Home > How Palmetto State Armory Reached Enterprise Success with Wagento

How Palmetto State Armory Reached Enterprise Success with Wagento

Brent Peterson
Brent Peterson
How Palmetto State Armory Reached Enterprise Success with Wagento

Today, Palmetto State Armory is a well-known retailer of firearms and ammunition, complete with lifetime warranties on all of their American-made firearms and accessories. The reputable company has affordable prices, excellent customer service, and a wide range of products, including items that may be difficult to find at other stores. With the help of Wagento, PSA was able to transform itself from a small online shop into this massive enterprise, consisting of 6 physical stores and a booming eCommerce site, in just a few years.

History of PSA

Palmetto State Armory was founded in 2008 by Iraq war veteran Jamie McCallum, who decided to start the company after returning home from deployment. He started by selling a few types of ammunition online from his garage in South Carolina and then added magazines to his inventory. Over time, McCallum’s operation quickly expanded from his garage, overflowing into his kitchen, then the living room, and eventually to a shed in his backyard. In less than two years of starting his company, McCallum bought a 30,000-square-foot warehouse to store his growing inventory.

When customers began to visit the warehouse to buy items in-person, PSA launched its first physical store in Columbia, South Carolina. Then, in 2010, the company began developing its own unique line of firearms and accessories. Chief marketing officer for Palmetto State Armory Adam Ruonala remarked, “The company started with him, his wife, his brother, and a high schooler packaging everything. Now we have over 300 employees with over 100 veterans or active-duty.” Since 2010, the company has remained on a constant upward trajectory despite the political controversies surrounding firearms.

PSA began investing in more physical stores to sell their own line of products, as well as several major brands of guns and ammunition. In addition, McCallum decided to add more items that could appeal to a wide audience, including hunting gear, fishing accessories, knives, clothing, and more. Due to the rapid expansion of physical locations and inventory, Palmetto State Armory generated $250 million in sales in 2016, and the company continues to thrive to this day.

Website Development

McCallum needed a reliable platform to build his rapidly growing eCommerce store upon, and Wagento took Palmetto State Armory on in 2012 when the company was still using the Magento Community version. For the next six years, Wagento played an important role in PSA’s impressive growth by offering top-notch website development help every step of the way. McCallum’s simple online store needed a major upgrade, so Wagento provided multiple services to take PSA to the next level, including:

  • Custom design. Wagento professionals are well-versed in the complexities of building customized websites, so with input from PSA business leaders, they created a unique site that’s both aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate.
  • Access to Magento upgrades. As Magento continually evolves, Palmetto State Armory can stay ahead of their competitors by constantly updating their site to match the latest eCommerce solutions and trends.
  • Mobile optimization. PSA’s website is responsive, making it easy for customers to browse the store’s inventory from their cell phone, tablet, or laptop. Magento’s responsive designs create a streamlined experience for buyers even if they switch from one device to another during their shopping journey.
  • Efficient operations management. Palmetto State Armory employees can log in to easily manage inventory, track packages, and view data for customers, orders, top selling products, and much more.
  • Magento Commerce. PSA is capable of creating personalized shopping experiences for each customer, staging content for future sales and deals, segmenting buyers, offering instant purchasing options and more, all from one administrator dashboard. Other features of Magento Commerce include SEO, site security, performance, catalog management, business intelligence, and customer service, which are key factors for all eCommerce stores in the competitive online industry.

Palmetto State Armory Today

Those who visit the Palmetto State Armory online store will experience a fast, responsive website with excellent UI/UX designs for a frustration-free shopping journey. Wagento created the visual design of the store to attract gun enthusiasts and make it simple for customers to view products before purchasing. The site also includes useful features such as a product comparison button, information for those who want to get a concealed weapons’ permit, daily deals, and a company blog.

With some website assistance from Wagento, McCallum was able to meet and exceed his goal of creating a gun company designed for everyday gun collectors and enthusiasts. The story of Palmetto State Armory proves that launching a company you have a passion for while prioritizing customers, will set you up for a successful and fulfilling future.

From Browsing to Buying: Put Wagento’s eCommerce Mastery to Work for You

Brent Peterson
Brent W. Peterson, President of ContentBasis LLC, is a pioneering eCommerce entrepreneur. His journey spans retail entrepreneurship to global workshops, with a passion for endurance sports. 

Related Topics

With the holiday shopping season just about to end, it’s the perfect time to start prepping for the next season with some upgrades! When upgrading

With the new year coming up, it’s time to update your website! Digital trends change with the times, and this year, we’re expecting to see

Our understanding of artificial intelligence usually comes with images from dystopian novels, robots that feel the same emotions we do, and other superpowered technological marvels.

Start Selling with Personalized
eCommerce Solutions