A new webshop that makes ordering easier and faster

Interview with Philip Tornberger, Marketing Manager at Hot Screen

After almost ten years with the same webshop, it’s time for the next big step for us at Hot Screen.
Behind the project is our Marketing Manager, Philip Tornberger, who also helped build our current website back in 2016.

– I was actually the “father” of the existing site, says Philip with a laugh. I’ve worked with it all these years, but now it was time to do it all over again.

From the first website to a new generation

When the old webshop was launched, Hot Screen was only a quarter of the size it is today.

– The technology worked well back then, but as we’ve grown, we’ve also run into limitations, both in the system and in the user experience. Eventually, we realized we couldn’t take the existing technology any further. We needed a platform that could grow with us and with our customers from where we are today.

Built on customer feedback

The groundwork for the new webshop was extensive. The team conducted both customer interviews and surveys, resulting in hundreds of insights.

– We really wanted to know what our customers were missing, what could work better, and how they experience us digitally. That became incredibly valuable input, says Philip.

The result? A clear direction: functionality is great, but simplicity is key.

– It should be easy to find, easy to order, easy to understand — and everything should happen lightning fast. That was one of our guiding principles. Behind it all lies advanced technology and features that make us unique in the industry, but using it should still feel effortless.

“The tip of an iceberg”

When the project started, the team assumed there would be existing solutions to build upon. But there weren’t.

– We thought, “This must exist somewhere,” and searched high and low, but found nothing that met our expectations. We quickly realized we had to build a lot from scratch.

The new webshop is packed with new technology, but most of it happens in the background.

– What customers see is really just the tip of an iceberg, explains Philip. When you upload a logo, it goes through several processes in just seconds, validating the file, identifying colors, and ensuring it’s printable in our production. Everything happens automatically and feels completely seamless to the user.

Speed and stability – from day one

A major focus area has been performance, in other words, speed.

– We all know how frustrating it is when a page loads slowly. If it takes 30 seconds to open a tab or upload a logo, you’ll go somewhere else. That’s why we’ve worked hard to make the webshop lightning fast, both today and ten years from now.

The new platform is designed to handle large order volumes and hundreds of thousands of articles without slowing down.

– It shouldn’t matter whether a customer has ten products or ten thousand, the experience should be the same.

New features and more freedom for the customer

– Some of the most anticipated features are about giving customers more control directly in the webshop, says Philip.

For example, you’ll be able to vectorize files, add an outline or subtext, remove colors, and crop your logo directly in the tool. It’s also possible to create text logos right on the website. And for customers who’ve requested integration solutions, it will now be possible to connect our systems to their own platforms.

A webshop for an industry where time is always short

Customers will notice the difference — even though much happens behind the scenes.

– One big benefit is that we’ll reduce much of the email back-and-forth that happens during proof approvals. Many orders take days, sometimes weeks, to be approved. That’s something we want to change.

The new webshop won’t just speed up the ordering process, it will shorten lead times throughout the entire workflow.

– We’re already among the fastest in the industry, but now we’re taking it one step further. It’s about efficiency in every part of the process, from order to delivery.

Launch

After more than a year of development, the project is now entering its final phase.

– We’ve been talking about this webshop for a long time, I know, says Philip with a smile. But now it’s really happening. Beta testing with customers starts now and will continue throughout the rest of the year. Then we’ll launch at the beginning of next year.

He leans back and sums it up:

– It’s incredible to see how far we’ve come. This project is the result of both our customers’ ideas and our team’s dedication. I’m proud and I know our customers will notice the difference.