Building an Exclusive E-commerce Optimizely Data Platform

Client

Our Client is a luxury brand specializing in exclusive lighting, furniture, and accessories. Their goal was to create a sophisticated e-commerce Optimizely data platform tailored to their unique business model.

Challenge

Our client faced several challenges:

Robust Front-End: A responsive and user-friendly interface using modern frameworks was critical to delivering a premium user experience.

Exclusive Access Model: The platform required a gated registration system where customers couldn’t directly purchase products, and needed manual validation to gain access to commerce functionalities.

Complex Data Integration: The platform required seamless synchronization and integration across multiple external systems, including Salsify for product information, Tibco for customer and order data, and Fortis for payment processing. Additionally, Optimizely’s Data Platform was integrated to enhance data-driven insights and ensure optimized content and personalization throughout the customer journey.

Advanced Features: The platform needed specialized features, including a multi-drop pendant builder, project management tools for interior architects, and integration with Fortis to provide credit card wallet functionality while ensuring compliance with PCI standards. 

Manual Order Processing: The website needed to capture order details while leaving fulfillment and payment processing for manual handling by the client’s team.

Solution

The solution was a custom e-commerce website built from scratch, leveraging Optimizely CMS 12 and Commerce 14.

Key features and integrations included:

Extensive Registration Flow:

• A rich and dynamic registration form with multiple validation paths.
• Integration with external systems to ensure applications could be manually validated by the Client’s team.

Product Catalog Integration:

• Synchronized product data from Salsify into Optimizely Commerce to ensure up-to-date and accurate product information.
• Created a synchronization flow to keep product data fresh and reliable.

Data Synchronization via Tibco:

• Integrated with Tibco for real-time synchronization of customer and order data from external SQL databases to the website.
• Exposed APIs for seamless interaction between the site and external systems.

Secure Payment and Address Management:

• Implemented an address book for easy reuse of shipping addresses.
• Developed a credit card tokenization system using Fortis to securely store and manage sensitive payment data while meeting PCI compliance standards.

Enhanced User Features:

• Multi-drop pendant builder to allow customization of pendant products.
• Project management functionality allows interior designers to organize products into distinct projects for their clients.
• Favorites and product recommendations integrated through Optimizely’s solutions.

Checkout and Order Processing:

• Built a single-page checkout flow with advanced front-end components like drawers for address book and credit card management.
• Orders were sent to Tibco for manual validation and processing by the Client’s team, ensuring control over the sales process.

Robust Front-End Development:

• Developed the front end using React to ensure a modern, responsive, and interactive user experience.

Results

The newly built e-commerce platform delivered:

• A streamlined registration and onboarding process, perfectly aligned with the Client’s exclusive business model.
• Effortless product management via synchronized data between Optimizely and Salsify.
• Secure and compliant payment processing that maintained customer trust.
• Robust features like the pendant builder and project management tools, enhance usability for target audiences such as interior designers.
• A visually appealing, modern, and responsive website that upholds the brand’s premium image.
• Extending the Optimizely Commerce platform by supporting tokenized credit card information with the help of Fortis storage.

First Line Software transformed development by enabling the rapid creation of logical flows using intuitive UI blocks inside Tibco. This innovative solution eliminates the need for extensive coding, allowing the client’s team to focus on what truly matters: driving their business forward.

Technologies

• CMS and Commerce: Optimizely CMS 12 and Commerce 14
• Data Integration: Tibco (customer and order synchronization), Salsify (product data), Fortis (payment), Optimizely Data Platform
• Front-End: React
• APIs: Custom integrations for external systems
• Search and Navigation: Optimizely Search for filters and sorting