New wvgw online shop with member functions and connection to Dynamics NAV
Thanks to the new and modern shop system we can now offer our customers even more convenience. The interfaces, which were specially adjusted for us, deliver the result faster and better, especially given the large number of products we offer. Prices for association members are now taken into account when you place an order. Because the shop is connected to our ERP system, we save a lot of time. Overall, this is a very successful project and the service provider is very professional.
Anja Klausener, head of sales/customer service at wvgw Wirtschafts- und Verlagsgesellschaft Gas und Wasser mbH
Overview
wvgw commissioned silver.solutions with the implementation of a new online shop, which is connected to the company’s ERP system via web services. The shop offers products as well as downloads and serves association members as well as end customers. The catalogue was to feature both exclusive member products and discounted prices for members.
The solution in detail
The shop software of the Ibxa platform is implemnted for the first time as the shop software for the wvgw project. Ibexa Commerce has been redeveloped from scratch based on the innovative PHP framework Symfony 2 and offers cutting-edge technology coupled with the tried-and-tested B2B functions. The well-established B2B-Connector interface provides the connection between Microsoft Dynamics NAV and the web shop. The shop is connected to the existing Typo3-based website of wvgw.
A modern shop design was realised in-house at wvgw and implemented with the external frontend developers of agency uscreen. For the first time, the frontend framework Storm is used, which was developed by silver.solutions; it facilitates cooperation with external web designers. The framework offers special shop templates and control elements as well as responsive design for various end devices. This means that the shop has been optimised for mobile use from the outset. The new shop version now also supports modern user concepts such as the easy one-page checkout feature at the end of the ordering process.
wvgw offers special products and conditions to members of the professional associations in its shop. Product data as well as prices and special conditions are derived from the ERP system at runtime and displayed in the shop. End customers from around the world can also use the shop; for them, the shopping feature for the special products of the associations is deactivated.
The technical regulations of the DVGW are offered as downloads and in printed form. Reference to available electronic versions of the DVGW regulations are derived directly from the ERP system and displayed in the relevant product detail section. As a security feature purchased PDFs are individually watermarked before they are sent to the customer.
An extensive search function is available for the large body of data of the DVGW regulations, specialist publications and other informational material. To allow visitors to find DIN standards and DVGW regulations quickly, the integrated search engine was extensively adjusted so that the most relevant matches can be found despite many different naming conventions. Archived items are not included in the search; they are available for documentation and research purposes in a separate area.
The new shop offers a simple registration process for association customers, which means that association conditions are valid from the first order. All registered customers can access their complete transaction history, a list of purchased downloads and their wish list under “Mein Profil” (my profile).
Ibexa Commerce integrates with the powerful CMS Ibexa Content, which is used to manage content pages. The portal management software included in the Ibexa platform is used for the design of the homepage. It offers the employees of wvgw many options to update and manage the homepage.
The result
After the project, the new wvgw shop presents itself to its customers in a fresh design and is even more user-friendly. The specially adapted search feature covers the comprehensive content, and regulations can be downloaded as a PDF file immediately after the purchase. Professional users benefit from special conditions, but end customers can also easily make purchases from wvgw. The order process is clearly structured and easy to use.
