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From Home Furnishing Business

Jola Interactive Announces Launch of Website for Uttermost  

February 26, 2025  by Karen Parrish in Business Strategy, Industry   

Jola Interactive’s deep understanding of the furnishings industry, combined with its expertise in eCommerce development, allowed the team to craft a solution that met Uttermost’s goals by anticipating potential business hurdles and asking the right questions. As an Adobe Partner with a strong focus on building B2B platforms for the furnishings sector, Jola’s developers leveraged Adobe Commerce, one of the most powerful eCommerce platforms available, to provide highly flexible and robust solutions specific to Uttermost’s business processes.

The new website, launched in mid-December 2024, addresses Uttermost’s need to modernize and overcome the limitations of its previous system which was nearing the end of its lifecycle. The goal was to refresh the website's design and create a more modern, forward-thinking user experience while also improving overall usability, and providing advanced tools to help Uttermost meet its business objectives.

Key Features of the New Uttermost Website include:

— Empowered Content Management: Utilizing Jola’s custom-built Adobe Page Builder, Uttermost’s marketing team can now independently create and edit content on the site without relying on a programmer, streamlining their workflow and increasing agility.
— Customized Purchasing Rules: The site integrates customized purchasing rules for Uttermost’s three brands—Uttermost, Revelation, and Salt & Light—ensuring that customers only see products they are authorized to purchase.
— Sub-User Account System: The new platform includes a sophisticated sub-user account system, allowing team members to create multiple accounts with personalized permissions to control access to various parts of the website, improving internal operational efficiency.
— Seamless Multi-Brand Experience: The platform now unifies Uttermost’s three brands into a single, cohesive site while enabling cross-promotion between brands to maximize visibility and create new business opportunities.
— AI-Powered Search Functionality: A powerful AI-driven search tool ensures fast, accurate results for customers, making it easier to find the exact products they need and enhancing the overall shopping experience.

From initial specifications and site architecture to integration with Uttermost’s ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and PIM (Product Information Management) systems, Jola provided end-to-end services, ensuring seamless operation across all touchpoints. The integration with these systems ensures real-time updates and consistency in managing inventory, orders, and product data. The website was built using Adobe Commerce with a "headless" architecture, which separates back-end operations from front-end user experience, offering greater flexibility for future updates and feature additions. To further enhance ensuring faster load times, offline capabilities, and a smooth, app-like experience across both desktop and mobile devices.

"Jola was a pleasure to work with,” said Ken Delp, VP of Operations at Uttermost. “The team invested significant time in the design phase, discussing our requirements and objectives before bringing our vision to life. We’re thrilled with the final result and are now partnering with Jola on phase two to add even more improvements to our site."

Additionally, several industry-specific features were developed by Jola to significantly enhance
Uttermost’s customer experience, including:

— Customizable Page Creation: Using Adobe’s Page Builder, Jola developed an extensive library
of components that empower Uttermost’s marketing team to independently create and edit pages, design new layouts, and add content without needing programming assistance.
— Advanced Search Capabilities: Partnering with Klevu, a leading AI-powered search engine provider, Jola implemented advanced search functions that deliver lightning-fast, highly accurate results, improving the overall user experience and product discoverability.
— Integrated Social Media Feeds: The site incorporates dynamic social media integrations, allowing product detail pages to feature live user-generated content, offering customers a continuous stream of inspiration and connection with the brand.
— Industry-Specific Tools: Leveraging Jola’s extensive library of custom components designed for the furnishings industry, the website includes several advanced features:
- Product Presentation Tools: Customers can easily download product sheets with wholesale or marked-up pricing (or no pricing) along with detailed notes, and create professional presentations from their favorite product lists, using various templates.
- Reporting Tools: Customers can access detailed insights into their open orders, order history, and product rankings, helping streamline account management and purchasing decisions.
- Claims Portal and Asset Library: A dedicated claims portal simplifies issue resolution, while an extensive asset library provides quick access to essential resources like product images and marketing materials.

Jola’s commitment to Uttermost’s success extends beyond the project launch. Through the JolaCare program, the team provides ongoing support, including hosting, maintenance, and continuous enhancements to ensure the site remains secure and up to date.

"Working with Uttermost on this project was particularly meaningful because we had to enhance an already successful website without disrupting their established operations. The challenge was to take something great and make it even better, and I’m proud of what our team has accomplished,” said Michael Lamarti, CEO of Jola Interactive. “The most rewarding metric for us is the positive feedback from Uttermost, who now has a website that not only meets their expectations but also delights their customers. A happy client with happy customers is the ultimate success, and I’m thrilled that we were able to exceed their expectations once again."