Interview with Sebastian Hoitz about the SCAYLE commerce engine

"Can you explain what SCAYLE is and how it differs from other platforms?"

Sebastian Hoitz: "SCAYLE evolved from About You's technology. About You was an online store that worked very well and had special requirements because it operates internationally in many countries, languages and currencies. The Otto Group was one of the investors in About You and took the initiative to renew its own IT infrastructure. It was always in the back of their minds that the whole thing should also exist as a service for other stores. Several years ago, they started to make their technology available to other companies. The pitch is that this is the technology that made About You great. They are a modern e-commerce system that can cover everything you need. They are aimed at companies with an annual turnover of 50 million euros or more, as the added value is not so great below that."

"And SCAYLE has a modular system that you call composable e-commerce, right?"

Sebastian Hoitz: "Exactly, you don't have to take everything from SCAYLE; you can, for example, only use the product data management system and the checkout from another system. The storefront can be developed completely separately. Babymarkt uses SCAYLE intensively, but has its own systems and does not necessarily use those of SCAYLE. You can flexibly decide which aspects you want to use in order to integrate experts in certain areas. For example, SCAYLE has a product search that does not claim to be the world's best, but to offer an acceptable solution. But if you want best-in-class, there are dedicated manufacturers on the market that solely focus on this."

"Another key feature is that SCAYLE is a relatively young and modern company. Are there any other technical features of SCAYLE that stand out or bring more innovation?"

Sebastian Hoitz: "They regularly introduce new functions. About You is a great driver of innovation, and everything that About You can do can also be done via SCAYLE."

"For which companies is SCAYLE best suited?"

Sebastian Hoitz: "There are many customers of SCAYLE, such as Fielmann, which sells glasses, and classic online stores for fashion. SCAYLE can also be used for furniture or other products. They are flexible in terms of product structuring and product data. Omnichannel is an exciting topic. There are online stores that only sell online, but also many with branches. SCAYLE can handle stores and online shipping, which is a challenge."

"Can you give us an example of a company where SCAYLE has brought great added value?"

Sebastian Hoitz: "Many companies want to re-platform because their old systems are no longer scaling properly. FC Bayern Munich experienced an uplift after re-platforming. There are case studies at SCAYLE that you can look at. You can look at the cost reduction or better conversions, but the effects are often not immediately measurable, as existing customers have to get used to the new store."

"Is it easy to integrate SCAYLE into existing systems?"

Sebastian Hoitz: "It's a big project, as core components in the IT infrastructure often have to be changed. Many companies have their own ERP that needs to be connected. A new storefront has to be built, and it's a project that can take nine to twelve months from start to go-live."

"How will SCAYLE position itself in the competition in the long term?"

Sebastian Hoitz: "SCAYLE is going a lot further than the pitch that made About You big. They are expanding internationally and have acquired major companies such as Manchester United and Harrods as customers. This will also attract other companies in the local market."

"What are the challenges in developing SCAYLE?"

Sebastian Hoitz: "SCAYLE is still young and growing fast, which is both positive because new functions are being added and negative because some things that you would expect from older systems may be missing at the beginning. One example is the promotion engine, which is now available. SCAYLE is a very tech-driven company, which is important for exchanging systems and working with interfaces."

The interview was done by our employee Marla Erhardt.