Plieger

From family business to digital B2B frontrunner

plieger badkamer

A good house isn’t complete without good plumbing. In terms of product range, expertise and service, the Plieger Group is a leader in their industry. However, when it comes to digital maturity, they realized they still had plenty of steps to take.

To establish themselves as a digital standout in their industry, Plieger collaborated with DEPT® on a brand refresh, a brand new native app and a web shop for both Plieger and ThermoNoord. 

In 2021, we will further focus on data-driven optimization of the various channels, performance marketing and potentially moving up the value chain.

Sanitary expert

In the Netherlands, Plieger Group supplies a range of more than 150,000 items to installers, plumbing companies, retailers and hardware stores, among others. Their sub-brand, ThermoNoord, focuses mainly on ventilation.

For this project, Plieger Group’s main goal was to revamp its digital presence with a full-fledged webshop.

 “Our webshop was outdated, did not provide live stock information, did not work well on mobile or tablet and was not future-proof,” said Jeroen Heydendael, Manager of Marketing & eCommerce at Plieger, “It was high time for a change!”

plieger water

Exploring

The user’s word

A unique webshop situation

plieger bath
plieger phone screen

The Native app

By using React Native and Expo, we built a native iOS and an Android app for both Plieger and Thermonoord simultaneously using the same code base. This code base was directly linked to SAP as the ‘single source of truth’ for 4 native apps. 

Every version of the app had the same useful features, including the creation of different permissions and payment options for each user profile as well as the ability to have products delivered or picked up.

Because the app also contained a very large product overview—with 12,000 products from as many as 500 brands—we also added a barcode scanner to make it easy to order new products from local retailers.

plieger screens

The platform

We built the platform is built in SAP Commerce Cloud, using Hybris. Hybris allows users to build modular pages through Page Builder functionality. Additionally, we designed and built a separate component system that allows Plieger’s content managers to build their own pages.

The blocks we created gave Plieger the ability to design pages quickly within the brand’s guidelines with options for image placement, titles, rich text, colors, and alignment.

plieger unsplash

DEPT® & Plieger

In addition to our work together on the new shop and app, we also supported Plieger in its digital transition. 

During our consultations, for example, we ensured the digital organization and processes we were using would align with the needs of various internal departments (such as IT, Finance and logistics). Going forward, the ultimate goal is to continue to develop the commerce team efficiently.

Besides further optimizing the shop and developing service features that “bind” installers to Plieger, this year we are also focusing on enriching product information and offering inspiring content. 

“The new shop and app are a great first step in our digital transformation,” said Jeroen Heydendael, Manager of Marketing & eCommerce at Plieger. “We still have a long way to go, but DEPT® helped us very much in terms of UX, creativity and technology. We are moving forward quickly with next steps, such as data-driven services.”

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