Transforming Ecommerce Platform for a Global Medical Tech Provider

Client

The customer is a global medical technology company, renowned for manufacturing cutting-edge medical equipment and delivering innovative solutions for clinicians and healthcare administrators.

Client Need

To meet the growing demand for medical devices and handle large traffic volumes, the client was seeking the expertise to enhance their ecommerce platform. They sought a robust and scalable solution to improve system performance, streamline complex integrations between multiple platforms, and accelerate the time-to-market for essential products.

Solution

The client’s original platform was an ecommerce solution for selling medical devices with standard SAP Commerce Cloud features, but it lacked customization and had several areas needing improvement. This project required Expert Soft’s ecommerce website development services to enhance essential functionalities. Our team implemented custom features and solutions, integrating seamlessly with other business systems to ensure smooth data flow and reliable payment processing. As a result, the platform now benefits from:

• – Customization and enhancement of product catalogs, shopping carts, and login.
• – Resolved checkout issues, ensuring a smooth process.
• – Integration with custom payment engine.
• – Custom solution that streamlines sales process.

SAP Commerce Cloud version migration was also in the scope. When we stepped onto the project, the platform was running on an outdated version of SAP Commerce Cloud (Hybris 6). Expert Soft led the continuous upgrade of the system, bringing it to the current version, 22.11.

Challenges

Faster purchase of ventilators in COVID-19

With the onset of the pandemic in 2020, the client needed to expedite the sale of ventilators. Time was of the essence, and delays were not an option. Our team responded by rapidly deploying a custom system that streamlined the approval and purchase process for ventilators.

We bypassed some of the standard validation steps, allowing for faster transactions without compromising safety, demonstrating our ability to deliver solutions even under immense pressure and deadlines.

Integration of multiple systems

For content and data management, the ecommerce platform relied on two systems: Sitecore for content and SAP Commerce Cloud for back-end product data. So, the front-end team had to navigate the complexity of correctly receiving and displaying data from two platforms.

Overcoming the challenge, we enabled the client to use distinct platforms for specific tasks, increasing operational flexibility and the platform’s ability to scale with evolving business needs.

SPA implementation

Our team transformed the original client server-rendered application (SSR) into a single-page application (SPA) with client-side rendering (CSR) using React. This upgrade introduced new business-aligned functionality, enhancing user experience, and streamlining the checkout process.

Analytics showed that with the SPA, customers reached the payment stage more frequently, boosting engagement and purchase rates.

Creating front-end library

The website front-end is supported by a custom-built component library, used across all client projects. The library standardizes components like forms, pagination, tooltips, popovers, and more, requiring constant expansion and maintenance, in which our team is actively involved.

By establishing a front-end “storybook,” we sped up development cycles and ensured consistency in design across multiple projects. This library not only cut down on redundant coding but also streamlined the rollout of new features across the platform.

React component refactoring

As part of the platform’s overhaul, Expert Soft took on a major front-end code refactoring initiative. We converted outdated React class-based components into modern functional components. This refactoring aligned the platform with the latest development standards, improving code maintainability and flexibility.

The upgrade ensured the ecommerce platform was ready for future expansions and could keep pace with the client’s evolving product lineup.

Performance enhancements

To improve user experience, Expert Soft implemented skeleton loading, where only essential elements are displayed first, with additional content loaded progressively. This minimized waiting times and provided users with a faster, more responsive shopping experience, particularly during peak traffic periods.

Front-end testing

To ensure high code quality and prevent regressions, we incorporated thorough unit testing using React Testing Library (RTL). This enabled us to continuously validate front-end components and ensure stability, especially as the platform evolved with frequent updates.

By rigorously testing the code, we minimized the risk of downtime and other issues that could negatively affect user experience.

Technologies

SAP Commerce Cloud, Java, HTML, CSS, JS, React, JavaScript, TypeScript.