Author
Evelyn Oome
Publishing date
Oct 24, 2024
How CASA shops personalise the shopping experience
At DMEXCO 2024, one of the largest digital marketing expos in Europe, supersonic had the pleasure of presenting alongside CASA and Voucherify in a masterclass that showcased the future of personalised shopping experiences. This session, moderated by Michal Sedzielewski, Co-Founder of Voucherify, was an in-depth look at how CASA, a well-known omnichannel home décor retailer, achieved agility in personalising their customer journeys using a MACH commerce approach.
Here’s a deeper dive into what the masterclass revealed about CASA’s journey and the key strategies that made their success possible.
Evelyn Oome
Oct 24, 2024
The heart of digital innovation
For those unfamiliar, DMEXCO (Digital Marketing Exposition & Conference) is an annual event held in Cologne, Germany, where digital marketing professionals, tech innovators, and brands from all over the world come together to discuss the latest trends. It’s where future-shaping ideas in e-commerce, digital marketing, and customer engagement are showcased. This year, CASA, supported by its partners supersonic and Voucherify, shared how they’ve transformed their digital experience with agility and precision.
Accelerating digital growth post-COVID
CASA, an international retailer with over 400 stores across 12 European countries, specialises in home décor and furniture. While their roots lie in brick-and-mortar, their pivot toward a more integrated online shopping experience accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. CASA’s decision to implement a MACH commerce approach allowed them to scale rapidly while delivering personalised customer experiences both online and offline.
Elke Laeremans, Chief Digital Officer at CASA, explained the key driving force behind this shift:
"COVID-19 highlighted the importance of e-commerce. While we had an online presence, the pandemic made us realise how crucial it was to enhance our digital footprint and personalise customer interactions."
The backbone of CASA’s success
To address the challenges of scalability and personalisation, CASA turned to MACH commerce—a modular, flexible approach to building a digital commerce platform by integrating best-in-class technologies. This approach allowed CASA to quickly implement new solutions, adapt to changing customer needs, and roll out new features without overhauling their entire system.
Jonas De Bondt, e-commerce architect at supersonic, detailed the steps:
"The e-commerce platform commercetools was implemented as the core foundation and Voucherify was onboarded for loyalty programs. We integrated Algolia for enhanced search capabilities, Dynamic Yield for personalisation, and Adyen for seamless payment processing."
These integrations were done incrementally, ensuring smooth operations and allowing CASA to grow step by step without disrupting its business.
The power of loyalty and promotions
CASA’s MACH architecture paved the way for highly personalised loyalty programs. Voucherify played a critical role here, enabling CASA to offer targeted promotions and reward systems that cater to both online and offline customers. As Elke shared,
"Our loyalty program now seamlessly connects in-store and online experiences, with over 2 million customers onboarded within two years."
Jonas also emphasised how quickly these initiatives were executed:
"For example, digital gift cards were implemented in just a week. It’s amazing how fast we can introduce new features now."
This speed and agility give CASA a competitive edge, allowing them to meet the dynamic needs of their customers.
CASA’s strategic approach to seamless integration and scalability
While MACH commerce brings speed and flexibility, it also presents some challenges, particularly in integrating multiple platforms. As Jonas explained,
"The key to success is having a well-thought-out architecture from the start and choosing the right implementation partner. Supersonic worked closely with CASA to ensure smooth integrations, and we focused on scalability, performance, and ease of use for the team."
Elke added,
"It’s crucial to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve. With a MACH approach, you can be easily overwhelmed by the sheer number of possibilities, so focus and step-by-step execution are essential."
From Agility to Growth
CASA’s MACH journey has yielded impressive results. The agility provided by their tech stack allowed them to react quickly to market demands, especially during critical periods like Black Friday. The flexibility of API-driven platforms like Voucherify and commercetools enabled their team to launch highly targeted promotions in a fraction of the time it used to take.
Jonas highlighted a significant milestone:
"Last Black Friday was a breeze. Years ago, this would have been a major challenge, but now all platforms handle it with ease, and CASA can focus on other areas like logistics and customer service."
CASA’s Future Plans
As CASA continues to grow, the team remains committed to leveraging its MACH stack. Elke noted,
"Our next focus is on ensuring our team fully utilises the technology we’ve onboarded. We’re also expanding our team to match the pace of our online growth, ensuring we’re ready for the future."
With new platforms like Dynamic Yield and Algolia recently added to their tech ecosystem, CASA’s journey is far from over. The ability to iterate quickly and personalise customer journeys has set them on a trajectory for continued growth in the e-commerce landscape.
Strategic Steps for Success in MACH Commerce Integration
For businesses looking to emulate CASA’s success, here are the top lessons from their journey:
Having the right blueprint from the beginning is crucial for long-term success.
MACH commerce allows for gradual integration of platforms, minimising disruption and ensuring smooth operations.
Whether it’s for loyalty programs or personalisation, working with experts who understand the technology ensures optimal results.
Fast implementation and iteration keep you aligned with business goals and customer expectations.
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Get in touchThe Future of Personalisation
CASA’s success story, presented at DMEXCO 2024, is a testament to the power of MACH commerce in delivering personalised, omnichannel experiences. With the right tech stack, a clear vision, and expert partners like supersonic and Voucherify, businesses can scale and evolve quickly while keeping their customers at the heart of everything they do.
Are you ready to explore MACH commerce for your brand? Reach out to supersonic today to see how we can help you deliver a more personalised and agile shopping experience!