Wehkamp's Cost Optimization Journey with AWS and Xebia

Related Services
Amazon Web Services
EC2
S3

Industry
Retail

Company
Xebia

Since 1952, Wehkamp has been at the forefront of revolutionizing the shopping experience in the Netherlands.

As a pure e-commerce player, Wehkamp Retail Group is strongly connected to Dutch society. This is partly due to its long history, which goes back more than 70 years when Wehkamp started as a mail-order company. Wehkamp Retail Group's strategic focus is to serve its customers from multiple web shops. The strategy focuses on a top-level technology, logistics, and distribution platform, with Wehkamp at the heart of the group.

What started as a pioneering mail-order company has evolved into a leading online retailer, dedicated to making life easier and more enjoyable for millions of customers.

Why

Wehkamp was looking for ways to better cope with high loads and demand, achieve cost savings, and address their environmental impact

What

Wehkamp implemented FinOps practices to optimize cloud costs, improve cost visibility and management, and foster a mindset shift towards cost among teams and individuals.

How

Wehkamp collaborated with Xebia to provide expertise in implementing efficient technical solutions and governance processes for cost management, enabling visibility for asset management and team-level cost optimization

Wehkamp's AWS Migration

Wehkamp, one of the largest online retailers in the Netherlands, encountered significant challenges related to cost management and optimization during its migration to AWS. With an immense scale and a wide range of products from clothing to furniture, bedding, and more, Wehkamp needed to ensure that its infrastructure could handle high loads of traffic and demand, especially during peak hours. As Wehkamp transitioned to the cloud with AWS, it aimed to achieve greater speed, elasticity, and scalability, utilizing a broad stack of AWS services such as EC2, S3, and MSK. This transition was essential to support its operations, including the development of its store, website, and app and the analysis of data and web analytics. The migration to AWS was a strategic move to build a better e-commerce and retail platform to facilitate the success of all the brands they support.

"We're proud of Wehkamp's financial maturity and governance processes, achieved with the support of Xebia. It's incredible to see the shift from just getting things done to a deep understanding of team-level operations on AWS."

Koen Roumen Head of Tech at Wehkamp

Enhancing Scalability and Improved Customer Experience

Wehkamp aspired to optimize costs, enhance infrastructure scalability, and handle high traffic volumes to ensure a seamless customer experience. The transition to the cloud was driven by the need to cope with high loads of traffic and high demand on its website, especially during peak hours. Additionally, the financial benefits of scaling for actual demand and traffic on its website were recognized as a critical factor in its decision to transition to the cloud. This strategic move was essential not only for the efficient operation of its mobile apps and websites but also for the overall success of its e-commerce platform. Wehkamp's commitment to providing a seamless and responsive customer experience was a driving force behind its transition to the cloud with AWS.

Cost Reduction and Environmental Awareness

"Early on, we recognized the potential cost impact and brought in FinOps, empowering our development teams with responsibility. This, combined with Xebia's expertise, has led to significant financial maturity for Wehkamp on AWS."

Kees C. Bakker Software Engineer at Wehkamp

Sustainability and Cost Reduction

With Xebia’s guidance, Wehkamp achieved significant cost savings by optimizing its use of AWS services, and on top of that explored GreenOps possibilities. The comprehensive approach included a strategic analysis of its cloud environment, identifying areas for cost savings, and optimizing its use of AWS services for efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Additionally, Wehkamp focused on environmental responsibility by exploring GreenOps to visualize the environmental impact of its activities in AWS. This holistic approach not only led to substantial cost savings but also fostered a culture of cost-consciousness and environmental responsibility within the organization, positioning Wehkamp for continued success in the e-commerce landscape.

Wehkamp's Journey to Cost Optimization with AWS and Xebia

Wehkamp's AWS Migration

Enhancing Scalability and Improved Customer Experience

Cost Reduction and Environmental Awareness

Sustainability and Cost Reduction

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