In 2019, Stenik successfully developed the online store for Douglas Bulgaria. Five years later, Douglas once again entrusted our team with the development of its first mobile application for the Bulgarian market. Driven by the desire to enhance user experience and online store performance, Douglas decided to migrate its online store to Hyvä Storefront.
The primary goal of the migration was to improve performance, accessibility, and site optimization, enhance loading speed, and increase visibility in search engines to meet the high standards and brand image of Douglas.
Challenges of the old site:
- Slow page loading.
- Limited search engine visibility.
- Redesign of visual elements, including:
- A header with easier navigation and better structure.
- A banner slider with a new look and functionalities.
- New banner widgets for improved visual brand communication.
- Restructuring of category filters to help users find products more easily. - Adding additional functionalities that allow the administrator to independently activate countdown timers in sliders, moving banners, and other conveniences without the need for developer intervention.
- Updating all modules (both external and developed by Stenik) to the latest versions to ensure access to new functionalities and compatibility with the new architecture.
Team Formation
Strict adherence to the short development deadlines was also necessary, requiring precise organization and coordination of all project stages by our team. To meet the set deadlines, we formed an internal team that included a project manager (PM), front-end (FE), and back-end (BE) developers, who worked exclusively on the migration to Hyvä Storefront. At key moments, Stenik’s technical director was also involved, assisting with technical challenges and overseeing the proper execution of tasks.
Douglas also formed a team on their side, actively contributing to a smooth migration process by providing feedback and the necessary resources for a successful outcome.
Migration Process
The Stenik team worked closely with Douglas to ensure a seamless transition to Hyvä Storefront. The process included the following key stages:
1. Detailed analysis of the online store: Before migration, we conducted an in-depth analysis of the existing online store, identifying key areas for improvement. The German team from Douglas also carried out a detailed SEO analysis, which resulted in specific tasks that had to be completed before launch to avoid a decline in already achieved results.
2. Preliminary discovery: During the preliminary research, we examined all technical specifications, modules, and customizations. Based on the collected information, we prepared a specification outlining the migration steps.
3. Building the new site: After completing the analysis, we started building the new site based on Hyvä Storefront, focusing on performance optimization and improving user experience, including optimizing the site structure.
4. Partial redesign was implemented to enhance key visual elements.
5. Testing and evaluation after migration: Even during development, we conducted tests and checks in a staging environment. Based on a compiled list of all customizations and modules in the site, each feature had to be tested. After the new site was ready, testing continued. A challenge arose in testing integrations with the ERP system since it operated on a live address. Through joint communication with the ERP team, we found a suitable testing method without compromising the online store’s functionality.
With the migration, we achieved the following goals:
- Improved performance: We optimized page loading time, leading to higher efficiency and a better user experience.
- Optimized accessibility and enhanced visual design: Ensuring a more convenient and intuitive user experience for all visitors, regardless of the device they use. This included improving visual elements such as the header, banners, and navigation filters, making the site more pleasant and easier to use.
- SEO optimization: Increased site visibility in search engines, resulting in improved rankings in search results - a prerequisite for greater organic traffic to the online store.
- Increased user engagement and retention, reducing the bounce rate.
Migration Results
After migrating to Hyvä Storefront, Douglas observed significant improvements in key site performance indicators:
- Mobile device loading speed improved by up to +74%.
- Page loading became twice as fast compared to the previous store version.
- The overall PageSpeed Insights score for the desktop version reached 97. Other key indicators included Accessibility - 92, Best Practices - 96, and SEO - 100.
- Following the migration to Hyvä Storefront, Douglas achieved significant performance improvements on the product detail page, including an increase in the Performance Score from 38% to 71% and a significant reduction in loading time.
The migration of Douglas’ online store to Hyvä Storefront is an essential step toward ensuring an optimal user experience and success in the digital journey of the beauty giant. Soon, we will share more information about key performance indicators after migration, accompanied by results based on a longer period in a detailed case study on our blog.
