How digital commerce is making it easier and faster for Cepheid to deliver healthcare solutions that improve patient outcomes across the globe

When the COVID-19 pandemic created an urgent demand for testing worldwide, Cepheid recognized that launching an eCommerce site would streamline the customer purchasing journey, enabling more tests to reach more people swiftly. Understanding that this was the most effective way to support customers and enhance patient outcomes globally, the company embraced rapid digital transformation.

While Cepheid aimed to launch the site as quickly as possible, they also understood the importance of selecting a platform that met their unique needs. The chosen solution had to offer composability and interoperability as well as built to be cloud-first. These capabilities would ensure Cepheid had the flexibility needed to customize sites for various markets, the scalability to accommodate a global presence and the agility to adapt to changes on the fly. commercetools proved to be the ideal choice, fulfilling all these critical requirements.

Cepheid embarked on its journey in November 2021, with EPAM as its implementation partner. After choosing commercetools Composable Commerce for B2B for the backend, the first goal was to provide existing customers with order statuses, which it accomplished within a month. Next, it added the ability for customers to get support and access instrument information. 

From there the company integrated commercetools with the existing customer portal and the ERP PI system, making it possible to provide product pricing and customer information in real-time. Within six months, Cepheid was able to launch full eCommerce capabilities.

The company also integrated its CMS for product detail pages, adding analytics tools to gain insights into customer behavior and key information about product performance. 

Today, the myCepheid portal offers customers a personalized dashboard where they can quickly access orders and shipment information, and view any open cases. It also features a buy again widget to make it easy to drop repeat purchases into their cart. In addition, they can set up notifications and manage orders as well as download invoices and proof of delivery. On the support side, customers can create cases and access Cepheid expert support as well as manage their instruments, view instrument details and service history, access warranty and service information, and get notifications before expiration dates.

The myCepheid store is where customers can explore tests and collection devices available in their market. They can also view their contract prices, confirm product availability and check estimated delivery dates. There’s a quick add feature that can help them find a specific SKU or product name and quickly add it to their cart. Finally, the system also allows them to set standing orders, which is especially helpful for larger orders when different delivery dates are needed. When they’re ready to complete their order, they’re taken to a single-page checkout. According to Amelita Ebuña, Director of eCommerce, “Typically, an order can be completed in as fast as two minutes.”