How FRICKE optimizes search in B2B e-commerce with HOLMES
Over 10 % more search conversions, 30 % fewer zero-hit searches: With the introduction of HOLMES, FRICKE is increasing the search quality in the store and creating the basis for the international rollout.
The FRICKEGroup is one of the leading spare parts dealers in Europe. With the GRANIT PARTS brand, the company sells a huge range of products for agricultural and construction machinery as well as commercial vehicles. The company generates over 50% of its turnover internationally. Over 96% is transacted via the online store.
Initial situation at FRICKE:
96 % of sales are made via the online shop
70% of all purchases start with a search
Existing search solution could only be controlled via development, was not sufficiently error-tolerant in important product ranges and sometimes delivered inadequate results
Very limited ability to influence ranking, relevance or sorting
Growth plans in international markets, especially with multilingual requirements
Solution approach with HOLMES:
Introduction of HOLMES for live testing
HOLMES was jointly adapted in an iterative project
A/B live test with real traffic and scalable rollout
Long-term introduction of HOLMES for a flexible, fault-tolerant and controllable search solution
Result with HOLMES at FRICKE:
+10 % increase in the search conversion rate
+20 % improvement in product position in search results
-30 % fewer searches without hits
Product search: from pain point to priority
No possibility for individual control, hardly any influence on relevance or ranking: FRICKE's existing search solution had reached its limits.
"The product search is our most important tool for finding products. Over 70% of our purchases come directly from the search. But we didn't have any influence in the e-commerce team without developers. That was the crucial pain point for us."
Especially in B2B business with complex requirements, an inadequate search solution for a growing digital business means a high risk. "Some of our article numbers are very specific and consist of complex combinations of numbers and letters," says Christoph Wege.
We launched our HOLMES search solution at FRICKE to respond to these special requirements.
HOLMES: The answer to B2B search requirements
Our HOLMES search software was developed for B2B e-commerce: A fault-tolerant, controllable and powerful search solution that can be individually adapted to existing systems and product ranges.
HOLMES is the ideal solution for B2B e-commerce businesses and offers
An intuitive backend for independent control of the search logic
High-performance results even with millions of items
Flexible integration into existing systems
Low operating costs without license commitment
The technical basis for AI-supported further developments such as vector search or semantic ranking
Curious?
In the whitepaper you will find a deep dive into on-site search and our search solution HOLMES.
The introduction of HOLMES was carried out in close cooperation between FRICKE and neuland: the search was configured internally and tested with test data using real search terms - with daily exchanges between the teams. Christoph Wege summarizes the collaboration between FRICKE and neuland: "I always enjoy working with neuland as equals. It's not a classic service provider relationship. We developed solutions together, with a hands-on mentality, without long development cycles and a real understanding of our concerns."
During the subsequent controlled A/B live test in the GRANIT store with real user inquiries, up to 50% of the traffic was gradually redirected to HOLMES in order to make an informed decision based on the key figures:
"HOLMES managed to map the searches with our special article numbers made up of combinations of numbers and letters much better. That was the game changer for us."
Results: HOLMES convinces in live operation
FRICKE was able to achieve the following results with the help of HOLMES:
+10 % increase in the conversion rate
+20 % improvement in product position in search results
-30 % fewer searches without hits
The optimization results are enormously positive for FRICKE. HOLMES exceeded expectations: "We were delighted that HOLMES was able to achieve such a strong uplift," says Christoph Wege.
In the following excerpts, you can gain an insight into the operation and handling of HOLMES.
Sustainable with distinction: HOLMES and the Blue Angel
In addition to performance and flexibility, our search solution also scores highly in the area of digital sustainability. It is the first commercial search solution in Germany to be awarded the Blue Angel for software.
What sets HOLMES apart:
Full transparency of resource consumption
Low infrastructure costs thanks to powerful architecture
Full user autonomy through access to source code and data
Free security updates for at least 5 years
Lean software instead of feature overload
"HOLMES is not only powerful, but also makes a real statement with its focus on efficiency and sustainable IT, which underlines neuland's claim to be a pioneer and trailblazer when it comes to sustainability in IT. The Blue Angel certification for software is a strong unique selling point compared to other solutions on the market."
International rollout with HOLMES
The successful live test has made one thing clear: HOLMES will be used in the GRANIT store in the long term. Initially in the German client, and in the long term in the entire international system landscape. For FRICKE, as a Europe-wide retailer, this is a decisive step towards specifically mapping special features in terms of language, product range and search.
Has HOLMES aroused your interest?
We show how product search can become a competitive advantage!
From our blog
neuland and the Fricke Group – Development of a flexible B2B shop platform
Transformation in Breuninger's shop search: Increased efficiency and cost reduction through open source
Precise power: About flexible solutions in OBI's online shop search
