B2B Commerce Transformation
Unifying 12+ acquisitions into a single commerce ecosystem
Impact
Unified multiple acquisitions into a single development and catalog team serving B2B and B2C customers
Technologies Used
Overview
When I joined Lippert Components, the company's e-commerce channel was underdeveloped — essentially a side project. The online store generated roughly $3 million annually, operated on an aging Magento 1 installation, and lacked basic operational integrations. Orders were still being manually transcribed by customer-service staff into Microsoft Dynamics AX/365, and product data existed in inconsistent, incomplete formats across multiple systems.
My mandate was clear: modernize the platform, migrate to Adobe Commerce Cloud, and establish a scalable digital foundation capable of supporting Lippert's rapid growth and ongoing acquisitions.
The Challenge
- •Incomplete implementation: The Magento 1 store was partially functional, missing key modules for inventory control, catalog management, and automation
- •Manual order flow: Every order required human transcription into Dynamics 365 invoices
- •Unstructured catalog: Product data lived in spreadsheets and disparate databases with little governance
- •No single sign-on or customer unification: B2B dealers were forced to manage separate credentials across platforms
- •Shipping complexity: Oversized products and freight items demanded specialized shipping logic that was hard-coded directly into Magento
The Approach
Magento 1 → Magento 2 Migration
- ✓Oversaw the full migration to Adobe Commerce Cloud, coordinating an external agency for development while leading internal project management
- ✓Directed alignment between the ERP, marketing, and customer-service teams to ensure business logic and data accuracy
- ✓Delivered a new production-ready Magento 2 site in eight months, improving performance, maintainability, and long-term scalability
Systems Integration & Automation
- ✓Salesforce Integration: Implemented Single Sign-On (SSO) between the dealer portal in Salesforce and Magento 2, providing dealers and distributors with unified access to account and order information
- ✓Salsify PIM Deployment: Established a two-way flow where product data originated in Dynamics 365, was enriched in Salsify, and then syndicated to Magento, Amazon Marketplace, and other third-party channels
- ✓ERP Integration via Talend: Collaborated with the Talend integration team to architect real-time order and fulfillment pipelines between Magento 2 and Dynamics 365
- ✓Shipping Automation: Implemented ShipperHQ to externalize shipping logic, enabling non-technical business users to define complex rules for oversized freight, weight tiers, regional restrictions, and carrier selection
Organizational Leadership
- ✓Expanded leadership scope to include the catalog management team, aligning developers and product data specialists under one structure
- ✓Oversaw onboarding of web development teams from newly acquired brands — notably CURT Manufacturing — integrating them into Lippert's shared technology ecosystem
- ✓Fostered cross-training between legacy and acquired teams to create unified development coverage across multiple Magento instances
Results
- ✓Revenue Growth: Increased annual online sales from $3 million → $24 million through modernization, automation, and improved user experience
- ✓Process Efficiency: Eliminated manual order transcription, freeing customer-service staff for higher-value work
- ✓Catalog Consistency: Centralized product data and enabled automated syndication to internal and external channels
- ✓Operational Reliability: Streamlined shipping workflows and improved fulfillment accuracy across product lines ranging from small parts to freight-class assemblies
- ✓Acquisition Integration: Successfully onboarded multiple acquired brand teams and unified their platforms and data pipelines under Lippert's digital umbrella
Technology Stack
Transforming Lippert's digital commerce wasn't just about launching a new store — it was about building the connective tissue between systems, teams, and data to unlock sustainable growth.
Key Takeaways
- ✓Digital transformation requires building "connective tissue" between systems, teams, and data
- ✓PIM integration (Salsify) is essential for managing complex B2B catalogs across multiple channels
- ✓ERP automation (Talend + Dynamics 365) eliminates costly manual processes and errors
- ✓SSO integration (Salesforce) dramatically improves B2B dealer experience and security
- ✓Externalizing business logic (ShipperHQ) empowers non-technical users to manage complexity
- ✓Scalable architecture enables rapid integration of acquired brands and development teams
- ✓Cross-training between legacy and acquired teams creates unified development coverage
- ✓Data enrichment and automation directly drive revenue growth (8x in this case)
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