An Ecommerce Solution for Every Stage of the Customer Lifecycle

With the number of complex integrations required for this ecommerce solution, BigCommerce provided the best choice for its unlimited integration potential. BigCommerce’s Server-to-Server (S2S) APIs provide granular REST access to the merchant and configuration data. This allows the platform to be extended to support the merchant and customer needs without costly and time-consuming server-side and database changes.

While an ecommerce platform serves as many clients as possible, not all integrations are out of the box. HeartMath’s ecommerce solution demonstrates both the depth and breadth of Guidance’s mastery of technical implementations. Working within BigCommerce’s flexible environment, Guidance implemented a number of features that are not native to BigCommerce or any of the apps in the BigCommerce app store. In order to support HeartMath’s business operations as effectively as possible, Guidance ensured smooth integrations leveraging BigCommerce APIs alongside bespoke implementations.

One of the most important parts of the conversion funnel is a smooth and quick checkout process. HeartMath selected BigCommerce for its out of the box optimized one-page checkout page. It’s a battle-tested page that has been proven to increase checkouts as it contains minimal fields, a single page layout and an easily completed payment section. BigCommerce provides the fully optimized one-page checkout that could be easily customized to HeartMath’s specifications and unique business needs while keeping the trustworthy and perfected checkout.

Guidance customized BigCommerce’s one-page checkout to the merchant’s specifications. For HeartMath, that meant bundles, subscriptions, complex shipping and other add-ons. In addition, apps such as Addrexx and MiniBC were simultaneously altering the checkout process using client-side updates. Guidance leveraged its extensive knowledge of javascript to customize the BigCommerce checkout to meet HeartMath’s business requirements.

Connections That Count: Salesforce and BigCommerce Data Exchange

HeartMath uses Salesforce for their customer service, sales, marketing, analytics and many other functions. As the Salesforce CRM is central to their business operations, it was imperative that customer and order information was synced to Salesforce in near-real-time, including custom field information that is not supported by any of the prebuilt Salesforce connector apps. The integration is a 2-way integration for customer information and 1-way for order data. The frequency of webhook updates and the complexity of managing interactions between the various services syncing data contributed to a high-load data sync service that was challenging to manage effectively for real-time updates.

To handle the complex real-time data exchange, Guidance built a custom middleware service that leverages BigCommerce's Server-to-Server APIs to ensure that data syncs correctly regardless of server load. The granularity of the BigCommerce S2S APIs contributes greatly to an effective solution. This solution supports the unique needs of HeartMath’s Salesforce integration, including product bundles, an extensive pre-existing customer base that may not have made purchases on the previous ecommerce platform, 2-way data sync, multiple custom attribute data fields and subscriptions.

Complex Product Bundling, Simplified

HeartMath’s total heart biofeedback solution, or Coherence, is more than the heart monitoring device. Coherence is measured through Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and it is a unique window into the quality of communication between the heart and brain which directly impacts how we feel and perform. In order to measure your optimal physiological state and maintain resilience to life’s stresses, HeartMath recommends the device be purchased with training manuals, guided meditations and coaching lessons.

Out of the box, these bundles are difficult to configure in BigCommerce’s platform as they require multiple quantities, subscription payments, different delivery methods and multiple taxation rates. BigCommerce provides a native integration to Avalara AvaTax, giving merchants a customizable, powerful and accurate tax solution. Guidance built a custom solution leveraging Avalara’s AvaTax customizable tax settings, BigCommerce’s Server-to-Server APIs, a custom middleware server leveraging PHP and MySQL and a bespoke ShipStation custom store integration to deliver a solution that maximizes HeartMath's return on investment. The solution supports product bundles that can be customized and managed by the merchant with client-set bundle component quantities. The extensively customized front-end theme can accommodate simple product transactions as well as large transactions with multiple bundles and complex product combinations.

ShipperHQ for Multiple Shipment Solutions

HeartMath ships its products worldwide and because the devices contain lithium-ion batteries, most carriers consider this rechargeable battery type a dangerous material. Given the complex shipping rates and carrier surcharges on international shipments, Guidance integrated the ShipperHQ solution to help HeartMath give their customers granular shipping estimates and customizations on US and international orders. ShipperHQ has enabled HeartMath with the flexibility to add multiple shipping methods, configurations and rules to support international shipments to their hybrid B2B and B2C customer base. BigCommerce provides a native integration to ShipperHQ which gives merchants a customizable, accurate and powerful shipping solution without the need for custom development.

Custom Middleware for License Management

To support HeartMath’s digital products, training products, and digital product subscriptions, Guidance built an AutoResponder service that allows management and fulfillment of digital and training license purchases. The AutoResponder is a custom middleware server that pulls custom, sanitized product data from secure server-to-server (S2S) endpoints. The integration is custom to their Salesforce CRM and generates and sends AutoResponder emails for digital license codes. The AutoResponder creates and manages all digital license codes. The entire middleware server runs on a secure AWS cloud environment.

MaxMind for Fraud Support

To support HeartMath’s fraud prevention strategy, Guidance built a MaxMind integration that flags fraud risk transactions for merchant review. MaxMind's industry-leading minFraud service helps businesses prevent fraudulent online transactions and reduce manual review. The minFraud service is used to screen transactions and account registrations in order to prevent fraudulent orders.

Single Sign-On with Centroxy and BigCommerce

HeartMath has a custom Single Sign-On (SSO) solution Guidance integrated with BigCommerce customer account management. This allows customers to maintain their existing login information to HeartMath and other content stores (training and coaching), while ensuring that new BigCommerce orders are linked correctly to customers across the HeartMath digital identity landscape.

ShipStation Custom Store Connector

ShipStation provides a first-class integration with BigCommerce and Guidance maximized ShipStation capabilities with a custom store connector that allows corrections to the transmitted orders, in order to support the custom bundle strategy for quantity postfix, international customs prefill and line-level updates. HeartMath’s mixed cart bundles require a ShipStation custom store and by leveraging ShipStation’s XML API, fulfillment times are quicker due to reduced paperwork and handling timeframes.