Fueling eCommerce success in a niche market: a long-term partnership that delivers results
Unlocking a new market through ecommerce, we partnered with Scandinavia's largest solid wood fuels producer to build and optimize their online store for the Latvian market.
Client: Scandbio
Timespan: Mar '14 - present
Key Focus: Headless eCommerce
Scope: Web Design, Web Development, Content planning, Digital Marketing
Technologies: Shopify, Laravel, Angular.js
Scandbio is Scandinavia's largest producer of solid processed wood fuels, with approximately 160 employees across 7 plants in Sweden and one in Latvia. They produce and sell around 650,000 tonnes of biofuels annually, generating a turnover of roughly MSEK 1000. Their core values hinge on sustainability, economy, and reliability.
Back in 2014, Scandbio aimed to penetrate the Latvian market with a new online sales channel. Up until then, their focus had been mainly on resellers and large accounts. The challenge was twofold: to build an ecommerce platform capable of handling complex delivery and VAT regulations, and to find a partner who could provide continuous development and support.
Over the years, we've released three major versions of the Scandbio online store. The most recent update incorporated a headless approach and switched to a Shopify checkout system. We functioned as an integrated ecommerce department for Scandbio, handling everything from website administration to SEO, analytics, and paid advertising.
Today, Scandbio is a leading online player in Latvia. Their online revenue increased by 29% in 2022 compared to the previous year. Customer reviews speak volumes, with a Google rating of 4.6 and an overall usability score of 8 out of 10.
Technical Details
We employed a headless ecommerce approach using Shopify for the checkout and a custom Laravel based frontend and backend to meet Scandbio's unique requirements.
Project Duration
The partnership initiated in early 2014 and continues to thrive.
Team
The key players in this ongoing success story are Martins (Product Lead), Zane (Project Manager), Maris (Digital Designer), and Mareks (Full-Stack Developer).
Lessons Learned
Consistency and attention to detail bring about great results. Our ongoing collaboration focuses on the small, yet significant changes that create a big impact.
Future Plans
We're considering a major revamp of the storefront, so stay tuned for further innovations.