Role
Lead UX &
visual design
visual design
Visual & UX design case study
•
2024
•
B2B e-commerce
Pierce Manufacturing — an aftermarket parts storefront, rebuilt on VTEX
One of the largest custom fire-apparatus makers wanted a digital experience that matched the quality of its trucks. I helped redesign the aftermarket parts storefront — re-platformed onto VTEX — into a calm, role-aware buying journey for its dealer network.
The brief
A digital experience worthy of the product
Pierce builds custom fire trucks — complex, high-stakes machines that dealers and service teams keep running for decades. Their existing parts site couldn't keep up: fragmented navigation, a hard-to-search catalog, and no clean way to manage who could see what.
The goal was to simplify the complexity of the business for a network of dealer partners — giving them managed access to a deep resource centre and a parts journey that felt as dependable as the apparatus itself.
What the project delivered
01
Re-platform to VTEX
Migrated the parts site onto a cloud-native, microservices commerce platform — scalable and resilient by design.
02
A seamless UX foundation
Redesigned the interface and information architecture into a clear, role-aware buying journey for dealers.
03
Catalog & search optimised
Reworked browse and search to reach beyond the raw parts catalog, so users find the right part faster.
04
Built to scale
Optimised code and server configuration to absorb a growing user base without sacrificing performance.
05
ERP & CRM integration
Connected VTEX to existing systems through an API-first architecture for unified data management.
06
Role-based access
Added identity management and granular permissions to protect sensitive data and streamline operations.
70,000+
Pierce apparatus
supported in the field
supported in the field
1,000+
service professionals
served by the platform
served by the platform
160+
master Pierce
technicians
technicians
Why VTEX
Unlocking scalability & innovation
VTEX won on its fundamentals: cloud-native, built on microservices, and inherently scalable. Its API-first, headless approach made it flexible enough to bend around Pierce's specific commerce requirements rather than the other way around.
That let us combine out-of-the-box capability with custom features built for their business model. The result wasn't just a technology upgrade — it was a foundation for continuous innovation as customer expectations keep evolving.
How I approached the design
01
Map the dealer journey
Audited the existing experience and mapped how dealers actually find, evaluate and order parts — surfacing the friction worth removing first.
02
Design the role-aware system
Built a UI system around managed access — different users, different permissions — so the right people see the right catalog and resources.
03
Sharpen catalog & search
Designed browse, filtering and search patterns that scale across a deep, technical parts catalog without overwhelming the user.
04
Ship & harden
Partnered with engineering through the VTEX build and integrations, refining the experience as real dealers came onto the platform.
Client
Expertise in VTEX and a real commitment to user experience — instrumental in delivering on our objectives.
Kaela Kucera · eCommerce Manager, Pierce Manufacturing