Home Insights Case Studies Retooling for the future: A composable commerce overhaul for an automotive tools giant

Retooling for the future: A composable commerce overhaul for an automotive tools giant

Vladimir Kondraschenko

Transparent car design with teal and orange background. White text box shows "Grid Dynamics case study: Retooling for the future: A composable commerce overhaul for an automotive tools giant.

Download the full case study now to explore how this tools distributor reimagined their automotive ecommerce experience for future success.

By downloading, you’ll gain access to exclusive insights that can help inform your own digital transformation strategies. Whether you’re in the automotive industry or another sector facing similar eCommerce challenges, this case study offers valuable lessons for modernizing your eCommerce stack and driving business growth.

Sneak peak: What’s inside this case study

When a leading North American automotive tools brand discovered their once-innovative eCommerce platform had become outdated, they faced a critical business challenge. This iconic brand, serving auto repair professionals across the continent with over 10,000 specialized tools, needed a comprehensive digital transformation. Their automotive eCommerce experience was failing both their network of 2,000 franchised distributors and their end customers, creating friction instead of facilitating sales.

The challenge: An automotive eCommerce roadblock

Imagine having a warehouse of over 10,000 specialized tools but no efficient way for customers to find what they need. That was the reality for this brand, whose online storefront had become a liability rather than an asset:

Customers clicked through an average of ten pages before finding desired products
Search functionality lacked basic sorting, filtering, or faceted search capabilities
Marketing teams couldn’t update content without developer assistance
The technical architecture reflected an earlier era of web development
Separate B2B and B2C systems created unnecessary complexity

The result? A mere 0.57% conversion rate and stagnating online revenue. The company needed not just a facelift, but a complete reimagining of their eCommerce experience.

The solution: Building for the future

The transformation strategy focused on creating a flexible, future-proof, composable commerce platform that would serve both immediate needs and long-term growth. Key elements included:

A responsive design-thinking UI for consistent digital customer experiences across all devices
Implementation of Bloomreach for intelligent, personalized search and recommendations
Adoption of a Contentstack headless CMS to empower marketing teams
Consolidation of B2B and B2C systems into a unified, flexible platform powered by commercetools
Leveraging Google Cloud Platform technologies for enhanced scalability and performance

But the overhaul went beyond just implementing new technologies. It introduced modern development practices like DevOps methodologies, CI/CD pipelines, and robust QA processes— creating an environment where innovation could flourish long after the initial project was complete.

The results: Driving automotive eCommerce growth

What began as a technical modernization project quickly revealed its business impact, where every technical decision was made with measurable outcomes in mind:

Double B2C revenue from $7M to $15M
Improve order conversion rate from 0.57% to 1%
Gain marketing independence for content updates
Make development processes more efficient and reliable

More importantly, the new platform positioned the company for continued growth and innovation in the competitive automotive tools market.

This transformation story illustrates how the right combination of technology, strategy, and collaboration can revitalize an established brand’s digital presence and drive significant business results.