New Depesche B2B shop supersedes shopping portal

Overview

The objective was to create a new B2B online shop to replace the previous shopping portal at www.depesche.com. The new shop would have to be integrated into the existing site. Depesche is active across all of Europe, so the shop would also have to be available in German, English, Dutch, French and Spanish from the outset. The shop would be connected to the ERP system Microsoft Dynamics NAV in order to use product and customer data from there and to transmit orders directly to Navision.

The solution in detail

The solution of choice was the integrated eCommerce solution from Ibexa as well as the B2B-Connector for Microsoft Dynamics NAV. Both products have proven successful in more than 100 projects in over 6 years.

The customer uses the ERP system Microsoft Dynamics NAV. The article data for the shop were imported from the ERP system. Prices and availabilities are determined at runtime via the B2B-Connector. Product pictures are uploaded separately by FTP onto the shop server. Additional marketing and product group texts can be managed as required in the intgratd CMS.

Existing login data were re-used in order to make the changeover from the old to the new system as easy as possible for customers.

Existing customers already in the ERP system but who have not yet used the shopping portal are given an automated registration option in the shop. In Navision, the customer number and post code are compared, and it is checked whether the customer is entitled to use the online shop. If so, then an activation link will be sent and the customer can make purchases in the shop.

The different ranges managed in the ERP system for each customer group are taken directly into account. In the entire shop, individual prices will also be determined for the specific customer at runtime. Minimum order values are stored for the individual countries and are checked in the shopping basket.

The quick order form has been appropriately expanded according to the customers’ requirements and can now show variant codes after input of an article number, and also lets users enter EAN numbers.

Registered customers can not only place orders comfortably in the new B2B portal, they can also have all receipts in the ERP system displayed at any time.

A special function has been implemented for customers operating multiple branches. After login, they have the option of adding new branches to their customer account. That way, orders can be managed centrally for all branches.

The result

The new shopping portal for dealers is based entirely on Navision logic in the online shop. The ordering process has thus been streamlined for both Depesche and their customers. Important information need not be entered twice, rather is communicated directly from the ERP system to the shop and vice versa. The shop is available at all hours, so orders can be placed and information referenced outside the usual business hours. The new shop fits seamlessly into the overall market presence of Depesche Vertrieb GmbH & Co. KG.