WebKinz® Launches Revamped eCommerce Platform Using Broadleaf Commerce

The Opportunity

Ganz, a Canadian-based company and maker of Webkinz®, had become aware that its home grown eCommerce application had architectural flaws, which made it difficult to maintain and expensive to implement new features.  Ganz selected Credera as its partner to provide technical leadership, strategic guidance, and additional technical resources for its eCommerce implementation of Broadleaf Commerce, the open source eCommerce platform.  Credera was engaged to ensure the Broadleaf Commerce implementation and customization met Ganz’s requirements to bundle physical and virtual products and currencies, as well as, integrate with Ganz’s existing physical fulfillment and Webkinz® online gaming systems.

The Approach

Credera led a discovery phase to determine the eCommerce project scope and roadmap.  The discovery phase provided Ganz:

– eCommerce Re-platform Project Vision and High-Level Work Plan

•  Recommended project scope and approach

• Feature backlog and estimated project duration

• Critical success factors

• Estimated project costs (broken out by phase)

• Potential issues, risks, and assumptions

• Training deliverables, approach, and methodology

• Potential external resource options

• Technical integration list and integration challenges

• High-level end-state topology

– High-level Broadleaf Commerce Roadmap and Vision

Ganz, Broadleaf Commerce, and Credera worked together to achieve a successful outcome.  Ganz provided the majority of the development team while Broadleaf Commerce and Credera provided technical leadership, strategic guidance, and additional technical resources as needed.  In addition, Credera introduced the Agile methodology, which provided the Ganz leadership team with more visibility to the project.

“We recommend our clients be heavily represented in project team structures.  Once an initiative is complete, Credera’s clients are more readily equipped to support ongoing efforts,” said Justin Bell, Credera Partner and project liaison between the Ganz and Broadleaf Commerce teams.

The Results

Ganz relaunched its eStore in May 2012.  The eCommerce initiative highlighted Credera’s ability to strategically lead an eCommerce implementation to support a complex enterprise.  The Broadleaf Commerce platform accommodated mixed shopping orders of virtual (i.e., eStore points) and physical currencies, and a promotions builder to discount orders that contain both physical and virtual products.

“Ganz now has a simplified application compared to the complexity we had with our home grown eCommerce engine.  We can better accommodate feature changes in the future and better support future business needs,” said Roy Reshef, Software Architect, Ganz.

“Ganz could not have completed the Broadleaf Commerce implementation without the support of the Broadleaf Commerce and Credera development teams,” said Paul Blamire, Director of QA and eCommerce, Ganz.

• ECommerce
• Broadleaf Commerce
• Ganz
• Webkinz