The starting point:
Sales between established wholesale structures and growing demand for digital channels
For many companies in industries such as manufacturing, chemicals or the food industry, the following applies: sales are traditionally characterised by established wholesale structures. For companies such as NovaTaste, this means proven partnerships on the one hand, but also limited opportunities to make their own brands digitally experienceable and to get in direct contact with all business customers on the other. Particularly for those responsible for sales and eCommerce, this creates a dilemma: many customers are accustomed to digital services and simple ordering processes, but in building their own, direct channels there is the challenge of motivating customers extensively to use their own offering. Wholesale is frequently perceived as more convenient. On the other hand, new products often do not immediately make it onto retailers’ shelves – and therefore also not to the end customer.
This was also the case at NovaTaste, a globally leading provider of flavour innovations. The company was looking for a way to get in more direct contact with customers, to strengthen brand presence and to tap new revenue potential.
The goal: entry into eCommerce with a clear growth strategy
NovaTaste did not just want to build an online shop, but to create a scalable digital platform – without replacing existing sales channels in the process, but extending them in a meaningful way:
- Own sales channel as a complement to wholesale
- Make brands digitally experienceable, starting with the spice brand Wiberg
- Offer new services for higher efficiency and more convenience
- Create a long-term basis for margin increase and internationalisation
- Create relief for sales by enabling very small orders from e.g. butcher’s shops
to be processed online - Achieve significantly more customer satisfaction
The foundations: data, architecture and the first shop
Building on a central Product Content Management (PCM) – the data foundation for product information and recipes – the first online shop for the Wiberg brand was created with modern cloud architecture and a custom headless frontend – all on the basis of SAP Commerce Cloud:
- B2B shop: Focus on brand presentation, customer experience and high-quality
imagery - SAP Commerce backend: Technological basis for processes and integrations,
supplemented by a custom frontend and CMS - CRM integration: Automatic ticket creation in SAP Service Cloud upon
registration, address change and complaint - ERP integration: End-to-end price and condition logic
- Voucher process: Fully integrated into the ERP system
That completed the first step: a modern, digital sales channel that creates customer proximity
and puts the brand at the centre.
The expansion phase: from single-brand to multi-brand shop
The next step was the relaunch as a multi-brand shop, in which five NovaTaste brands are now
available.
- Multi-brand structure: A significantly expanded range for different
target groups - Digital tools: For example, a so-called sausage casing selector and
corresponding product configurations increase relevance for professional customers - New self-services: such as price list and specification downloads
- Interlinking of online and offline: Order history and last ordered products
are visible to customers at any time – regardless of the order channel - Target group expansion: New target markets such as the food industry
and butcher’s shops are reached - Loyalty marketing: Customer- and product-specific voucher codes enable
targeted promotions and campaigns
In this way, the platform grew step by step into a central digital sales channel
– with a broader product range, new services and an improved brand presence.
The results: higher turnover, greater independence, less effort
The digital platform is already showing significant results:
- Increased turnover through an expanded product portfolio and new target groups
- Higher margins thanks to direct sales channels and reduced dependence on
wholesalers - Reduced sales costs by serving small customers via the online shop
– personalised support remains reserved for major customers - Stronger customer loyalty through self-service features and digital services
- Brand strengthening through direct visibility of the NovaTaste brands in the digital
space
With the new multi-brand shop, we are strengthening our NovaTaste brands and
creating direct access to our customers. In doing so, we are not only offering greater
convenience, but also a noticeably better customer experience. SYBIT has supported us in this endeavour with
a high level of expertise and a deep understanding of our brand strategy.
Success Story
Relevant events
What do you think of NovaTaste’s experience with SAP and SYBIT?
Would you also like to further develop your digital service strategy using AI? We can help you design scalable platforms and digital services that effectively combine efficiency, customer value and growth.
Mail: sales@sybit.de
Phone: +44 7348948903