Home Furnishing Nordic modernizes its e-commerce with iCore
Home Furnishing Nordic (HFN), one of Northern Europe's largest e-commerce retailers in furniture and home decor, with brands such as Trademax, Chilli, and Furniturebox, carried out a comprehensive transformation of its IT architecture in 2023 in collaboration with iCore. The strategic partnership aimed to optimize the company’s e-commerce platform and streamline business processes through a "best-of-breed" strategy.
When HFN began its collaboration with iCore, they faced the need to replace a monolithic IT architecture that was cumbersome and difficult to adapt. Their goal was to implement a new, flexible, and modular solution to meet the increasing demand and rapid growth in e-commerce.
iCore Cloud becomes the center of the ecosystem
To address these challenges, HFN chose to implement iCore’s cloud-based integration platform. The solution connected five different systems and established a large number of integration flows to ensure seamless data transfers and efficient processes. This included the migration of over 500,000 products to a new PIM system, enabling efficient management of product data in multiple languages.
Data migration and API challenges put project success to the test
The project with HFN involved several complex challenges, primarily due to the large data volumes and the complexity of the existing infrastructure.
- Migrating large data volumes – One of the biggest challenges was migrating over 500,000 products from HFN’s old system to the new PIM system. These products existed in multiple language versions, and the data was not always consistent or of sufficient quality. This required extensive data cleansing and validation before it could be transferred to the new platform. Additionally, the migration had to be completed within a tight timeframe, placing high demands on system capacity.
- Data quality – Many of the products in the old system were outdated or redundant, requiring significant effort to sort and ensure that only relevant and accurate data was transferred to the new solution. This was a critical part of the project, as incorrect or mismatched data could negatively impact business operations.
- API integrations and capacity challenges – As the migration of products and data flows began, the project encountered capacity issues in the surrounding systems. Several existing APIs could not handle the large data volumes being sent to them. This created bottlenecks, requiring the team to increase capacity by optimizing API flows and upgrading databases to handle higher volumes. These adjustments were crucial to ensuring seamless real-time integration between the various systems.
- Tight timeline – The project had to be completed within a short timeframe, requiring meticulous planning and coordination for testing and launch. This included extensive testing of all integration flows to ensure that the new architecture could handle large volumes of data in real time without disruptions.
Thanks to iCore’s methodology and close collaboration with HFN, these challenges were successfully addressed, and the project was completed within the set timeframe.
A flexible IT solution that saves both time and money
By implementing iCore’s integration platform, HFN now has a modern and flexible IT architecture that enables faster adaptability and improved control over its business processes.
Previously complex maintenance requirements have been significantly reduced, and the company has decreased its reliance on consultants for system maintenance and development. This has resulted in annual cost savings in the millions.
The new solution provides HFN with a stable platform for future growth and expansion. The company has already expanded its integration solution with return management functionalities and is planning to replace legacy ERP systems and explore AI-based applications to further optimize operations.
Optimize your retail operations with seamless integration
Dynamic product assortments, high transaction volumes, and the need for real-time updates on product and order data—retail places high demands on efficient IT solutions. With iCore, you can connect your systems, automate business processes such as order-to-cash and return management, and create a flexible platform for future growth.