Reliable Magento hosting for Cherry E-Commerce GmbH

Cherry E-Commerce GmbH has migrated its growing online shop from Magento Open Source to Hyvä Frontend.

integer_net was responsible for the design and implementation of the shop, as well as for integrating the PlentyONE ERP system, whilst maxcluster provided the specialised hosting. Since the relaunch in October 2024, the conversion rate has risen by around 50%, whilst turnover has doubled year-on-year. At the same time, pages load on average about one second faster – and updates have since been carried out with virtually no downtime.

Cherry E-Commerce GmbH operates the CHERRY brand’s online shop and sells high-quality computer input devices such as keyboards and mice. The company focuses on quality, reliability and a convenient shopping experience for both retail and business customers.

Prior to the project, Cherry E-Commerce GmbH relied on a combined website with an integrated shop. The platform had grown over the years and had become increasingly cumbersome, maintenance-intensive and confusing. Marketing and content pages, as well as purchasing processes, all ran on a single system, which made further development and maintenance even more difficult.

For the next phase of its online business, this structure was to be replaced by a standalone shop based on Magento Open Source in combination with Hyvä Themes. The company was looking for an agency with in-depth experience of Magento and Hyvä, and a hosting partner capable of operating this technology stack efficiently and reliably.

integer_net handled the technical implementation, whilst maxcluster provided hosting for the new shop at shop.cherry.de

To ensure a successful transition from the existing platform to the new Magento/Hyvä shop, the project had to overcome three key challenges in particular:

1. Relaunch whilst business continues as usual
   The switch to the new Magento/Hyvä platform was to take place whilst day-to-day business continued. Disruption to customers was to be kept to a minimum.
2. Complex system landscape with PlentyONE ERP
   The shop and the PlentyONE ERP system had to work together reliably to ensure that product data remained up to date and orders were correctly transferred to downstream systems.
3. Planning certainty for the timetable and budget
   The numerous interdependencies required close coordination between all parties involved to ensure that deadlines and budgetary constraints were met – from Cherry E-Commerce GmbH to integer_net and maxcluster.

To ensure the project remained on schedule and within budget, the project team at Cherry E-Commerce GmbH and the developers at integer_net held regular direct meetings. During these meetings, requirements were clarified and technical options were assessed in light of the client’s wishes.

On this basis, a clearly structured roadmap was drawn up, comprising the following steps:

1. New shop on Magento + Hyvä
   integer_net developed the new shop based on Magento Open Source, using the Hyvä front-end and Hyvä themes. The aim was to create a fast, streamlined front-end with clear navigation and a shopping experience that matched Cherry E-Commerce GmbH’s quality standards.
2. Separation of website and shop for better user guidance
   With the relaunch, the brand presence and the purchasing process were more clearly separated. According to Cherry E-Commerce GmbH, visitors now navigate more directly to the shop and are guided through the checkout process in a more structured manner. The company cites this improved user guidance as one of the key factors behind the increased conversion rate.
3. Integration of ERP and PlentyONE
   A third-party module connects the PlentyONE ERP system with Magento. This ensures product data remains up to date and orders are processed automatically.
4. Defining the technical foundation and hosting requirements
   In addition to the development work, the project team and the agency set out the requirements that the infrastructure had to meet – ranging from performance and stability through to maintainability and support. This provided a clear picture of the characteristics the hosting partner should possess.

Based on the defined requirements for performance, stability, maintainability and support, the decision to choose maxcluster as the hosting provider was made very quickly.

maxcluster was involved from the outset and contributed directly to the project’s success in several areas:

Rapid server set-up

The swift provisioning of the environment helped integer_net to meet the tight project deadline. Development, testing and go-live were able to take place on a Magento-optimised infrastructure.

Support during the launch and with caching issues

During the launch, issues arose with caching. The maxcluster team responded immediately, analysed the situation together with integer_net and adjusted the configuration to ensure stable live operation, even though the exact launch time had not been announced far in advance.

Monitoring during peak loads using the PlentyONE module

Shortly after the launch, the integrated PlentyONE module caused an unusually high load on the system. This was quickly detected through monitoring; maxcluster informed the client, and the cause was pinpointed in collaboration with integer_net. Once the module had been optimised, performance stabilised again.

To give you an overview, here are the key figures:

• Conversion rate: around +50%
• Turnover: doubled since the relaunch
• Loading time: on average approx. 1 second faster
• Downtime during updates: practically no longer noticeable

Here’s a breakdown of the success:

Conversion rate: around +50%

Cherry E-Commerce GmbH reports a conversion rate that is approximately 50% higher. In their view, the key factor is that users now land on the shop with greater precision and, thanks to improved user guidance, are led more consistently towards completing a purchase.

Improved page speed and better Lighthouse scores

The average loading time has been reduced by around one second. This is reflected in better Lighthouse scores and an overall smoother user experience.

Turnover: Doubled since launch

Since October 2024, turnover has doubled compared with the same period last year. The optimised user guidance, improved performance and stable hosting have a direct impact on business success.

Less downtime during updates

Whilst downtime used to be a regular occurrence during updates, it has now become the exception. Cherry E-Commerce GmbH reports “virtually no downtime” during maintenance work. Maintenance windows and deployments can be carried out much more smoothly, without noticeably disrupting day-to-day operations.

Cherry E-Commerce GmbH has transformed its previously sprawling, combined website-and-shop structure – which required significant maintenance and had long loading times – into a focused, high-performance online shop. Magento Open Source, combined with the Hyvä frontend, now ensures that the brand presentation and the purchasing process are clearly separated. Visitors are directed more effectively to the shop and can find their way to the checkout more quickly.

maxcluster provides the technical foundation for this: an infrastructure specialised in e-commerce that is quick to set up, remains stable under load and enables updates with virtually no downtime. Combined with the implementation by integer_net and the proactive support from maxcluster – including monitoring and assistance with caching and load management issues – this is directly reflected in the key performance indicators: noticeably shorter loading times, a conversion rate that is around 50% higher, and turnover that has doubled since the relaunch.