Magento 2 Migration for Bulk Reef Supply with B2B capabilities

20%

faster load times

Establishment of B2B capabilities

Meet the Client

Bulk Reef Supply, founded by entrepreneurs Ryan Batcheller and Andrew Duneman, has been a staple resource for reefing hobbyists since 2007. BRS has established itself to be a trusted industry expert by consistently offering high-quality equipment and supplies, as well as tutorials and instructional videos suitable for new reefers and experienced hobbyists alike. To maintain its
top-notch reputation, BRS chose Magento as the ideal platform for consistently satisfying consumer needs. They decided to go with Magento 2 migration with us.

Challenges

Bulk Reef Supply faced multiple challenges with their existing Magento 1 platform as the company grew and customer demands evolved. The primary issues included:

Scalability: Magento 1 was unable to efficiently handle the increased web traffic and expanded inventory that came with BRS’s growth.
Performance: The older platform struggled with slower loading times, affecting customer satisfaction and potentially hindering sales.
B2B Functionality: With an increasing number of requests for wholesale purchases, BRS required enhanced B2B capabilities that Magento 1 could not provide effectively.
Security Concerns: As cyber threats evolved, the need for more robust security measures became crucial.
Mobile Responsiveness: With a significant number of users accessing the site via mobile devices, the lack of optimized mobile responsiveness on Magento 1 was a significant drawback.

Client Requirements

In the early days of the organization, BRS required an eCommerce solution that could handle its broad range of products, unique customization needs, and multitude of educational resources. Minnesota-based BRS decided to go with Magento 1 as its platform of choice, partnering with Wagento, another Minnesota-based company, to assist with the development process. For years, BRS was satisfied with the capabilities and features of M1. However, as the company continued to grow in popularity and web traffic steadily increased, BRS realized that their site was in need of an upgrade.

In 2015, the first version of Magento 2 was released, which offered several new features and capabilities that were unavailable in M1. After briefly considering other possible eCommerce platforms, BRS decided to stay with Magento and go for Magento 2 migration. Based on their positive experiences with Wagento in the past, BRS once again partnered with Wagento developers to help them migrate their site.

Solutions

As soon as Wagento developed a plan with BRS, developers quickly got to work migrating the site to M2. Developers implemented Sprint Planning (a common project management tactic used in Scrum) to ensure that each step of the process was assigned to the right team members and that each request was completed in the right order. To further increase the speed of Magento 2 migration, a Wagento developer even visited the BRS office to directly assist their in-house development team.

Along with a fast deployment, BRS also had a number of goals and KPIs in mind to determine the success of their new eCommerce platform. Their primary hope was that M2 would provide their online store with:

Improved performance. Magento 2 sites are optimized with fast loading times in mind. One study found that Magento 2 sites run approximately 20% faster than M1 stores.
B2B and B2C capabilities. Although BRS was primarily geared towards hobbyists in the beginning, they began to get requests for wholesale purchases from other businesses. M2 had the capability to create customized B2B merchant accounts while still catering to B2C buyers.
Better security. Right out of the box, M2 provides several ways for retailers to secure their stores, including 2-factor authorization, dynamic backup plans, unique admin URLs, and more.
Additional checkout features. To improve checkout conversion rates, M2 enables merchants to create single-page checkouts that accept all kinds of popular payment options, from Apple Pay to credit cards to PayPal.
Mobile-friendly themes. M2 has responsive, mobile-friendly themes right out of the box, as well as a simple PWA studio for retailers to develop their very own PWAs if they’d like to further improve customer experience.
An intuitive admin dashboard. The M1 dashboard was known to be a bit cluttered and confusing to navigate. On the other hand, the M2 dashboard is sleek, clean, and user-friendly, even allowing admins to customize what details they’ll see first when they log in.

Results

As a result of Magento 2 migration, Bulk Reef Supply experienced a boost in their site loading times and were capable of meeting the needs of all customers who came across their site. BRS has specialized tools for hobbyists, such as the Aquarium & Reef Calculator and a loyalty program, in addition to a wholesale opportunity catered towards B2B customers. The site continues to easily manage large orders, host various high-quality images and videos, and uphold its user-friendly interface.

After the migration was complete, BRS continued to reach out to Wagento for ongoing maintenance support.

Final Thoughts

The migration of Bulk Reef Supply to Magento 2 signifies a pivotal advancement in their operational capabilities, aligning with the latest demands of eCommerce technology. This transition not only streamlined their online operations but also set a new standard in customer satisfaction through enhanced functionality and performance. As the eCommerce landscape continues to evolve, the importance of staying ahead with a robust, scalable platform cannot be overstated.

If your business is encountering similar challenges or if you’re considering enhancing your eCommerce infrastructure, exploring a Magento 2 migration might be your next best step. We encourage you to connect with Wagento for a personalized consultation to discover how a tailored Magento 2 solution can revitalize your online presence and operational efficiency. Reach out today to ensure your platform is optimized for tomorrow’s opportunities.

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