Handling perishable goods: How Zorgboodschap uses Shopware for efficiency

The Challenge

Zorgboodschap supplies groceries and meals to over 200 healthcare organizations across the Netherlands. With 30,000 products, perishable goods and varying temperature requirements, the online store had to handle complex requirements: customer-specific assortments, brands, landing and content pages, promotions, meal cycles, individual pricing, and unique delivery schedules.

With over 6,000 regular delivery addresses, the existing system was not keeping up. Healthcare professionals for example, one of Zorgboodschap’s primary customer groups, are limited on time. With previous solutions, they were having to spend too much time managing orders, had limited visibility into budgets, and struggled with outdated processes. A modern, efficient, and scalable platform was essential for Zorgboodschap to meet their needs.

Why Shopware

“Serving healthcare organizations requires precision, flexibility and reliability. Shopware provided us with a scalable foundation that supports our complex logistics and customer-specific requirements, while integrating seamlessly with the systems our daily operations depend on.” – Vincent Bos, CEO Zorgboodschap

Alongside efficiency and ease-of-integration, Shopware provided scalability, processing millions of order lines to while still supporting customer-specific requirements. Some of the crucial requirements for Zorgboodschap were tailoring assortments, meal cycles, and pricing models to each customer and address.

The platform also provides a future-proof foundation. Ongoing features such as the Unilever’s ‘Cook & Save’ program and scan-to-order in stores are possible thanks to Shopware’s flexibility. Just as importantly, Shopware helps manage the complexity of perishable goods, supporting strict cut-off times, precise delivery schedules, and full transparency to prevent waste, reduce costs, and ensure reliable delivery.

The Solution

With ambitious plans, and a drive to provide the industries needing efficiency the most, Zorgboodschap relaunched its ecommerce environments with simplified ordering and a revamped customer experience.

One of the most important aspects for an efficient operation was the integration to existing ERP (Microsoft Dynamics), PIM (InRiver), and WMS systems (Wise), ensuring that product, pricing, and delivery data flowed accurately without costly system replacements.

On the storefront, Shopware’s customization capabilities allowed Zorgboodschap to deliver customer-specific assortments, prices, and meal cycles for each institution . The platform also supported real-time budget monitoring and the integration of sustainability features, such as recommending eco-friendly alternatives directly in the cart.

Finally, with a connection to Algolia, Zorgboodschap introduced smarter search and merchandising, giving customers a faster and more intuitive way to find products within an extensive 30,000-product range. Together, these capabilities created a modern, scalable foundation tailored to the operational demands of serving fresh, refridgerated and frozen food products across thousands of delivery addresses.

The Results

Along with measurable results, the new online store made it possible to integrate real-time stock updates and customer-specific delivery cut-offs, that allows for cupboard, refrigerated or frozen foods to be delivered fresh, on-time and in one delivery.

Features such as flexible delivery scheduling and substitution options has given customers the option to adjust orders at the last minute if needed, which is critical in their changing environment.

Other highlights include:

• 27% shorter order times: A more intuitive interface and faster search mean staff spend less time ordering and more time with patients, while support teams face fewer navigation issues.
• 193% higher product discoverability: Smarter search and personalized assortments help customers find relevant products faster, boosting basket value and healthier choices, while creating upselling opportunities for employees.
• 93% faster onboarding: Procurement system integrations let new organizations start ordering almost instantly, easing IT workloads and speeding up revenue growth.
• 70% fewer complaints: Clearer ordering and real-time budget monitoring give customers confidence and transparency, while employees save time previously spent on issue resolution.

Feedback from customers has already highlighted the online store as clear, fast, and even “better than Albert Heijn.” This strengthens customer satisfaction and loyalty, while also validating employees’ efforts in delivering a high-quality service.

Outlook: What’s Next?

Zorgboodschap have positioned themselves for ongoing innovation and future growth. Recipes from its magazine are now linked directly to the online store, making it easier for customers to turn inspiration into action. Customers keeping their own levels of stock, retailers are able to reorder by simply scanning shelf barcodes. And with brand partners like Unilever, loyalty programs can be launched directly on the platform.

Zorgboodschap’s ecommerce journey is an example of how Shopware can support complex and unique operations, being flexible enough to grow with you, whilst intuitive enough to simplify today’s operations.