However, for Revivalist it wasn’t quite so simple. Whilst every product has an SKU code, not every colour and finish has an individual code which meant that it was impossible to rely on variable product types to manage options for users to filter and search for products on the front end.
To overcome this, we created a custom taxonomy that allowed ‘pseudo-variable’ products to be created with completely customisable options for colours, finish, materials etc.
For visitors to the site this allowed for granular searching capability but maintained the integrity of the data for products where SKUs where available for every option. This was particularly important because the team at Revivalist also wanted the site to be capable of connecting to ERP software as a future development.
Alongside this challenge, we also developed a custom quote request tool for bespoke products, a custom wishlist function and a custom product import tool. Although these functions all exist out of the box or via plugins, the heavy customisation already carried out on the products meant it was simpler to build lightweight versions of exactly what was required rather than rework existing code.