"Em Xi Arth" designed the website based on the solution 1C-Bitrix for Simmetron of EK

2020: Development of the website based on 1C-Bitrix

On July 21, 2020 the Em Xi Arth company reported that in the spring of 2018 the Simmetron company handled in "Em Xi Arth" a problem of development of the website of group based on 1C-Bitrix. A project objective was increase in number of Internet orders and also increase in brand recognition of Simmetron, informing potential buyers on goods and company services, implementation of the tools facilitating interaction with key clients. The project is initiated within the complex strategy of development for the ecommerce-direction of group.

Product catalog "Simmetron

The Em Xi Arth command should design the corporate website including:

• Information sections (news, articles, FAQ, etc.)
• Difficult product catalog with parametrical search
• Personal account of the buyer
• The integration module with MS Axapta ERP system
• Integration modules with external suppliers of data
• The loading mechanism BOM-files (specifications of goods)
• Reporting module

The product catalog of Simmetron as of July, 2020 includes goods about 80 Russian and foreign producers. The directory of goods is designed on 10,000,000 SKU, on a pilot project the base of the website contained 250,000 positions. The company is engaged in distribution of chips, sensors, condensers, resistors and other components for production of industrial power electronics, car electronics and the special purpose equipment. Feature of goods of this kind are ultraprecise characteristics. So, for example, the rated capacity of the condenser can be 22,000 microfarad (microfarad, i.e. 10−6Ф), and resistor resistance – 600 MEGOHMS (0.6 Ohms) can 1000 pkf (picofarads, i.e. 10−12Ф), and also 820 MEGOHMS (820,000,000 Ohms) can. Naturally, indicators cannot be rounded or given to a general view – in electronics accuracy is necessary.

One more feature is different digit capacity of characteristics from different suppliers in one section of the directory. When 1.5 kW and 1500 W are identical values, they are required to be fulfilled correctly when sorting properties.

"Regular Bitrix is not able to store ultraprecise data of this kind. It not the same as to show 3-4 standard clothing sizes or 5 available flowers. We had to design special architecture to store and correctly to display hundreds of mixed parameters differing on several orders on the website. At different electronic components the different list of characteristics, in total their more than one thousand. To create such directory the command had to plunge into specifications and to become all a few electronics engineers", 'Maxim Kuchuk-Kurnakov, the technical director Em Xi Arth noted'

Flexible rules of the directory allow to display only those properties in which there are values for each branch. Each of these properties can be configured for an output on the main sheet, in a complete card of goods that gives the chance to users to hide minor properties and to independently define what of properties will participate in filtering.

Display of the directory from mobile devices

Correct display of the directory from mobile devices became one more difficulty. The analytics of traffic proved that many buyers make out orders from smartphones and tablets. It is necessary that with the directory it was convenient to work on any screen, at the same time it is impossible to hide a part of columns, each characteristic is important for the customer.

The important requirement was the convenience of navigation. It is not simple taking into account that the directory has 4 nesting levels, and to force the user to wander long about tabs – inadmissibly.

As a result it was succeeded to find the functional solution. At vertical arrangement of the smartphone the pop-up window with a request appears to turn the device horizontally. At turn the directory right there takes a convenient form, the runner for scrolling helps to study all characteristics even on the small screen.

Besides, on the website parametrical search in components, producers and solutions is available. Results are displayed in the course of a set of search query.

At clique on any position of the directory the block with the main characteristics of goods, the price and the button "add to cart" reveals. If the price depends on purchasing amount, the client will see all options of the prices directly in the directory.

The user follows the link "Complete Card of Goods" to the page with the detailed specification, the PDF file of documentation and the link to search of the additional PDF instructions in Google.

As the main part of customers of Simmetron – the organizations purchasing components for the projects demanded is the function "request a sample". To receive free samples, it is necessary to fill a form, having provided information on a projectible product, planned dates and necessary quantity of goods items. The number of each SKU which can be received is free, set in a system.

Personal account of Simmetron

In a personal account the user can manage the goods added to "favorites", edit a profile, change settings of electronic mailings.

Further it is going to create a full-fledged B2B-office for automation of all stages of work with partners, from order placement before sending the closing documents and control of receivables.

The website "Simmetron" is integrated with the ERP system of Microsoft Dynamics AX (Axapta) that allows to unload on the website information on the nomenclature, the internal qualifier, price agreements and a commodity remaining balance on warehouses.

The module written by the developers "Em Xi Arth" for Simmetron can work as in the mode of a global exchange, so in the mode of exchange of changes.

Using integration on API with the external supplier of data (the international marketplace) on the website, there is an opportunity, to automatically load and enrich information on goods:

• Description of goods;
• Properties of goods necessary for parametrical search;
• Photos of goods;
• Links to the PDF specification.

Integration helped Simmetron to lower several times labor costs by description of characteristics of goods.

Loading of BOM service. On the website function of loading Excel file of specifications and conversion of the found nomenclature positions to the order is organized. Service supports loading of files in the xls, xlsx or csv format.

In a project deliverable the functional online store was created. The complex products with thousands of ultraprecise characteristics can be ordered even from the smartphone.

Integration with CRM, ERP and the external supplier of data accelerated and simplified work of several departments of the company at once. Clients received the convenient tool for the choice and the order of necessary electronic components. For July, 2020 on the website it is possible to find about 250,000 goods, the majority of which are followed by the detailed description and up-to-date information about existence in a warehouse or an opportunity to order a necessary batch under any project. And, above all, laid the foundation for further development, adding and enrichment of the nomenclature, development of modern services for clients of the company.

Simmetron signed the permanent agreement of technical support within which "Em Xi Arth" performs works on support and development of a system.

In plans of the company – creation of the complex ecommerce-platform. Strategy includes creation of a marketplace for collaboration with industry partners, implementation of B2B-offices for corporate customers, expansion of opportunities of online store.