Frischeparadies reduces checkout abandonment rates from 50% to 5% with Shopware 6 and maxcluster

The gourmet food retailer Frischeparadies runs a Shopware 6 online shop for high-quality fresh foods. The old system landscape had reached its limits due to slow response times, a high level of manual maintenance, and a rigid SAP integration. Changes were only possible directly in the code or in the database—making them correspondingly error-prone.

Together with mr. pixel and maxcluster, a stable, scalable shop architecture was introduced. maxcluster provided a high-performance, fail-safe server infrastructure that guarantees stable performance even during peak periods such as Christmas and Easter. The mpXconnect middleware was used to automate price and stock imports and to carry out a structured migration of product data. In addition, a complex kilogram-based product logic was resolved.

The result: significantly better performance, a drop in checkout abandonment from 50% to 5%, and stable shop operations even under heavy load.

The delicatessen retailer Frischeparadies operates a Shopware 6 online shop for fresh, high-quality food. The old system landscape reached its limits with slow response times, high manual maintenance effort and a rigid SAP integration an ihre Grenzen.  

Data maintenance between SAP and the online shop was heavily driven by manual processes, time-consuming and therefore prone to errors. Price and stock data had to be updated manually on a regular basis, which not only tied up resources in day-to-day operations but also increased the risk of outdated information in the shop. Changes to the existing SAP integration were only possible directly in the code or via the database—an elaborate and risky approach for a system that is in daily use.

At the same time, the user experience suffered: Slow response times in the old shop, especially during checkout, led to drop-offs and frustrated customers—right where it is particularly critical for revenue and customer satisfaction. A flexible, robust interface for smooth data exchange between SAP and the shop was completely missing.

Against this backdrop, it was clear: the planned move to Shopware 6 was not just about creating a new frontend, but about building a robust overall architecture. For Frischeparadies and mr. pixel, several challenges were in focus:

• SAP integration without additional effort: Connecting the existing SAP system was to keep internal IT effort to a minimum and integrate cleanly into the new Shopware 6 landscape.
• Reducing manual steps: Price and inventory data were to be synchronized automatically and reliably to minimize sources of error and relieve the team.
• Stability under high load: The business is highly seasonal—especially at Christmas and Easter, traffic and order volume increase significantly. The new solution had to handle these peaks reliably.
• Handling kilogram-based items: A particular domain-specific challenge involved kilogram-based items, where weighing can result in weight deviations of up to 10%. These deviations had to be billed correctly and mapped technically.

The goal was a solution that grows with Frischeparadies’ requirements and remains flexible in the long term—without getting bogged down in complex custom development.

The “mpXconnect” middleware was introduced as the central interface between SAP and the new Shopware 6 shop. It provides numerous core features to efficiently transfer price and stock data from the ERP system to the shop. Instead of custom one-off solutions, Frischeparadies and mr. pixel use an established, extensible platform tailored to e-commerce scenarios.

Using a user-friendly interface, workflows can be adjusted with just a few clicks—without requiring in-depth programming knowledge. This allows processes such as price and stock imports to be flexibly modified and expanded without having to intervene in code or the database for every change.

Additional functions were implemented specifically for Frischeparadies:

• Automated import jobs validate the data and ensure a smooth export to the Shopware API.
• Special import routines for prices and stock process items in stacks of 20 to ensure high data freshness while maintaining stable performance.
• Integration as a plugin in Shopware 6 enables customizations without jeopardizing the underlying stability of the shop instance.

Structured migration from the legacy system

To ensure an orderly transition to the new architecture, all relevant item data was first exported from the old shop and converted into CSV files. Based on mapping tables, this data was transferred into mpXconnect’s product database and from there automatically imported into Shopware 6. This enabled the move to the new infrastructure without media discontinuities—with controllable data quality and traceable steps.

Mapping kilogram-based items and billing

The technically demanding logic around kilogram-based items with weight deviations of up to 10% was modeled separately in the middleware. By exporting XML files for invoicing and issuing an automatic credit note in the event of deviations, the weight issue is resolved cleanly and transparently—both technically and from an accounting perspective.

maxcluster as the technical foundation

For this architecture to work in day-to-day operations, it required an infrastructure designed for e-commerce requirements. The shop is hosted on a managed cluster environment from maxcluster.

As a result, Shopware 6 and mpXconnect run on an infrastructure tailored to applications with high demands on performance and availability. The scalable architecture and optimized components such as caching and search technologies provide the basis for short load times and high stability—even when order volumes increase significantly.

Shortly after go-live, it became clear that the effort had paid off. The combination of a new shop architecture, automated SAP integration, and specialized hosting led to clearly measurable improvements:

• Significantly better performance: The shop’s response times have noticeably improved compared to the old solution. Page loads and the checkout process feel much faster and more stable for users.
• Massively reduced checkout abandonment: The checkout abandonment rate was reduced from around 50% previously to about 5%. The optimized technical foundation and more stable payment processing directly boost revenue.
• Stable behavior during peak seasonal business: Especially during high-traffic periods such as Christmas and Easter, the shop remains reliably available. Performance drops and instability at peak times were significantly reduced.
• Reduced workload for the team through automation: Automated import jobs for prices and stock levels significantly reduce manual maintenance effort. Data freshness and process reliability increase, while the internal IT team is noticeably relieved.
• Clean handling of kilogram-based items: Weight deviations of up to 10% are automatically taken into account in billing, including credit notes. This reduces correction effort, and the process is transparent and easy for customers to understand.

The Frischeparadies example shows how technical complexity can be made manageable when middleware, shop system and hosting are deliberately aligned. With Shopware 6, the “mpXconnect” middleware and maxcluster’s managed cluster hosting, a platform has been created that performs reliably both in day-to-day operations and during seasonal peak periods.

The significant reduction in checkout drop-offs, automated data integration from SAP and stable performance provide the foundation for further growth in Frischeparadies’ e-commerce channel. Future expansions—such as additional sales channels, new product ranges or further automation—can build on the existing architecture without compromising stability.

This gives mr. pixel and Frischeparadies a solution that meets current requirements while still leaving enough room for the next steps.