Azalp | Afosto customer story

In short

Read how Azalp transitioned to a futureproof headless webshop with Afosto. Featuring PIM, a garden house configurator and showroom integration to drive international growth.

3countries

Headless webshop active in markets

Yes

Futureproof omnichannel platform

Yes

Real-time inventory synchronisation

7steps

Garden house configurator steps

With our old platform we increasingly ran into limitations. Product management was complex, customisation was difficult, and our showroom was separate from the online experience. Thanks to Afosto, we now have one futureproof platform where webshop, configurator, quotations and showroom come seamlessly together. That gives us the scalability and flexibility to grow further across multiple countries.

— Patrick Beenakkers, Webshop Manager Azalp

The challenge

Why did Azalp choose Afosto?

With their old platform (custom built / Magento), Azalp ran up against a number of limitations. Managing thousands of products across different languages and markets was time-consuming and prone to errors. Moreover, there was no room for custom features like a garden house configurator or digital quote module. The showroom was also separate from the online environment, meaning customers got an inconsistent experience. In short: Azalp needed a scalable and flexible platform that could unify webshop, customisation, and in-store experiences into one futureproof whole.

The approach

How did Afosto help Azalp move forward?

Afosto provides Azalp with a futureproof headless platform that unites webshop, showroom, and customisation tools. The website runs fully headless in NL, DE, and BE: product data, menu structures, and content are managed centrally in the Afosto PIM, while the frontend is built in Next.js, making the website fast, flexible, and easy to expand to new markets and languages. Customers can use a unique configurator to design their own garden house in seven steps, from dimensions and materials to roof type and colour. At the Experience Center in Breda, Azalp uses an Afosto in-store screen so customers can schedule appointments, confirm them, and view products directly. For more complex products, sales advisers use the Afosto quotation tool to quickly create digital quotes tailored to customer requirements. The quotation tool is fully woven into the order process: a quote starts as a concept order in Afosto and converts to a regular order in one step once the customer approves, with no retyping. Quotes are emailed to the customer straight from the platform. And because the frontend is headless, Azalp shaped the entire quotation and ordering flow exactly to their own needs. Thanks to Afosto PIM and OMS, inventory levels are synchronised in real time, eliminating errors and duplicate entries across all channels.

How Azalp uses Afosto

A configurator that puts real SKUs in the cart

A log cabin, garden house or canopy is assembled by the customer in 3 to 7 steps: size, colour, post thickness, roofing, walls, panels, foundation, drainage and assembly. Unlike most configurators that end in a contact form, the Afosto configurator turns every choice into real, orderable products. Each step is full of images, prices and quantities, so the customer sees exactly what they are building.

Quote, deposit and balance in one flow

A cabin quickly runs into the thousands, so nobody buys one blind. An employee assembles a cabin together with the customer and sends it as a quote. The customer accepts online and pays a deposit that Afosto records as a payment agreement, with the balance due on delivery. The quote becomes a real order without friction.

Showroom touchscreen on the same catalogue

Azalp draws showroom visitors because people want guidance on a big purchase. The showroom has a touchscreen where an employee configures the cabin with the customer, books an appointment via Calendly or finalises the quote on the spot. Showroom and webshop run on the same PIM and OMS, so the same products, prices and order handling.

Headless Next.js storefront

The entire storefront runs headless on Next.js, with product data and navigation central in Afosto. That gives fast pages and the freedom to build the custom tools, such as the configurator and quotation module, exactly as Azalp needs them.

Composite products as separate SKUs

A cabin consists of roofing, walls, panels, posts of variable thickness, foundation, drainage and assembly. Afosto’s PIM and WMS treat each component as its own SKU with its own price, stock and pick instruction, so a composite product still moves through the warehouse accurately.

Afosto up front, ShopControl behind

Azalp keeps its existing ShopControl back office for invoicing and order handling. Afosto delivers the frontend, PIM, configurator, checkout and OMS flow, and forwards orders with price and VAT data to ShopControl. No big-bang replacement, just a modern customer experience on top of the trusted operation.

Implementation

Azalp hit the limits of its old platform: managing thousands of products in multiple languages was slow and error-prone, and there was no room for custom work such as the configurator and quotation module. So Afosto built a headless platform that brings webshop, showroom and custom tools together, without disrupting the existing ShopControl operation.

What comes next

With the configurator, quotation module and showroom tools as a base, there is room to grow further, including into new languages and markets. We are now building the same setup for similar brands, so the approach repeats itself per customer.

Frequently asked questions

How does Azalp's garden house configurator work?

Customers design their own garden house in seven steps: from dimensions and materials to roof type and colour. Custom products become instantly configurable and orderable online, which improves both the experience and conversion.

How does Azalp create quotes for custom products?

Sales advisers use Afosto's digital quotation tool to build a tailored quote in minutes. The quote starts as a concept order, is emailed to the customer, and converts to a regular order in one step after approval. No retyping, no duplicate entry.

In which countries does Azalp's webshop operate?

The headless webshop runs in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany (azalp.nl, azalp.be and azalp.de). Product data and content are managed centrally in the Afosto PIM, so new languages and markets are easy to add.

Which platform did Azalp use before Afosto?

Azalp worked with a combination of custom-built software and Magento. Managing thousands of products across languages was time-consuming and error-prone there, and there was no room for custom features like the configurator or a digital quote module.

How is Azalp's showroom connected to the webshop?

The Experience Center in Breda features an Afosto in-store screen. Visitors schedule or confirm appointments and browse products, so the showroom experience connects seamlessly with the online environment.

Curious what Afosto can do for your home & living business?

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