9
countries across Europe
15+
years in industry
6,000 m²
production workshop space
Selling custom-cut wood panels online may seem straightforward at first glance – until you consider the level of precision customers actually expect. When someone wants an oak kitchen worktop with sink cutouts positioned exactly 30cm from the left edge, or a bamboo stair tread cut to fit an unusual angle, standard product pages don’t cut it.
For Ilicut, a family-owned wood specialist with roots stretching back to 1885, that serves thousands of customers across Europe, this reality drove their search for a platform that could handle complexity without sacrificing user experience.
By 2023, Ilicut faced a decision point. International expansion into Germany, Spain, and Italy demanded not only translation but also a platform that could scale while maintaining the advanced customization their business model depended on.
The technical requirements broke down into several interconnected challenges. First, the configurator itself needed to handle virtually unlimited customization combinations while showing customers real-time pricing and visual previews of their designs. Dimensions needed millimeter precision. Material choices affected available thicknesses and finishes. Edge treatments varied by product type. Complex shapes required multiple measurement points.
Second, business intelligence mattered more than typical eCommerce analytics. Ilicut needed to track sales by wood species, calculate quantities in both square meters and cubic meters, distinguish between companies and individual customers, and identify which products performed best in which markets. These metrics directly informed purchasing decisions for raw materials and production planning.
Third, customer service and workflow integration required careful planning. When customers submit questions through the contact form, whether about wood species selection, technical specifications, or complex project requirements, those requests needed automatic routing to the right team members through Zendesk. The platform also needed to connect with Divalto ERP for inventory and order management, integrate Verified Reviews for customer feedback, and even support Ilicut’s sustainability commitment through Reforest’Action, allowing customers to plant trees with their orders.
As Ilicut prepared for their international push and rebranding from La Boutique du Bois to a more globally accessible name, they needed a foundation that wouldn’t constrain growth or force compromises on the customization that made their business unique.
After evaluating their options, Ilicut and our Premium Solution Partner – Synolia chose Sylius for its ability to handle non-standard eCommerce requirements. The platform’s modular architecture meant they could build the sophisticated configurator their business required without fighting against rigid product models designed for selling fixed SKUs.
Sylius’s flexibility showed up in several ways. Rather than forcing product variations into predefined attributes, the platform let Synolia build custom logic for handling dimensions, shapes, materials, and machining options that updated pricing calculations in real time. The configurator could visualize customer designs as they worked, showing exactly what they’d receive while automatically calculating costs based on material choice, dimensions, and selected options.
The API-first architecture made integration straightforward. Integration with a business intelligence tool provided Ilicut’s team with dashboards that showed the exact metrics their business needed. The Zendesk integration, in turn, meant customer inquiries flowed automatically into their support workflow without manual data entry or context switching.
Sylius enabled these customizations without accumulating technical debt.
As Ilicut’s requirements evolved (new wood species, additional markets, refined configurator features), the platform adapted cleanly rather than requiring workarounds that would complicate future development.
The new platform gave Ilicut an online experience that makes complex customization feel intuitive. Customers configure their panels through a visual interface showing real-time design updates and instant pricing as they adjust dimensions or add features. What could overwhelm becomes a guided process.
Behind the scenes, Ilicut’s team gained visibility that standard eCommerce analytics couldn’t provide. Integrated business intelligence delivers wood-specific insights, tracking species popularity by market, distinguishing professional from individual buyers, and analyzing order patterns to optimize inventory.
The Sylius platform also supported international expansion across five languages and multiple markets, adapting to different regulatory requirements and customer expectations without compromising core functionality.
Customer feedback validated the approach. With over 10,000 reviews averaging 4.7 out of 5 stars, customers consistently praise how the platform simplifies complex purchases. Since the start of its international expansion, Ilicut has reached nearly 4,000 customers across nine European markets.
