Van Marcke: unifying digital platforms for an enhanced customer experience 

Client overview 

Van Marcke is a renowned company specializing in sanitaryware, heating, and renewable energy solutions, operating in Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and Switzerland. Traditionally a B2B2C company, Van Marcke now addresses both B2B and B2C customer groups. 

Initial situation 

Over the years, Van Marcke accumulated multiple platforms powered by different technologies, managed by various stakeholders, with minimal integration between them. This fragmented digital landscape led to: 

• a disjointed customer experience 

• lack of data centralization 

• complex platform architecture 

There was an urgent need for a unified platform catering to all customer groups, linked to the existing B2B e-commerce system, to simplify the platform architecture and infrastructure. 

Solution delivered 

To address these challenges, Dignify, the marketing technology specialist entity at Customer Collective, implemented a comprehensive solution: 

In-depth analysis 

• conducted thorough research to understand Van Marcke’s processes, needs, and goals, ensuring the proposed solutions aligned with their business objectives 

Design and user testing 

• created initial design prototypes for user testing to gather feedback and refine the designs accordingly 

• developed a complete design system to ensure consistent use of their visual identity throughout the website and other touchpoints 

Unified digital platform 

• developed a new website using Drupal, chosen for its flexibility and scalability 

• integrated various tools, including a job-posting site, a bathroom furniture configurator, and an appointment scheduling system, consolidating them into a logical customer journey under one multilingual VanMarcke.com website 

SEO and analytics focus 

• paid special attention to SEO, ensuring the platform was optimized to rank well in search engines and attract new users 

• implemented tools and features to track key performance indicators (KPIs) in analytics, providing actionable insights 

Scalability and autonomy 

• designed the platform with scalability in mind to support future growth, including onboarding new regions 

• ensured the client has maximum autonomy in managing their content and products effectively 

Results 

• Seamless customer experience: the new platform provides a unified and seamless experience, aligned with market needs and differentiated from competitors 

• Improved brand consistency: a comprehensive design system strengthened their visual identity across all touchpoints 

• Enhanced analytics and SEO performance: improved discoverability and actionable insights for growth 

• Modernized platform: a scalable, high-performance website built on Drupal, ready to support future innovation 

• Client autonomy: an intuitive system empowering the client to manage their content and tools independently