Zonnebrillen.com

Clear vision and growth with Magento 2 Commerce and Akeneo

Platforms

  • Magento 2 Commerce
  • Akeneo
  • Alumio

Role

Strategy, implementation

Solution

Through Magento 2 Commerce, Zonnebrillen.com is able to deliver an outstanding customer experience, and is ready for the future with a platform that grows alongside them. Akeneo allows for scalable product data management across all platforms and channels, with Alumio as the iPaas solution to synchronize products from the ERP to Akeneo and enriched products from Akeneo to Magento.

Zonnebrillen.com is a typical example of a small business that grew fast and generated huge successes. Within years the company made a great profit and could call themselves the biggest sunglasses store of the Benelux. This was an achievement by itself, but their ambitions were even bigger. That’s why in 2017, 6 years after Zonnebrillen.com was founded, it was acquired by the multinational eyewear retailer GrandVision. 
 

GrandVision is since 2021 part of Essilor Luxottica, an international holding boasting a multitude of licensed and proprietary eyeware brands including Oakley and RayBan. Although Zonnebrillen.com was already profitable on its own, the takeover was a logical step for Mischa Tan, the original founder. “Everything is about scaling. If you want to compete with the top players then you need to be a player of the same size. By scaling up with Magento 2 Commerce, we can now reach the full potential of Zonnebrillen.com." To set up the new, scalable commerce platform for success, solid data management and a well-streamlined integration of Zonnebrillen.com’s system were additional prerequisites. That is where PIM solution Akeneo and iPaas Alumio came in. 

"There was nothing wrong with our old shop, but we knew that there would come a point where it was no longer sufficient. The new platform allows us to continue, we are scalable and above all future-proof." - Mischa Tan

Our solution

Taking e-commerce to the next level

The increasing sales figures were not just accompanied by advantages. The number of returns also increased with the increased order quantity. All these returned sunglasses had to be processed quickly, both physically and in inventory management. And this was not the only challenge. The e-commerce platform needed to get up to the new level of performance as well. "We worked in the Open Source version of Magento 1. It is incredible what you can do with it, but there are restrictions on this platform."

Upgrading to Magento 2 Commerce

Because of the open-source character, the large support base, and the possibility to present tens of thousands of articles in their way, Zonnebrillen.com chose to upgrade to a Magento 2 Commerce platform. "There was nothing wrong with our old shop, but we knew that there would come a point where it was no longer sufficient. The new platform allows us to continue, we are scalable and above all future-proof." Mischa thinks it is important to create certain predictability. "When I launch a campaign, I don't want to have to check whether the platform can handle an influx of visitors and orders. The same applies to weather-dependent peak times. Then I don't want to worry about if the shop can handle it. We now only use a fraction of what is possible, it gives me peace of mind." Mischa looked for a partner who could help Zonnebrillen.com scale quickly and professionally.

Product Information Management and platform integration 

In order to manage data in a way supportive of Zonnebrillen.com’s growth ambitions, an Akeneo PIM platform was implemented, alongside with the iPaas tool Alumio. Previously, data was managed in Magento through multiple imports for each single products – a solution that did not scale according to Zonnebrillen.com’s needs. One of the other complexities was that each pair of sunglasses has unique specifications, but has various colors and sizes. That means 80% of the product specs remain the same whereas 20% changes when changing size or color. Akeneo made it possible to use product models, that scale much easier. This resulted in better structured data and data quality management. Alumio has been implemented to synchronize products from the ERP to Akeneo and enriched products from Akeneo to Magento. The performance of Magento has improved by removing logic which was meant to assign products to categories in Magento itself. This has improved performance and thus results in better conversions. 

The results

Continue to grow

With an aim to continue growing consistently, it is important for the team of Sunglasses that the technical side of the online store works flawlessly. By ensuring that the pillars of growth, scalability, and technology are balanced, Zonnebrillen.com can work together with its partners on the same goal; to sell as many sunglasses as possible day after day. "With the power of a multinational behind us and Youwe next to us, we feel like we are playing in the Premier League."

Platforms

  • Magento 2 Commerce
  • Akeneo
  • Alumio

Role

Strategy, implementation

Solution

Through Magento 2 Commerce, Zonnebrillen.com is able to deliver an outstanding customer experience, and is ready for the future with a platform that grows alongside them. Akeneo allows for scalable product data management across all platforms and channels, with Alumio as the iPaas solution to synchronize products from the ERP to Akeneo and enriched products from Akeneo to Magento.

Take your e-commerce ambitions to the next level with Magento 2 Commerce

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