Brüder Schlau
- Quote
- Merkle has been accompanying us on our path to digitization since 2016. We trust in their extensive know-how as professional consultants and technical implementation partners.
The challenge
The Brüder Schlau group of companies is a truly traditional company: Founded in 1921 as a paint wholesaler, the company has developed into a trading group with a focus on home textiles and floor coverings – B2B and B2C. But mainly offline.
For Brüder Schlau this creates a huge disadvantage compared to competitors. The group therefore wants to create a technical basis for the digitization of its business processes in wholesale and retail. Merkle accompanies Brüder Schlau as a digital agency on this path.
Services
Consulting & Transformation, Experience & Commerce, Analytics & Data Platforms
Industry
Retail & Consumer Goods
Market
Germany, Austria, Switzerland
Tech Partners
SAP Commerce
Online shop Schlau Großhandel
The online shop for the B2B sector marks the beginning of the long-standing cooperation between Merkle and Brüder Schlau. An already existing platform with complex technology will be rebuilt with all functionalities in SAP Commerce (SAP Hybris). The advantage: the company has a homogeneous and stable system landscape at its disposal – an important prerequisite for the online shop Schlau Großhandel and all other planned projects. When ordering, the craftsmen and women decide whether they will receive a delivery or pick up the products themselves in the shop.
Approach
- SAP Commerce
With SAP, Brüder Schlau relies on a flexible system. It is scalable and creates the basis for an attractive and integrated customer experience. - Cloud-based hosting
Cloud-based hosting enables high scalability - One project team.
Comprehensive cooperation with the customer
Flexible B2B shop through smart commerce solution
Technology
Brüder Schlau relies on products from SAP Commerce (SAP Hybris). With the functionality of the SAP Hybris B2B Accelerator, Merkle can stay close to the product standard and always act quickly. In addition, the system is hosted entirely in the Amazon Web Services Cloud, quickly and securely.
Cooperation at all levels
Merkle works together with Brüder Schlau on all levels. From strategic consulting and joint project management to cooperative implementation, the entire team benefits from close exchange. Even when time is short and intensive coordination is required, all important stakeholders are integrated.
Click & Collect Hammer
End customers also benefit from the digitization of the Brüder Schlau. A first step is the Hammer Click & Collect shop. Customers can order articles here and pick them up at the local store. Brüder Schlau thus creates the foundation for multi-channel distribution.
Recognition value despite change
Together with Brüder Schlau, Merkle is working on a web design for the go-live of Hammer Heimtex Click & Collect in 2017 and gives the 2018 website a new design following an image campaign. Hammer Heimtex becomes Hammer Zuhause. The web presence fits into the overall marketing strategy.
Measure results successfully
Merkle creates and implements a comprehensive concept for Google Analytics. On this basis, customer behavior along their journey is tracked and measures for conversion optimization are derived.
Online shop Hammer
The goal of Brüder Schlau is to establish itself on the market as a multi-channel player. Merkle is therefore implementing an online shop for Hammer for the first time, which had its go-live in 2019. Together we develop a holistic concept with all business and technical requirements and integrate all relevant logistics and payment processes.
The shop offers customers a high degree of flexibility: on the one hand, they can choose from various payment methods and combine them with the loyalty programme. On the other hand, various delivery options are available, such as pickup at parcel stations, delivery to stores or to a desired address.
Approach
- Consulting
Strategic and conceptual e-commerce consulting - Technology
Integration of various interfaces for a holistic e-commerce solution - Analytics
Extension of the tracking concept with event tracking and enhanced e-commerce tracking.
Excellent e-commerce for end customers
Conceptual consulting
Together with Brüder Schlau's specialist departments, Merkle runs a series of workshops to the following topics: Fulfillment and logistics, finance, customer service, checkout and self-service processes. The results of these workshops flow into a holistic concept. The user experience, tailored to the target group, always plays a central role.
Technology
The focus is on expanding the existing IT landscape based on the SAP Commerce standard. The connection to SAP CAR (Customer Activity Repository) plays a central role here, in order to integrate the newly established logistics in the best possible way. Payment via the provider Computop is also essential. Functional testing is a constant companion for quality assurance.
