Fischkaufhaus.de with shop relaunch & data migration

After we took over the support of the existing online store Fischkaufhaus.de in August 2015, we were able to celebrate numerous successes together with the Müritzfischers. On the one hand, a new section with over 100 fish recipes was integrated, OnPage and performance improvements were carried out, and newsletter marketing was established and expanded. In addition to two Shop Usability Awards in 2016 and 2017, by far the biggest success is that sales have multiplied over the years.

The store system at the time was PrestaShop 1.6. And with that, the development of the store system came to a technical dead end, because an update from 1.6 to 1.7 was no longer possible without further ado, as too many elements in the core of the store system had changed and Fischkaufhaus.de was already individually designed and developed back then.

So the years passed and a relaunch of the store was postponed again and again. But at the end of 2022, the Müritzfischer decided to relaunch the store. We recommended that the store be completely redesigned and developed while retaining PrestaShop, but then with the version 8 that had just been released (actually 1.8 ... but for communication reasons PrestaShop probably decided to use a whole number).

For us, it makes sense to stay with PrestaShop, because changing systems for a relaunch is very risky and migrating content is absolutely challenging. Moreover, the risk of a huge loss of visibility due to the URL change would have been very high.

So even with PSD-Tutorials.de we had already done several relaunches with system changes:

1. from PHPNuke to vBulletin
2. from vBulletin to Zend-Framework with Xenforo
3. from Zend-Framework with Xenforo the separation from Zend and the update to sole forum software Xenforo

Similarly, TutKit.com was created in the first version with the PHP framework CodIgniter and then underwent a relaunch with a complete redevelopment with the PHP framework Laravel. We know what we are talking about when we talk about the dangers and risks of relaunches.

There are numerous examples where the relaunch of projects substantially went into the pants. For example, the Redcoon store, which no longer exists. The relaunch of frankfurt.de cost 1.4 million euros and resulted in a 50% loss of visibility. boerse-online.de and macwelt.de were also relaunched. Here is a picture of how the visibility changed after the relaunch according to the Sistrix visibility index.

This is exactly the kind of store relaunch (failure) that should be avoided, of course.

What needs to be considered when relaunching online stores?

The relaunch of an online store like that of fischkaufhaus.de requires comprehensive planning and implementation to ensure that the new store functions successfully and smoothly. In the process, we developed a checklist of how best to proceed to ensure that the relaunch goals are actually met and that the risk of losing visibility is kept to a minimum.

Target definition and strategy for the store relaunch:

Clear goals for the relaunch of Fischkaufhaus.de: Improving the user experience, increasing clarity, expanding the content offering, modernizing the design, increasing turnover and shopping cart height, in perspective easier expandability and maintaining updateability.

Thorough analysis of the legacy system during the store relaunch:

Perform a detailed analysis of the current store to identify weaknesses and strengths. One strength was definitely the performance of the old store. It simply ran fast. We also took into account customer feedback, analysis data and conversion rates.

Usability:

Ensure intuitive navigation and user-friendly menu navigation.
Implement clear product categories, search function and filter options. Also a checkbox for products "In stock". Streamline the structure and avoid duplication of categories and also content by, for example, pagination in category pages.

Modern User Interface & Responsive Design:

Optimize the store for different screen sizes and devices to ensure a consistent user experience.

Optimize PageSpeed & Load Times:

Ensure fast load times, as long wait times can deter visitors.
Compress images, use caching and check server performance.

SEO requirements:

Ensure new store is search engine optimized to improve visibility in search results.

1. SEO backup from old store with all old URLs and SEO-releaved (meta) data.
2. URL Redirect Map: Creating a redirect list of URLs that need 301 redirects by dropping categories or other pages.
3. Let crawling the development environment and ensure there already high OnPage quality BEFORE going-live.

Content and product information:

Use clear, engaging product descriptions and high-quality images. Include product reviews and customer ratings to build trust. Mission statement, identifying story, history and values.

Migration of the data set:

Programming a migration tool to import customer data, order data, pricing and shopping cart rules, category content and product information. This is one of the most outstanding challenges in such a project.

Checkout, Shipping and Payments:

Provide secure payment options and update on privacy policy (cookie consent). Use SSL certificate to ensure transaction security. Different shipping costs based on cart amount and shipping date (Saturday surcharge). Integrate datepicker for 24h express and connection to Go! delivery service. Payment integration with different payment services.

Marketing tools integration:

Tools for email marketing, social media (Instagram/FB), Google Merchant Center/Google Shopping.

Testing & Quality Assurance:

Thoroughly test the new store before launch to identify and fix bugs and issues. Perform functional testing on various devices and browsers. Lambda testing tools, performance testing, and Seobility.

Training and Employee Involvement:

Train employees on new features and processes to ensure smooth operations.

Monitoring, bug fixing, and customizations:

Monitor the store regularly after launch and analyze data and features to evaluate performance. Troubleshoot bugs and make further adjustments as necessary to respond to customer feedback and analytics data.

An online store relaunch requires careful planning, execution, and tracking to ensure the new store meets customer expectations and is successful.

The steps from conception to development to go-live in a store relaunch:

1. research phase

Since we have been working with Müritzfischern for many years, we know their goals as well as their (target) customers and are aware of the requirements, needs and sticking points. Nevertheless, we started an intensive research phase and comprehensively analyzed the competitive situation and researched the best (international) industry solutions around food stores.

In the end, our research file contained over 50 pages of input for our UX team on the best international food stores, which represented the bar for us to surpass in terms of functionality, design and technology. Many stores appealed to us as a whole and sometimes it was just small areas or features of a store that simply flashed us or provided a good way to ensure Google's EEAT principle for good content quality, etc.

2. wireframe concept for store relaunch

Based on our research materials and the corresponding briefing, we developed a custom-fit concept for Fischkaufhaus.de and the target relaunch as a wireframe prototype. In this conceptual step, we coordinated the entire user experience along the customer journey (information and interaction architecture, click paths, call-to-actions, etc.) together with the Müritzfischers and designed the structure, content and layout of the future online store.

Here is an overview of what such a clickable wireframe concept looks like at this very early stage of conception.

3. creation of the user interface design for the new store

After the wireframe concept had defined the information architecture, interaction specifications and navigation paths and agreed on them with the client, we filled the concept with life using the elements of the style guide, i.e. with the right colors, fonts, images and also already with the right texts, as far as these were available from the existing store.

This way you get a feel for the future store and thanks to the clickable online prototype created via Adobe XD, even though everything was still at design level, the client could already click through and give valuable feedback. Here's an excerpt from the user interface design concept, which included 42 boards for the desktop version:

Since most customers already visit the store via mobile applications, there was also a strong focus on the mobile version in the user interface design, for which another 39 boards were created as clickable prototypes.

The corporate blue was minimally adjusted and now also corresponds to the blue of the Müritzfischer. Also the font Festivo Letters, which was otherwise only represented in the logo, is now integrated as a headline font and thus forms a coordinated combination with Futura (as a continuous text font).

In the blue areas, there is a shoal pattern from the Müritz river as a textural pattern, which stylistically rounds off the overall impression of the user interface.

After a meeting of several hours and a design presentation with the client's management team, we received immediate approval for the development.

4. installation of PrestaShop 8 and migration of legacy data

On the day of the release of the new version PrestaShop 8, we started the development of the new store. The default theme was installed. The next big step was the migration of the old data. We decided to migrate the data of the old store from PrestaShop 1.6 right at the beginning, because on the one hand this was one of the biggest challenges of the whole project and on the other hand we could work directly with "real" data, i.e. categories, products, images etc.

The migration was successful and we knew that the night before the launch we only had to update the customer and order data with a separate migration. A good feeling right from the start.

5. frontend and backend development and programming of individual PrestaShop modules

Now we had to implement our user interface design and develop an individual PrestaShop. Here, we not only implemented the design on the frontend side, but also developed a variety of individual PrestaShop modules to ensure easy processing of all areas via the backend as well.

In addition, modules for shipping, logistics and payment had to be connected and configured. A module for the Google Merchant Center was also integrated in order to be able to list the products on Google Shopping as well. A mail notification function for products that are available again was also integrated as a module, so that customers can be contacted automatically by mail as soon as the stock level of the "subscribed" products changes from 0 to X. This is particularly useful for fish, as the stock level of the "subscribed" products changes from 0 to X. This is also the case with fish. This is especially useful for fish, as some fish species are only available for a few weeks, e.g. specialties such as skrei or garfish.

6. structural and content content optimizations (text and image) & SEO sprint

The menu was revised and designed more target group-oriented. For example, while there used to be a subdivision into smoked fish regional and smoked fish international, the smoked products are now combined in one category ... just like fresh fish, frozen fish and so on. Who knows for sure that trout comes from aquaculture and redfish is not a regional fish but is caught in the Atlantic. So there are things that are important and clear as daylight to fishermen, but not so important to consumers.

Merging categories eliminated more than 20 and made the menu more customer-centric. In addition, there is now icon-based filtering with the most important categories below the Hero section (shown here with seafood in hover).

Introductory texts have been added to the categories and an FAQ section has been integrated below the product view, as well as fish recipes matching the fish species. The filter and sorting functions were also revised and finally an "in stock" filter was integrated.

The product pages themselves have also been revised. The product image is displayed larger, the area with the product details, nutritional values, allergens, etc. has been streamlined in the view. When scrolling, the call-to-action (button: Add to cart) remains in the visible area. In addition, another "Good to know" section has been added with some key facts.

One of the biggest improvements, which has also contributed significantly to reducing the abandonment rate, is the improved structure of the checkout. Unnecessary areas have been hidden and everything has been optimized towards the completion of the purchase.

The homepage was expanded with a mission statement, a social section with Instagram snippets and other informative content areas. Likewise, collaborations were made with food influencers, celebrity chefs and the cookbook author for interviews and testimonials. Even Marteria, who as a self-confessed angler always comes to the Müritz, gave a testimonial for the Müritzfischer.

In addition to the image film, there is now also an explanatory video on packaging and shipping to take away the initial shyness of people who are not yet familiar with the 24-hour refrigerated express.

On the about us page, a Stern author praises the product, as does Greenpeace magazine. All in all, the Müritzfischer present themselves credibly with their new online store Fischkaufhaus.de as one of the "top authorities" in the food sector, inspiring and creating identification for a sustainable mission for regional products with the best eco-balance.

With the help of the SEO tool Seobility, all pages were optimized, technical, structural and content errors were fixed and all categories and products were optimized for the relevant keywords. Likewise, numerous sections were added, which on the one hand are informative for the customer, but on the other hand also fulfill SEO purposes. Is there a nicer SEO section than this, which unfolds its effect as an SEO slideshow on the start page ... :-)

This SEO sprint alone required about a month of work from content and development staff.

The optimizations reduced the crawled pages from 845 in the old system to 478 in the new system. Many of these were previously just duplicate content or otherwise irrelevant pages. This distributes the link power of the store to fewer pages, which is good. Thus, the relevance of the existing content is also higher and the crawler will be happy. By the way: I am convinced that this distribution of accessed and analyzed pages will become even more important for technical SEO. Through AI, more and more content will be flushed onto the websites and the crawlers will no longer be able to keep up with the indexing. Thus, Google itself will also weight where websites are clean for crawlers and where there is simply a lot of data garbage in it. The smaller the spread, the better.

Overall, we optimized Fischkaufhaus.de from 69 to 93 percent SEO score according to Seobility. Such an SEO tool not only serves to improve online visibility on Google, but is rather a tool for quality assurance and thus for ensuring important OnPage factors as well as for avoiding typical mistakes that can happen during relaunch processes.

What are the results of the Fischkaufhaus.de store relaunch?

To start with: we prepared everything for the big relaunch day and started the relaunch in the night from Sunday to Monday, when there is the least traffic on the site and the downtime has the least impact. This gave us five more business days if, contrary to expectations, there were major problems. Before sunrise on Monday morning, we were online with the new store. We had set everything up on a cloud server, the provider only had to switch to the new IP and by noon at the latest, all visitors had seen the new store. Everything ran smoothly. The customer was happy. So were we. As a result of the relaunch we can say:

• A significant improvement of the user experience both in the mobile application and on the computer was achieved.
• The visual and textual storytelling was improved and the client positioned itself even more sharply as a regional provider with attitude.
• The collaborations with well-known food experts (star chefs, cooking school owners, food authors, food influencers) increase the credibility and trust value for fishermen as one of the authorities in the fish segment.
• Maintainability and further development is a given thanks to the new PrestaShop 8 line, making it easier for us as an agency to implement customer requests in the future.
• And most importantly, after just six weeks of being online, there was a 17 percent increase in sales compared to the same period last year.

To the Müritzfischer online store: Fischkaufhaus.de

If a store relaunch is also of interest to you and you want to be supported by real professionals, please contact us. As an agency, we do things differently than other e-commerce agencies, because we run a very successful store ourselves.