Meyle+Müller user report based on customer Hellmut Ruck GmbH, Neuenbürg
Meyle+Müller and xchain created a whole new web shop for Hellmut Ruck GmbH in just eight weeks.
The great work and effort everyone contributed was well worth it. "Our customers love the innovative web shop design as well as the up-to-dateness of our product offering", says Andreas Birkner, project manager at Hellmut Ruck GmbH. "We now have more transparency and state-of-the-art control options in the shop with which we can change and expand the content ourselves quickly and individually. In addition, our customers can also book our seminars online via the web shop."
Ruck is very pleased with the results achieved in the first few weeks. The number of orders has increased considerably following the conversion to the new system.
Current product offering and broad service range for customers
Hellmut Ruck GmbH is a globally active wholesaler and mail-order business for podiatry, foot care and cosmetics as well as a state certified training institute for podiatry. From interior decor and equipment to care products and CDs with relaxing music, this expert has been offering its’ customers an extensive and broad product range for over 80 years.
The web shop has been an important sales channel for Hellmut Ruck GmbH for the past three years. Early 2010, the company decided to expand and modernize the existing shop solution. The individual solution which had been used up to then was to make way for a more efficient standard software. This called for a new web shop concept with the latest technology. What was required was that the new shop was to be filled automatically from the PIM system and print catalogs as page-turning online versions should link to the web shop. Furthermore, the company’s own employees should be capable of managing the shop's contents themselves.
Hellmut Ruck commissioned the long-standing Pre Media‐Partner Meyle+Müller from Pforzheim. The renowned company offers highly specialized services as well as full-service offerings from one single source. The corporate division New Media develops state-of-the-art solutions for the emotional revaluation of web shops and works closely with partner xchain in the areas of e-commerce consulting and web shop realization.
Andreas Birkner: "A decisive factor in opting for this project was neither the technology nor the price – it was actually the certainty of having the right people behind the whole project. We consider the partnership between Meyle+Müller and xchain a gain for us in every respect."
Giant data volumes processed and technical innovations quickly implemented
xchain created the web shop on the basis of the open source solution xt:commerce. In terms of content, the shop is founded on a 4-pillar concept with the areas "Ruck", "Seminars", "School" and "Web Shop". The editorial part is fully integrated into the xt:commerce environment with a content management system. The web shop is further enhanced with page-turning "OnlineKAT" catalogs implemented by Meyle+Müller. A time-controlled interface connects the web shop to the existing PIM system via crossbase, a solution which is also administered by Meyle+Müller. In addition, the system has a fully automatic interface to transfer orders.
Various technological innovations were realized especially for Hellmut Ruck GmbH. Despite automated imports, manual changes can still be made in the shop and the content management system at all times. Plus the solution offers two separate web shop areas for the product range and the seminar offering, each with their own respective templates and functions. A further special feature is the login-dependent and customer-based portrayal of the web shop, including prices, availabilities and online catalogs.
The greatest challenge was actually the very restrictive time schedule. The project was scheduled to be completed within just eight weeks – and that with such an extensive amount of data: Nearly 50,000 customer master data records, more than 4,000 items and some 9,000 images were integrated in the new system.
Further information:
www.meyle‐mueller.de
www.xchain.de
Public relations:
Meyle+Müller GmbH+Co. KG, Maximilianstr. 104, 75172 Pforzheim, GERMANY
Wenke Schwarz (SALES Marketing / Organization)
Phone +49(0)7231/941‐127 / wschwarz@meyle‐mueller.de
