Blackwoods - Smarter Search, Seamless Inventory

Streamlined product discovery and inventory management with a smarter, faster, and more intuitive system.

Client Overview

Blackwoods, a leading distributor in Australia’s supply chain and industrial equipment sector, specializes in safety gear, tools, and construction equipment. Managing over 200,000 products across multiple warehouses, the company sought to modernize internal search capabilities to streamline procurement, enhance inventory accuracy, and improve customer response times. The result was BlackOps, an AI-powered search optimization tool developed in partnership with Softobiz.

Blackwoods struggled with complex inventory and slow product discovery, affecting efficiency and user experience.

Challenges Before Engagement

Inefficient Search Process

  • Manual searches across disconnected systems caused delays exceeding 6 seconds per query.
  • No support for jargon-based searches or advanced filters, leading to inefficiencies.

Data Fragmentation

Product data was siloed across different platforms, including Stibo, MSSQL, and warehouse management systems.

Inventory Inaccuracies

Lack of real-time stock visibility led to missed sales opportunities and supply chain inefficiencies.

Poor User Experience

The absence of relevance feedback mechanisms and bulk search capabilities hindered productivity.

Softobiz Solutions in Action 

  • AI-Driven Search Engine

    • Integrated Coveo’s AI-powered search with jargon recognition, personalized recommendations, and intelligent filters.
    • Implemented a relevance feedback system, allowing users to upvote and refine search results.

  • Real-Time Data Synchronization

    • Automated daily ingestion of Stibo data into MSSQL and Coveo via Azure Data Factory (ADF) pipelines.
    • Introduced delta updates, reducing processing time by 83% and ensuring near-instant inventory updates.

  • Scalable & Secure Cloud Architecture

    • Built on .NET 8 with Clean Architecture, EF Core, and hosted on Azure Cloud for cost-effective scalability.
    • Implemented Microsoft Entra (Azure AD) for role-based access control, ensuring data security and compliance.

  • User-Centric Features

    • Developed a copy-to-clipboard tool to facilitate bulk search input for procurement teams.
    • Integrated Power BI dashboards for real-time inventory insights and search analytics.

Transforming Supply Chain Operations with Softobiz 

Softobiz collaborated with Blackwoods to revolutionize their search and inventory management systems. The results speak for themselves: 

Key Outcomes Delivered

67%

Boost In Operational Efficiency

AI-powered search improved query speed, significantly enhancing response times.

< 1 Hour

Enhanced Data Accuracy

Real-time inventory synchronization reduced stock update lag from 6+ hours to under 1 hour.

40%

Improved Search Relevance

Search accuracy improved, ensuring users found relevant products faster.

80%

Error Reduction

API errors dropped significantly, increasing system reliability and user confidence.

85%

User Adoption

Adoption rate across sales and procurement teams validated the system’s effectiveness.

Customer-Centric Benefits

Faster
Decision-Making

Search results now delivered in under 2 seconds, enabling quicker procurement decisions.

Real-Time Inventory Accuracy

Stock updates ensure customers and teams always have up-to-date product availability.

Data-Driven Decisions

Smart search filters, relevance feedback, and bulk search tools enhance usability.

Enhanced User Satisfaction

Sales and procurement teams saved 30% of their time on customer inquiries. 

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