A New BigCommerce Site for Van Cafe by Xfive
When an automotive parts reseller and manufacturing company switched their ERP, Xfive helped them with the design, development and integration of their new e-commerce site.
The Background
In beautiful North Fort Collins, Van Cafe has bloomed from a dream to a well-established business over the years. Passion for innovation and the automotive industry, combined with the fact that they make a significant portion of their products in their manufacturing facility, place them in a unique position in the Vanagon market.
A unique position requires a unique presentation. The Van Cafe team shares the common goal of being the leader in the Vanagon accessory market. Their new e-commerce site, designed and developed by Xfive is a significant step towards this goal.
The Challenge
Van Cafe wanted a unique vintage-like branding and style for their new e-commerce site. What might not be apparent from the laid-back new website are significant moves in the underlined digital technologies.
To support their growth and operations, Van Cafe switched to the Acumatica ERP system. Their existing e-commerce system Volusion didn’t provide native integration with Acumatica. That’s why they decided to switch to BigCommerce and reach out to Xfive, a digital product agency, and a certified BigCommerce partner.
Xfive’s Approach
Over the course of 3 months, the team comprising Product Manager, UX and UI designers, front-end and BigCommerce developers, and quality controller, worked on the three key challenges:
- Creation of an intuitive UX that will guide users through the complex product configurator containing a variety of years, brands, and types of vans.
- Combining the usefulness of a modern e-commerce solution with a design referring to the vintage-inspired “van life” lifestyle.
- Implementation and development of a BigCommerce store with several custom features.
The Outcome
The target audience defined during the discovery process has sophisticated taste. The new Van Cafe’s website seamlessly blends together the functionality of a modern e-commerce website with a vintage look.
The design and functionality of Van Cafe’s online store required several custom solutions during the development phase:
- Xfive implemented over 10 custom widgets to meet the design and functional requirements.
- Possibility to define minimum quantity for product options was added to the standard BigCommerce configuration
- Xfive improved product galleries by preventing low-resolution images from being upscaled (using GraphQL API)
- The design required 4-levels deep main navigation, which works well on mobile as well
The new website received positive feedback from external and internal stakeholders. Customers appreciate the new look and feel of the products’ presentation and enjoy the UX improvements in comparison to the previous version.
The conversion rate increased because of a simplified ordering process.
Ms. Ingrid Getzan, Van Cafe’s Director of Marketing said:
The design is wonderful, and our order processes have improved.
About Xfive
Xfive, an innovative digital product agency that has been focused on helping companies grow their online businesses and turn their visions into a reality.
For over 15 years Xfive has been helping start-ups, agencies, and established businesses design, build, maintain and scale their applications, e-commerce solutions, and websites.
Xfive has been fortunate to help with the initiation and growth of some amazing customers. Xfive is a development partner for Yanmar, SmartRecruiters, OECD, Chargebee, UC Berkeley, tens of digital agencies, and start-ups from the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia.
