OUR story

01

Task

In 2021, the textile and non-food discounter KiK commissioned us with the relaunch and expansion of its e-commerce platform in Germany and ten other European countries. The goal was to implement and operate a modern, high-performance solution that would enhance the successful retailer's online presence across Europe.

02

Challenge

As a price leader, KiK faces the challenge of achieving high sales volumes with low margins. The retailer, therefore, requires a scalable e-commerce solution that remains stable even during periods of high traffic.

The requirements included managing product data and inventories, enabling the straightforward setup of marketing campaigns, and ensuring stable performance when sending newsletters to millions of recipients. Additionally, the payment process was complicated by the individual APIs of local payment service providers (PSPs), necessitating careful and flexible integration. A mobile-optimized design was also a key priority for the customer.

After the quick launch in Germany in 2022, the ongoing internationalization introduced additional requirements, including code adjustments to optimize the platform for various country-specific needs and currencies.

03

Solution

For a high-performance solution, we built a completely new e-commerce platform with new approaches to the framework, data structure and monitoring. Customer requirements such as the integration of Commercetools, Magnolia and Emarsys were implemented.

Following a successful project launch, we introduced Server-Side Rendering (SSR) to ensure maximum stability. High-traffic pages, such as the home page, are now cached server-side and delivered without adding extra computing load.

To ensure seamless payment processing, we developed a proprietary Order Payment Service (OPS) that centrally manages order statuses and reliably compensates for delays caused by payment service providers.

Additionally, the application was adapted for international use, with all fields configured for multi-client compatibility.

04

Successes

The new KiK online shop is stable and meets the latest requirements for an online store with state-of-the-art architecture.

Key achievements include fully configurable internationalization across five countries, the implementation of multilingual support, and the integration of a Product Information Management (PIM) system. Additionally, the international customer card program was seamlessly incorporated into the shop.