BISON S.A. – a B2B multi store platform on Magento 2
- Magento 2
- B2B
- Multi Store
- SAP
- Multi Source Inventory
Magento 2 for international B2B sales
-60%
Shorter order handling time.
-40%
Lower bounce rate on mobile.
60
Markets served.
5
Independent stores run from one Magento instance.
Project scope
Needs analysis, tool selection and planning, a bespoke UX/UI design, a Magento 2 multi store implementation, Multi Source Inventory, the ERP SAP integration and the configuration of a dedicated server.
Technologies
Magento 2, SAP.
The existing platform stopped matching the scale BISON had grown to
BISON supplies tooling used in machining — precision vices, lathe chucks and milling fixtures among them. The company ships its equipment to 60 countries and is among the world's leading manufacturers of this kind of equipment.
The brand had been selling online for well over a decade. As the company and the market grew, the existing platform became insufficient, and updating and developing it further stopped being justified.
The store did not automate the order process and gave international growth no proper support. It did not allow language versions to be managed correctly, and there was no central home for product information either.
The existing store had no mobile version. Weak UX/UI was a problem too, as was mounting technical debt from technologies being developed ever more slowly and ever less often.
The areas that needed to change
- 01
Automating the order process
The existing store provided no automation of the order process. The project required connecting the e‑commerce platform to the ERP SAP system BISON uses.
- 02
Serving international sales
The existing store gave no proper support for managing several language versions, which limited BISON's growth into further markets.
- 03
Control over product information
There was no central home for the information about individual products. The problem mattered especially with several language versions to serve.
- 04
Mobile and UX/UI
The existing store had no mobile version, and its UX/UI needed rebuilding.
- 05
Mounting technical debt
The platform used technologies being developed ever more slowly and ever less often, so developing the existing solution further stopped being justified.
From the pre-implementation analysis to the Magento 2 launch
The work began with a pre-implementation analysis, which established the requirements, how they would be met, the features, integrations and system configuration needed. The UX/UI design followed, and then Magento 2 was implemented together with the solutions B2B and international sales require.
See our B2B implementations on Magento 2- 01
Pre-implementation analysis
The analysis covered understanding the client's organisation, arriving at a single reading of its requirements, establishing how they would be met, selecting the tools and the e‑commerce system, the configuration rules, identifying essential and additional features, prioritising the requirements and identifying the integrations needed with the systems already in place. It produced a requirements list, a plan for implementing Magento 2 and a training plan for the BISON S.A. team.
Who ran the analysis
- Senior eCommerce Project Manager
- Gathering requirements, advising and coordinating the work.
- Senior Magento Developer
- Turning the business assumptions into technical solutions.
- DevOps
- Recommendations on the server infrastructure.
- 02
UX/UI design
The design process covered workshops with the client, key visuals, wireframes, UX Design, UI Design, the interface animation design and the hand-over of materials and documentation to the developers. Challenge Studio was brought in to carry out the design work.
- 03
The Magento 2 and multi store implementation
Five independent stores were launched: Polish, British, Italian, German and American. All of them are run from one Magento instance, and the individual stores use different configurations of languages and currencies.
- 04
The SAP integration and the B2B features
Magento 2 was integrated with ERP SAP in both directions. The project also delivered Multi Source Inventory, adding products to the cart from a CSV file, bespoke tax calculations, GeoIPRedirect and Easy Labels Pro.
- 05
Infrastructure and post-launch care
The project scope included configuring a dedicated server. After the new BISON store went live the engagement continued, covering advisory, design and development work, Magento hosting on a dedicated OVH server and server administration. The client is also covered by an SLA.
One Magento 2 instance, five stores and a two-way SAP integration
Five independent stores are run from one Magento instance. The platform is also integrated with the ERP SAP system in both directions.
Orders placed in the store are passed to SAP automatically. What travels with them includes the customer's billing and shipping details and the payment method chosen. In the other direction, from SAP to Magento, what comes back includes product stock levels and prices.
The multi store implementation made it possible to launch separate stores for Poland, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and the USA. The individual stores serve different languages and currencies, and the whole thing runs on one dedicated server.
ERP SAP
Data exchanged in both directions
Magento 2
One instance, one admin panel
- PL
- GB
- ITA
- GER
- US
Infrastructure layer
Dedicated OVH server
Magento hosting and server administration
| Store | Languages | Currencies |
|---|---|---|
| Poland | Polish, English | PLN, EUR |
| United Kingdom | English | GBP, EUR |
| Italy | Italian, French, Spanish, English | EUR |
| Germany | German, English | EUR |
| USA | English | USD |
Languages
Polish, English
Currencies
PLN, EUR
Languages
English
Currencies
GBP, EUR
Languages
Italian, French, Spanish, English
Currencies
EUR
Languages
German, English
Currencies
EUR
Languages
English
Currencies
USD
Magento 2SAP
What reaches the ERP system
An order placed in the store is passed to SAP automatically, with the details needed to fulfil it.
- orders
- the customer's billing details
- shipping details
- the payment method chosen
SAPMagento 2
What comes back to the store
The commercial data that has to be current at the moment a customer is looking at a product.
- product stock levels
- product prices
The features delivered for international and B2B sales
Beyond the multi store configuration and the SAP integration, the project covered features answering two questions: how to meet a customer with the right version of the store, and how to shorten a business buyer's path to the cart.
GeoIPRedirect
The module can redirect a customer and change the language and currency according to the visitor's location, determined from their IP address.
Adding products to the cart from a CSV file
A customer can prepare a file of SKUs and quantities in a spreadsheet and then import it into the store to add the products listed to the cart quickly. The feature was built for business customers who work with SKUs and buy in larger quantities.
Easy Labels Pro
Our own module was delivered, letting products be marked with labels for promotions, bestsellers, new arrivals and sales.
Multi Source Inventory
A feature for managing several warehouses in the store was delivered. It went a long way towards meeting the business goal of being able to sell globally. The feature is currently switched off, because BISON works from a single warehouse.
Bespoke tax calculations
A feature calculating tax for selected customer groups was delivered, based on the destination country chosen on the product page and the warehouse shipping the order. It was modified later, because BISON now ships from a single warehouse only.
Order handling time 60% shorter
The new platform produced the three results the case study names: order handling time shorter by 60%, the bounce rate on mobile devices lower by 40%, and 60 markets served.
- -60%
- Shorter order handling time.
- -40%
- Lower bounce rate on mobile.
- 60
- Markets served.
After the new BISON store launched successfully, the client chose to continue working with Aurora Creation.
BISON singled out professionalism on Western standards and an instant response time
Wybraliśmy firmę Aurora Creation na naszego partnera ze względu na wysoki, równy ze standardami zachodnimi profesjonalizm. Oferują oni indywidualne, pro-konsumenckie podejście do klienta oraz wręcz błyskawiczny czas reakcji. Jako jedni z nielicznych w kraju posiadają developerski certyfikat Magento. Na pytanie czy polecilibyśmy firmę Aurora Creation odpowiadamy zdecydowanie tak.See our other references
Wojciech ReguckiDirector of Global Sales and Proxy, Bison Chucks S.A.Where the BISON project applies to work like yours
- 01See our B2B implementations on Magento 2
Magento 2 for selling into several markets
The BISON project covered five independent stores with different configurations of languages and currencies, all run from one Magento instance.
- 02See the scope of our Magento 2 services
Integrating Magento 2 with an ERP
The project delivered a two-way integration between Magento 2 and SAP, passing data between the e‑commerce platform and the ERP system automatically.
- 03See AURORA CARE
Growing and maintaining Magento 2 after launch
Once the platform was live, the engagement covered further advisory, design and development work, Magento hosting on a dedicated OVH server, administration and an SLA.
Frequent questions about the BISON project
The essentials on the scope of the implementation, the multi store configuration, the SAP integration and the B2B features.
See our B2B implementations on Magento 2The scope covered a needs analysis, tool selection and planning, a bespoke UX/UI design, a multi store Magento 2 implementation, Multi Source Inventory, the ERP SAP integration and the configuration of a dedicated server.
Five independent stores: Polish, British, Italian, German and American. All of them are run from one Magento instance.
The integration runs in both directions. Orders placed in the store are passed to SAP automatically, along with the customer's billing and shipping details and the payment method among other things. From SAP to Magento come product stock levels and prices among other things.
Multi Source Inventory, adding products to the cart by importing a CSV file of SKUs and quantities, and bespoke tax calculations for selected customer groups.
Order handling time was cut by 60%, the bounce rate on mobile devices fell by 40%, and the case study reports 60 markets served.
Yes. Post-launch care covered further advisory, design and development work, Magento hosting on a dedicated OVH server, server administration and an SLA. Today we run that as two separate services — AURORA CARE and Magento 2 hosting.
See our other projects
BISON is five markets and SAP in one Magento 2 instance. Below are two projects where the platform also serves several markets or talks to a company system, but the starting point was different.
ImplementationMon Credo
Migrating a live premium perfumery from Magento 1 to Magento 2, together with customer data and an ERP integration.
See the case study
ImplementationDiablo Chairs
One Magento 2 instance serving sales across many markets, with separate store versions and a shared checkout process.
See the case study
Planning a B2B implementation or growth on Magento 2?
Tell us whether the project is a new Magento 2 implementation, selling into several markets, an ERP integration, B2B features or growth of an existing platform. Name the requirements that matter most and the stage the project is at, so we can settle the scope of the next conversation.
Have to hand what you know about the markets you sell into, the systems your company uses today and the processes your team still does by hand. That is enough for the conversation to be specific from the start.
