SSL International puts best foot forward with hybris and Javelin Group’s CamelCommerce

Published 17th July 2009

...Online sales for Scholl brand doubled in the UK following implementation of hybris and CamelCommerce e-commerce platform to support direct sales strategy...

London – 17 July 2009. hybris (www.hybris.com), a multi-channel commerce and communication software vendor, and Javelin Group (www.javelingroup.com), an e-commerce consultancy and systems integrator, have together announced the successful implementation of a new best practice B2C e-commerce website for Scholl in the UK, based on hybris and Javelin Group’s CamelCommerce e-commerce platform.

Scholl, the global footwear and footcare brand, is part of the SSL International portfolio of brands, which also includes Durex and a range of locally-owned over the counter (OTC) products such as Full Marks, Medised and Paramol in the UK. Scholl brands range from its Party Feet gel insole range to Flight Socks and the iconic Scholl Pescura sandal, which is 50 years old this year.

The launch of the revised UK e-commerce website for Scholl has led to a significant increase in online sales and web traffic for www.scholl.com. It also marks the first phase in SSL International’s long-term commitment to providing direct consumer interaction with the brand.

SSL International, which is represented in over 100 countries throughout the world, now plans to roll-out the website to overseas markets, starting in Europe from July, followed by the consideration of emerging market requirements.

Development of a B2C website for Durex, which will initially be launched in the UK later in 2009 and then rolled out around the world, is already under way.

Waseem Haq, Head of Web & E-commerce Solutions, SSL International plc, said: “SSL International has had an online presence for many years and is committed to providing the very best online communication and e-commerce to its very broad customer base.

“Our aim with this latest online development was to enable our customers to interact with the Scholl brand and its products, whilst also using our vast knowledge as global foot experts to recommend products to them,” he added.

Scholl had outgrown its previous e-commerce system which was not capable of supporting the ‘problem-solution journey’ that SSL International’s direct sales channel needs to provide to today’s online consumer.

It needed to find an e-commerce platform that would support the functionality and flexibility required to provide the online shopping experience that consumers now expect, with the robustness and scalability necessary to cope with increased volumes of web traffic and corresponding business growth as SSL International replaces existing brand sites in other territories.

Javelin Group’s modular ‘hybris plus’ solution called CamelCommerce addressed SSL International’s long term goals. CamelCommerce combines the multi-channel, multi-language and multi-currency capabilities for which hybris is best known with additional best practice e-commerce functionality and integration with market-leading applications for order management, search and navigation, personalisation, analytics and customer ratings. The opportunity to cross-sell and up-sell is supported by sophisticated promotional and merchandising capabilities and an efficient checkout process, maximising average order value (AOV).

Kees de Vos, Director of Technology, Javelin Group, said: “We worked extremely closely with SSL International and hybris to provide an enterprise-scale, production-ready yet highly configurable solution that can be rolled out quickly and cost effectively by SSL International for their extensive portfolio of brands in over 100 countries. CamelCommerce, which offers ‘hybris plus’ out-of-the-box, is now available to other retailers and distributors, allowing them to re-platform, increase their multichannel capabilities and/or venture into a new territories with significantly reduced investment and quicker time to market.”

Andy Piscina, UK Country Manager for hybris, commented: “The growth in sales from the new Scholl UK website in such a short space of time demonstrates the benefits of combining a solid architectural foundation with best practice e-commerce expertise and forward looking business and brand knowledge to deliver a functionally rich, scalable solution. Javelin Group has taken an innovative approach to the delivery of best practice e-commerce ‘as standard’ in CamelCommerce and we are confident that SSL International’s strategy to expand its e-commerce capabilities are in safe hands.”