Kermi: From a Website Relaunch to a Group-Wide Digital Platform

Since 2018, we have been developing a scalable TYPO3 ecosystem for Kermi, featuring sophisticated integrations and a multi-brand architecture designed for multi-stage sales processes.

The Platform at a Glance

We have been working continuously with Kermi since 2018. The collaboration began with the technical takeover and modernization of an outdated TYPO3 instance and has evolved into a high-performance ecosystem through several relaunches, system integrations, and enhancements.

The focus is on orchestrating the multi-tiered sales model, which serves residential customers, specialist partners, retailers, and installers through customized customer journeys. The platform deeply integrates product and customer data into an information hub and partner portal.

As a TYPO3 Solution partner, we ensure the long-term success of this infrastructure through continuous development, new platform features, and strategic reassessment.

Services at a Glance

The following services have been developed over the years as part of various initiatives, relaunches, and expansions:

01

Strategy, Platform & Architecture
- Building a Scalable Multi-Brand Platform
- TYPO3-Based Development and Enterprise Setup
- Component Repository for Group-Wide Reusability
- International Multi-Domain Setup
02

UX, Design & Customer Experience
- Strategic Development of the Customer Journey and Information Architecture
- Structuring Content and Product Pages by Target Audience
- Development of complex navigation, filtering, and content logic
- Translating Brand Guidelines into Functional Web Components
03

Development, Integration & Applications
- Integration of core systems such as CRM and DAM
- Data-Driven Product Pages and Self-Service Logic
- Development and Integration of Tools, Portals, and Applications
- Synchronization of SSO and language logic across systems

Who is the customer?

Kermi is a leading European manufacturer of indoor climate and plumbing solutions. The company was long part of the Arbonia Group and now operates in the indoor climate sector under a new international corporate structure, while the shower design division remains part of the Arbonia Group.

The challenge: to create a digital experience for a highly complex product portfolio that requires detailed explanation within a multi-tiered distribution model - for private customers, specialist partners, and wholesalers alike.

What was the assignment?

The collaboration began with a technically outdated TYPO3 instance characterized by an ad-hoc structure, poor performance, and a system architecture that was virtually impossible to maintain.

Over the course of the collaboration, this evolved into an ongoing platform transformation involving several strategic initiatives:

Platform consolidation: Building a unified TYPO3 platform for various brands within the group (Kermi, Prolux, Abonia).
UX Strategy: Development of an information architecture that unifies complex user groups and multi-tiered sales channels (B2B & B2C).
System Architecture: Seamless orchestration and integration of numerous third-party systems such as DAM and CRM.
Digital Service Expansion: Design and operational support for the Kermi app strategy, as well as a visual redesign of the spare parts store.

In short:
A traditional website gradually evolved into a digital platform ecosystem.

Typical Challenges in Digital Platform Development

Over the course of our long-standing collaboration, new technical, strategic, and UX-related challenges arose time and again. Some areas of focus continued to shape the platform across multiple development phases:

Target Audience Segmentation:

Product detail pages must simultaneously provide emotional hooks for retail customers and in-depth technical information for professional partners - a challenging task of addressing segmented target audiences within the same page structure.

Technical Complexity:

Integration of encapsulated Vue applications into TYPO3 with shared session handling, login status, and localization between the CMS and external applications.

Brand Transformation:

Translation of multiple rebranding and brand adaptation initiatives into scalable web components and self-service processes, without disrupting existing content or user flows.

Our Approach

A Partnership of Equals

Our collaboration with Kermi is characterized by trust, openness, and technical expertise. Since 2018, we have supported the platform’s ongoing development - through multiple relaunches, rebrandings, corporate changes, and strategic realignments.

Instead of isolated individual projects, a comprehensive, long-standing digital partnership has emerged, in which the platform has been expanded, optimized, and realigned step by step.

Feature-Driven Evolution Instead of the Big Bang

The platform wasn't even reinvented; rather, it was developed iteratively. Each phase had a clear focus as part of the long-term overall plan:

2019: Technical stabilization
2022: Strategic UX realignment
2024: Strategic relaunch and brand integration

Between these milestones, continuous optimizations, enhancements, and system integrations took place - always with the goal of creating a scalable platform that could be used internationally.

Making Complexity Understandable

We don’t think in terms of individual pages, but rather in terms of systems, user journeys, and integrations. At the same time, we translate technical depth into user-centered interfaces.

Our strength lies in transforming brand design, complex integrations, and data-driven processes into functional, high-performance web components.

Conclusion

Digital Evolution as a Competitive Advantage

The partnership with Kermi is a prime example of continuous platform development. What began in 2018 as a legacy project evolved over several years - through relaunches, integrations, and enhancements - into a high-performance platform.

Highlights of the transformation:

The driving force: Seamless connectivity and integration of systems turn the platform into an information and service hub.
The Experience: Intelligent customer journeys guide individual customers emotionally toward a decision and lead specialist partners efficiently toward their technical goals.
The Speed: A scalable UI library and automated processes enable the rollout of new markets and features in record time.

Summary: Kermi fosters a close connection between the manufacturer, partners, and end customers, and - together with us - continually advances speed, service quality, and data-driven processes in both the B2B and B2C sectors.

From a Website to a Digital Ecosystem

We bring clarity to complex processes and products that require explanation.

Our clients

Our Services

Distinctive digital customer experiences