The Plieger Group is a leader in sanitation.
In collaboration with DEPT®, we started with a brand refresh, a new native app, and a webshop for both Plieger and ThermoNoord. Later on, we will further focus on data-driven optimization of the various channels, performance marketing, and potentially moving up the value chain.
Experts in sanitation
Plieger is a wholesaler of sanitary ware, heating, installation, air & ventilation, and electrical products. The company has its showrooms for consumers, and it’s also possible to purchase the Plieger brand at DIY stores.
The second brand, ThermoNoord, primarily focuses on ventilation. In the Netherlands, the Plieger Group supplies an assortment of over 150,000 articles to installers, plumbing companies, retailers, and hardware stores, among others.
The primary goal of the Plieger Group was to renew its digital presence with a full-fledged webshop. “Our webshop was outdated, didn’t provide live stock information, didn’t work well on mobile or tablet, and wasn’t future-proof,” says Jeroen Heydendael, Manager Marketing & eCommerce at Plieger. “It was high time for a change!”
Research
Native app
By using React Native and Expo, a native iOS and Android app could be built simultaneously for both Plieger and Thermonoord using the same codebase. This is a single codebase directly linked to SAP as a ‘single source of truth’ for four native apps.
The app has various useful features, including different rights per user profile and payment options, and the ability to have products delivered (or re-delivered) or picked up at one of the Express locations. The app contains a very large product overview: 12,000 products from as many as 500 brands. This includes a product photo, manual, technical information, and more. A barcode scanner has also been added, allowing new products to be easily scanned and ordered in the express store.
The platform
The platform is built in SAP Commerce Cloud, using Hybris. Hybris offers users the ability to modularly build pages using a Page Builder functionality. DEPT® has designed and built a component system that allows Plieger’s content managers to create their own pages. The blocks provide the ability to design pages at a low level by placing images, titles, rich text, and other options. Additionally, colors and alignment can be adjusted.
DEPT® & Plieger
In addition to jointly developing the new shop and app, DEPT® also supports Plieger in its digital transition. This includes contributing ideas about the digital organization and collaboratively developing processes to ensure that the various internal departments (such as IT, Finance, and logistics) are well aligned. The ultimate goal is to enable the commerce team to continue to develop efficiently.
The collaboration between DEPT® and the Plieger Group is ongoing: in addition to further optimizing the shop and developing service features that ‘bind’ installers to Plieger, this year we are also focusing on enriching product information and providing inspiring content. “The new webshop and app are a big first step in our digital transformation. We still have a long way to go, but DEPT® has helped us very well in terms of UX, creativity, and technology. We will quickly move on to the next steps, such as data-driven services,” says Jeroen Heydendael, Manager Marketing & eCommerce at Plieger.
