Solution:
With a need to present a very well-designed and competitive promotional products catalog and to offer real-time quote calculation for printed products such as brochures and documents, Proforma selected eBlox' storeBlox 2 platform and began the process of defining custom features and logic. Proforma's site not only required accurate, configurable online ordering of promotional products and apparel but also the ability for customers to dynamically interact with a real-time calculator or configurator for print products.

eBlox development staff worked with Proforma to fully define the parameters of printed products, including complex documents such as multi-page brochures and business documents. Printed product configurations included rules for binding, coating and page counts which were required to interact with each other to produce valid configurations and pricing. The entire system needed to be easy to change and administer when price updates were needed.

eBlox developed an XML-based configuration system to enable Proforma product managers to manage print configurations, rules and pricing; eBlox then developed the dynamic front end with real-time Javascript-based updating of selections based on user input. The entire printed product maybe be configured, added to the shopping cart and ordered online – including art upload – all in just a few minutes.

Meanwhile, eBlox worked with Proforma marketing and design professionals to implement a completely CSS-based design strategy for the site based on accessible web standards. Product pages are generated quickly with a minimum of HTML and the simple, straightforward and efficient design is supported by full product configuration on every product, including complex options such as decoration and packaging. Proforma has already seen success with fully configured and valid online orders.

"This site was a challenge for our organization with the extensive customization and custom components," said eBlox CEO Brent Buford. "But the storeBlox platform has the power to drive the most complex e-commerce configurations, and Proforma's business needs were handled well by the customization and configuration options of the product. This is an impressive site, and it competes with some of the best we've done."