"The new webshop and app are a major first step in our digital transformation"
Jeroen Heydendael, Marketing & eCommerce Manager at Plieger
The first step of a digital transformation
Digitalization plays an increasingly important role in interactions with business customers. In order to provide optimal online service to business customers, the Plieger Group launched a brand new app and webshop. The new platform is based on SAP Commerce Cloud and was designed and built in collaboration with digital agency Dept and SAP specialist Acorel.
About Plieger
Plieger is a wholesaler of sanitary ware, heating, installation, air and ventilation, and electrical products with over 150,000 items in its assortment. Its customers are mainly installation companies. In addition, Plieger is known to consumers through its own Plieger brand, which is the third largest sanitary brand in the Netherlands. Consumers can visit one of the twenty Plieger showrooms across the country where an installer helps them with the installation of their bathroom or kitchen.
The customer relationship
“A close relationship with the customer has always been very important to us, and now even more so,” says Jeroen Heydendael, Manager Marketing & eCommerce at Plieger. Installers can find materials at more than sixty physical Plieger Express locations throughout the country. “We are the installer's warehouse. And with our own trucks and drivers, we deliver all products ordered before 9:00 PM the night before.”
Future-proof webshop with SAP Commerce Cloud
Business customers of Plieger also expect this level of service online. The online experience should match what they experience as consumers in an online shop. Jeroen Heydendael: “However, our old webshop did not meet the current needs of installers and did not support them optimally during their work and while on the go. Although the old webshop was used frequently, it was not future-proof.” To progress in digitalization, Plieger entered into a strategic digital partnership with Dept. This collaboration resulted in a brand new b2b app and webshop for the two Plieger-owned brands Plieger and ThermoNoord. “The new webshop and app are a major first step in our digital transformation.”
An optimal user experience
The webshop and app are based on SAP Commerce Cloud and implemented in close collaboration with Acorel. “Dept particularly helps us in the areas of strategy, user experience, and design, while Acorel translates these aspects into the technical SAP Commerce Cloud solution.”
Through the webshop, 'order history' allows for quicker repeat orders. The search function has also been greatly improved. With the quotation module, the installer can manage their administration more efficiently. Costs can also be more easily passed on to the customer. “An installer serves multiple customers and has multiple projects running simultaneously, so they need to have access to multiple 'shopping carts' in the webshop. We need to support the installer so they can focus on their core business.”
Since installers usually do not carry a laptop with them, Plieger has also developed an app. “With the ordering app, they have the warehouse in their pocket at all times. They can check current stock levels and quickly reorder products by scanning a barcode of the products they have in their van, for example.”
A foundation for the future
“The webshop and app serve as a digital foundation for the future. After the initial go-live, further developments will be made to better meet the needs of the installer at every touchpoint in the online and offline customer journey. This includes improving the search function, as well as features like using the app for payments at the branches. Our focus is on a personalized customer journey that combines online and offline experiences.”
