Rethinking product data for complex b2b commerce

Digital transformation is rarely a one-off exercise. For CFS, an initial programme moved their extensive product data from offline printed catalogues into Sanity, laying the foundations for a more connected digital ecosystem. The next challenge was to build on that work by improving how customers understood and selected products across platforms.

CFS manufactures fixing systems for construction projects, where products follow highly complex and variable technical structures. Unlike standard ecommerce models, product data could not be limited to simple attributes such as size or colour. Each product type, from bolts to cast-in channels, required entirely different schemas, making traditional PIM solutions inflexible and difficult to scale.

This complexity made it hard for customers to compare products and for internal teams to manage and launch new variants efficiently. At the same time, B2B trade customers needed deeper technical detail to support procurement decisions, highlighting the need for a more adaptable and future-proof approach.

We built a composable, best-of-breed platform using NetSuite, Sanity, Next.js, Algolia, ShapeDiver and Vercel, designed specifically to handle the complexity of CFS’s product catalogue.

At the core of the solution is a fully custom product model in Sanity that allows CFS to define the schema of each product as it is created. This enables product data structures to flex based on real-world requirements, while maintaining consistency through shared standards such as NBS materials. Products with overlapping characteristics can still be meaningfully compared, even when their underlying schemas differ.

These dynamic schemas are bound to parametric 3D models via ShapeDiver, allowing product visuals to update automatically based on variant data such as dimensions or performance values. This removes the need for unique renders per variant and significantly reduces time to market. Algolia powers fast, accurate product discovery, while integration with NetSuite allows products to be enriched in Sanity and automatically generate up-to-date product datasheets. The frontend is delivered in Next.js and deployed on Vercel for performance and scalability.

CFS now has a scalable product platform purpose-built for complex B2B commerce. Customers can more easily discover, understand and compare products, while internal teams benefit from reduced overhead and faster product launches.

Dynamic 3D visualisation, flexible product schemas and automated datasheet generation have created a robust foundation for future growth, supporting more informed procurement journeys across digital channels.