Enhanced eCommerce Platform and ERP Integration for The Tile Shop

Project Title:

Enhanced eCommerce Platform and ERP Integration for The Tile Shop 

Industry:

Retail - Home Improvement 

Technologies and Tools:

Sitecore, Azure, SAP, Solr, WECO eCommerce 

Client: 

The Tile Shop is a leading retailer specializing in premium tiles and accessories for indoor and outdoor home spaces. With a nationwide presence, The Tile Shop aims to provide an exceptional shopping experience for their wide range of high-quality products along with superior customer service. Their mission is to inspire customers to create beautiful spaces by offering the best tiles and materials on the market. 

Challenges: 

The Tile Shop's original website lacked the eCommerce functionality necessary to support their growing operations, and it did not integrate with their new ERP system, SAP. Key issues included: 

• Absence of automatic updates for inventory levels. 

• Lack of location-based recommendations for customers. 

• Performance issues and limited scalability of the existing website. 

• The need for a modern platform with advanced marketing features and robust ERP integration. 

The Tile Shop's leadership sought to overhaul their digital presence with a complete redesign and re-platforming of their website, aligning it with their vision of a more efficient and engaging customer experience. 

Solution: 

The Tile Shop collaborated with Emergent Software to create a modern, integrated eCommerce platform that supports their business growth and enhances the customer journey. The project involved selecting the right technology stack and implementing a new website within a six-month deadline to coincide with the SAP implementation. 

Key features of the solution included: 

• Platform Selection and Integration: Emergent Software recommended and implemented Sitecore XP Version 8 for the CMS, Azure Cloud Services for hybrid cloud hosting, and WECO eCommerce for robust cart functionality and seamless SAP integration. 

• Custom Integrations: The project included synchronizing store locations and product catalog data from SAP into Sitecore, building a faceted product search engine utilizing Solr, incorporating dealer-specific pricing, and integrating with Azure Experience Manager for product images. 

• Enhanced User Experience: A new, refreshed design was developed in collaboration with The Tile Shop's design team, focusing on aesthetics, usability, and performance. Emergent Software also incorporated advanced content management features and trained The Tile Shop's team on using Sitecore's Experience Editor and other advanced marketing tools. 

• Agile Development and Rapid Deployment: Leveraging agile methodologies, Emergent Software quickly built foundational components and iteratively added key functionalities, allowing the project to stay on track for the six-month launch deadline. 

Results: 

The newly launched eCommerce platform provided The Tile Shop with a scalable, efficient, and visually appealing digital presence. The integration with SAP automated key business processes, reduced manual efforts, and improved overall operational efficiency. The partnership between Emergent Software and The Tile Shop continues to thrive, with ongoing enhancements driving further business value. 

Emergent continues to work with The Tile Shop on a daily basis adding new features to the website. For example, we’ve refreshed many individual site pages to support business initiatives, including product pages, navigation, and reworked the cart page to provide a better experience. Most recently, we implemented sitewide personalized search using Sitecore Discover. 

We plan to keep working with The Tile Shop to maintain and improve their website under our continuous development model for years to come.   

Testimonial: 

"If you want a client partner that is going to invest in your business and act as an extension of your team, then Emergent Software is the company for you. They excel at developing a personal relationship. At the end of the day, I think it’s a definitive sign of success when you can count on them as if they were your own team." 

— Nick Visconti, Director of Marketing, The Tile Shop