Online store programming www.LED-direkt.ch

Have a new online store created instead of modernizing at high cost

EP Distribution AG (Bauma, Switzerland) is an expert in LED lighting technology and commissioned eWorks as its Frankfurt-based OXID partner with the store redesign of www.LED-direkt.ch. At that time, the web store had a long-standing reputation in the trade of all LED lighting products from living room lights to street lamps and numerous regular customers, but had to be replaced by a more modern store system due to the imminent connection to a web application.

At the beginning of the project, the client's outdated store system was replaced by a current OXID eShop from the German online store provider OXID eSales AG in the Community Edition (OXID CE), a complete online store solution especially for professional web stores with a merchandise management connection at low cost. As an OXID agency, eWorks advised its client in advance regarding the pros and cons of a store update versus a new online store development. The decisive factor for having the web store programmed "from scratch" versus a store update was not least the unbeatable OXID eShop costs: € 0.00 for the Community Edition license (open source).

The subsequent web design was created in close consultation with the client: the focus was on intuitive usability combined with a relaxed, fresh online store design. The pure web design drafts were implemented using HTML, CSS and JavaScript / jQuery and optimized for all common web browsers. This was followed by OXID template programming and integration into the Smarty templates of OXID eShop. In addition, a responsive OXID theme was designed to support mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets: iPhone, iPad etc. The web design installation and browser optimization were followed by on-site search engine optimization (SEO) for Google, Bing and other search engines.

The web design implementation was followed by web store programming: for example, the client wanted to program an "accessories quick purchase" as an OXID module in order to be able to sell article accessories directly on the article detail page (cross-selling). The eWorks OXID developers also programmed an OXID module for corporate customers, which automatically identifies them and assigns them to special B2B user groups with individual B2B conditions and net prices.

Following the web design and OXID module programming, the new Oxid store was installed - initially access-protected and parallel to the existing online store. In this final phase, eWorks supported its client in setting up a legally compliant online store and connecting payment service providers for credit card payment directly in the OXID store (PayPal and Datatrans AG, Zurich). During the subsequent "warm-up phase", the store operator was able to set up and equip the newly developed Oxid store for four weeks without stress and in peace and quiet, and test it extensively, including the developed OXID interface to merchandise management / ERP, before the store was finally ready to go live.

The new online store www.led-direkt.ch went live on 30.10.2014 as planned. Following the going live of the developed web store, eWorks supports its client as a store service provider with advice, but also corrects any errors (warranty) or carries out web design adaptations or OXID programming if required, e.g. if the client wishes to have individual OXID modules created for the new web store (support).