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Customer Story

Dutch DIY Leader Intergamma Doubles E-commerce Revenue with Agile

Intergamma adopts an Agile workflow to become an omnichannel retailer, improving both the customer experience and profits
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Related services
Agile

Industry
Retail

Company
Xebia

Founded in 1970, Intergamma is the company behind two Dutch hardware franchises, Gamma and Karwei. Part of the company’s success is attributable to its embrace of many customers’ Do-It-Yourself mindset by providing videos, suggestions, and other resources along with its products. Most stores are owned by independent entrepreneurs, who are also shareholders. With nearly 400 stores in Belgium and the Netherlands, the company has been a leader in the market for years and is among the top 15 hardware franchises in Europe.
Why
Increase e-commerce sales
What
Develop an omnichannel shopping experience for online customers
How
Implement cloud-based technology and an Agile workflow

Seeing Your Limits

The company has used a linear waterfall approach for years and has not reached its desired level of sales or service. Simon Hansen, Intergamma’s CIO, describes some frustrations: "With waterfall, customer wishes were defined at the board level and worked on in project form. Releases were always huge, which meant excellent small opportunities were lost. Intergamma didn’t have in-house developers, so external suppliers built everything remotely. Despite all that effort, we never got quite what we needed.”

Creating Connections

The company’s websites were unstable or responsive enough for the amount of traffic (in 2017). Load times lagged, and sales were lost. Transitioning to a cloud-based platform was the clear solution. Xebia was brought in to help with the transition. “Now we can deploy, automate testing, and process feedback much faster,” said Hansen. The websites now use data to cross-promote products. For example, when a customer buys paint, they will see suggestions for paintbrushes. With an omnichannel, cloud-based approach, the website is much more responsive in real time and has seen a huge increase in sales.

“Since our Agile transformation into an omnichannel in retail, our e-commerce turnover has doubled. With around two million visitors a week, our website has become the growth engine of our company. We couldn’t have achieved this success without Xebia’s expert knowledge and guidance.”
Intergamma
Lieke Luttmer Director of e-commerce

Shaking Things Up

Shifting to an Agile workflow was a big change to the company’s culture and yielded big results. Hansen explained, “An organization that has traditionally been top-down and risk-averse must learn how to move forward. Part of the control must be released to let teams excel.” Luttmer elaborated on how this new approach empowered employees, “Within this dynamic, it is no longer about the one with the most stripes on their shoulders, but about the idea that offers the most.”

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