From Legacy System to Stable, Scalable Omnichannel Platform
Previously, a jersey launch at 1. FC Union Berlin primarily meant long waits and high complexity. Together with tante-e, the club switched its fan shop and POS system to Shopify. The centerpiece is a custom-developed jersey configurator, which the team can now maintain independently.
„We launched three jerseys in three months and performance has been consistently stable. Previously, the configurator had to be set up anew for each jersey, leading to long waiting times."
Malte Gützlaff
Head of E-Commerce & Marketing
1. FC Union Berlin x tante-e
Profile: 1. FC Union Berlin
1. FC Union Berlin is a football club from Berlin-Köpenick with almost 70,000 members, playing in the Bundesliga since 2019 and currently experiencing a sustained period of growth. Alongside sporting success, merchandising has also grown significantly, now comprising over 2,000 SKUs, with the jersey as the most important product. Sales take place both online and in the "Zeughäuser", the club's physical fan shops.
The starting position
Pain points:
1. FC Union Berlin has an exceptionally loyal fan base. Every new jersey generates media attention and corresponding visitor peaks in the shop. With the first-time qualification for the Champions League, the club suddenly became internationally visible. Athletically, 1. FC Union could now compete with teams like Real Madrid, but the technical infrastructure had not yet kept pace with the ascent. The old system was interface-unfriendly, sluggish, and inflexible. Even the smallest changes were usually only possible with agency support and long-term planning. The previous jersey configurator had to be expensively re-set up for each new jersey.
Aspiration:
1. FC Union Berlin didn't want to reinvent the wheel; instead, they opted for a reliably functioning system. Online and brick-and-mortar retail were to merge on a single platform that would allow the team efficient and independent shop management. In addition, the club wanted to build an even closer relationship with its fans and offer them intuitive navigation through the product range from the very first click. In addition to regular sales in the club stores, the system was also intended to support pop-up stores on match days: mobile fan shops that can be flexibly scaled up and scaled back down after the game.
Expectations for tante-e as an agency:
A clean technical setup was crucial for efficient day-to-day operations and as a foundation for future expansion. However, it was about more than that: In addition to e-commerce expertise, the partner had to understand the club's design requirements and implement them precisely in the new shop. Digital and brick-and-mortar retail were to be combined in an omnichannel-capable solution that the team could manage entirely themselves, without relying on external developers. Not only operational independence but also flexibility was decisive: a system that could quickly adapt to new requirements, whether a new jersey or a pop-up store on match day.
The Strategy
A jersey customization that remains stable in operation
Clear recommendation against an app solution and for a custom-developed drawer solution with live preview
Rosters and jerseys are constantly changing; independent maintenance should be possible without an agency.
Players as meta objects, preview images via meta fields, controllable by checkbox, completely without code
Connecting online, brick-and-mortar retail, and pop-up stores on match days
Migration of the online shop and POS cash register system to a common Shopify Plus basis, flexibly scalable for mobile fan shops and stadium sales
Targeted member engagement: exclusive products, welcome packages, stadium brick personalization
Member-only logic via metafields and automated flows, cleanly separated from the regular product range
Integration with existing systems such as ticketing, website, and AFTV
System integration with single sign-on and consistent consideration of the entire user journey beyond the shop
Tight deadline due to the planned shutdown date of the legacy system
Reliable project planning with clear milestones and seamless transition without interrupting day-to-day business
Efficiently manage over 2,000 SKUs
Shop structure based on e-commerce best practices with intuitive filtering, sorting, and consistent mobile optimization
Data-driven validation of post-launch growth
Data-driven CRO analysis with funnel diagnosis and a prioritized optimization roadmap in the Growth Retainer
Insights into the Collaboration
phase 01
Concept phase
phase 02
Material phase
phase 03
Design phase
phase 04
Implementation
phase 05
Launch
Requirements Analysis
Analysis of the System Landscape
Tool stack
Shop architecture analysis
Analysis of everyday processes
Roadmap
Preparing the shop material
Photoshoot and Visual Production
Styling & CI
Wireframing
Custom Theme Design
Internal Coordination
System Integration
programming
Data migration
Testing & QA
Onboarding
Growth Retainer & CRO
Requirements Analysis
Analysis of the System Landscape
Tool stack
Shop architecture analysis
Analysis of everyday processes
Roadmap
Preparing the shop material
Photoshoot and Visual Production
Styling & CI
Wireframing
Custom Theme Design
Internal Coordination
System Integration
programming
Data migration
Testing & QA
Onboarding
Growth Retainer & CRO
The results
Three jersey launches in three months, not a single failure: What was previously only possible with long lead times and external help, the team now handles independently and without any coding effort: adding new jerseys, updating players, setting up promotions.
The switch to Shopify Plus has transformed a sluggish, fault-prone system into a platform that remains stable even under high load. Where the old shop regularly defaulted to a waiting page during jersey launches, the new one now withstands visitor peaks after a release.