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Business transformation with Optimizely Configured Commerce

AF Group & Affinity Fuels

Key achievements

  • 2 million litres of heating oil sold via the D2C platform

  • 6% increase in digital revenue for Affinity Fuels

  • 42% conversion rate (up from 25%) for online purchases

  • 20% of orders now placed outside office hours

AF Group, the UK’s largest agricultural buying co-operative, partnered with Netcel to launch an integrated digital buying platform for its members and a new direct-to-consumer fuel brand, Affinity Fuels.  

Powered by Optimizely, the shared commerce infrastructure delivers a seamless, content-rich experience across B2B and B2C audiences. 

 

Key takeaways

  • Launched a unified Optimizely commerce platform for B2B and D2C 
  • Blended transactional and editorial content for seamless digital journeys 
  • Achieved rapid adoption and measurable revenue growth 
  • Enabled 24/7 self-service and reduced operational load 
  • Future-fit architecture supports expansion without duplication 

The challenge

AF needed to modernise its traditionally offline operations while managing:

  • A complex product catalogue
  • Two distinct audiences: co-op members and domestic fuel buyers
  • Operational efficiency without duplicating systems

The goal was to unlock new revenue streams through digital self-service and reduce call centre load.

Netcel’s approach

  • Experience Design

    • Created intuitive journeys tailored to B2B and B2C segments 
    • Built editorial content to support complex purchase decisions 

  • Solution Architecture

    • Delivered a unified commerce platform with shared architecture 
    • Ensured future scalability for product and channel expansion 

  • Operational Enablement

    • Enabled 24/7 self-service ordering 
    • Streamlined content management across teams 

The solution

AF Group now operates on Optimizely Configured Commerce with integrated CMS, delivering:

  • Member portal for farm businesses with expert-led support
  • Affinity Fuels consumer channel offering online fuel purchase
  • Editorial content supporting both transactional and advisory needs

The impact

  • 2 million litres of heating oil sold via the D2C platform
  • 6% increase in digital revenue for Affinity Fuels 
  • 42% conversion rate (up from 25%) for online purchases 
  • 20% of orders now placed outside office hours 
  • 18,600+ products available for online ordering 

Launching a unified digital platform didn’t just improve service - it created a flexible foundation for future growth. Netcel understood our business and built something that reflects our members’ needs while unlocking new possibilities.

Sam Barrell, Head of Technology, AF Group

Why Optimizely Configured Commerce?

Key to the platform selection of Configured Commerce are its strengths over other commerce platforms. Designed specifically for B2B, the platform enables the efficient set up and management of complex product groups, pricing models, buying relationships and quotation management. Combined with Optimizely's industry leading CMS that enables authoring of advisory content to delivers a frictionless buying process 24/7 and on any device.

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