The Giftware Association spoke recently to is new service providers Khaos Control to find out more about their business and how they can help our members

Name of company: Khaos Control

Can you tell us a bit more about your company, what do you do and how can you help our members?

Khaos Control offer powerful, affordable, and scalable business management solutions for businesses of all sizes. All of our products cover the key aspects of running a business, including: order processing, stock control, multi-channel management, warehouse management, accounts and CRM.

Whether you’re a start-up experiencing a sudden rise in growth, or an established multinational company with years of trade behind you – we have a product that’s right for the needs of both b2c and b2b businesses.

Khaos Control, our flagship solution is a highly configurable, comprehensive piece of software designed for multichannel retailers and wholesale businesses alike. Khaos Control is for larger businesses who are seeking greater control, efficiency, and accuracy of core business processes and complex operations.

The sister product to Khaos Control, Khaos Control Cloud, is designed for those operating smaller to medium sized businesses. Khaos Control Cloud is a fully integrated, all-in-one cloud solution that helps those just getting started or operating within smaller teams. Our easy to use multichannel software can facilitate all your business requirements, as well as integrating with channels such as Amazon and eBay. Our no commitment plan also means users are able to ‘pay-as-you-go’ with affordable monthly payments.

Watch the video.

Who is your audience?

We would like to speak to any business that stores and sells stock. Be that in-store or online. If you’re a business owner and need a system that can combine all of your business processes in one place to help run your company, then Khaos Control is the system for you.  

How long have you been trading and what is the history of the company?

Khaos Control has been trading since 2000. The business was founded by Managing Director, Mike Cockfield, who built the first version of Khaos Control in his garage – all for the needs of a friend who had outgrown using excel spreadsheets to run his business. Since then the system has been built on and developed to become one of the leading business management solutions in the market today.

Our vision has always been to be the premium supplier of business ERP software, providing our customers with the best opportunities to improve their bottom line through efficiencies, cost savings and controlled growth.

What three words best describe your business and its service?

Control. Growth. Innovation.

Do you use social media to promote your business? How has this landscape changed over the years within the home and gift industry?

We use all traditional social media platforms to promote Khaos Control, including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram.

All retailers, whether that’s those within the home and gift industry or not, face the same pressure of providing the most omnichannel experience possible to customers. If you have seen something you liked on social media, it should be a seamless process to find your way to that product either in-store or online.

As well as a seamless journey, customers will expect your brand to stay consistent with information, offers and service. That means making sure that stock-levels are updated across all selling outlets, social media platforms, as well as in your own inventory system. It also means making sure that customers are offered the same experience at every single touch point – whether that’s on Instagram direct messages, or on the phone.

Do you do any advertising/PR?

Our advertising stretches across paid social media advertising, attending events and exhibitions across the UK, as well as writing guest content for key eCommerce platforms.

What do you wish you’d known at the very beginning of starting your business that you know now?

The power of pivoting! As we’ve seen this year the world can change in an instant and as a business it’s important to be flexible and able to adapt to new conditions.

We also have a fantastic piece written by our Managing Director from last year, where he discusses the biggest hurdles he faced when starting Khaos Control, as well as what advice he would offer to those just starting out: https://www.khaoscontrol.com/business-tips/small-business-advice-2019/

After the tough year we have had what differences have you seen within the gift and home industry

The shift towards eCommerce has been more pronounced this year. At Khaos Control we’ve known for a while that eCommerce is the future and we’ve seen businesses shift their strategies entirely to online. I think promotions have become more important than ever too, being able to offer that little bit extra to entice people to buy from you and not a competitor.

What do you see as being the biggest problem for companies like Khaos in the gift and home industry?

If we could help you with one aspect of your business, what would that be?

We would absolutely love to be introduced to more gift and homeware businesses as we know our system is a great fit for these industries.

What news do you have to share with us so we can celebrate your achievements in 2020?

2020 was our 20^th year in business! We’re really excited to have hit this milestone and are really looking forward to what the next 20 years bring.

We’re also incredibly proud to have offered support to every single one of our customers through this incredibly testing year. Whether it was assistance with annual renewals costs or providing free access to other solutions within the business, our Covid-19 Support Plan really has provided help to our customers that needed it the most.

What are you looking to achieve in 2021?

Growth. Next year we want Khaos Control Cloud to be used by twice as many users as it currently is – as the features continue to grow, and our software continues to expand, we want retailers from across Europe to really start harnessing the power of Khaos Control.

We also want to turn more focus to our Customer Success Management Service Program, a consultancy-based offering that allows customers to take their business, and partnership with Khaos Control to the next level.