New B2B Online Shop for Ecommerce Market in the U.K.

Companies in the United Kingdom have been purchasing acrylic products almost exclusively through retailers. Evonik wanted to strengthen its PLEXIGLAS® brand in the U.K. market by becoming the first manufacturer to supply its customers directly. To achieve this, the company needed to set up a new B2B online shop, and the competition and customer requirements had to be carefully analyzed in advance. Together with Arvato Systems, Evonik has prepared its entry into the U.K. market by means of conventional market research. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to comprehensively analyze the B2B market for acrylic products and the customer needs of buyers in the U.K.

Evonik was looking for an attractive online shop to market its PLEXIGLAS® products, one that is precisely tailored to the needs of buyers in the U.K., offering them an optimal customer experience. In this manner, the company wants to expand its direct online business as a sales channel and roll it out to other European countries. Customer feedback and the insights gained with Web analytics tools on customer behavior formed the basis in the process of further developing the online shop and optimizing the customer experience.

Building on the findings from the market research, Arvato Systems developed a design concept for the new online shop and implemented it with the OXID eShop Enterprise Edition software. The IT specialist used the agile project management method. Applying the principle of "minimum viable product", Arvato Systems started by equipping the online shop with basic functionalities. A small, select group of U.K. customers tested the online shop in a four-month private launch phase. For the public launch, Arvato Systems supported Evonik's promotion of the online shop by providing visual concept design and creative expertise.