BIGCOMMERCE HEADLESS LAUNCH
InorganicVentures.com
A modern headless ecommerce experience built with BigCommerce Catalyst + Makeswift, featuring complex systems integrations, custom B2B functionality, and an extensive library of technical content.
Their Story
Every time a lab tests the water we drink, the medicine we take, or the oil running through an engine, the results depend on the standards behind the test. Since 1985, Inorganic Ventures (IV) has manufactured NIST-traceable certified reference materials (CRMs) under ISO 17034 and ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for laboratories around the world.
Beyond its products, IV provides the technical expertise laboratories rely on. Its chemists develop custom standards to meet precise specifications, while the company shares its knowledge through an extensive library of technical guides, research papers, and educational resources available on its website.
★★★★★
"We like that they feel like an extension of our team. They are committed to our success just as much as we are."
— Team Lead, Inorganic Ventures
Summary
Project Overview
Specs
- Industry: Certified Reference Materials / Analytical Laboratories
- Platform: BigCommerce
- Business Model: B2B
Services
- Headless Frontend Migration (Magento to BigCommerce)
- Custom UX/UI Design
- BigCommerce Catalyst Development
- Custom Ecommerce Integrations
- Post-Launch Support & Optimization
Technical Enhancements
- Visual Content Management & Page Building
- Product, Customer & Order Data Synchronization
- Custom B2B Account & Purchasing Functionality
- Advanced Search & Filtering
- Order History, Invoices & Payment Access
- Tax Calculation & Exemption Management
- Technical Content & Resource Integration
The Challenge
Inorganic Ventures serves customers who depend on accurate product information, technical documentation, and specialized purchasing processes. Its website also supports an internal team responsible for maintaining a substantial library of educational content and product resources.
Over time, the existing Magento frontend made both responsibilities more difficult. Routine content updates required too much developer involvement, technical SEO issues created concerns about organic visibility, and security and compliance requirements added to the burden of maintaining the platform.
Key priorities for the redesign included:
- Simplify content management and reduce reliance on developers
- Address SEO concerns and preserve organic visibility during migration
- Maintain critical integrations and business workflows
- Support specialized B2B purchasing and account functionality
- Improve access to technical documentation and educational resources
Why BigCommerce?
Inorganic Ventures was already using BigCommerce for cart and checkout, so the platform was an established part of its ecommerce business. Replacing Magento created an opportunity to expand BigCommerce's role while retaining the headless flexibility needed for its specialized B2B requirements. It also meant moving away from the ongoing maintenance and security concerns associated with its previous frontend. Several capabilities made BigCommerce a strong fit:
- A More Unified Ecommerce Platform: With Catalyst powering the frontend and BigCommerce continuing to handle cart and checkout, Inorganic Ventures could move away from Magento without replacing its existing commerce platform or disrupting established purchasing processes.
- Content Management with Makeswift: Inorganic Ventures regularly publishes educational articles, technical resources, and other website content. Makeswift's visual editing tools give its internal team a more practical way to manage pages and make updates without relying on developers for every change.
- Flexibility for Specialized B2B Functionality: Built on Next.js and React, Catalyst supports the custom development required for Inorganic Ventures' purchasing workflows, customer accounts, technical document search, and other specialized experiences.
- Integration with Existing Business Systems: BigCommerce's APIs support connections to the company's ERP, laboratory information, CRM, and other systems. Maintaining those connections was essential for supporting established workflows and keeping product, customer, order, and account information accessible across the new storefront.
BigCommerce offered IV a practical path to modernizing its website while preserving the technology investments and specialized functionality already supporting its business.
The Solution
The new storefront brings IV’s products, technical content, and business systems into one elevated experience. Highlights include:
- Headless Development: Built a modern storefront on BigCommerce Catalyst with Makeswift, giving the team more control for content updates.
- Custom UX/UI Design: Designed the shopping experience around how lab professionals and B2B buyers search for products and reorder.
- Content Migration: Moved years of pages, blog posts, and technical resources from Magento, with 301 redirects in place where URLs changed.
- Systems Integration: Connected the storefront to Sage 100, HubSpot, and the search, tax, and lab systems that keep business data connected.
- Custom B2B Development: Delivered account tools, special purchasing, and document access, putting everything customers need in one login.
- SEO-Conscious Migration: Planned URL structures and redirects to protect the search visibility IV had built over the years.
The Process
Magento to BigCommerce Headless Migration
Discovery & Design
Mapping how every system and process fits together, then designing an intuitive user experience for B2B buyers and the researchers who rely on IV’s content.
Development
Headless development on Catalyst + Makeswift, custom integrations hosted on IntuitSolutions’ BigCore, and content migration from Magento.
Launch & Support
Coordinated launch and post-launch testing, plus ongoing support, site health audits, and performance optimization to keep the site improving.
A Closer Look
BigCommerce Customizations & Enhancements
Some highlights of the unique solutions implemented for InorganicVentures.com
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Self-Service Order History and Invoices
Customers see their complete order history and invoices pulled live from Sage 100, covering online and offline orders across their entire organization, not just their own login. Each order includes line-item documentation and every invoice comes with a one-click Paya link for ACH payment. When it's time to restock, "Order Again" rebuilds the cart and flags any custom products it can't add.
Login-Gated Pricing and Tax Exemptions
Pricing stays behind the login, so it's reserved for registered customers instead of the open web. Tax-exempt customers can upload their exemption certificates through an embedded Avalara form right on the site, keeping documentation in one place and taking a manual step off the team's plate.
Advanced Document and Materials Search
Every Certificate of Analysis and Safety Data Sheet is a click away, right on the product page or through a dedicated CoA and SDS search. To find the right standard, lab professionals can search by element, matrix, and concentration, narrowing the catalog to exactly what their method requires.
Interactive Periodic Table
Inorganic Ventures' Interactive Periodic Table is a go-to resource for chemists checking element compatibility and chemical properties before building a method. Click any element and a detail panel pops up with deeper information, so users can explore without leaving the table or losing their place.
Quick Order Functionality
Quick Order lets customers enter SKUs or product names and stage everything in a dedicated Quick Order Bag, where they can review items, adjust quantities, and see a running subtotal before adding it all to the cart in one click. Paired with Order Again in the account dashboard, it gives repeat customers two fast paths back to the products they rely on.
From the Project Lead
IV has spent decades building technical resources their customers trust. Our job was to give that content the platform it deserved."
— Zach Bluett, Director of Sales/Marketing, Project Manager, IntuitSolutions
Notable Apps & Integrations
- Catalyst – Headless frontend framework
- Makeswift – Page builder and content management
- Sage 100 – ERP (with CertiPro)
- Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) (via Keypress) – Samples, workflows, and data management
- HubSpot – CRM, careers content, email marketing, and live chat
- Celigo – iPaaS solution for order flow
- Algolia – On-site search
- Avalara – Taxes
- Paya – Accounting and invoice payments
- MiniBC – Payment processing (card tokenization and capture in Sage)
- ShipperHQ – Shipping requirements
- Google Analytics – Analytics and ecommerce tracking
- Google Search Console – Site verification and error monitoring
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The Results
Inorganic Ventures' website serves two important purposes: helping laboratory professionals find the products and technical information they need, and supporting the company's B2B sales operations.
The redesigned BigCommerce storefront is better equipped for both. Customers have access to specialized search, account management, and purchasing functionality, while the internal team has greater flexibility to publish content and maintain the site.
With Magento replaced and critical integrations preserved, Inorganic Ventures has a more practical way to manage its ecommerce business and support the customers who depend on its products.
Take Your Headless Commerce Further on BigCommerce
Running a headless storefront, or thinking about going headless? Whether you're migrating to BigCommerce or connecting complex B2B systems, we can help you build a storefront that works for your team and your customers.
Send us a message or call 866-901-4650 for a free consultation.