Hinode Migrates Its B2B Operation from a Legacy Platform to VTEX

Hinode is one of Latin America's biggest beauty and wellness brands, and it runs two very different sales models. On one side, there's B2C: selling directly to consumers. On the other, there's B2B: selling through a network of resellers and commercial representatives. The B2C side had been running smoothly on VTEX in both Brazil and Mexico for a while. But B2B was a whole other story. Everything had been built in-house, from the reseller portal to the checkout flow for every single product.

To cut the high cost of maintaining a proprietary solution and bring more modern technology into the mix, Hinode decided to migrate its B2B operation to VTEX, pulling all its systems together into one place. The move paid off in operational efficiency, and it also set the stage for Hinode's global expansion, thanks to the scalability and internationalization capabilities VTEX brings to the table.

That said, taking B2B digital isn't as simple as flipping a switch. The operational complexity alone is a major hurdle: custom workflows, specific negotiation processes, and managing huge volumes of product and customer data. Here's how VTEX helped Hinode tackle all of it through an API-first approach built for flexibility and customization.

Hinode brought in VTEX's Professional Services team to lead the implementation and go-live of the new B2B site. The first order of business was a discovery phase, which mapped out the architecture for the brand's consultant sales channels on the VTEX platform.

Discovery

The discovery work gave the team a clear picture of the consultant journey: every step, every friction point, and every opportunity to improve or personalize the experience.

The Hinode consultant journey breaks down into two stages, each living in its own distinct channel. The first channel is where it all begins. A new user registers with the brand and purchases their first reseller kit, then moves all ongoing purchases to a second channel. Thanks to VTEX's API-first approach, both channels were successfully migrated in under six months.

Migration and Customization

The heart of the consultant experience lives in that second channel. Once there, consultants land on a portal showing their order history, a points score tied to purchase volume, and the full catalog of products and kits available for resale. This channel also comes with some specific requirements: three separate commercial policies, tailored pickup and shipping options, and extra data points like points balances, rankings, and monthly sales-opening announcements.

VTEX's headless architecture and API-driven build approach made it possible to meet every one of those requirements:

• Customized checkout: The entire browsing and checkout experience was built headless using VTEX APIs, integrated with Hinode's internal systems to surface consultant-specific information right where it's needed.
• Native gift card engine in checkout: VTEX's native gift card engine, called special card, lets consultants apply account-linked points directly at checkout. In multi-level marketing, this kind of feature isn't a nice-to-have. It's essential for driving reseller performance.
• In-store pickup or home delivery: Consultants can choose to pick up orders at a nearby franchise location or have them delivered to their door. At franchise locations, they can also place orders on dedicated computers set up for resellers, making it easier to go digital and keeping data centralized for both Hinode and the consultant.

In-person payment is also available when a consultant opts for franchise pickup. This was implemented using VTEX out-of-the-box solutions with a small checkout customization to fit Hinode's business rules.

The new site launched with an experience that felt nearly identical to the old in-house platform, giving the Hinode team room to experiment with navigation and checkout approaches without disrupting their reseller base. The implementation used a webview within an iframe, delivering a more reliable payment experience both online and in-store in a secure environment that consultants could easily adopt.

The numbers speak for themselves. During the analysis period, the VTEX checkout hit a conversion rate of 21.6%, compared to just 3.2% on the legacy system. That's a 575% increase, driven in large part by VTEX's SmartCheckout.

The A/B test did involve different audience segments, but consultant feedback made one thing clear: the simpler, more fluid VTEX experience was a key reason for the jump.

*All figures and information in this article were provided and approved by Hinode.