B2B Web Project with Holz-Tusche

Holz-Tusche is a medium-sized family business with over 90 years of history and one of the leading wood wholesalers in Germany. With more than 200 employees, the company offers a wide range of products, including panel materials, solid wood construction, doors, floors, walls and ceilings. Holz-Tusche provides comprehensive services to its customers, both on- and offline. In a bid to modernize its online presence, Holz-Tusche planned to replace its existing B2B store from 2017. The goal was to merge the previously separate website and the new shop into a unified platform. Additionally, a PIM system was to be implemented for centralized product data management, which would be integrated with the existing ERP system.

Beyond implementing and setting up the PIM system and creating the new B2B shop in Shopware 6, the primary focus of this project was usability. The goal was to achieve a high level of usability and develop a robust digital offering, which is reflected in the numerous functions and features designed to optimize the user experience.

Shopware 6

The website relaunch and the B2B online shop were implemented using the e-commerce system Shopware 6. The platform integrates all of Holz-Tusche’s offerings and services, including the blog, the cutting, technology and wood materials center, a furniture configurator, the composite element service, logistics with shipment tracking and information about the exhibitors in Marsberg and Ochtrup into a single, centralized platform. Strong emphasis was placed on usability and customer centricity. For instance, the Shopware B2B suite enables multiple logins for employees from different departments, providing appropriate rights and roles for each customer account.

Homepage & Menu

• The new Holz-Tusche website stands out with its modern and functional design, showcasing the company’s diverse product range and services in a clear and appealing manner. Users can easily find product innovations, information on the sustainability of the range, blog posts and details on service and consulting offers..
• The main menu is clear and well-structured, focusing on products and services to enable efficient navigation. Each category features an additional ‘Top partners in this category’ menu, allowing customers to filter products by specific brands. The ‘Contact’ menu item is always visible, ensuring customers can quickly and easily reach out to Holz-Tusche at any time.

Search Function

• The new B2B shop features a powerful full-text search that includes products, blog posts, content pages, downloads and partners. As you start typing, search results appear in a drop-down menu for direct selection.
• On the search results page, results are organized by information, categories, partners and downloads, with content-based search results displayed above actual products. Various filter options are available to further refine the search. From the search results page, users can add items to a shopping list using the paper clip icon, view prices, and access the product pages.

Category Pages

• Category pages display all products related to a selected menu item from the main menu. To refine their search, users have access to various filter options, with five filters shown by default. Clicking on ‘Show more filters’ reveals all filters relevant to the products in that category. Users can choose between a tile view and a list view for product display.
• The main menu tree is displayed vertically on the left, providing a clear overview of the various subcategories. Some category pages also integrate related content elements such as blog posts, partners or services linked to the displayed products.

Detailed Product Pages

• Detailed product pages offer a comprehensive overview of each product for both registered customers and guests, including technical details, specifications and other relevant information. Prices are only visible to registered customers.
• These pages feature images and videos of the products. For certain items, a 3D view is available and for EGGER products, users can visualize rooms with the selected item in the manufacturer’s ‘Virtual Design Studio’ (VDS).
• The delivery time and manufacturer information are displayed below the product name. Users can click on the manufacturer’s name for more details.
• The Variant Control feature allows customers to view different formats and thicknesses of a product and switch directly between them.
• Logged-in customers are shown their personalized item prices. Shopware’s price calculation logic was extended and adapted for this purpose. Through a live query from the ERP system via Celigo, customer-specific and product-specific prices, as well as special offers, are integrated into the shop and considered in the shopping cart’s price calculation. This complex process has been optimized to prevent any negative performance impact.
• Users can enter the desired quantity by typing, clicking the +/- buttons, or entering the total quantity (in square or linear meters) to calculate the overall price. For configurable products, such as block goods, customers can input the corresponding dimensions.
• Quantity scales are displayed below the item price for products with scaled pricing. For some items, manufacturers offer item pricing. When the minimum quantity is reached, customers can request a quote at checkout.
• Specifications list all attributes of an item, with FSC or PEFC certified items marked accordingly.
• An exhibition banner is displayed for products featured in Holz-Tusche exhibitions in Marsberg, Ochtrup, or both, with a form available to schedule consultation appointments.
• Most products have suitable downloads, including technical data sheets, brochures, flyers, processing and application instructions, certificates and classification reports. Additional processing services from Holz-Tusche are available for some products.
• Each detailed product page includes contact information for an expert advisor, so customers can easily access consultation services if they have any questions or uncertainties.

Customer Account

• The customer account contains information about users, orders and invoices, and allows for the export of item data.
• Each customer can have multiple contacts stored as logins, with different rights assigned to each contact:
  • Purchasing: price requests and orders
  • Purchasing with Assignments: additionally, view assignments and orders
  • Purchasing with Assignments + Open Items: additionally, download invoices and view open items
  • Full Access: Includes all functions and an overview of all users created.

• Dashboard: Once a user logs in via the user icon in the upper right corner of the screen, they are taken to the dashboard. The dashboard can be accessed at any time by clicking on the user icon when logged in.
• Company (full access only):
  • The ‘Company’ menu item displays all users authorized to use the online shop. On the left side, users are grouped according to their respective rights and roles. Clicking on “Entire Company” shows all users created.
• Orders (at least one purchase with assignments):
  • This view shows all assignments associated with a customer number, regardless of whether the assignment was made in the online shop, by phone or by e-mail.
  • Dropdown menus allow selection of the time period (30/90/180/365 days) and filtering by buyer or status.
  • Search fields: The first search field allows searching for all information in the document header (document number, commission, buyer, administrator, document/delivery date, amount, shipping address, sales channel). The second search field searches the items (item number, description, quantity, price, surcharge, total). All filters and searches can be combined.
  • The document header in the search results contains relevant information such as the document number, status, document and delivery date, buyer(s), commission, and the Drive&Arrive tracking link. Expanding the document header reveals additional information, including the administrator, sales channel, business type, shipping address (if different from the billing address) and items.
• Billing:
  • Invoices can be viewed online and downloaded as PDF files (available the next day). A drop-down menu allows selection of the time period (30/90/180/365 days) and invoices can be filtered by status or searched by invoice number or date.
• Data Export:
  • The data export function enables exporting item data with individual prices in CSV (Excel) or Datanorm 5 file formats. The exported data is sent via email.

Checkout

• Mini Cart & Shopping Cart:
  • Upon adding an item to the shopping cart, the mini cart opens on the right. It displays all items with details such as quantity, dimensions, price and total amount.
  • Each item can have a comment or commission added to it, and items can be directly added to the notepad from the cart.
• Checkout: In the final step, customers enter their delivery address, desired delivery date, commission details and unloading information.

Drive&Arrive Shipment Tracking

• Customers can track the current status of their shipment using the shipment tracking function. They can also view receipts and items included in the shipment.

Interfaces

The new online shop integrates directly into Holz-Tusche’s customers’ ERP systems, offering seamless connectivity and enhanced functionalities. Customers can access the online shop directly from their ERP system to browse and select items. Orders can also be placed directly through the customer’s ERP, with specific functionalities varying across interfaces.

• CSV & Datanorm 5: Products can be exported from the online shop in CSV (Excel) or Datanorm 5 formats for streamlined integration with ERP systems.
• Furniture Planner: EGGER’s Furniture Planner 2.0 is integrated as a single sign-on solution, allowing users to access it directly from the online shop without additional login credentials.
• OSD: OSD provides a Web Service interface for simplified ordering. Users can access the Holz-Tusche online shop directly from OSD, viewing individual prices, images and detailed product information. Price inquiries are available 24/7 and quotations are more precise. OSD parts lists can be seamlessly transferred to the shopping cart.
• Palette CAD: Projects designed in Palette CAD can be ordered directly from the online shop. Integration with Palette CAD allows parts lists to be effortlessly transferred to the shopping cart.
• If-to-Shop: The If-to-Shop interface, utilized in several ERP solutions like PinnCalc, expands access to Holz-Tusche’s online shop. Craft businesses can efficiently navigate the procurement market without switching applications, benefiting from comprehensive data access.

Blog

• Holz-Tusche offers an informative blog featuring articles on products, services and company news. Articles can be filtered by product, service, company and partner categories.
• New products, complete with individual prices, are showcased in dedicated product articles. From the blog page, users can navigate to detailed product pages to add items to a watch list or place an order.
• Each product article concludes with downloadable flyers or interactive flip catalogs for further explanation.

Pimcore

Concurrently with the development of the new B2B online shop, Pimcore was implemented as the central data management solution, integrating PIM and DAM functionalities.

Data Integration with Celigo

We integrated the existing ERP system with Pimcore and Shopware 6 using Celigo’s integrator.io iPaaS solution. Integrator.io is a middleware platform that facilitates seamless data exchange between disparate systems. In our project with Holz-Tusche, iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service) ensures automated and scheduled data transfers between Pimcore and Shopware 6. The integration allows for retrieval of customer-specific prices directly from the ERP via API, and synchronization of customer orders with the ERP system.

UX & UI

Ein besonderes Merkmal des neuen Webauftritts von Holz-Tusche ist der hohe Designanspruch, der sich in einem klaren, modernen Look ausdrückt. However, the website and online store are not only convincing because of their visual appearance, but also because of their consistent user centricity. UI services:

• Implementation of a digital design concept aligned with Holz-Tusche’s CI
• Customizable design elements optimized for different content types and screen sizes
• Modernization of the Holz-Tusche B2B online shop interface
• Comprehensive screen design across various pages of the online shop

UX services:

• Workshop for the identification of the target group

Throughout this extensive agile project, we collaborated closely with the Holz-Tusche team to deliver the best possible outcome for their customers. We believe the results are highly compelling and look forward to continuing our partnership with Holz-Tusche in future endeavors.

Holz-Tusche is a family-owned business with over 90 years of history, renowned as one of Germany’s leading wood wholesalers. With more than 200 employees, specialists and expert advisors, Holz-Tusche is a trusted partner in trade and commerce. The company prides itself on delivering the highest quality wood and wood products, alongside fast and knowledgeable service, fair pricing and a deep passion for wood craftsmanship.