mera – On the Path to Digital Transformation with the Digital Readiness Check and an IT Roadmap

We drew up a list of action items around PIM, e-commerce, analytics, UX/UI and managed service, which was then systematically worked through by priority together. A central task was implementing the PIM project. The system mera was using at the time couldn't be used efficiently, which was especially noticeable in the exports to retail partners. This was due to the constantly changing requirements placed on the system. The existing PIM urgently needed adapting so mera could remain attractive to its customers going forward, with product data available quickly and efficiently in the shop. What was needed was a flexible, future-proof PIM system. The choice fell on Contentserv.

Implementing the new PIM system brought huge benefits, for example in central data management. All product information is now gathered, organised and managed in one place. This eases the workload for teams responsible for product data and cuts the effort needed for data entry and maintenance. Data quality has also improved: the new system's automated workflows and rules for data entry and validation ensure all product information is consistent and correct. Product data management also delivers markedly better results, for example when creating product catalogues, updating prices, and managing images and videos.

In the B2C segment, mera has to have a very strong customer focus in order to maximise revenue through the web shop. That is why it was necessary to work on the branding and on how the brand values are presented. Above all, however, the corporate design was to be revised and the web presence optimised. A consistent brand identity and an appealing design leave customers with a professional and trustworthy impression. We delivered a design concept for this. 

Alongside this, UX/UI adjustments were also planned. Improvements were implemented and the B2C and B2B web shop optimised. With a customer-centred UX, mera can now analyse customer behaviour better. With the adapted UI, in turn, it was possible to design an intuitive user interface for the customer. Together, both can increase revenue via the web shop, since a positive user experience is the basis of customer loyalty. The improved UX/UI solutions bring benefits for the user experience. Simple navigation, clear product descriptions and fast loading times help visitors stay on the shop's website longer. A simple ordering process leads to higher sales and conversions and ensures a positive shopping experience.

In addition, mera's employees were to be enabled to analyse and reliably calculate ROAS and ROI independently, based on the revenue data generated by the various marketing channels. In order to present meaningful results and determine what concrete returns can be achieved from the respective advertising spend, we built various dashboards using Google Analytics. The company is now able to capture and interpret the data transparently. 

Besides various adjustments to the e-commerce system, managed service moved to us in the managed commerce Shopware cloud. This cut mera's risk of IT outages and security issues to a minimum. No long shop downtimes. We proactively spot technical problems and fix them before they cause outages or system interruptions. Plus, scaling the online shop takes minutes when traffic spikes. As external managed service provider, we're responsible for managing and running IT infrastructure and the web shop.

In us, mera has an experienced point of contact and tech service provider at its side. The collaboration with us has delivered significant added value for mera, both strategically and operationally.