XL-Byg
XL‑BYG has launched a new e‑commerce platform based on modern MACH architecture, supporting both professional tradespeople and private customers.
PIM
E-Commerce & Omnichannel
Data & Integration
Architecture
Digital strategy
Silvan significantly increases revenue with a new e‑commerce solution
Silvan has modernised its digital foundation with a flexible MACH platform that enhances speed, stability, and development capabilities. The new solution has reduced technical debt, strengthened the customer experience, and laid the foundation for impressive growth in the digital business.
Silvan
0
% yearly
growth in e-commerce
0
DIY stores
0
% reduction
in operating costs
Solution
Kraftvaerk developed a modern e‑commerce platform based on a MACH architecture (Microservices, API‑first, Cloud‑native, and Headless), designed according to the principle of separation of concerns.
The new architecture provides Silvan with a flexible and scalable platform where individual systems and services can be developed and replaced independently of one another. This enables continuous development of the platform in line with business needs and technological advances.
As part of the project, a number of improvements were also implemented to enhance the user experience and purchasing flow, including a redesign of product pages and new features that make it easier and faster for customers to complete their purchases.
At the same time, a technological foundation was established that enables the integration of both digital services and physical stores into a unified omnichannel strategy.
Challenges for Silvan
Silvan’s digital ambitions had outgrown what their existing platform could support. Over time, the solution had become complex and burdened with significant technical debt. Even minor changes could pose a risk of downtime, and the platform was difficult to evolve further.
As a result, the majority of the e‑commerce budget was spent on bug fixing and maintenance rather than innovation and the development of new digital services.
At the same time, as the platform was approaching end of life, Silvan faced a strategic choice: either continue with a technologically constrained solution or invest in an entirely new digital foundation.
The decision was made to implement a new e‑commerce platform capable of supporting both current and future needs.
Results
In addition to enabling Silvan to continuously develop new digital services and improve the customer experience, the new platform has also had a significant impact on both performance and business results. These have included:
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1Index 143 at launch.
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2Improved customer satisfaction.
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330% yearly growth in e-commerce.
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450% reduction in operating cost.
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5Deployment time reduced from 2.5 hours to 10 minutes.
Remarkable growth after launching
Up to 70–80% of Silvan’s customers now begin their purchasing journey online, making the launch of a completely new platform a significant risk.
Internally, there were expectations that traffic and order volumes would temporarily decline during the transition to the new solution.
However, the opposite proved to be the case.
Through a well-planned go-live strategy and close collaboration between Silvan and Kraftvaerk, the platform was successfully launched with strong results from day one. At launch, the solution achieved an index of 143, and since then, the e-commerce business has experienced steady growth of approximately 30% year-on-year.
Features and improved customer experience
The new platform made it possible to modernise Silvan’s entire digital foundation while introducing a range of new features that enhance both the customer experience and business efficiency.
Three-button delivery
As a new concept in the industry, Silvan introduced a checkout flow inspired by the three-button delivery principle, making the purchase and delivery process as simple and fast as possible.
The solution reduces friction in the checkout flow and makes it easier for customers to complete their purchases. At the same time, the feature has helped make click and collect the preferred delivery option.
Customers can now order online and collect their items from their local Silvan store within just 30 minutes.
Integration between webshop and stores
To strengthen the connection between the webshop and physical stores, location numbers have been introduced for products online.
When a customer selects a store, a location number is displayed directly on the product page. This number corresponds to the product’s placement in the store, making it easy for both customers and staff to quickly locate the item.
This creates a more cohesive omnichannel experience and makes in-store visits more efficient.
Real-time stock visibility across stores
Customers can now view stock availability directly on product pages and see which stores have the item in stock.
This reduces unnecessary store visits and provides a more transparent purchasing experience.
From locked platform flexible MACH architecture
The previous platform was both complex and difficult to work with. Even small changes required deploying the entire solution, making development slow and risky.
With the new MACH-based architecture, Silvan now has a far more flexible platform, where new features can be developed and implemented rapidly.
Kraftvaerk is unmatched when it comes to technical expertise in the industry.
Vincent Thomas Højlyng,
Head of eCommerce at Silvan
“Kraftvaerk is unmatched when it comes to technical expertise in the industry. The people are exceptionally skilled—and at the same time truly great to work with. We came from a very rigid solution with little flexibility. Everything required developer expertise, and even small changes meant deploying the entire solution. Today, we have a solution based on MACH, which gives us a high degree of flexibility as well as exceptional operational stability.”
Discovery and technology selection
The project began with a comprehensive discovery phase, during which Silvan’s needs, existing systems and future ambitions were analysed.
Together, we mapped the current solution and designed the architecture for the new platform. A series of workshops and meetings were also conducted with potential technology partners to identify the solutions that would best support Silvan’s requirements.
Silvan wanted a standardised e-commerce platform with a high degree of flexibility and the ability to adapt to the company’s specific business processes.
The choice fell on commercetools, primarily due to the platform’s strong API architecture and flexibility.
Technology
The platform is built on a modern composable stack:
E-commerce: commercetools
CMS: Contentful (headless)
Personalisation: Relewise
This architecture enables Silvan to continuously develop new services and integrate additional systems without being locked into a single, monolithic platform.
Business benefits
The new platform has not only strengthened Silvan’s technical foundation – it has also delivered clear business impact.
The platform makes it possible to rapidly implement new features based on input from the stores and to develop proof of concepts much faster than before.
At the same time, the marketing and e-commerce teams have gained greater autonomy in their work with digital campaigns and landing pages.
Omnichannel as strategic focus
Today, Silvan views silvan.dk as both a digital sales channel and a showcase for its physical stores.
The new platform makes it possible to integrate the stores more closely into the digital customer journey and to develop new services that connect online and offline experiences.
As a result, the modernisation of the technical foundation has created a strong starting point for Silvan’s continued digital development.
