Crown Packaging builds a transactional B2B storefront with Vortex IQ StagingPro
Crown Packaging, an $800M global packaging leader, embarked on a major digital initiative to launch its first fully transactional B2B ecommerce storefront. Their previous online store was purely informational: customers could browse but could not purchase.
Introduction
Crown Packaging, an $800M global packaging leader, embarked on a major digital initiative to launch its first fully transactional B2B ecommerce storefront. Their previous online store was purely informational: customers could browse but could not purchase.
To modernise and support future growth, Crown needed a solution to migrate essential business data, safely test ERP integrations, and streamline the deployment of new features. They selected Vortex IQ's StagingPro, a tool purpose-built for controlled environment management and safe ecommerce development workflows, which came highly recommended from their agency partner VIVID SITES.
The problem: replatforming without disrupting business operations
Crown's existing B2B site functioned purely as a digital catalogue, offering no ability for customers to complete purchases online. Orders were handled manually and routed through internal teams via email. With growing sales volumes and a roadmap to reach $1B in revenue, Crown needed to move fast, launching a transactional BigCommerce store while maintaining operational stability.
They faced challenges in replicating store configurations, testing JD Edwards ERP integration, and ensuring third-party apps like ShipperHQ worked as intended, all without risking live customer experiences or overloading internal development resources.
“We explored several vendors, but Vortex IQ stood out. They move the most data points, support B2B edition and provide an unmatched ability to manage and replicate environments. The integration with GitHub and ability to support ShipperHQ configuration testing were huge wins for us.”
Mark Prater · Technology Strategy & Architecture Lead, Crown Packaging
The solution: implementing Vortex IQ StagingPro
VIVID SITES, a digital agency led by David Black (an ecommerce, UI/UX, and ERP integration expert), designed and developed Crown Packaging's new BigCommerce storefront. In addition to building the site, VIVID SITES managed the full technical implementation: architecting the infrastructure, integrating with JD Edwards ERP, configuring third-party applications, and overseeing the development workflow.
They also led the setup and use of StagingPro across multiple environments, ensuring smooth data replication, version control, and safe, test-driven deployments without requiring involvement from Crown's internal teams.
With StagingPro, Crown Packaging gained a reliable framework for managing environments, testing updates, and deploying changes safely. Key capabilities used:
- Automated store replication across production and sandbox environments.
- Migration of core data entities, including companies, users, orders, invoices, addresses and product custom fields.
- Exclusion of sensitive data such as passwords, sales staff assignments, and unsupported B2B fields.
- Secure ERP testing with realistic data in non-production environments.
- Ability to install and configure apps like ShipperHQ on the replicated staging store for development and testing purposes.
- GitHub integration for theme and code deployment, with rollback support and release visibility.
“Building a modern B2B ecommerce site involves complex data, integrations, and stakeholder expectations. StagingPro allowed us to manage all of that seamlessly: replicating environments, testing ERP workflows, and deploying with confidence.”
David Black · CEO, VIVID SITES
Conclusion: from catalogue to commerce, a confident transformation
With VIVID SITES managing the implementation and Vortex IQ's StagingPro powering the deployment workflow, Crown Packaging has established a robust foundation for its digital evolution. The ability to replicate environments, test ERP integrations with real data, and deploy changes safely has transformed the way Crown builds and launches ecommerce functionality.
By choosing the Premium Plan, Crown now operates with greater confidence, able to iterate faster, reduce risk, and maintain consistency across environments. As the company continues its trajectory toward $1B in revenue, StagingPro ensures that its ecommerce infrastructure remains scalable, agile, and future-ready.
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