Overview

Horizon Discovery empowers the global life science market by advancing gene editing and modulation from research to therapy. With a diverse customer base spanning 1,400 organizations in over 50 countries, Horizon serves major pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and diagnostic companies, alongside leading academic research centers. In 2017, Horizon expanded its capabilities by acquiring Dharmacon Inc.

Challenge

Merging the Best of Horizon and Dharmacon

After acquiring Dharmacon, Horizon faced the challenge of consolidating two distinct websites into a unified, cohesive platform. This integration needed to seamlessly merge functionality, content, and style, while providing an exceptional eCommerce experience to support their expansive catalog of 160 million SKUs.

Solution

Creating an Exceptional Customer Experience

Horizon partnered with XCentium to consolidate the Horizon and Dharmacon websites using Sitecore DXP. The solution delivered a best-in-class eCommerce platform with the following features:

Unified Content and Design: Integrated functionality, content, and updated styles into a single Sitecore solution to ensure consistency and ease of use.

Powerful eCommerce Capabilities: Indexed 160 million SKUs for search and enabled seamless navigation and purchasing flows.

Advanced Integrations:

Active Directory for seamless login.

Eloqua for embedded data capture.

Live Chat for real-time customer support.

Additionally, the site was redesigned with a global user experience in mind, ensuring responsiveness and mobile-first design. External industry customers were involved in testing customer flows, ensuring the solution met their needs.

Outcome

Delivering Gene Editing Products Worldwide

Key outcomes included:

Custom Solr Faceted Search Solution:

Designed to prioritize accuracy and speed for Horizon’s core business flow.

Iterative development ensured precise and relevant search results.

Optimized eCommerce Experience:

Custom checkout flows allowed customers to efficiently search, request quotes, add items to their cart, and complete purchases.

Improved usability led to enhanced customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Responsive and User-Centric Design:

A fully responsive, mobile-friendly design that adapts seamlessly to any device.

Global user experience that aligns with Horizon's reputation as a leader in the life sciences.

By unifying the Horizon and Dharmacon brands into a single, efficient platform, Horizon now delivers an unparalleled eCommerce experience to scientists and researchers worldwide, reinforcing their position as a trusted partner in advancing gene editing and modulation.