Customer Case

Transforming CASA's Webshop

Overcoming challenges and achieving success

CASA is a popular Belgian retail chain known for its affordable and trendy home furnishings and furniture. With over 40 years of experience, CASA stays up-to-date with the latest trends and offers a wide range of interior items to create a cosy and wonderful home feeling. Starting with their first shop in 1975 in Belgium, CASA has now expanded to 9 countries, operating a total of 500 physical shops. In 2017, CASA entered the e-commerce market with a Click and Collect online shop, taking its first steps toward online retail. In 2021, CASA decided to enhance its e-commerce website by switching to commercetools. However, they encountered challenges during the setup process, experiencing difficulties with development and collaboration. As a result, their new online shop didn't meet their desired standards. Seeking a new implementation partner, CASA approached supersonic, and we were thrilled to take on this exciting project!

Author
Functional Analyst at supersonic

Yentl Wils

Publishing date

Jun 23, 2023

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The CASA Project Takeover

Navigating Hurdles, Embracing Potential, and Achieving the Vision

Starting a project from scratch can be a daunting task, involving careful analysis and planning to determine the right technologies, tools, and integrations. However, taking over an existing project presents a comparable level of complexity, if not greater. In such instances, the technologies may have already been chosen, and the setup might differ from what you would have implemented. Gaining a comprehensive understanding of the solution devised by the previous partner takes time, and unanticipated obstacles may arise along the way.

When supersonic took on the CASA project, we encountered hurdles associated with the existing code base. However, through supersonic's hands-on approach, dedicated work ethic, and extensive expertise, we swiftly overcame the challenges presented by the takeover. We conducted a comprehensive audit to gain a thorough understanding of the previous solution, identifying its pain points and gaining a complete overview. Through this in-depth research, we promptly identified bottlenecks and rapidly developed new features to address them.

Moreover, we attached great value to clear communication, agreements, and regular alignment with the CASA team. This powerful combination of organisational guidance and technical expertise allowed us to successfully realise the online shop CASA envisioned.

Empowering CASA through organisational guidance and technical expertise

streamlined workflows and innovative strategies for enhanced results

Agile solutions and close collaboration

Supersonic encountered a notable challenge when taking over the CASA project, which was the absence of clear organisational guidance. However, through our expertise and collaborative efforts, we were able to overcome these hurdles and deliver exceptional results.

Zoë Vets, E-Commerce Manager of CASA, expressed her satisfaction with our partnership, stating, "Our closely aligned collaboration with supersonic is characterised by robust sprint planning using Agile and Scrum methodology. Weekly on-site collaboration sessions effectively align everyone on key issues."

Through the implementation of Scrum guidelines and Agile working methods, we successfully streamlined the project's workflow and release planning. This enabled us to establish a well-defined roadmap, prioritising key tasks and determining optimal timings for the rollout of new functionalities.

As emphasised by Zoë, our physical presence at CASA's office played a vital role in fostering efficient teamwork, productive brainstorming sessions, and meaningful discussions. Our commitment to close collaboration ensured seamless communication, alignment, and successful outcomes.

Maximising customer satisfaction with technical excellence

During the early stages of the CASA project, supersonic faced the dual challenge of implementing critical high-value features and familiarising ourselves with the existing setup and architecture. Leveraging our deep knowledge of the relevant technologies and tools, we swiftly identified and prioritised the necessary features. While working within the existing framework, we introduced innovative ideas and methodologies to optimise the project's overall success.

While our technical architect delved into the intricate technical setup, mapping out dependencies among different parties, the development team immediately embarked on creating new features. At supersonic, we understand the importance of continually generating business value for our customers, especially in light of CASA's ambitious roadmap. Simultaneously, our team diligently addressed existing bugs and flaws that emerged during the initial solution review, ensuring that the existing features were sustainable and fully operational, thus guaranteeing an exceptional user experience.

"Supersonic joined our team at a time when we had just launched our MVP and inherited a codebase that was not originally theirs - not an easy feat. Under the guidance of a highly competent and problem-solving-oriented Solutions Architect, their team adopted a comprehensive approach to our predominantly MACH-based e-commerce architecture. They diligently established a structurally sound system, which was desperately needed to rectify the multitude of bugs and issues plaguing our platform."

With supersonic's invaluable assistance, we successfully executed our 2023 e-commerce roadmap, benefiting from their comprehensive approach that addresses systemic issues for enhanced website performance.

— Zoë Vets - E-Commerce Manager CASA

Achieving remarkable results

Delivering High-Quality Features and Enhancing User Experience

We are thrilled to announce the resounding success of the CASA project takeover! This achievement is a testament to supersonic's expertise, guidance, active involvement, and productive collaboration between the CASA and supersonic teams.

In a remarkably short time, supersonic gained a comprehensive understanding of the project and implemented high-quality features. Notably, the introduction of the guest-checkout feature eliminated the need for customer registration, significantly improving CASA's conversion rate. Customers can now seamlessly proceed with checkout without an account, reducing barriers to order completion.

"Supersonic's expertise in addressing systemic challenges was instrumental in resolving issues with our checkout and order processes. These improvements have led to substantial enhancements in the overall customer experience on our site, resulting in significant gains in conversion and traffic, which are crucial to our business."

Additionally, we fulfilled the demand for the highly sought-after "in-store delivery" feature, enabling customers to conveniently order large products from physical stores and have them shipped to their homes. By reintegrating this feature, the physical stores can now earn their deserved commission.

Furthermore, we successfully expanded the CASA online store into Germany, showcasing supersonic's hands-on experience and adaptability in collaborating with various parties.

These collective achievements, from vital functionalities to online store expansion, exemplify supersonic's commitment to exceptional results and surpassing client expectations.

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Want to know more about this project or the technologies we used?

Don't hesitate to contact us for more info! Reach us by email or fill in a form.

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The journey continues

Exciting Roadmap Ahead for CASA and Supersonic

As a system integrator and valued partner, we embody an adaptable and eager-to-learn mindset, dedicated to supporting our customers in the ever-evolving e-commerce landscape. At supersonic, our commitment goes beyond technical expertise; we provide comprehensive consulting services to drive your success.

That's why we are collaborating closely with CASA, engaging in brainstorming sessions to uncover untapped opportunities for enhancing efficiency, boosting conversion rates, and elevating customer satisfaction. Our focus remains on continuous improvement, constantly refining the solutions we deliver to meet the ever-changing needs and desires of CASA's customers.

There are a multitude of high-value changes on CASA's roadmap, eagerly awaiting our attention. Thus, the CASA-supersonic partnership is far from reaching its conclusion! We eagerly anticipate the future results that will arise from our ongoing collaboration. Stay tuned for remarkable outcomes ahead!