Haworth: Online traffic skyrockets 438% with Progress Sitefinity

The chosen platform had to be fully customizable, extensible and compatible with its existing systems, including SAP, Avalara Tax and its Cumulus Data Asset Management (DAM) System. The system also had to be flexible enough to offer a unique customer experience.

Eric Spencer, Solutions Architect at Springthrough, recalled the project landscape, “There were many concerns about the SKU structure. It’s extremely complex and not designed for the consumer marketplace. That weighed heavily on our choice of technology.”

But picking the platform was only  the beginning. The team also had to resolve the SKU issue. Says Eric, “A single chair can have over a million configurations when you factor fabric type, color, wood, trim, casters, size and a host of other variables.” This increases further when required modifications for modular pieces are considered. All of this had to be done in such a way that Haworth’s SAP system would accept direct orders from the ecommerce engine. The SKU had to match and the pricing had to correctly configure.

“All components of a desk are separate. If you choose a rectangle desk, for example, the system needs to know what legs, bolts, brackets and finishes go with it. If the desk configuration changes to an angled corner, bolts, brackets and legs would all change. It’s very complex.”

Visualization was also important. The platform had to work with existing and new visualization technology. Haworth does not have brick and mortar stores, so getting customers to better understand its products while visiting the online store was crucial to its success.

There were several challenges. The site had to present Haworth’s exhaustive options without overwhelming customers, while under the hood, the system needed to ensure customers would receive the right assembly pieces and hardware with their orders. Further, the system had to be flexible enough to incorporate the new visualization technology needed to create a unique customer experience. These factors, coupled with the requirement to integrate with existing systems, strongly influenced the overall site architecture and design. “We have an experienced team here at Springthrough, and bar none, this was the most complicated work we’ve ever done,” says Eric.

After a thorough review, Haworth chose Sitefinity with Ecommerce. Sitefinity met all requirements for extensibility and system integration, plus it would enable the company to standardize its web properties on one solution.

“Sitefinity is our go-to CMS,” says Eric, “We’ve encountered other CMSs, but they often have challenges since most other systems are not user friendly. ”

First, Springthrough developed a SKU generation engine based on the Sitefinity platform. This included building a user interface giving Haworth the ability to create the base elements and simple rules needed to create and price different versions of each of the products it sells in the store. “The art of good web design is to make complex technology, simple,” said Eric.

Next, came enhanced product visualization with Adobe Scene 7. Incorporated within the Augmented Reality iPad app, it lets users envision the furniture in their homes from any angle. They can see how the furniture will look, if it will fit, change the color and share photos with others. Customers can also purchase from the app which launches the Haworth site: store.haworth.com.

In terms of integrations, Haworth’s store integrates with SAP for order fulfillment, Auth.NET’s customer relation manager and Avalara Tax for tax calculations. Haworth collects tax in all 50 states and Avalara Tax aids with the complexity. For example, Haworth’s “White Glove Delivery” is technically a service, so in certain areas it’s taxable and in others not. Says Eric, “Haworth’s ecommerce site exceeded it expectations in terms of design, function, and integration.”