It is a common problem when it comes to complex systems. Technical debt arises when you add any code that you add to achieve rapid gains, but will take more work to fix later. Unless used in a very conscious way, it may lead to a situation where the software owner faces a crossroads – invest more time and money into the more and more outdated system or completely rebuild it. Either take its toll however, the latter option does give more promises for a bright future.
The code affected all of the main functionalities such as product search, purchasing process, and impeded further website development.
The old page
Starting with the outer layer – the design was outdated not reaching the modern UX and UI principles. It was hard to navigate, the interface was not intuitive, and the overall webpage was not attractive or eye-catching.
Product search
Getting deeper into the page structure, it was just getting worse. Due to a slow search engine, product search took a lot of time to load, while complicated product parameters made it really hard to actually find what the customer was looking for, especially if they used short phrases.
Albeco found itself in a situation, where the existing website painfully constrained their business development, and with BitBgag’s help, they decided to turn the page, this time with Sylius as the engine.
Store for Albeco was a real challenge, as their goal was to offer over 100k products. Sylius eCommerce framework provides outstanding conditions to maintain large data as well as has a proven track of flexibility towards customers’ needs and scale of operations. With the help of our Leading Partner – BitBag, Albeco decided to use Sylius for their eshop transformation.
Search engine for B2B
The impressive number of products needed a top-notch search engine. To solve the queries efficiently, BitBag had to create a completely new tool based on their Elastic Search plugin. They started from distilling the specific requirements Albeco had, including new efficient product filters – an important feature for a B2B offer. Apart from that, the development team also implemented an especially designed relevance algorithm to make sure the results stack in the correct order.
B2B Product data
Coming back to the vast product data, BitBag rebuilt the synchronization between multiple warehouses, so the data – including stock levels, and loading on the page was always up to date. Additionally, it allows the customers to easily order goods from different warehouses in one purchase.
UX and page design
At first glance, the page looks much more up-to-date, and what is more, as it is responsive, it works for all types of devices and screens. The user experience has been utterly enhanced by simplifying the navigation and making it much more intuitive.
The ecommerce engine
The design is just the first layer though. Underneath, there’s a well-optimized webpage offering effective searches thanks to the advanced filtering options. The customer can also choose to use the one-page checkout option to finalize their purchase which makes the whole process even faster.
On the company’s side, Albeco can now differentiate payment rules to add relevant commissions to each account. Additionally, they have internally reworked their shipping process, so the system can use specific shipping rules and the possibility to edit orders. BitBag also assisted in automating the returns process.
Summing up, Albeco received a potent web solution that can easily manage over 100k products, and a long list of B2B client accounts with all the specificity related to a B2B model.
As a result, Albeco got a fast and well-optimized website with consists of the following:
Search engine (with advanced filters)
Single-page checkout
Advanced shipping rules
Mini-basket
Multi-source inventory
Editing orders
InPost integration
Preview of the baskets of the entire organization
Advanced product configurator
Custom blog
Differentiation of payment rules (specific commissions can be set for each customer)
Multi-basket
Returns form
Welcome modal in the mobile/desktop and Polish/English version in the form of an image
Organization module
Possibility to name (your) baskets
Watch the conversation about digital transformation, eCommerce platform migration, and the strategic decisions that drove business growth.
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