Rahva Raamat — Building a Modern E-shop for the Famous Estonian Book Store
Client
Rahva Raamat
The background:
Rahva Raamat is the largest online store in Estonia, offering books, e-books, music, gifts, board games, and more. They also operate physical stores known for their unique interior design. In 2022, Rahva Raamat’s Viru store was recognized as the “bookstore of the year” by the London Book Fair.
The challenge Rahva Raamat faced was the limitations of their old technical e-commerce platform, which didn’t allow them to scale the online store to meet future needs. As book lovers ourselves, we were eager to support their mission of promoting reading, and we gladly embarked on this adventure with the client.
Aim of the project:
Our project began with migrating from the old platform to a new technology stack designed for modernization and multi-store support. This marked the starting point of our role as a digital transformation partner for Rahva Raamat. In addition to physical products, they have expanded their digital services, allowing customers to subscribe to e-book and audiobook plans through their mobile app.
The initial goal of the project was to modernize the existing online store and provide customers with an enhanced shopping experience while ensuring scalability and sustainability for future technical solutions. The development of mobile applications was a key focus. Initially, we offered an online store shopping experience through the mobile app, which was followed by the development of e-book and audiobook applications.
Rahva Raamat introduced the first unlimited access to e-books and audiobooks combo in the Estonian market. This bold move has been well received and has contributed to expanding their client base. They created a complete ecosystem that includes physical stores, cafes, and a digital platform.
Services provided:
- Migration of the old web store.
- Development of a Yii2-based multi-store API.
- Development of an Admin back office for online store management.
- Development of client applications and online store modernization using React and Next.js.
- Development of Rahva Raamat outlet store.
- Development of an e-commerce mobile application using React Native.
- Development of an audiobook mobile application with offline support using React Native.
- Development of an e-book mobile application using React Native.
- Additional feature developments, performance enhancements, and SEO improvements.
- Ongoing maintenance services.
Project result:
In a world where digital platforms play a crucial role in various forms of entertainment and media, including books, movies, TV, and games, Rahva Raamat has successfully adapted to the changing landscape. The result is a well-performing and modern online store that enables customers to make purchases, listen to audiobooks, and read e-books conveniently in one place.
