Shopware 6 relaunch instead of version update: the unexpected path to a new bathroom shop
When Bernstein Badshop decided to renew its slightly outdated online shop, no one could have guessed the proportions the project would eventually assume. The original plan was to switch from the expiring Plentymarkets CMS system to that of Ceres. However, cooperation with the agency ONEDOT revealed considerable potential for improvement in terms of UX and usability. That’s why a holistic approach ended up the way to go, resulting in a complete relaunch including a migration to the new Shopware 6 platform.
Technical restructuring as part of the brand strategy
The concept for the new shop included numerous optimisations and new features that were developed following a user needs analysis. That’s when it became clear that the frontend of the previous platform could no longer cope with the catalogue of requirements. After some deliberation, Shopware 6 finally became the platform of choice. Thanks to its open system, great technical flexibility and self-hosting, it checked many boxes. The new Shopping Experiences feature provided a low-maintenance solution for the design and development of all content and category pages. A bathroom planning tool was also added to the site so that users can design their dream bathroom that matches their individual requirements and is true to scale.
Connection to Plentymarkets’ merchandise management via the Shopware 6 connector
Another decisive factor was Shopware 6's API-first approach, enabling users to easily connect external tools, as Plentymarkets' merchandise management system was to still run in the background. The hybrid of Plentymarkets and Shopware 6 was made possible using Neofire’s connector, which ONEDOT has been working with since its release. In addition to a completely automatic data synchronisation between the two systems, the Michelstadt-based developers had to individually configure some technical aspects, which included: multilingualism, Shopware additional fields, prices segmented by customer group and the validation and formatting of product descriptions.
Connection of a bathroom planner
With Bernstein-Badshop's new bathroom planner, which also resulted from the relaunch, customers can easily plan their bathroom. This makes it possible to select favourite bathroom products from the categories of bathroom furniture and washbasins, showers, bathtubs, WC's, bathroom radiators and bathroom accessories and test the effect in the room. As soon as planning is complete, the items are transferred to Shopware 6 and linked to an account. Customers thus get an overview of the article list in the shop and can order the selected products very conveniently via the shopping cart.
Holistic project implementation by ONEDOT GmbH
It took nine months to successfully launch the project, and it turned out completely differently from the original plan, but the end result speaks for itself. As a full-service provider, ONEDOT also upheld a holistic approach for the Bernstein Badshop project and laid the essential strategic groundwork that brought Shopware 6 into play as a solution in the first place. Ultimately, the relaunch also included brand strategy, UX consulting, UX/UI design and a new corporate design – all of which the one-stop shop ONEDOT provided from start to finish. Using Shopware 6 resulted in a 35% increase in sales. The customer is very satisfied with this partnership: “ONEDOT was fully committed from start to finish and was always available to us. As a strategic partner, they gave us the right kind of boost early on in the project. We’re absolutely thrilled with everything the new shop has to offer, both visually and technically, and we look forward to our continued cooperation.”
