Rick Hinderer Knives (RHK) is a leading manufacturer and direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand specializing in high-quality, precision-engineered knives. Based in Columbus, Ohio, RHK is celebrated for its innovative designs and craftsmanship, offering a wide range of products from everyday carry knives to tactical and rescue tools. Known for its premium materials and advanced manufacturing techniques, RHK has become a trusted name among both knife enthusiasts and professionals, delivering functionality, reliability, and aesthetic appeal through its diverse product offerings.
The Challenges
Rick Hinderer Knives (RHK) faced several technology and operational challenges that hampered their ability to provide a seamless shopping experience for their customers. Their eCommerce site, which was previously built on WooCommerce/WordPress, was slow and lacked the scalability needed to support the brand’s high-demand, content-heavy environment. This resulted in poor performance during flash sales and promotional events, where traffic spikes overwhelmed the platform and led to slow loading times, frustrating customers.
RHK’s previous platform also struggled to support the specific needs of their business, such as scheduled product launches aligned with sale events and the ability to offer highly customized product and category displays. The limitations of their system made it difficult to deliver a smooth shopping experience, especially as customers needed to quickly find and purchase products in seconds due to the high demand and limited supply.
Additionally, the platform lacked essential features for cross-selling and upselling, preventing RHK from offering complementary products when items were out of stock, or encouraging customers to purchase accessories for products they already owned. The absence of robust customer insights and analytics further limited RHK’s ability to understand customer behavior, plan effective campaigns, and optimize inventory.
RHK sought greater flexibility, scalability, and a more advanced content management system to meet its growing needs. After evaluating their options, they chose Experro as their Digital Experience Platform (DXP) to solve these critical challenges.
The Solution
Headless CMS
AI-powered Search 
Merchandising
Headless Frontend
CDPExperro provided a tailored solution, leveraging our deep expertise in eCommerce and technology to meet RHK’s unique needs. Within a short period, we developed a comprehensive strategy and executed a full digital transformation, ensuring RHK’s platform was ready to scale and handle high-demand events.
Our approach involved:
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Next-Gen Headless eCommerce: Using Experro DXP, we implemented a powerful headless CMS alongside a custom storefront, delivering a fast and dynamic eCommerce experience. This setup enabled RHK to seamlessly handle flash sales and high-traffic events with 100% uptime, while streamlining their content-heavy operations with efficient content management.
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Site Speed and Mobile Optimization: Experro significantly enhanced RHK’s site speed across both mobile and desktop platforms by optimizing performance and streamlining processes, ensuring fast loading times and smooth user experiences on mobile devices.
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Merchandising & Personalization: With Experro’s advanced merchandising tools, RHK was able to implement effective cross-sell and upsell strategies. When products were out of stock due to high demand, complementary or similar products were promoted, ensuring customers had alternatives. Additionally, accessories and related products were strategically offered to maximize sales.
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Actionable Customer Insights: Leveraging Experro’s CDP, RHK gained access to valuable customer insights. They were able to track product popularity, campaign effectiveness, and customer behavior, helping them optimize their marketing strategies and production planning.
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Scalable Infrastructure: RHK needed a platform that could handle its growth. With Experro, they now have a flexible, scalable solution that supports their expanding product catalog and ensures they can meet future demands without performance bottlenecks.
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AI-powered Search: Experro implemented its advanced AI-powered search, allowing RHK customers to quickly find products and place orders in seconds, enhancing conversions and the overall shopping experience during high-demand periods.
