What company would rate its own business model as average? In its e-commerce offensive, Jumbo, the Swiss chain of DIY stores, recognized early on that a differentiated business model is a key factor for success in the digital world too. Therefore, it decided to rely on Spryker’s e-commerce OS.
Facts
Standing out from other brands by focusing on the unique selling proposition (USP) is still the key to success. Today, companies understand this more than ever. A company’s e-commerce platform serves as a central touchpoint with the customer and puts this USP on display. But can one’s business model be appropriately captured by a standard e-commerce system with a range of standard functions? With 1,700 product categories, tens of thousands of items, and 40 branches, the Swiss DYI chain Jumbo was inevitably confronted with this question at the start of the project.
PRODUCT CATEGORIES
The requirements of Jumbo’s business model exceed any standard e-commerce system’s functions.
Jean-Luc Geering
Increasing Importance of Technological Expertise
Two years after the start of the project, in February 2018, Jumbo sold the first items via its own online store, which is based on Spryker’s E-Commerce OS. This ambitious modular operating system had caught Jumbo’s interest early on in the project. Patrick Petzold, CEO of UFirst, believes that a brand’s ability to differentiate itself is increasingly dependent on its own technological expertise. So Jumbo’s decision to rely on Spryker is easy to understand, as Spryker provides a framework that doesn’t force Jumbo’s business model into a pre-set standard.
Spryker Enables Brand Differentiation
«It's a fallacy to think that a little configuration effort is all that’s needed for a standard e-store system to capture a complex business model like Jumbo’s,» explains Jean-Luc Geering, Partner at UFirst. This is illustrated by Jumbo’s logistics: The DIY chain has no less than 38 different delivery scenarios. And a total of three logistics partners drive through the whole of Switzerland on Jumbo’s behalf. Accordingly, UFirst designed and implemented a tailor-made delivery and logistics model for Jumbo.
SPRYKER BUNDLES
Use standards if possible. Develop customized solutions if necessary.
THE SPRYKER PHILOSOPHY
User Experience Geared to the Sales Cycle
Throughout this project, the implementation was determined by the underlying conceptual idea and the business model. Either the team prioritized efficiency and standards by using one of the 32 Spryker bundles already available, or it focused on differentiation and, to this end, developed customized solutions to sharpen the brand’s market profile. Following this approach, Jumbo and UFirst succeeded within 24 months in establishing a virtual retail space that is tailored to Jumbo’s business model.
In the meantime, this has evolved into a powerful e-commerce platform that is constantly being optimized and adapted to market conditions through fortnightly releases implemented by the UFirst team of concept designers and developers.
