ILVE: E-Commerce for Premium Appliances

Business Side

• Business logic. At the outset, the ILVE found itself in a labyrinth of market-specific requirements, each of which presented unique hurdles. Operating in multiple regions means dealing with a complicated web of local tax regulations, different pricing models and relentless logistical challenges. Success in one market often did not translate to another, requiring constant recalibration to maintain balance.
• Customer-oriented solutions. It was a complex challenge to meet the requirements of both the B2C and B2B target groups. For B2C users, the focus was on an engaging and visually appealing experience that would effortlessly guide customers from initial interest to final purchase. B2B customers, on the other hand, needed a very different approach: real-time collaboration, instant price confirmations and a streamlined ordering process. Each target group had its own expectations, and to meet them, we had to customize the solutions with precision and care. 
• Instability behind the curtain. The high turnover rate among developers, inadequate technical documentation and lack of robust quality assurance processes led to a cascade of inefficiencies. Knowledge silos deepened, debugging became a blind trial-and-error process and the introduction of new features was akin to venturing into unvalidated environments. The architecture was burdened by the accumulation of technical debt and threatened to jeopardize scalability and innovation.

Tech Side 

• Turning virtual into reality. The platform had to transform ILVE’s extensive inventory into customizable virtual products — realistic, user-friendly representations of items that did not yet physically exist. This was a big task that required precision.
• With 60,711 unique configurations — models, sizes, colors, accessories and more — the system needed to deliver real-time price updates and handle a flood of data without stalling.
• Data flow and accuracy. Managing tens of thousands of parts and assembling them into configurable units required a robust data flow system to avoid duplication. Manual database intervention was often required to resolve production issues.
• Outdated code and technical debt. Fragmented, poorly documented “ghost code” led to errors, performance bottlenecks and confusion about system logic.
• The rigid SAP architecture needed to be tamed in order to ensure accurate inventory, pricing, and availability. But SAP was not designed for agility, and adapting to ILVE’s dynamic configurator required customized databases and a diplomatic approach to development. The negotiations were not just internal, but also extended to SAP itself.
• WooCommerce limits. The standard WooCommerce framework was functional, but could not meet ILVE’s requirements for scalability and customization. The inherent architectural limitations became clearly visible as the complexity of the platform increased.
• Dependencies on third-party providers. Working with hosting providers and local integrators often led to delays in deployment and troubleshooting. Balancing control of the platform’s core functionality with ensuring compatibility with third-party systems was a challenging task.

Devox Software was tasked with bringing ILVE’s digital vision to life and creating a scalable, future-proof platform that could meet the needs of a growing brand. It was to be the engine of the ILVE ecosystem, capable of launching more websites with ease, reducing lead times and minimizing operational issues. Most importantly, the platform would ensure flawless communication between the website and SAP and enable real-time collaboration.

“At Devox, we believe every challenge is an opportunity to innovate. Working with ILVE has allowed us to push the boundaries of e-commerce by combining technical precision with a deep understanding of customer needs. Our goal was to create not just a platform but a luxury experience that reflects the refinement of ILVE.”

— Anna Romanenko, Account Manager at Devox Software.

“Complex integrating SAP and database changing  into the ILVE platform was no easy feat, but it proved to be a win in the end. The journey was challenging, marked by hard negotiations, extensive back-and-forth discussions, and moments of uncertainty. However, the outcome justified the effort, ensuring a perfectly connected ecosystem.”

— Dmytro Savchenko, Software Engineer at Devox Software.