Eason & Son creates in-store and online commerce solution

Eason & Son Ltd are the leading Irish book retailer, with headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. Like many traditional retailers, Eason have felt the pressure from large online competitors. With a physical footprint of over 60 outlets, for the large bookseller competition is formidable.

Objectives

• Create exceptional omnichannel experiences for in-store and online customers
• Launch the platform before the beginning of the biggest retail season of the year – from Black Friday through to the January sales 
• Remain competitive in the face of giants.

The success of this project is about having the support of a proactive partner on the ground, one who deeply understands Optimizely CMS and in particular Optimizely Commerce. Made to Engage fulfilled this role with great success. Delivering a complex ecommerce project such as this, with a tight deadline for Black Friday, required a highly collaborative approach. We can now confidently say, we have the strong foundations in place to support our continuing roadmap for a customer-centred omnichannel strategy.

Michael Robinson

IT Manager , Eason & Son

Solution

Optimizely was chosen for its CMS and commerce platform capabilities in behavioral merchandising, automated marketing and search, and the way they would support Eason’s objectives of creating enhanced customer experiences.

Eason selected the Optimizely Digital Experience Platform due to its capability to craft personalized experiences for customers. The new digital environment would encompass a full implementation of Optimizely solutions. Optimizely Product Recommendations allowed Eason to offer data-driven, automated product recommendations, while Optimizely Marketing Automation empowered Eason’s marketing communications through transactional emails with tailored content for each user.

Optimizely Premium Partner, Made to Engage, positioned Eason for a seamless integration between Optimizely and Microsoft Dynamics AX. This direct integration to Microsoft CRT helped manage the synchronization of carts, orders and customer profiles. This capability would also enable the Irish retailer to use this data to develop personalization and automated product promotion strategies, driving relevance and overall customer experience.

Outcomes

This was an ambitious project, both from a technological and a timing point of view. The entire build had to be carried out in a timeframe which would allow Eason to capitalize on the largest retail window of the year, stretching through Black Friday to the end of the January sales. Eason has developed a strong vision for a seamless omnichannel experience for all customers.

Eason’s customers aren’t the only beneficiaries. Eason’s marketing teams are in a stronger position, equipped with the agility and capabilities they need to build enticing customer experiences - all from a single platform.