten-25 Software. “It was the start of a new generation of cloud-based software, replacing our previous flagship product UniTrade 360. But we didn’t really give it a customer-friendly name at the start. We have more and more merchants signing up for it, and we felt it deserved a name that helped to describe what it actually does.”
Merchanter has already been bought by a range of merchants and stockists, including sawmills, timber merchants, builders’ merchants, steel stockholders, plumbing suppliers, agricultural merchants and stone merchants.
“We wanted a name that reflected the purpose of the software,” says Ian. “It is 100% designed for merchants, with a huge range of features, functions and measures for optimising stock and streamlining trading processes. It allows a great deal of customisation and flexibility for those merchants that need it, but can also be a pretty straightforward, almost off-the-shelf solution for start-ups and simpler trading outfits. The name had to fit the whole spectrum, which was no easy task!”
UT400 will continue to be used as a reference code for the specific generation of software, and will still be used in some user documentation and for client login etc. Ian is quick to reassure customers that this is not a new system; simply a rebrand of an existing one.
“We have exciting plans to make Merchanter even more accessible to merchants just starting out, and are investigating an app version for simpler operations. But the core system remains the same – customers still get all the benefits and features of what they know as UT400. It’s just going to have a different name from now on.”
“The systems merchants told us they wanted”
“This system has been built on a combination of 40 years’ experience designing trading and stock management systems for merchants, and on feedback from our customers,” says Ian. “This is the system they told us they needed, and the events of 2020 have really accelerated merchants’ need for digital solutions.”
Ease of use was a key priority. “The easier a system is to use, the more people will use it every day,” says Ian. “The more use the system gets, the better the quality of the information it holds. Better information leads to better decision-making and better processes, all of which adds up to better efficiency and profitability, for better business. And that belief really does form the backbone of the whole system.”
Customers are already praising the ease of use and accessibility of the system, and since its launch, it has been getting extremely positive reviews from users.
Mike Tregunna at new customer Build Supplies Ltd, a family-owned builders’ merchant in Cornwall, said, “Ten-25 has clearly put its users at the forefront of development. The gaming designer’s layout of intuitive functions, big fonts and bold graphics make it a pleasure to use all day. The flexibility and control in terms of pricing, the simplicity, and the options to control our stocks, will be a gamechanger for our company.”
He added, “This piece of software gives the family business the opportunity to be right up alongside the national merchants, without the need for a dedicated in-house IT team.”
Global Timber Products Specialist Sales Manager Suki Bains said, “It will save us a huge amount of time, on paperwork, reporting, stock management, operations, everything; making us a more efficient and productive business, with much faster availability. Ten-25 customised it for us as well, and the system is easily adapted as we grow. And it was remarkably cost-effective!”
Midland Steel Distribution, a brand new operation formed after the restructure of British Steel, set new records when they took the system in 2020, going from go ahead to go live in just four weeks. Manager Dan Need said, “It’s really simple to use – it does exactly what we need it to, but it will adapt and evolve as we grow. With Ten-25 we feel it’s a real partnership.”
Word Gets Around
Word is starting to spread about the system. “We’re expanding the team to meet the demand,” says Ian. “It’s so exciting to see more merchants believing in the possibilities that this software has to offer. We have put our hearts and souls into developing it, and we truly believe it’s the simplest piece of ERP software in the market, with the best accessibility. We are so confident of that, we’re letting prospective customers have completely free access to an online demo system unguided, so they can discover it for themselves without any pressure from us.”
Merchanter is a big, bold step for merchant ERP, giving control to the user and complete flexibility to create a more customised experience without adding complexity. It has a range of automation features to save time and effort every day, and over 110 KPIs to keep key metrics front and centre and of course, being a cloud system, is accessible from a standard smart device, 24/7 to facilitate remote and flexible working.
“Our aim is to make every day that little bit easier for every user – and the feedback is really backing that up,” says Ian. “The dashboards help each user to keep on top of their own personal goals, targets and to do list, and we hope it will really help make every day more enjoyable, and every business more efficient and profitable. We are thrilled with the reception it’s getting so far. 2021 should be a very exciting year for us, and for our customers, which seems very fitting as it also marks 40 years since we were founded.”
To try Merchanter yourself, simply register at https://www.ten-25.co.uk/ut400-online-demo for login details.
