From functional to ahead of the curve – SKOMAN’s journey with Viskan Next Generation

Happy with the old setup – until they saw the future

There were no major complaints about SKOMAN’s old platform at its core. It did the job day to day. But once the evaluation ahead of the platform change began, SKOMAN realised how locked in they had actually been by old structures. Even the smallest site adjustment required consultancy hours, and the technology lacked support for the modern data structure required in today’s e-commerce.

During the evaluation, Viskan was compared with several other providers on the market. What mattered most to SKOMAN was the reassurance of having a close Swedish partner with a dedicated point of contact. For SKOMAN, which runs e-commerce with a very small internal team, it was crucial to have an open platform where they own their own processes instead of becoming dependent on an intermediary or third-party agency.

700 categories and a unique ERP system

For SKOMAN, search visibility is the single most important driver of organic traffic.

Claes Wetteus, Project Manager at Viskan, explains why SKOMAN’s product range places unique demands on the platform:

“SKOMAN sells external brands and therefore has around 700 categories, where a typical shoe retailer might have 300. That places demands on tools that are easy to work with and on a platform built for strong search visibility.”

The biggest technical challenge was the integration with SKOMAN’s in-house ERP system. Because the system was originally created for physical retail operations, a seamless integration layer was needed to sync stock, orders and customer data without disrupting the business.

Visual collaboration and close dialogue

The process of migrating to Viskan Next Generation and building the tailored integration was driven through close, straightforward collaboration. Instead of complicated and time-consuming requirement specifications, the team found a more visual and practical way of working.

Tanja Handstedt, E-Commerce Manager at SKOMAN, says:

“Because we’re a small team, I ran the project internally on my own. The collaboration with Viskan was incredibly close and visual. We worked with screenshots, arrows and presentation slides to make sure every requirement was met. That helped us get up to speed quickly, and the integration with our in-house ERP system was solved very smoothly.”

Operational freedom with Viskan Next Generation and the AI agent Mímis

It was once SKOMAN was live on the new platform that the real difference became clear. Previously, SKOMAN depended on external developers to create new layouts, adapt functionality or build landing pages. Work like that could previously take days or weeks and came with ongoing development costs.

Today, Tanja runs the entire site herself in just a few minutes directly in Viskan CMS, often with direct help from the integrated AI agent Mímis.

By using the AI agent Mímis directly in the platform, SKOMAN can also get immediate plain-language answers from business data, create campaign sections and automate copy, which has completely removed the need to buy external development hours for day-to-day operations.

Better SEO rankings and an edge in AI search

The platform shift has not just made everyday work easier, it has had a direct impact on SKOMAN’s search results. Thanks to automated categories based on attributes such as colour, material and function, more than 700 landing pages are kept continuously updated without manual work. Products such as “white leather trainers” are automatically sorted into the right place.

But the biggest change lies in how the platform has prepared SKOMAN for the next generation of search. When Viskan Next Generation structures product data, categories and attributes correctly, the content becomes easy for both Google and new AI search services to read.

Measurable results since launch:

• 30% increase in AI search responses: SKOMAN is seeing an increase of around 30% in its mentions in AI-driven search responses.
• Top 3 SEO rankings: SKOMAN has climbed into the top 3 for several strategically important and highly competitive keywords that were previously very difficult to rank for.
• Development dependency eliminated: No external development hours are needed to create landing pages or campaign layouts.
• Automated category operations: More than 700 SEO landing pages are updated automatically based on product data attributes.
• Faster customer service: Customer data and order history are more easily accessible in the back office, saving time in customer service.

Tanja, E-Commerce Manager at SKOMAN, explains why the new platform’s data structure has become a competitive advantage:

“For us, SEO today is about far more than ranking highly on Google. We also need to make sure our content is clear and structured so AI services can understand and use the information about our products and categories. Seeing an increase of around 30 per cent in our mentions in AI responses is a very exciting result, and something we’ll continue to monitor going forward.”

SKOMAN thought it was simply making a necessary platform change when its old system was phased out. With Viskan Next Generation and the AI agent Mímis, it gained a completely new e-commerce day-to-day: full freedom, lower costs and a digital edge that will carry it well into the future.