When no system has the full picture: Making product discovery reliable across markets
Rolling out a digital solution across 31 markets sounds simple, until different systems, data formats, and regional requirements get in the way.
Our client wanted to offer users a unified product discovery experience while supporting local needs. Acrontum developed a scalable MVP that brings together scattered data, adapts to market-specific rules, and delivers a fast, compliant interface. The solution is now live across multiple markets and brands, with extended features like product reservations and advanced filters.
Client need
The client needed a flexible solution that would allow users to find relevant products in their local markets while enabling each region to present up-to-date stock in a consistent way. The aim was to move away from separate local pages and provide a shared foundation that still respected regional differences.
The platform had to support varying legal requirements, languages, and data formats across markets. It also needed to connect with the existing public frontend and meet strict data protection and security standards.
Highlight
The project shows how a structured, MVP-driven approach can turn a clear product vision into a scalable solution, even when the data landscape is fragmented and local requirements vary widely. By testing, adapting and building around real-world constraints, the client was able to go live quickly, support regional differences and extend the solution to other brands within the group.
Solution built
Acrontum developed the backend, admin interface, and API that power the solution. Local teams can upload product data individually or in batches, while the system brings together information from different sources using fallback logic to ensure data completeness. Grouping mechanisms help avoid duplicate listings and make the display clearer for users.
To meet compliance and security requirements, sensitive data such as unique identifiers is hashed. Soft deletion ensures that historical data remains available for reporting purposes without exposing personal or confidential information.
Services Used
Concepting & solution design, Backend architecture, API design & testing, QA and deployment
Client Situation
Before the new solution was in place, customers had to navigate individual local websites to find and compare available products. Each market relied on its own tools to manage stock, and visibility was limited, resulting in inconsistent user experiences and fewer opportunities to convert interest into action.
Internally, the landscape was just as fragmented. Relevant information was spread across multiple systems, each with different formats, levels of quality, and accessibility. Local markets followed different legal requirements and used their own methods for sharing product information. No single API provided a complete data set, which made it challenging to create a reliable platform that could scale across regions.
The Approach
Acrontum collaborated closely with the client to define which information end users needed most and how it could be made accessible across all markets. The project began with a focused prototype and followed an iterative MVP approach, allowing the team to test different data sources, gather feedback from local teams and refine the system step by step.
Because no single API provided all required data, multiple sources were evaluated and combined using fallback logic to ensure the information shown was complete and reliable. Grouping and filtering strategies were introduced to reduce duplication and display only the most relevant entries.
Security and compliance requirements were addressed from the outset. Sensitive identifiers were hashed, and soft deletion was implemented so that historical data remained available for reporting purposes without exposing any personal or confidential information.
When urgent changes were needed on the public-facing frontend, managed by an external provider with limited development capacity, acrontum identified a workaround by adjusting the data sent through the API. This enabled required updates to go live without direct access to the frontend codebase.
Through this iterative and pragmatic approach, the solution evolved from a first live version into a scalable system supporting multiple markets and brands, while keeping the experience fast, accurate and aligned with both user and business needs.
Outcome
The solution is now a key tool for the client’s regional markets, providing users with one place to compare available products and express interest directly, removing the need to navigate separate local websites. The centrally managed pages attract significantly more traffic than individual market pages, increasing visibility and opportunities for conversion.
The MVP has demonstrated its scalability and adaptability across diverse market needs. Its success led to adoption by another brand within the group, where the functionality was extended with additional filters and reservation features. The project highlights how a clear vision, combined with iterative development, can result in a reliable and widely adopted solution, even in complex, distributed system landscapes.
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