Collect FreeBees for discounts on great gifts

The FreeBeesShop.nl platform had been around for a long time and was in need of an update. It was our job to give the platform its makeover. Not only did we take care of the technical implementation of the backend - we also came up with a new frontend with a redesigned UX and UI.

Our challenge was to connect the FreeBeesShop.nl platform with the FreeBees and Digital Content Company (DCC) APIs. DCC is a universal 'connector' that can unlock the entire range of dozens of partners with hundreds of digital products. There are also various partners connected to FreeBees with which customers can redeem their FreeBees. Features such as the current points balance therefore need to be completely reliable and accurate to prevent too many or too few points from being redeemed.

Many FreeBees cardholders now use FreeBeesShop.nl to redeem their points. In the first few months, there were over 1500 orders per month for exciting digital products such as gift cards, the Staatsloten (Dutch State Lottery) and cinema vouchers. The webshop rapidly connects to the various APIs, allowing customers to view their points balance and redeem points at the click of a button.

To manage product information, we use the open source e-commerce platform Virto Commerce and DCC. FreeBeesShop.nl products are listed in a separate Virto Commerce environment. When a user places an order, DCC's order API comes up and the order is completed through DCC. Headless CMS Squidex was also used for the frontend.

As an online webshop, FreeBeesShop.nl is a great addition to the existing list of partners with which you can redeem points. At the moment, you can only order digital products through the webshop, but the platform will soon expand thanks to the introduction of an order module for ordering physical products.

rb2 has implemented the full technical development for the FreeBeesShop.nl platform. To develop the platform, we used Virto Commerce, which is an open source e-commerce platform that allows us to add and adjust modules. The platform is highly scalable. This means we can easily manage continuous fluctuations in user numbers. Using the Agile method, our Scrum team has continuously supplied working pieces of software. The Scrum team is currently in maintenance mode: new features are being developed and existing connections are being updated at the same time.