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How Liebherr Accelerates Digital Ordering in Electronics- and Kitchen Retail

BioFresh

Industry

Retail

Challenge

Manual ordering, fragmented communication, limited real-time visibility and no solution to reach the entire market

Results

Within one year, digital ordering moved from a limited share to nearly half of total order intake. Portal adoption also grew quickly, with more than 2,500 registered users in the first half year and strong momentum across both retail segments.

Key Solution

Tradeplace Portals Hub, Tradeplace Message Hub, Tradeplace BtB Portal
www.liebherr.com

The Challenge

Before the project, a large share of Liebherr's retail ordering activity was still handled manually. Phone calls, email exchanges, and repeated follow-up questions around prices, availability, documents, and order status slowed down both Liebherr teams and their retail partners. A retailer survey confirmed strong demand for a portal experience as well as direct system connectivity, especially in environments using ERP systems or kitchen planning tools.

About Liebherr

Since 1954, Liebherr-Hausgerate has been developing and manufacturing premium refrigerators and freezers. As part of the international Liebherr Group, the company stands for German engineering, long product life, energy efficiency, and reliable quality. From its base in Ochsenhausen, Liebherr supports a broad specialist retail landscape across Germany.

2 Solutions - 1 digital foundation

Portals Hub + B2B Portal

Tradeplace Portals Hub provides the secure single sign-on layer and the shared digital entry point for retailers and manufacturers. On top of that foundation, Liebherr deployed its branded B2B Portal, the Tradeplace white-label SalesPortal, to give retailers one place for ordering, documents, pricing, product information, and availability. This

setup reduces onboarding friction, supports 24/7 access, and makes digital collaboration easier for retailers that are not working through deep system integrations.

Message Hub

For retailers with established ERP landscapes or planning environments, Message Hub enables direct, real-time communication between retailer and manufacturer systems. Orders, availability checks, price requests, confirmations, and related operational messages can move automatically in the background. This reduces manual rekeying, limits errors, shortens response times, and gives Liebherr a scalable path to increase automated transaction volumes across specialist retail.

In kitchen retail, the setup also supports the move toward tighter integration with the major planning tools in the market. This helps turn appliance planning into a more connected ordering workflow and supports more reliable offers and delivery expectations for end customers.

Digital foundation applied to 2 different use cases

  1. 1.

    Electronics Retail

    Nearly all electronics retailers work with ERP systems. For Liebherr, over 70% expressed interest in EDI or Direct Connection. Digital information on product availability, prices, order status, and invoices is particularly important for this sector. Through ERP integration via Message Hub and the use of the B2B Portal, retailers benefit from significantly simplified
    workflows:
    • Real-time price and stock information
    • Automated order transmission
    • Fewer inquiries and errors
    • Faster processing
  2. 2.

    Kitchen and Furniture Retail

    Integration of Planning Tools and Portal Usage

    In the kitchen retail sector, digital planning plays a central role. with diverse kitchen planning tools, where appliance information and availability are needed directly within the planning process.

    Previously, many studios still ordered completely manually — a process prone to errors and time-consuming. With the Tradeplace integration, kitchen studios can now transfer appliances directly from the planning tool into the ordering process. Live data on prices, delivery dates, and incoming goods increases planning reliability and ensures accurate customer quotations. The result is a seamless digital workflow that eliminates media disruptions and accelerates the entire order process.

    Digital order share in kitchen retail is already above 20%, with strong growth driven by demand for full planning tool integration.

The Results

Massive increase of digitalization.

Within one year, Liebherr moved digital ordering from a limited share of total intake to a much more central role in daily retail operations. Increase of digital order intake from ~13% to almost 50% within 1 year.

The initiative improved transparency, reduced manual effort, and created a stronger digital service model for both electronics retail and kitchen retail. Portal adoption grew quickly, while Message Hub established the basis for further automation and a broader direct-connection strategy.

  • Efficiency: Retailers can access pricing, availability, documents, and ordering workflows in one connected environment, reducing repeated questions and shortening process cycles.

  • Market reach: More than 2,500 users registered in the first half year, with continued growth as more retail partners adopt the digital route.

  • Customer experience: Real-time information and easier access support faster responses, more reliable planning, and smoother day-to-day collaboration with retail partners.

  • Brand visibility: The portal becomes a stronger daily touchpoint for the Liebherr brand by giving retailers one central place for operational and commercial information. This supports stronger visibility in the specialist retail channel.

  • Scalability: The combination of portal access and Message Hub gives Liebherr one scalable setup for retailers at different levels of digital maturity, from portal-based interaction to automated back-end processes.

  • Digital & Green impact: Digital product information and connected workflows help reduce fragmented communication, avoid manual duplication, and support a more efficient and less wasteful way of working across the retail value chain.

>2.500

Stores reached

<3 mo

Implementation time

>50%

Digital order intake

“With Portals Hub and Message Hub, manufacturers can serve different retail needs through one connected digital foundation.”

Liebherr chose a combination of Tradeplace solutions because the platform supports both broad portal-based collaboration and deeper transactional connectivity. Portals Hub offers a secure single sign-on environment and fast market access, while Message Hub extends that setup with back-end automation. Together, they create a practical digital foundation that can keep expanding with retailer demand.

Iwan de Dooij
Sales Manager Tradeplace

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