Modernisation of Kazar’s e-commerce platform

Introduction

Kazar is one of the most recognisable Polish fashion brands, and it has been on the premium market for over two decades. It specialises in designing and selling luxury footwear, handbags and accessories. The brand consistently combines world-class design with artisanal quality, offering customers products and a unique shopping experience in brick-and-mortar stores and online. Kazar’s philosophy, expressed by the slogan “Life is a Celebration”, is reflected in every element of contact with the brand, also in the area of e-commerce.

Challenge

In December 2024, faced with the dynamic development of the online market and growing user expectations, Kazar decided to start a system modernisation project. It ended with the production launch on March 10, 2025.

One of the main reasons for this initiative was the limitations in using ready-made Magento (Adobe Commerce) dedicated plugins. Unfortunately, many of them were no longer supported in the old version of the system. In addition, a newer version of PHP was needed to expand the store’s functionality and increase its performance.

The transition to the new version of Magento Open Source – from 2.3.4 to 2.4.7-p4 – was inevitable, which was associated with several technological challenges at the same time, i.a.:

• updating and adapting numerous custom modules,
• maintaining compatibility with external systems,
• Increasing platform performance and security
• maintaining the continuity of the store’s operations during the migration,
• adaptation of the runtime environment to the requirements of the new version of Magento.

Piotr Kotulski, PM Exorigo-Upos, adds, “The biggest challenge was simultaneously managing many critical technical threads in the project while maintaining the continuity of the store’s operations.”

Precise coordination of work with the Kazar team, strict control over the schedule and a practical approach to change management were crucial. This made the whole process smooth and without disruption to the users.

Solution

Kazar, deciding to implement a comprehensive project to modernise the e-commerce platform, established a phased approach to the work with Exorigo-Upos. Activities and their proper order have been planned within each area.

Pre-implementation analysis:

• complete inventory and assessment of the compatibility of the modules used,
• verification of custom code and identification of potential threats,
• Determine the scope of changes and prepare a migration plan.

Update to Magento 2.4.7-p4:

• modernisation of development and test environments,
• implementation of compatible module versions,
• Refactoring and customising custom code.

Performance optimisation:

• improving data indexation and shopping cart operation,
• optimisation of database queries,
• improving the loading time and responsiveness of the website.

Strengthening Security:

• implementation of the latest security patches,
• Updating obsolete libraries and components
• Additional security for sensitive data.

Results

Thanks to the modernisation, Kazar gained:

• Possibility to use ready-made plugins – the one for payment and courier delivery was used first;
• Increased performance – loading times have been significantly reduced and transactions have accelerated;
• Increased security – by eliminating gaps and implementing compliance with current standards;
• Stability and reliability – eliminating extreme spikes (from 4.5s to 3.69s) significantly reduces the risk of timeouts and crashes during promotional campaigns or increased traffic.
• Improved conversions – 12% faster average response times and an 18% reduction in spikes translate into a better customer experience and fewer abandoned carts during traffic peaks.
• Long-term value – upgrading to Magento 2.4.7-p3 ensures security, compatibility with new modules and readiness for future development without the need for further costly customisations

As a result of the project, more than a thousand regression scenarios, with various variants and descriptions of the expected effects, were also created.

Kazar’s technological needs required modernising the e-commerce platform, but it was a strategic business decision. It allows the company to continue strengthening its market leader position. With its modernised infrastructure, Kazar has the flexibility to grow its online sales channel and offer customers a top-notch shopping experience.

Arkadiusz Wróbel, Kazar’s CIO, emphasised during the project: „We decided to implement the project in December 2024, and three months later, we celebrated the launch of the platform’s new version. This would not have been possible without the massive commitment of both sides of the project. Our communication was so intense that even though the whole team was scattered in different parts of Poland, you could get the impression that we were working in the same room.”

Summary

Kazar IT and business representatives and the Exorigo-Upos team worked closely remotely. They ensured a very good flow of information through daily meetings and online communication channels.

As a result, the implementation was carried out without errors and failures, and even some of the tasks from the backlog were completed.

As CIO Kazar adds, the website’s performance improved after the update – the parameters of Google Core Vitals reached the “green” level, and the key elements of the e-commerce store accelerated by 30 per cent.

The project, which had a significant risk scale, was completed without problems. Kazar can now enjoy comfortable operation on a stable platform, which allows you to plan further e-commerce development. As a technology partner, Exorigo-Upos takes care of the store’s ongoing maintenance and works to expand the platform further.