How Futterplatz is turning Silent Customers with Custobar & Shopware 6

The Mission: To double revenue from €12M to €24M.
The Strategy: Transitioning from a restrictive ESP (Email Service Provider) to a Unified Customer Data Platform (CDP) integrated into a best-of-breed Shopware 6 & JTL Wawi ecosystem.
The Outcome (Expected): Transforming a dormant database into a €100k+ annual profit engine.

The Challenge: When Your Marketing Tool Becomes a Roadblock

For years, Futterplatz.de has been a powerhouse in the German pet food market. But as they migrated to Shopware 6 to fuel their next stage of growth, they realized their marketing tool was a bottleneck.
Their existing e-mail automation setup created what we call "The 90% Silence." Due to strict technical limitations and a lack of deep integration with their ERP, Futterplatz was only able to communicate with the 10% of their 200,000+ customers who had a Double Opt-In (DOI) for the newsletter.

Essentially, 180,000 customers who had already bought from them, who knew the brand and loved the products,were unreachable for reactivation.

The Solution: From "Sending Emails" to "Nurturing Relationships"

Futterplatz didn't just need a new email sender; they needed a central nervous system for their customer data. They chose Custobar for four strategic reasons:

1. Unlocking the "Silent 180k"
Custobar allows Futterplatz to legally and effectively reach their entire customer base for reactivation and product-specific offers (compliant with German law for existing customers) - bridging the gap that standard ESPs couldn't cross. In pratice, this means that they can contact clients who have been buying dog food with refill messages, or inform cat owners of new allergy food that would fit their cat’s diet based on what they bought before. This immediate access to their 180,000 "dormant" database is the primary lever for their growth to €24M.

2. Seamless Shopware 6 & JTL Wawi Integration
As Futterplatz uses Shopware 6, they need a platform that "speaks" fluently with their e-commerce engine and their JTL Wawi ERP. Custobar unifies these silos with native integrations, ensuring that every purchase, browse, and return is visible in one 360° timeline and segmentation. This isn't just an integration; it's a unified commerce strategy.

3. Proprietary Logic: The Discount Propensity Metric
Custobar empowers Futterplatz to use the deep intelligence already stored in JTL. By importing their Discount Propensity Metric (this metric tells how likely the client is to buy from discounts), they can now automate smarter: protecting their margins by ensuring discounts are only offered to the customers who truly need them to convert, rather than "spraying and praying" to full-price buyers.

4. Data Sovereignty: Future-Proofing Against Global Uncertainty
With tightening GDPR requirements and the inherent unpredictability of transatlantic data relations, Futterplatz made a strategic decision to prioritize Data Sovereignty. 

By partnering with an EU-based company like Custobar, whose servers for German clients are located in Germany, Futterplatz ensures that their customer data remains insulated from international political turmoil. They chose a partner that operates under the same strict European privacy standards they abide by, ensuring long-term security and total peace of mind.

The Vision: A Revenue-Neutral Powerhouse

The onboarding process has already begun, and the goals are clear. Futterplatz expects Custobar to be more than just "software", they expect it to pay for itself and generate €100,000 in absolute profit per year by driving smarter retention and replacing expensive external "commission-based" checkout partners with internal, data-driven tools.

With a dedicated sending IP to protect deliverability and a German-speaking Technical Success team acting as their strategic partners, Futterplatz is no longer just "sending newsletters." They are building a data-driven growth engine.

3 reasons for Retail Leaders Why Futterplatz Chose Custobar:

• Ownership: Moving from being "policed" by a provider to owning their own marketing rules, data logic, and deliverability.
• Agility: A cost-effective, flexible setup that integrates with Shopware 6 and JTL Wawi to adapt to a fast-paced retail environment.
• Precision: The ability to use deep data (like pet-specific preferences and discount habits) to create experiences customers actually love, and that drive measurable ROI.
  

Ready to turn your silent customers into your biggest fans?

We love data, but we love seeing it drive massive business growth for you even more! If a fellow retailer can reactivate 180,000 silent customers, imagine what Custobar can do for your specific customer journey.

Book a time for an in depth demo to explore these for you!