HELIT - Mirbest Group: renewed ecommerce platform

HELIT Kereskedelmi Kft, a member of the Mirbest Group, has been a stable supplier to restaurants, hotels, buffets, and adult and children's catering kitchens in Budapest since 1991. Their product range is extensive, with around 15,000 products on sale. They aim to increase their online presence. As their previous ecommerce platform did not provide the right platform for expansion, new features, and branding, they decided to replace it.

When choosing a developer, they sought quick implementation, relevant references, and the possibility of custom development in the B2B field. Considering these aspects, they decided to go with LogiNet Logishop Pro's B2B platform.

During the pre-scoping phase, which consisted of several discussions before the project was launched, the scope was outlined. HELIT refined its ideas for the new ecommerce platform with advice from LogiNet and finalized the design ideas with the UX team at LogiNet, the experts at 22.design.

The development of the HELIT ecommerce platform was launched in early 2022 and took nearly 8 months, including the pre-specification phase. LogiNet was up and running in parallel with the previous online store, and finally, the temporary domain was moved to the permanent site. The new online store has also replaced the previous website, with all the content, blogs, and banners being moved to the new site.

Important specific features have been added to the Logishop Pro B2B platform, some of which are related to the specificities of the sector (FMCG).

The logged-in user is required to select a delivery date after loading the main page. The ecommerce platform will offer dates closer to the current date, but the user can also request a later delivery date. The delivery date will not only affect prices but also promotions and pre-order availability.

In the customer interface on the main site, the order deadline for a user belonging to a specific partner is determined according to the postcode. On the main site's customer interface and checkout page, the user is informed of the remaining order deadline for that day.

This means that customers in the countryside and those in Budapest will see different order deadlines.

For the selected delivery date, if the user has less than 1 hour to place an order, the system will display a countdown timer to indicate the remaining time.

If the user wishes to place the order at a time that is outside the time slot delivery limits, they will be notified (e.g., "We cannot provide next-day time slot delivery for orders placed after 8 pm").

The time slot delivery notification does not exclude the possibility of placing an order; the user may still place an order outside the order deadline.

This feature has become necessary for non-paying customers to prevent them from placing further orders. The ecommerce platform sends a message to the user who attempts to log in, informing them of the inactive status of the partner.

In the customer interface on the product listing page and the product end page, the user is informed of the planned order quantity weight for the products. Different units of measure are indicated for each product (e.g., litres, pcs, kg), and the weight calculator shows the weight of the planned order quantity in kilograms, regardless of the product's base unit of measure.

HELIT's partners needed to display several types of documents in the ecommerce platform interface, such as return documentation, delivery notes, and order confirmations. The vouchers page allows customers to keep track of their pending and closed vouchers.

The ecommerce platform also displays different types of invoices.

In the product list, the pre-order option for each product informs the user whether the product can be pre-ordered. The system calculates the pre-order date based on the data from the intermediate database.

For products with a fast delivery date, the customer must know exactly when the product will be available and can choose in advance the delivery date for which they wish to order. The design of the logic required custom development.

The renewed design of the ecommerce platform was developed with Logishop elements, adapted to the HELIT brand needs.

A separate custom design was created for the deadline counter and time slot delivery.

To display the catalogues in HELIT's ecommerce platform, a plug-in module, Publitas, was used to present the content in a user-friendly way: visitors can scroll through the catalogue.

The renewed HELIT online store has been well received by users, and the new look has not caused any disruption in the ordering process. Customers have positively appreciated the display of the favourites list, the quick search function, the detailed delivery information (deadline counter), and the clear display of the minimum order quantity. In addition, it was important for them to have an overview of the entire product portfolio in the ecommerce platform, with detailed information and quality photos.

One-third of the nearly 2000 active users already place their orders in the B2B platform. So far, experience has shown that a higher proportion of customers who previously ordered by phone have switched to the online platform.

The renewed HELIT B2B ecommerce platform has successfully enhanced the online shopping experience with tailored features and user-friendly design, leading to increased customer adoption and satisfaction. As HELIT continues to innovate and expand, the platform is poised to further strengthen its position in the FMCG sector.