Sometimes it all starts with a small idea. With a use case that somehow doesn't fit into the standard. With a customer who says: "Isn't there something?" And sometimes just such a project ends in a plugin that can do more than you initially thought. At elio, such projects are part of everyday life. We have been developing plugins for over 25 years - now more than 1,500 in number. Some solve small hurdles, others build entire business models.
But they all have one thing in common: they adapt to the customer - not the other way round. We believe that technology should not be a corset. It should be a tool to make ideas possible.
Today we are taking you on a short journey through time with four very special plugins. Not because they are particularly "fancy". But because they show what is possible when you don't shy away from complexity - but instead shape it.
1. My Garage - when customers don't search, but find again
Let's assume a customer buys a specific bike model. The right lights, a child seat, maybe even the pedals they want. Sounds like a lot of searching - unless there is a garage. With My Garage, shop visitors can create their own personalised product world. They save complete setups - and later find exactly the right services, spare parts or upgrades.
What the plugin can do
- Users save personalised product sets
- Saved items can later be supplemented with suitable spare parts, accessories or services
- Shop operators can use the data for targeted cross-selling or reminders
What is special about it
- Products no longer have to be laboriously filtered or reconfigured
- The customer saves time - and the shop benefits from personalised recommendations
- Retailers can offer services that exactly match the stored products
Typical use case
The customer is standing in the basement, sees his dusty bike - and remembers the "My Garage" feature. Two clicks in the customer account and he has all the right spare parts and care products on the screen. No searching, no pondering. Instead: order quickly, pump up the air, ride off.
2. Sales Collaboration Interface - when two shops become one
How do you bring two product ranges under one roof - without IT nightmares? This plugin makes it possible: it allows two shops to work together in one system. Products from a partner shop can be offered in your own shop without backend links or ERP customisations.
What the plugin can do
- Shows third-party articles in your own shop
- Automatically triggers order processing in both shops
- Enables full or partial automation
What is special about it
- No effort for partner shops
- No in-depth interfaces necessary
- The customer notices nothing - but experiences a huge product portfolio
Typical use case
An online bicycle retailer wants to expand its product range - but doesn't want to rebuild its entire IT. Instead, he uses the plugin to connect a partner who sells helmets. The customers? They don't notice a thing. They are offered the helmet directly when they buy the bike - and everything comes from a single source.
3. contract manager - the contract ready for signature in the checkout
Concluding contracts in the shop? Sounds like a lot of paperwork at first. This plugin digitises the entire contract process: from the first form field to the legally valid signature - including an API interface to the bank.
What the plugin can do
- Digitise the entire contract system
- Enable digital signatures
- Optional: Connection to banks for leasing processing
What is individual about it
- Individually configurable to industry, product and use case
- Replaces complex tools or manual processes
- Extremely flexible - whether purchase, leasing or service contract
Typical use case
An entrepreneur wants to lease a new production machine - as quickly as possible, with as little paperwork as possible. He clicks through the contract options in the checkout, signs digitally and receives confirmation and financing directly. No queries, no piles of paper - just an efficient flow.
4. Multicheckout - one checkout, many ways
One checkout is good. Many checkouts are better - at least if a customer orders items from different manufacturers with different delivery options. This plugin enables exactly that: several checkouts in one order process.
What the plugin can do
- Division according to manufacturers, dispatch types, delivery times or individual rules
- Combination of automatic and manual control possible
- Separate processing, display and communication per segment
What is special about it
- Extremely flexible
- UX-friendly for complex B2B orders
- Saves internal detours in ERP and shop logic
Typical use case
The purchasing department orders for three different departments: Tools, IT accessories, safety clothing - all from one retailer. Normally: Chaos. Now? Three separate checkouts, automatically sorted. Each area receives its delivery, its invoice - and nobody loses track.
What is your idea?
Whether customised checkouts, digital contracts or multi-shop models - if there is no standard solution, we build it. With a team of over 150 experts, two decades of tech expertise and the desire to always think one step ahead.
Do you have an idea or a problem for which there is not (yet) a plugin? Then let's build one together. Get in touch with us.
25 years of elio - a special milestone!
This article is part of our anniversary series in which we take you behind the scenes at elio. You can look forward to personal insights, stories from the team and what has been driving us for a quarter of a century.
This article is part of our anniversary series in which we take you behind the scenes at elio. You can look forward to personal insights, stories from the team and what has been driving us for a quarter of a century.
