A New E-Commerce & DXP Solution with Pimcore

In an initial workshop with Sportfive, TOWA defined the key features for the Official VIP Shop based on the service provider's concept and design and narrowed them down for the MVP. The features were then shaped based on the various functions of Pimcore and based on the Pimcore Enterprise package.

Based on the preliminary work, the concept and design for the MVP scope was finalized in the next steps with Sportfive and the external service provider and transferred to a Jira backlog.

Pimcore as a Digital Experience Platform (DXP) was the right approach for Sportfive. Based on the requirements for a powerful DXP solution with extensive options for content maintenance and filling as well as product presentation through Pimcore's commerce packages, the decision was quickly made in favor of Pimcore as the technical solution.

Together with the integrated Digital Asset Management, the entire new platform can be operated and maintained from a central backend. In particular, the ability to map complex logics in the context of Bundesliga clubs and events with Pimcore data objects proved to be a very practical solution for content maintenance.

The frontend user experience is a very important part of a new website or e-commerce system. Pimcore offers many customization options. Sportfive uses a frontend setup with Alpine.js, Typescript and TailwindCSS. The branding can be customized for the individual Bundesliga clubs using multi-client logic via a SubShop solution.

Pimcore's Commerce Package is used to fulfill these requirements in the frontend and backend. This means that individual colors, fonts and logos can be defined for each Bundesliga club and individual products can be displayed for each club.

The design was created with Figma and further developed in close cooperation with the external service provider. The goal of the new platform is to offer the target groups an optimal user experience and to increase the conversion on the official VIP platform in the medium term.

The Official VIP MVP was developed in five sprints using Scrum with Pimcore technology. The sprints lasted two weeks each and were planned in an agile way together with the customer. This meant that there was no need for a requirement specification, and Sportfive was able to help set the priorities for each sprint at any time. Sportfive's Product Owner and TOWA's Product Owner Proxy translated all functional requirements into user stories for the team, prepared them and planned them for the sprints.

The goal of the MVP was to create a lead generation page suitable for marketing, including a functional product detail page with an inquiry form. The inquiry form communicates seamlessly with the Mulesoft middleware via an interface and is directly connected to the Sportfive CRM Salesforce via the middleware. Inquiries can thus be seamlessly routed to the Sportfive sales team for fast processing.

Pimcore is a Digital Experience Platform (DXP) with an integrated Content Management System, Commerce Platform, PIM, DAM, MDM and CDP. In the future, the Customer Data Platform (CDP) will make it possible to personalize content and display it individually for each customer segment.

TOWA is a Pimcore Strategic Partner and offers customized solutions with specialized development teams. More than 20 certified Pimcore developers ensure the right technological solution for every challenge.

Pimcore's agile development approach as a DXP in conjunction with TailwindCSS enabled the rapid implementation of the new MVP in just five sprints. It took just under three months from development to handover to the Sportfive content team for content maintenance.

In a second step, after the MVP has gone live, we will develop other key features that are required for a complete replacement of the Official VIP platform. This will include a working checkout process and associated shopping cart functionality. The corresponding customer account that needs to be created for the ordering process will also be important. These features will be developed in a second scoping process for the Phase 2 release. These functions will also be implemented using PimCore's Enterprise Packages.