Leica: Showcasing an icon in the right light

Leica Camera AG, founded in 1869 in Germany, is an internationally active manufacturer of cameras and sports optics equipment in the premium segment. Our goal for the joint project with Leica was a complete migration from a legacy CMS with deep integration of PIM and e-commerce solutions.

The requirements included the migration of the existing data, taking into account UX improvements and a consolidation of the components used. The aim was to ensure that the product data from the PIM was used as a “single source of truth”.

In 2024, we introduced the new “Time-based visibility” feature. This innovative function enables content editors to schedule the publication of certain elements on the page at a specific time in the future. This eliminates time-consuming environment changes for product launches, campaigns, etc.

Project Goals and Results

Automated migration:
In an initial discovery and digital engineering phase (before the actual development), the existing content was analyzed to identify opportunities for consolidation. During this phase, the UX design of the available and used components was also revised. Based on this mapping, an automated migration was implemented using Drupal's Migrate Suite. As some data was difficult to access and compile in the old CMS structure, a scraper was used to ensure correct data migration.

PIM as a “single source of truth” for product data:
A key focus of the Leica Camera corporate website is the products. To ensure that there is only one “source of truth” for product metadata, the goal was to create a link between the CMS and the PIM. Due to some limitations on the PIM side, a serverless middleware layer was introduced. This middleware layer takes the data from the PIM, converts it into the structure required for the CMS and indexes the data in an Elasticsearch cluster. The CMS obtains the data from the Elasticsearch cluster to present the necessary product metadata (such as firmware, SEO, metadata, price information, etc.).

Multilingual and multimarket:
Leica Camera's global website is a multilingual and multimarket solution. There is a language hierarchy that enables the transfer of content based on language and at the same time allows country-specific adaptations.

Infrastructure as a Code:
The entire solution is hosted on AWS, using serverless components where possible. The CMS runs on AWS Fargate clusters, which automatically adapt to the load and scale up or down accordingly. The infrastructure is provided and maintained as code using Terraform.

The goal of the project was to relaunch leica-camera.com as a state-of-the-art brand and product communication website with integrated e-commerce capabilities and CRM connectivity. The MVP focused on creating the foundation for the upcoming challenges in an offline and online connected world. The main goal was to deliver a high quality project on time.

Challenges

Together with the client, we identified five main challenges:

1. Timeframe
The schedule was tight. We only had a few months to design and deliver a marketable MVP. To be successful, we had to act quickly and pragmatically. The key to success was an experienced, aligned and dedicated team as well as a focus on the most important features and excellent stakeholder management in terms of requirements and expectations.

2. Environments & Architecture
Choosing the right architectural approach was equally important. On the one hand, we needed a quick decision on a hosting partner to speed up the process and start the setup. On the other hand, we needed to develop a final and future-proof architectural basis - the sooner the better.

3. Project Complexity
To reduce project complexity, especially during the scoping phase, we needed to avoid feature overload in the future. This required a sharp focus and the right scoping tools (in this case scoping according to KISS/YAGNI principles).

4. Migration & Integrations
One of the project goals was to move the landscape from separate silos to an integrated online platform. To enable a smooth migration, JAKALA (formerly FFW) had to develop a CMS-agnostic front-end crawler for automated migrations.

5. Stakeholder Engagement
Active stakeholder engagement was crucial to the decision-making process at every stage of the project. To ensure this, JAKALA (formerly FFW) proposed an agile approach with demonstrable features. In addition, a close liaison was established between the key stakeholders and the Client Service Director on the JAKALA side.

Conclucion

We achieved a seamless transition from the legacy CMS using Drupal's Migrate Suite and a bespoke scraper, ensuring data consistency by integrating a product information management system with Elasticsearch. The website now has a unique time-based visibility feature for scheduled content releases, which significantly increases workflow efficiency. We have also significantly improved the user experience and designed the site to be modern and intuitive.

Globally, the website supports multiple languages and markets and offers a localized but consistent user experience. Our scalable, serverless infrastructure on AWS, managed with Terraform, adapts to traffic requirements and ensures high availability. Despite a tight schedule, we delivered on time by following an agile approach and closely involving stakeholders.

Technically, the project has a robust architecture with AWS Fargate and serverless components, providing a solid foundation for future expansion. The seamless integration of e-commerce and CRM systems transforms the website into a powerful tool for brand communication and sales. We have not only achieved but exceeded our strategic goals, positioning Leica at the forefront of digital engagement.

For more information please visit www.jakala.com