Website Relaunch of kps.com

KPS AG

The KPS AG, headquartered in Unterföhring near Munich, is the leading SAP S/4HANA implementation partner for retail and a global top partner for all SAP Customer Experience topics. With dedication, humanity, and reliability, KPS supports companies in addressing the critical digital challenges of our time. KPS has offices in six European countries, and its stock is listed in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

Challenge

KPS has grown significantly in recent years, largely organically but also through several acquisitions. Along the way, many existing IT systems were adopted and consolidated during the integration process. In the field of digital marketing, asset management within the group was especially fragmented. With Adobe Experience Manager Assets, KPS now has a central platform for managing assets such as images and videos for the web. KPS also uses Adobe Experience Manager Sites as the central platform for its web presence.

Implementation

Since 2019, eggs unimedia has supported KPS as a technical full-service provider for the website. The initial implementation of Adobe Experience Manager as a Web Content Management System (WCMS) was carried out by KPS with an in-house team. In March 2019, eggs unimedia took over the technical responsibility for the web presence, leading to a successful partnership.

At the beginning of the collaboration, the focus was mainly on maintaining and further developing the existing website. The code base was "refactored" and adapted to current coding standards. Deployment and backup processes were improved. The Multi-Site Manager was introduced to centrally manage and inherit content. One of KPS’s key requirements was that major content be provided by the headquarters, while regional subsidiaries could customize it individually. During the collaboration, the web presence expanded from three regions to ten regions.

Several measures to improve SEO were also implemented. To enhance the website as a marketing and communication tool for current topics and increase its reach, a blog was introduced. Website performance was improved through the introduction of lazy loading and optimization of client libraries.

For a more consistent digital marketing experience, external interfaces, such as the SAP Marketing Cloud, were integrated into Adobe Experience Manager. The Adobe Experience Cloud theoretically includes all the solutions that marketers need for online marketing. However, its open system also allows for seamless integration of third-party systems. For example, KPS uses the SAP Marketing Cloud for webinar registrations, verified downloads, and legal use of lead data. CRM systems, such as SugarCRM, were also integrated with Adobe Experience Manager. A GDPR-compliant cookie manager for privacy settings helps ensure compliance with data protection requirements.

As part of KPS's repositioning, the relaunch of the KPS website was planned for November 2020. Previously, KPS was primarily an SAP partner with a focus on the fashion industry and retail. Today, KPS is a globally active consulting company specializing in the transformation of processes and applications. As part of the relaunch project, UX, UI, and content needed to be revamped.

Results

Since May 11, 2021, the KPS website has been live in its new design, and the entire project team is proud of the outcome.

The design has been refreshed, and the strategic use of animations gives the site a more modern appearance. To improve the responsive design, the viewports were updated. A stronger use of AEM Core Components ensures future maintainability of the website. Various SEO measures, such as rich snippets and a complete SEO markup, improve the site's discoverability online. In short, KPS is now perfectly equipped for its strategic and digital transformation. This is appreciated by both the management team and the four-member website team, along with the ten content authors in Germany and abroad.

On May 12, 2021, a virtual relaunch party took place, and KPS sent a package with party supplies to the project participants at eggs unimedia beforehand. What a wonderful surprise and fun virtual celebration!

KPS and eggs unimedia have now been working together for two years, and both sides take great pride in their growing partnership. KPS has placed a lot of trust in us, as both companies operate in a similar business environment, though with different technology and industry focuses. IT is all about trust—and this project has proven that once again.

After the Relaunch is Before the Relaunch

The backlog for future requirements is already well-filled. Looking ahead, for example, the use of Experience Fragments will be increasingly emphasized. Content Fragments are to be centrally managed in AEM and distributed across various channels. AEM is expected to serve even more as a content hub, following the headless approach. Additionally, integration with the newsletter distribution from SAP is planned. Workflows will be further enhanced to support the work of the authors and the web team, and in the future, a move to AEM as a Cloud Service could also be on the horizon.