On the podium with JTL-Shop 5: VUE LOVE receives award for first-class user experience
The makers of the online shop VUE LOVE show what is possible in terms of usability with JTL-Shop 5. The family concept store was recently awarded the Shop Usability Award in the “Toys, Kids & Baby” category. JTL partner snafu has supported the store operators from the very beginning. We spoke to Viktoria Gaizenreder, project manager at snafu, about the vision behind the winning project.
Hand in hand to victory: best practice in award-worthy collaboration
Within the eCommerce scene, the Shop Usability Award is one of the most prestigious prizes in Germany. Since 2008, Shoplupe GmbH has been recognizing online stores that set special standards in terms of user experience. The strong media interest in the award generates traffic and attention for the winners and is regarded as a kind of accolade in the industry. We are particularly proud that VUE LOVE, a JTL-Shop 5, made it onto the winners’ podium this year.
The VUE LOVE team receiving the Shop Usability Award in the "Toys, Kids & Baby" category.
Active support was provided by our long-standing JTL-Store service partner snafu, who designed and technically implemented the Family Concept Store. Viktoria Gaizenreder, project manager and UX/UI designer at snafu, supervised the VUE LOVE project from the first sketch to the final implementation. In this interview, she reveals the challenges that arose during development and why the VUE LOVE team made a conscious decision to use JTL-Shop 5.
Interview with Viktoria Gaizenreder, project manager at snafu
JTL: Hello Viktoria, thank you very much for taking the time to talk to us! How did the collaboration between VUE LOVE and snafu begin?
Viktoria: We already know Martina and Felix Höhne, the founders of VUE LOVE, from a previous project where we successfully worked with JTL-Shop 4. When the idea for the Family Concept Store was born, we quickly agreed that the JTL-Shop shop system was the right choice this time too. In order to be able to work with the best features right from the start, we opted for version 5 straight away. The go-ahead was given in April 2021 and we defined the design, look & feel and target group of the store. The implementation took about two weeks. Once the basic structure was in place, we were able to fill the online store with products bit by bit. It’s great to see how it’s continuously growing!
Viktoria Gaizenreder is in charge of the VUE LOVE project at JTL partner snafu.
JTL: What were the main requirements for the project?
Viktoria: One of the biggest requirements was customizability. Martina Höhne studied design and approached us early on with a design for the homepage. We then implemented this on the basis of the NOVA template from JTL-Shop 5 and adapted many things using CSS. We also customized other page elements, such as the header. The products listed on VUE LOVE have a simple Scandinavian design. We also wanted to create this minimalist look for the store.
JTL: To make VUE LOVE even more user-friendly, you have also developed your own plugins for the shop, haven’t you?
Viktoria: Correct! We have built a plugin that automatically synchronizes content between VUE LOVE and Instagram. The images posted on the Instagram account appear directly on the store’s homepage. This function was important to Martina Höhne because she is very active on Instagram. Over time, she has built up an active community. The aim was to reflect this in the store.
We have also developed an extension for the product detail pages. It shows when a product can be shipped at the earliest. This makes the availability of a product much more transparent for store visitors.
JTL: Why is it worthwhile to involve a JTL service partner in such a project?
Victoria: The proven JTL partnership gives the retailer the certainty that the right expertise is available on the part of the service provider. If you want to design a JTL-Shop as individually as VUE LOVE did, you should bring a professional on board who is also familiar with the technical intricacies of the shop system.
JTL: What do you think is special about JTL-Shop 5?
Viktoria: Compared to JTL-Shop 4, performance and handling in particular have improved! But there has also been progress in areas such as the database, coding and template logic. Thanks to the new OnPage Composer, implementation has become more flexible and convenient.
JTL-Shop 5 is simply more fun than the previous version – for both developers and users!
JTL: As the project manager of a shop that won the Shop Usability Award, you probably know exactly what characterizes good usability in an online shop?
Viktoria: It depends very much on the expectations of the target group. You have to ask yourself questions like: What means do I use to optimally address my customer base on which devices? What do I need to do to make the shopping experience simple and logical? If you want to create Good Usability, you should know your customers and their preferences.
JTL-Shop: What significance does the Shop Usability Award for VUE LOVE have for you?
Viktoria: We are delighted for VUE LOVE and the entire team, who have worked hard to make it a success. As project partners, we believed in the store’s potential right from the start and therefore nominated it for the award. The award also encourages us in our work.
JTL: What next steps are planned for VUE LOVE?
Viktoria: There are always new ideas to make the shopping and user experience easier and more convenient. We recently added more payment methods. We’re also getting a lot of customer feedback during the Christmas season. Further ideas are already ready for implementation. Stay tuned!
JTL: That’s us! Thank you very much for the interview and good luck with your future projects.
snafu has been a JTL service partner since 2013 and supports companies with hosting and network services for digitalization. The approximately 28 employees develop innovative concepts for online business: These include hosting solutions for JTL-Wawi and JTL-Shop servers, planning and implementing JTL-Wawi and JTL-Shop concepts, integrating third-party systems and moving existing JTL-Shop systems to their high-availability hosting clusters.
Since 2008, the Shop Usability Award has been presented to online stores that offer their customers an outstanding user experience. The customer review takes the form of a wide-ranging online community vote, the results of which are presented to a top-class jury of experts. The stores submitted must impress in the four categories of design, usability, creativity and storytelling.
On the road to success with JTL-Shop 5!
We at JTL would like to congratulate VUE LOVE and our partner snafu on winning the award!
The success story impressively shows how merchants can realize their personal dream of an online shop with JTL-Shop 5. If you want to stand out from your competitors and offer your customers an outstanding, user-friendly shopping experience, JTL’s in-house store system has everything you need.
The profitable cooperation between VUE LOVE and snafu also shows that our specialized JTL service partners quickly put even projects with very individual requirements on the road to success. You can find expert support for your project in our service partner search and project exchange.
