Solution: e-commerce

Industry: optics and photography

Location: United States

After analyzing market trends, our client made the decision to launch its e-commerce platform, a model that was in full development in 2013, when we started working together. He needed independent sites where he could offer his different lines of business, both cameras and sports optics. Our client trusted us to venture into the digital business, with the functionality and robustness of SAP Hybris technology.

Initial situation
Although the client already had its own web site, it functioned exclusively as a consultation space where it was possible to obtain information about the products and their specifications, and to know the latest news about launches.

Its new bet was aimed not only at the online sale of cameras, but also of its sports optics section: lenses, viewfinders, binoculars and the entire optical branch of the business was part of the plan. It also sought to give greater visibility to the sale of spare parts for its equipment.

The solution
We developed a proposal to develop three integrated sites within the SAP Hybris platform. Our goal was to reduce costs while respecting the style and usability of the previous site in order to facilitate the transition for users.

Constant improvement
Once the sites were developed, we went through a stage of about a year and a half aimed at enhancing them. Since it was an incipient business, new opportunities for improvement arose every day.

We included the pre-order modality, which allowed customers to reserve a product even before it was manufactured. We also focused on customer service, providing tools to speed up the service provided by telephone. Due to the high demand, it was crucial to deepen this aspect. Thanks to the implementation of Hybris technology, the customer service representative has all the necessary information about the product and the purchase at his disposal when answering a query.

During this stage, we also made specific improvements, such as the incorporation of online sales of photography courses and software products.

Working with our client’s head office in Brazil
In 2014, the Brazilian headquarters decided to join the e-commerce business. Although at first the project consisted of developing a completely new platform, it was later decided that the Brazil site would be part of the existing platform. The challenge, then, was to incorporate a fourth site, with the particularity that it belonged to a different country and region.

The internal growth allowed for a good management of online sales, which in turn led to operational decisions aimed at expanding the site’s impact. Thus, we were entrusted with a series of improvements, including enabling corporate purchases of photographic equipment, integration with the address verification system and support for pre-order and back order products.

Adapting to the local market
Throughout the process, it was essential to understand regional specificities. For example, while in the United States purchases were always made using credit or debit cards, Brazil has another payment method called boleto bancário, which had to be adapted to work in the new online store.

In addition, we were faced with the need to migrate the payment processor, which is responsible for authorizing electronic payments. In the first instance, the four sites of the platform used the same processor, until Brazil opted for a change to reduce its operating costs. It was then necessary to determine the best strategy for both processors to coexist in the same environment, something that is not possible by default in the Hybris platform.

Thus, a modularized solution was considered and it was possible, in a short period of time, to put it into production. Currently, both processors coexist in the same Hybris instance.