Transforming Waterco’s B2B Operations with Headless BigCommerce Platform, Custom React Checkout, Akeneo & Epicor Integration

Waterco is a global manufacturer and distributor of swimming pool, spa and water treatment equipment, supplying an extensive network of dealers, installers and commercial customers across Australia and New Zealand. As the business continued to grow, Waterco required a modern B2B commerce platform capable of delivering a seamless self-service experience while supporting the complexity of its wholesale operations.

Historically, many orders and account enquiries were handled through phone calls, emails and manual processes. Customers had limited visibility into stock availability, order status, invoices and account information, creating additional workload for Waterco’s customer service and sales teams.

At the same time, Waterco’s Epicor Kinetic ERP contained highly complex business logic including customer-specific pricing, seasonal credit arrangements, inventory across multiple warehouses, backorder management and financial controls. The business also required a centralised solution for managing thousands of products, categories, attributes, media assets and spare parts relationships across multiple regions.

Waterco needed a scalable architecture that could unify product information management, eCommerce and ERP operations while supporting both Australian and New Zealand business entities from a single platform. The solution needed to automate data flows, improve customer self-service capabilities and provide the flexibility to support future expansion and acquisitions.

To address these challenges, we partnered with Digirati to deliver an enterprise-grade headless B2B eCommerce ecosystem built on BigCommerce B2B Edition, Epicor Kinetic ERP, Akeneo PIM and Stripe Payments.

At the core of the solution is a custom integration middleware platform that manages the flow of business-critical data between systems. The architecture was designed as a single-codebase, multi-country platform capable of dynamically supporting both Waterco Australia and Waterco New Zealand while connecting to separate BigCommerce storefronts, Epicor ERP databases, Stripe payment accounts, taxation rules and financial ledgers. This approach created a scalable foundation that can support future regional expansion while maintaining a single integration framework.

A key component of the solution was the implementation of Akeneo PIM as the central source of truth for product information. Product data originating in Epicor Kinetic is automatically synchronised into Akeneo, where categories, attributes, product content, media assets and spare parts relationships are managed before being published to BigCommerce. The platform also performs two-way synchronisation to maintain consistency across systems while supporting advanced product lifecycle management for Active, Discontinued, Run Out and Obsolete products.

To improve the customer experience, interactive spare parts functionality was introduced using quantified product relationships managed within Akeneo. Spare parts are linked directly to their parent equipment and published to BigCommerce, allowing customers to navigate exploded-view diagrams and visual schematics to quickly identify and order the correct replacement components. Custom inventory logic also calculates the availability of kit products based on the stock levels of underlying component materials, providing more accurate inventory visibility across multiple warehouses.

A fully custom React-based headless checkout was developed to replace the standard eCommerce checkout and support Waterco’s complex B2B requirements. The checkout integrates directly with Epicor Kinetic to perform real-time credit assessments, validating seasonal credit limits, outstanding invoices, account balances and credit hold status before allowing purchases on account. Advanced backorder workflows automatically separate available and backordered products, calculate partial payment requirements and securely tokenise payment details using Stripe. When stock becomes available, payments can be captured automatically and synchronised with Epicor without requiring any further action from the customer. The checkout also includes dynamic payment surcharge calculations based on card type, branch collection options, warehouse routing logic and sales representative ordering capabilities.

To streamline internal operations and support sales-assisted ordering, we also developed AquaServe, a custom administrative portal that enables Waterco staff to place orders on behalf of customers from a single interface. Staff can select a customer, add products and assign delivery details, with AquaServe automatically creating a secure temporary account and transferring the order into the bespoke checkout. Customer-specific pricing, delivery locations, trading terms and approved payment methods are automatically applied, reducing manual data entry while ensuring orders are processed accurately and securely.

The new platform has transformed Waterco’s B2B operations by delivering a connected digital ecosystem that streamlines ordering, improves customer self-service and automates critical business processes.

Customers can now place orders online, access invoices, review account information, monitor backorders and view live inventory availability through a modern and intuitive self-service portal. The introduction of interactive spare parts diagrams has also simplified replacement part ordering, improving the customer experience while reducing support enquiries.

For Waterco’s internal teams, the automation of product management, pricing, inventory synchronisation, order processing and financial workflows has significantly reduced manual administration, improved data accuracy and provided greater operational visibility across the business.

The implementation also established a scalable multi-country architecture supporting both Australia and New Zealand from a single integration framework. By combining BigCommerce B2B Edition, Epicor Kinetic, Akeneo PIM and a custom headless checkout, Waterco now has a future-ready digital commerce platform capable of supporting continued business growth, additional brands and ongoing expansion across multiple markets.