Revamping Retail: A B2B Furniture Store Relaunch
Overview
Betriebseinrichtung-Sofort is a leading producer and distributer of steel furniture, office furniture, and factory equipment, predominantly serving Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Recognizing a disconnect between their commitment to quality and their outdated e-commerce platform, the company set out to redesign their online store in late 2024. That’s where we come in.
Betriebseinrichtung-Sofort (Ceha Deutschland GmbH)
5 Months
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Revenue Surge
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Total B2B Orders
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Average Order Value
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The Opportunity
We identified significant opportunity to elevate Betriebseinrichtung-Sofort’s digital presence and solidify customer loyalty. By modernizing their e-commerce platform, we could unlock substantial growth, particularly in the B2B sector. Our strategy focused on enhancing user experience through improved navigation and product discovery, showcasing their unique selling propositions, and optimizing for both for users and search engines.
Migrating to Shopify Plus with a clean, contemporary design and an intuitive add-to-cart user flow was crucial for a seamless shopping experience. We aimed to implement a scalable solution for transparent bulk ordering, variant selection and customization, as well as robust B2B account management in order to improve usability and conversion rates.
Our approach
In close collaboration with our client we developed a sleek, user-centric Shopify solution that addressed their key challenges and amplified their brand's strengths. We conducted thorough competitive analysis, implemented optimal information architecture, and designed considered user flows to streamline the customer journey, all while maintaining consistency with Betriebseinrichtung-Sofort’s established visual identity. The new website introduces substantial improvements in both design and functionality.
Challenges + Goals
You’ve probably heard the optimist’s perspective: “Every challenge presents an opportunity”. We prefer the designer’s perspective that every challenge presents a cool feature idea. Together with the stakeholders we identified a number of key feature opportunities.
Up-to-date,
User-Friendly Design
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The legacy website suffered from outdated technology, poor navigation and slow load times, leading to a frustrating user experience. To counter this we successfully migrated their existing catalogue, implemented a modern and intuitive design and improved site performance - resulting in more efficient and engaging browsing and buying.
Streamlined Transactions
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The lack of dynamic pricing, bulk order functionalities, and clear content hierarchy created friction for B2B clients, deterring larger-scale purchases. We refined the checkout process and implemented Shopify’s B2B features to facilitate seamless transactions for both individual and enterprise customers.
Improved Product Discovery
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High Cost Per Click and poor conversion rates were draining ad spend. To optimise product discovery, we paired an intuitive navigation menu with thoughtful filtering and advanced schematic search, allowing users to confidently explore the comprehensive catalogue of over 2000 products.
Consulting + Concept
Here we turned challenges into opportunities and opportunities into features. We worked closely with stakeholders to deeply understand business objectives and user needs. Following this we defined a clear project scope and established a robust framework for the subsequent design and development stages.
UX/UI Design
During the design phase, our focus was on creating a streamlined and intuitive digital experience aligned with, and enhancing, Betriebseinrichtung-Sofort's existing visual identity. We wanted it to look great and feel even better.
To this end, we ensured full responsiveness, consistency, and accessibility across all devices to cater to varied user contexts. The homepage features an engaging and interactive 'Shop the Look' section. We revamped the blog to deliver both promotional and educational posts, strengthening brand awareness and driving SEO improvements. Product detail pages include digestible content in a logical structure as well as cross-selling and upselling elements. We also improved layout and hierarchy in the cart page, optimising the purchasing journey.
Our iterative design process was made more efficient through shared Figma ownership which facilitated direct client communication. A custom and comprehensive design system facilitated consistent and scalable design enhancements whilst ensuring a smooth handoff to coding.
The reimagined user interface is clean, consistent and organised - reflecting the functionality and quality of the furniture it displays.
Coding
During the coding phase, our focus on Shopify Plus was all about flexibility and performance. We developed a custom theme for the frontend based on Shopify Liquid, HTML, CSS, and pure JavaScript. By integrating GSAP, we were able to create dynamic animations that elevate the user experience. We localized the frontend into German and English to accommodate an international audience.
To give the Betriebseinrichtung-Sofort team maximum independence, we integrated dozens of flexibly customizable sections into the Shopify Customizer. This allows them to build new landing pages or special campaigns with just a few clicks - no coding required.
For a seamless connection with the existing ERP system, we developed a custom Shopify app. Implemented in Node.js serverless functions, the connector performs multiple daily synchronizations of order and customer data. Hosting is done via Vercel in the cloud, ensuring a scalable and secure infrastructure.
Outcome + Outlook
Our strategic consulting, impactful design, and efficient development work allowed us to launch a refined shopping experience that bolstered brand loyalty and revived revenue streams. We look forward to implementing wishlist and product comparison features during our ongoing partnership. In the meantime, you can see for yourself how we balanced user needs and business objectives by heading to their shiny new website.
Client reference - dedication, reliability & transparency
“Especial Digital is a dedicated and reliable partner that delivers results. In just five months, they built our B2B Shopify store, including a new design and improved user experience. The result is a future-proof and expandable platform that is specifically tailored to the needs of our customers. The proactive approach and transparent communication throughout the project was particularly noteworthy.”
