Fully Responsive Ecommerce Site

VAN SCHAIK

Bootstrap Node

THE BRIEF

When Van Schaik looked at their website analytics, it was evident that there was a clear migration from desktop to mobile. Not only was there a need for a redesign, but also for the site to be responsive.

Realm Digital was tasked to redesign the site using the existing layout and page elements. Once the designs were approved, the Realm development team then needed to code the templates into responsive HTML.

 

Van Schaik Brief
Van Schaik brief 2

THE SOLUTION

The reskinned website was built using PHP version 7.1, which can be up to 4 times faster than PHP 5.6 on small load requests.

We also recommended moving web servers from Apache to Nginx. Nginx provides considerable speed improvements in the Read/Write (I/O) sector and can be up to 2.5 faster than Apache.

Since Elasticsearch 1.5 is no longer supported and is relatively slower compared to new versions, it was definitely necessary to upgrade to version 6.4. In addition to this, making use of modern technologies and having a mobile-first approach was our focus. As a result, we used HTML5, CSS3, Webpack and Bootstrap 4, which is the latest version of the popular framework.

Extensive testing was conducted to ensure that none of the site’s existing functionality was lost.

THE RESULTS

Van Schaik 5
Van Schaik 4
Van Schaik 3
Van Schaik results 1
Van Schaik results 2

The gradual increase of mobile browsing activity over the last few years required a definitive adjustment of our e-commerce platform to remain competitive in a world that has significantly become ‘mobile-first’. Our response was to take the opportunity presented by our development partners at Realm in making the most of a new tech stack and adaptive UX to create a fresh, fast and efficient mobile friendly nip/tuck of our existing web-site. This is in keeping with our continuous strides to be ever-relevant in a world of changing student realities…to continue distributing bona fide educational content that is transforming lives for the better and ‘…taking you places’.

Melvin Kaabwe

Digital Manager, VSB Group

Van Schaik is a key player in the South African education space and has always been quick to embrace technology. Realm Digital is incredibly privileged to have been a part of this journey for over 8 years and we look forward to seeing the impact the new site has on making learning resources more accessible to the student market.

Simon Bestbier

CEO, Realm Digital

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