Shopify Plus
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Shopify Liquid
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HTML 5 + CSS3
Shopify Plus platform for a modern wine commerce experience
Overview -
The Pieroth Shop
Pieroth Wein AG is one of Germany’s most established wine companies, with a history of more than 300 years and a sales model built around personal advice, wine expertise and long-term customer relationships. As part of a broader digital strategy, Pieroth needed a modern online shop that could bring this heritage into a scalable ecommerce setup.
Especial supported Pieroth with concept, UX/UI design, Shopify Plus development, app development and system integrations. The new platform combines company website, wine shop, content experience and service booking in one Shopify Plus setup, connected through microservices to SAP ERP, the wine tasting booking system and other third-party systems.
Client
Pieroth Wein AG
Services
UX Design
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UI Design
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Web development
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App development
Duration
5 Months
The team
1 Project Manager
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2 Front-end
Engineers
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2 Back-end
Engineers
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1 UX Designer
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1 Visual Designer
Challenges & goals
Pieroth’s challenge was to modernize a traditional wine business without losing what made the brand strong in the first place. The new digital platform had to reflect 300 years of wine heritage, support ecommerce growth and make Pieroth’s services easier to access online.
The project was not only about building a new shop. Pieroth needed a platform that could connect product sales, storytelling, wine knowledge, online wine tastings, service booking and future omnichannel use cases. At the same time, the technical setup had to work with existing systems such as SAP ERP and remain flexible enough for a broader multi-country commerce strategy.
Our approach
We started with concept and UX workshops to create a shared direction for Pieroth’s new digital presence. Together with the stakeholders, we mapped the core user journeys around product discovery, wine education, online tastings, company content and purchasing flows.
From there, we designed and developed a Shopify Plus platform that brings commerce and brand experience together. The shop was built to make wines easier to discover, services easier to book and content easier to manage, while microservices connect the storefront with SAP ERP, the booking system and other relevant third-party tools.
5
National companies
1k
Passionate employees
4
Weeks to implementation
6
Especial dream team employees
Roadmap - Shop Implementation
The implementation followed a clear roadmap from concept to design and development. In the concept phase, we defined wireframes, user flows and feature requirements together with Pieroth’s stakeholders. The visual design phase translated Pieroth’s revised corporate identity into a modern Shopify Plus experience. During development, the custom Shopify theme and connected microservices turned the concept into a scalable commerce platform.
Individually developed interfaces ensure that the shop does not operate in isolation. Shopify Plus acts as the commerce platform, while integrations connect the storefront with SAP ERP, the booking system for wine tastings and other systems needed for Pieroth’s digital sales and service model.
Concept & UX Design
Visual Design
Programming
Concept & UX UI Design - Meeting All Needs
01 Oh, the Tales That Wine Could Tell
For Pieroth, wine is not only a product category. Every bottle has a region, a producer, a story and a taste profile. The new shop therefore needed to support product discovery and storytelling at the same time.
We designed the experience so customers can explore wines, learn about origins and find relevant content such as recipes, tips and wine knowledge without separating brand storytelling from the buying journey.
02 Tailored to Your Palate
Pieroth’s sales model is built around guidance and expertise. The online experience needed to translate that advisory strength into digital touchpoints that help customers discover wines more confidently.
The new platform supports product exploration, wine recommendations and service booking, including online wine tastings from home. This makes Pieroth’s expertise more accessible online and gives customers a clearer path from interest to purchase or consultation.
03 Cover Your Bases
The new Shopify Plus setup also serves as Pieroth Germany’s company website. This meant the platform had to cover more than ecommerce alone: brand communication, company information, career content, services and product sales all needed to live in one consistent digital experience.
By combining website and shop in one platform, Pieroth gained a more coherent online presence and a setup that is easier to maintain than disconnected systems for content, commerce and service pages.
04 The Full Omnichannel Experience
Pieroth has a strong direct sales tradition built around personal relationships and trusted wine advisors. The new Shopify Plus platform was developed to complement this strength rather than replace it.
The backend setup is prepared for future omnichannel use cases that connect Pieroth’s established direct sales model with digital commerce. This gives the business a stronger foundation for customer journeys that may start with advice, continue online and later return to personal service.
The new online shop is an important step in Pieroth’s digital strategy, combining traditional wine expertise with a scalable Shopify Plus commerce foundation.
Visual Design
After the concept phase, we translated Pieroth’s revised corporate design into a digital experience that feels modern without losing the character of the brand. The design needed to balance heritage, product emotion and commercial usability.
We created layouts that combine informative copy, strong imagery and clear shopping paths. Wine is a category where visual atmosphere matters, but the design still needs to help customers make decisions. The interface therefore supports browsing by wine type, country, taste profile and product context, while keeping the experience clean and easy to use across devices.The result is a visual system that brings Pieroth’s tradition and future together in one Shopify Plus storefront.
Programming - Microservices powered by The Cloud
The company website and online shop were developed together on Shopify Plus. We created an individual Shopify theme that reflects Pieroth’s corporate design and supports both content-driven pages and ecommerce flows.
In the background, microservices connect Shopify with Pieroth’s SAP ERP system, the booking system for wine tastings and other third-party tools. This architecture keeps Shopify focused on commerce and customer experience, while external systems remain connected where they are operationally needed.
The setup gives Pieroth a modern cloud-based commerce foundation with low maintenance overhead and enough flexibility to support future digital services, omnichannel use cases and additional market requirements.
Front-end
Back-end
GraphQL
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Node.js
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Vercel
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GraphCMS
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Serverless Functions
Outcome & outlook - Time to bear fruit
A scalable foundation for digital wine commerceThe new Shopify Plus platform gave Pieroth a modern digital foundation for wine commerce, content and service booking. Instead of treating the shop as a separate ecommerce channel, the platform brings together product sales, brand storytelling, company content and digital services in one connected experience.
For Pieroth, this creates a stronger base for future sales channels and omnichannel journeys. The platform can support online wine discovery, event and tasting bookings, content-driven customer education and future connections between digital commerce and the company’s direct sales strengths.
The project shows how a traditional business can move into modern Shopify Plus commerce without losing the expertise, heritage and customer relationships that made it successful.
5
National companies
1k
Passionate employees
4
Weeks to implementation
6
Especial dream team employees
Client reference -
Exactly the right partner
“Especial was exactly the right partner for our relaunch. They supported us with all challenges related to design and associated technical services and always delivered on time. I look forward to expanding Pieroth’s digital offerings and on a continued partnership with Especial.”
- Nicolas Johansson, Digital Manager
0 hours
maintenance due to cloud infrastructure
Shopify Plus
serves as a reliable platform
