Estes Rockets zoom into cyberspace sales with Magento and Unleaded Software
DENVER – When to Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957, it not only set off the Space Race between the world’s great superpowers, it also generated an endless fascination with rockets that boosted the prospects of an innovative model rocket company, Estes Rockets. Now for nearly 50 years kids of all ages have turned to Estes just to have a blast, and many of them used the experience to launch careers in aviation, rocketry, telecommunications and space exploration.
And when the venerable Estes Industries needed a new web platform to launch its rocket kit sales worldwide through the Internet, it turned to Unleaded Software of Denver.
In early 1958, just after the Sputnik craze set off the rocket age, Vern Estes developed a machine that mass-produced solid propellant model rocket engines. Setting up in Denver, Estes took his invention and coupled it with the mass production of balsa wood nose cones and adaptors for model rockets, and every kid’s dream of shooting for the stars became a reality. Selling to hobby shops at first, in 1960 Estes launched a mail order business for his model rocket kits, and ever since the company has enjoyed high-altitude sales as the most recognized name in model rockets. In 1996, Estes joined with COX, a worldwide leader in model airplanes, and together the two take the adventure of flying to new heights.
While the company’s reputation has soared over the years, it wasn’t until 2008 that Estes Industries decided it was time to take its rich history to the Internet and expand its historic mail-order business into Internet sales. Based in a little town near Pueblo, Colo., Penrose (“The Model Rocket Capital of the World”), Estes researched available “shopping cart” technology that could handle its Internet sales needs and discovered the Magento eCommerce platform from Varien.
Magento is an open source solution for online merchants, hailed the world over as the most robust platform for online sales and administration that, in the hands of skilled web developers, can be integrated into the existing visual language of a website, and also with other programs, to create a vibrant sales website. Unleaded Software of Denver is a Magento Professional Partner and is one of only a handful of web design and development companies worldwide – and the only one in the Western US – with the expertise and skill to merit the partnership designation.
Since Estes had never had a web-based sales presence for its model rocket kits, Unleaded built the new shopping-cart technology based on Magento from the ground up. Creating a web design that retained the long-standing and iconic look of the Estes brand, Unleaded utilized the features of Magento, added in ExpressionEngine, and integrated hundreds of model rocket model airplane kits and accessories into an easy-to-use web retailing site.
The new website, www.estesrockets.com, makes shopping for visitors a pleasure. Each of the more than 200 products featured in the online store have a photograph and write-up to show and explain the product, and then the checkout phase make paying by credit card and shipping options as easy as a few mouse clicks on the computer. Confirmation is automatically generated through an email, and customers are kept up-to-date with the latest developments in model rocketry.
For the company, the Magento-based solution is feature rich. The system automatically handles payments, fulfillment details, monitors inventory levels for real-time updates, tracks sales histories of individual customers, and even constantly updates integrated accounting software. In addition, the integration of ExpressionEngine software gave the Estes personnel a high-level content management system where they can easily update, add and delete products so they can keep the online merchandizing site on top of all product and sales developments.
“Even with such a rich history, Estes Rockets had never sold its merchandise from their website. Bringing Estes’ business into the internet age was a great honor for Unleaded Software,” said Michael Kirschbaum, director for strategic solutions for Unleaded.
Now with robust Search Engine Optimization (SEO) developed by Unleaded, along with a Magento online sales solution designed to remain cutting edge for years to come, Estes Rockets are zooming through cyberspace, reaching yet another generation of racketeers.