Building a High-Performance Web Shop with Advanced Search and Content Management
From 2013 to 2018, I led the technical architecture and development of dm-drogeriemarkt’s e-commerce platform—a sophisticated web shop serving customers across multiple European markets. This enterprise-scale project integrated advanced search technology, rich media management, content management systems, and email marketing platforms into a cohesive, high-performance shopping experience.
The Vision
dm-drogeriemarkt required a robust e-commerce platform that could:
- Deliver fast, relevant product search across thousands of SKUs
- Scale to handle peak traffic during promotional campaigns
- Manage rich product imagery and multimedia content efficiently
- Support sophisticated email marketing with A/B testing capabilities
- Integrate with backend systems for inventory, pricing, and order management
- Provide enterprise-grade security and reliability
The Solution: Comprehensive E-Commerce Architecture
I architected and developed a multi-layered platform that balanced performance, functionality, and maintainability while integrating best-in-class technologies for each domain.
Core Platform Components
Enterprise Web Shop Foundation Implemented KonaKart Enterprise, a proven e-commerce platform designed for pharmacy and healthcare retail, customizing it to meet dm-drogeriemarkt’s specific requirements while leveraging its robust order management and payment processing capabilities.
Advanced Search Engine Designed and deployed an Apache Solr search cluster that became the intelligence layer of the shop, delivering:
- Lightning-fast product search with sub-second response times
- Intelligent autocomplete and suggestions
- Synonym search using custom thesaurus
- Stemming for language-specific search optimization
- Spellcheck to handle user typos gracefully
- Faceted search for intuitive product filtering
Content Management Platform Deployed and managed a 6-node OpenCms Enterprise cluster, enabling marketing teams to:
- Manage promotional content independently
- Create landing pages for campaigns
- Publish content without engineering involvement
- Support multiple languages and markets
Rich Media Management Integrated Adobe Scene 7 (now Adobe Dynamic Media) for sophisticated handling of product images, providing:
- Automatic image optimization for different devices
- Dynamic image resizing and cropping
- Fast content delivery network (CDN) distribution
- High-quality zoom and 360-degree product views
Infrastructure & Performance
Load-Balanced Architecture Implemented Apache Tomcat cluster with intelligent load distribution across multiple nodes and staging environments, ensuring:
- High availability during traffic spikes
- Seamless deployments without downtime
- Efficient resource utilization
- Failover capability for business continuity
Database Architecture Developed optimized Hibernate middleware with connection pooling to Oracle Database, handling complex e-commerce transactions while maintaining performance under load.
Performance Engineering Utilized Apache JMeter for comprehensive stress testing and performance optimization, ensuring the platform could handle Black Friday-level traffic and promotional campaigns.
Analytics & Intelligence Deployed Piwik (Matomo) for detailed shop analytics, tracking:
- Customer journey through the purchase funnel
- Product performance and search queries
- Campaign effectiveness and conversion rates
- A/B test results
Marketing Integration
Email Marketing at Scale Integrated Listserv Maestro for sophisticated email campaigns:
- Up to 10 million emails monthly
- Advanced A/B testing for subject lines and content
- Segmentation based on purchase history and behavior
- Automated triggered campaigns for cart abandonment and recommendations
Security Infrastructure Managed PaloAlto Firewall deployment and configuration, ensuring enterprise-grade security for customer data and payment processing.
Technical Leadership Responsibilities
Beyond development, took comprehensive ownership including:
- Vendor Negotiations: Led contract negotiations for Adobe Scene 7 and PaloAlto Firewall
- Hardware Procurement: Responsible for NetApp storage and server infrastructure configuration
- Search Engine Optimization: Developed custom thesaurus, stemming rules, and dictionary for Solr
- Reporting & Analytics: Built comprehensive shop reports and request-reports for business intelligence
- DevOps: Managed cluster deployments, configuration management, and production operations
Technology Stack
The platform leveraged enterprise-proven technologies:
E-Commerce
- Platform: KonaKart Enterprise
- Search: Apache Solr (clustered)
- CMS: OpenCms (6-node cluster)
Backend
- Framework: Java, J2EE
- Web: JSF/JSP, Struts Framework
- Services: REST Web Services, JSON APIs
- ORM: Hibernate
- JavaScript: jQuery
Infrastructure
- Application Server: Apache Tomcat (clustered)
- Web Server: Apache HTTP Server
- Database: Oracle Database
- Storage: NetApp Enterprise Storage
- Security: PaloAlto Firewall
- Platform: Linux
Marketing & Media
- Email: Listserv Maestro
- Rich Media: Adobe Scene 7
- Analytics: Piwik (Matomo)
Tools
- Testing: Apache JMeter
- Project Management: Jira, Confluence
Key Achievements
Advanced Search Intelligence The Apache Solr implementation became a competitive differentiator, helping customers find products quickly through:
- Intelligent synonym expansion (e.g., “cream” also finds “lotion”)
- Language-specific stemming for natural language search
- Custom thesaurus for beauty and healthcare terminology
- Faceted navigation for intuitive browsing
Scalable Architecture The load-balanced infrastructure handled:
- Seasonal traffic spikes during promotional periods
- Concurrent user sessions during peak hours
- Large product catalogs with multimedia content
- Real-time inventory updates across the platform
Marketing Automation Email marketing integration enabled:
- Personalized product recommendations
- Automated campaign workflows
- Sophisticated customer segmentation
- Measurable ROI through A/B testing
Impact & Results
Over five years, delivered and evolved a sophisticated e-commerce platform that:
- Provided dm-drogeriemarkt with a competitive online shopping experience
- Scaled reliably to handle growing customer demand
- Enabled marketing teams to execute sophisticated campaigns independently
- Delivered fast, relevant search results that improved conversion rates
- Maintained enterprise-grade security and data protection
- Integrated seamlessly with backend systems for operations
This project demonstrated the ability to architect complex e-commerce solutions that integrate multiple enterprise platforms while maintaining performance, security, and maintainability—delivering a platform that serves both customer needs and business objectives.
Duration: 2013 – 2018 (5 years) Role: Technical Project Management, Software & System Architect Location: Austria Client: dm-drogeriemarkt / Cards & Systems
