Nordic Bike Group
Headless e-commerce, PIM and ERP integration in a multi-store bicycle chain.
Nordic Bike Group (NBG) is a Finnish chain formed by five independent bicycle shops, offering a wide range of bicycles and cycling-related products. Over the years, the chain's business grew, but the fragmentation of operations and outdated systems began to limit the chain's efficiency and growth opportunities. The goal was to streamline operations and enhance the customer experience in digital channels.
CHALLENGES
The decentralized product and system management of Nordic Bike Group's five separate bike shops complicated the development of their online store. Each shop had its own ERP systems, which did not communicate with each other, leading to slow, overlapping, and error-prone data management. Product information was not kept up to date across different sales channels, and the outdated e-commerce platform limited growth and the realization of multichannel capabilities. Inventory levels were not visible to customers, and the customer experience suffered from inaccurate and fragmented data.
SOLUTION
AI Commerce -the e-commerce platform was implemented to support a fully integrated and flexible solution. The platform was seamlessly integrated with five different ERP solutions and the Akeneo PIM system, which serves as a centralized product information management tool. At the core of the solution is a Composable Commerce architecture and a headless interface, which allowed each bike shop to create its own independent storefront under a single management system. Synchronized data flow enabled real-time inventory data, manufacturer availabilities, and accurate product information across all channels. The e-commerce platform became genuinely scalable, the customer experience improved significantly, and cross-selling as well as the efficiency of digital sales increased markedly.
Centralized product management (PIM) and headless architecture
The challenge for the Nordic Bike Group was decentralized product management – each store had its own ERP system and online shop. This led to fragmented product information across different platforms, increasing manual work, slowing down updates, and degrading operational efficiency. Inconsistencies in data availability and product information made customer purchasing decisions more difficult, increased queries handled in support requests, and weakened the customer experience.
The Nordic Bike Group implemented systems and integrations carried out by AI Commerce, which included the AI Commerce online shop platform and Akeneo PIM system. With this solution, all stores were unified into a cohesive online shopping experience, and the ERP system was seamlessly integrated into both the online shop and product information management. This enabled real-time and consistent product information management across all sales channels, enhancing operational efficiency and the customer experience.
Real-time inventory balance presentation across multiple stores
AI Commerce's Combosaple Commerce architecture enabled real-time inventory management across the five different stores of NBG. The inventory balance of each store could be displayed in the online shop, allowing customers to see product availability in various stores and select the most suitable pickup or delivery option. This reduced ambiguities in product availability and significantly improved the customer experience. Additionally, the solution optimized inventory utilization within the chain, as stores could more effectively leverage each other's inventories, reducing unnecessary restocking orders.
Manufacturer interfaces – selling directly from manufacturer inventory
Another significant innovation was the development of interfaces directly to manufacturer inventories, which allowed for the sale of products without needing to store them separately in NBG's own stores. This reduced procurement costs and shortened inventory turnover time, as products could be ordered directly from the manufacturers to the store only when an order was placed. At the same time, the online shop could offer a broader product range without inventory risk, which increased sales opportunities and improved delivery speed. Thanks to headless technology, these interfaces were seamlessly integrated into the online shop's user interface, so there was no difference for the customer between products in stock and those ordered directly from manufacturers.
User-centered innovation and a smoother shopping experience
The redesign of NBG's online shop was initiated with a thorough analysis, which extensively collected data and customer feedback on current services and sales processes. This enabled precise identification of development needs and ensured that the solutions were based on real user experiences.
Based on the analysis, a lightweight prototype in Figma was created, allowing new features to be tested and refined before implementation. This reduced development risks and enabled iterative design, where the user experience was optimized at an early stage.
The redesign particularly focused on improving the user experience. NBG added new features, such as a digital employee bike ordering system, which automated processes and streamlined the service model. In addition, the mobile use of the online shop was optimized, improving product findability and the shopping experience, especially with the growing share of mobile users.
AI Commerce's customizable checkout solution also enabled the implementation of the employee bike payment method directly at the checkout, streamlining the purchasing process and reducing manual work for both customers and staff.
Check out one of the bike chain's stores here! 💻
