Helping CVTI SR digitalise its sales channels

To evolve and develop CVTI SR eCommerce offering through a modern hassle-free digital platform

The Center for Scientific and Technical Information of the Slovak Republic (CVTI SR) is a directly managed organization by the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sports. The institution was founded in 1938 as the Slovak Technical Library. CVTI SR covers the function of a national information center for the Ministry of Education, for science, technology, innovation as well as a specialized scientific library of the Slovak Republic. It ensures the operation of the Liaison Office of the Slovak Republic for Research and Development in Brussels. 

Its mission is to support the development of science, technology and education by building and operating information systems for research and development; managing library and information collections and providing library information services for the general professional public and wider popularization of science and technology in society.

The client is a well known and respected government organisation that is currently in the process of digitising its sales channels. Therefore they were looking for a strong technical eCommerce provider that will navigate them through the process. 

Visually appealing modern functional eCommerce platform that drives new revenue streams  

Prior to our engagement with CVTI SR, the organisation didn't have any eCommerce platform. Its online presence was visible mainly via its website which serves primarily as an awareness and information centre. The target audience is the professional public and all science enthusiasts in Slovakia.

Our task was to create and fully develop a completely new optimised sales channel. Our team covered all aspects of the project - from UX/UI designs, through integration and selection of the payment solution, testing and of course full back-end and front-end coding. This project brings together several organisations that fall under the CVTI SR brand. 

With CVTI SR eshop, you are currently able to purchase access to a full library of scientific magazines and publications such as Quark, ITLib and buy small paraphernalia.    

The eStore is built on several platforms including WordPress, WooCommerce with the inclusion of custom modules per client's requirements.   

Successful launch

The brand new eCommerce portal was launched very recently - the beginning of December 2020. Straight after the launch, first sales started to creep in, resulting in more than 60+ subscriptions before Christmas. All achieved without any paid advertising!   

eStore platform comes at the right time for CVTI SR, as it eliminates the manual administration handling (account management) and the human element that was necessary up until this point. By integrating this commercial solution, CVTI SR is open for business 24/7.  

And we didn't stop there. Currently, we're phasing in the following new features:

• Registration fee - to gain access to the library information system (KIS), you have to pay the registration fee. Momentarily, the integration between these independent systems is being addressed
• Finalised API into Quark content system - when the subscriptions take place, the customer is transferred to Quark portal to be able to view all issues of the magazine
• Centralisation of User Management - planned connection of eStore with Identity Management system providing one account for all CVTI SR platforms.  
  

We're thrilled to work with the CVTI team and hope to further strengthen our relationship in the coming years.