Absulo - rapid implementation of cross-border sales

About the company

Absulo is a leader of comprehensive bathroom equipment. The company has been helping its customers for more than 16 years, offering products from leading manufacturers of fittings, sanitary ceramics, lighting, furniture, tiles, heating and bathroom accessories. The brand is dynamically developing its portfolio, expanding its range to include kitchen equipment products and developing its business in foreign markets.

The beginning of cooperation

Absulo is a huge sales platform, offering customers over 100,000 products. The company has the position of number 1 in the bathroom furnishings industry in Poland, so it was a natural direction for the brand to enter new markets in Europe with its offer. When we started our cooperation, the client's priority was to start selling abroad as soon as possible and to develop a system of quick implementations in other countries. After 5 months, thanks to close cooperation with the client, we launched a shop in the Czech Republic and 3 months later in Slovakia, while working on the development of the Czech market. We are also preparing for further development and the start of sales in further countries.

Goals

• Immediate launch of overseas sales.
• Simplification of the implementation process for new shops.
• Development of a ready-to-go module for launching in further markets.
• Scalability of the sales platform.

From a classic monolith to a cross-border module

We built the new Absulo shop using Magento 2 solution with a proprietary swift - a front-end template, together with a set of modules for Magento. This solution allowed us to launch the site faster and reduce costs.

Typically, when starting to sell overseas, we practise Headless-based implementations, which gives more flexibility and agility to the architecture. In this case, guided by the client's needs and the priority of a short implementation time, we opted to build a stable base in a monolithic layout.

‍Architecture design

Based on an analysis of the client's situation and needs, we proposed the following solutions for the platform architecture:

• Launching sales on the Czech market using Magento 2.
• Focusing on the frontend with the possibility of migration to a more powerful architecture in the future.
• The use of off-the-shelf internal modules and external modules to accelerate shop launch.
• Advanced platform customisation and out-of-the-box solutions.

This approach allowed us to implement a system that would be easy to scale in the future. In the implemented architecture, the backend layer is responsible for integration and back office aspects, while the flexible frontend solution allows for high scalability and performance while meeting functional expectations. The shop implemented on the Czech market became the basis for further expansion of the architecture, without having to replace the platform in the future.

Rapid launch of sales in new markets

The implementation of the first foreign Absulo shop in the Czech Republic allowed us to create a stable backend engine, which we can reuse when building platforms in further markets. In this way, using the same foundation, we can modify the native frontend to adapt it to the needs and specifics of other countries’ sales. This solution makes it possible to launch new shops within 2-4 weeks!

Integrations with external systems

To optimise and speed up the implementation process, we took advantage of Magento's integration with external systems. We hooked up the sales platform to a price comparison engine, which allowed us to better position Absulo's offering in new markets. Additionally, at the MVP stage, we carried out an integration with the internal system developed by Absulo to manage the order cycle and product information.

Cooperation is fundamental

It is always nice to write about the effects of a project in the context of implemented technologies, but in order to make it possible,  a solid partnership relationship is needed. While working on the implementation of the new Absulo shops, we managed to build open, honest communication and trust. We worked closely with the client's internal development team and developed the implemented integrations based on their experience and business knowledge. This allowed us to complement our competences and find the best, often non-standard solutions. Thanks to transparency, clearly defined expectations and regular feedback meetings, we were able to offer the client the technologies tailored to its individual needs and solve potential difficulties on an ongoing basis.

Absulo - market leader with international appetite

Absulo is Poland's number 1 company in the bathroom furnishing sector, and from now on, it can also build this position abroad. Thanks to ongoing communication and clearly defined objectives, we were able to offer our client an architecture proposal that best matched their expectations and business needs. The implemented platform, based on modules and native Magento, allowed us to launch sales in no time and prepare the brand for further international expansion.

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