How Citizen and Bulova Moved to SFRAWithout Rebuilding Their Integrations
Citizen migrated from Salesforce Commerce Cloud's SiteGenesis to Storefront Reference Architecture (SFRA) on Red Van's Autobahn platform, launching sites for both Citizen and sibling brand Bulova. The build preserved existing import and export integrations, added multilingual site capability for global markets, and introduced customer self-service returns.
Who is Citizen?
Citizen has been a trusted name and brand leader in the watch industry for over 100 years.
With a focus on forward-thinking, inclusive worldviews, Citizen came to Red Van Workshop to continue its tradition of striving for better and making every moment count. The engagement covered both Citizen and its sibling company Bulova, two distinct brands with their own audiences, catalogs, and creative direction.
What problem did Citizen need to solve?
Citizen needed to migrate from Salesforce Commerce Cloud's legacy SiteGenesis platform to Storefront Reference Architecture (SFRA) while giving two premium watch brands a genuinely immersive experience.
Three constraints shaped the architecture. As a global brand, Citizen needed to run multiple sites that were multilingual, each extensible with integrations specific to a brand or region. The existing import and export integrations, along with product information management (PIM) and digital asset management (DAM) tooling, represented significant prior investment that should not be rebuilt. And the Citizen and Bulova brands required a rich and immersive experience that a standard reference implementation would not deliver on its own.
Requirements that defined the architecture
- Migrate from SiteGenesis to SFRA
- Launch storefronts for both Citizen and Bulova
- Support multilingual sites across global markets
- Preserve existing import and export integrations
- Integrate PIM and DAM tooling
- Enable rich, immersive brand content in the CMS
How did Red Van solve it?
Red Van built the SFRA sites on Autobahn for Commerce Cloud, developing solutions that reduced overhead by maintaining Citizen's existing import and export integrations rather than replacing them.
Building on Autobahn gave Citizen the ability to stand up new branded sites for global markets with minimal additional development cost, each extensible with integrations specific to that brand or region. Red Van worked with design partners at Elva to deliver designs using immersive motion, art, and video, then identified the extension points in Autobahn that allow that kind of content to be created and managed inside the CMS. That last part matters more than it sounds: it means Citizen's team can keep producing fresh, engaging content without a development ticket each time.
What the platform includes
SFRA Migration on Autobahn
Migration from SiteGenesis to Storefront Reference Architecture built on Autobahn for Commerce Cloud, eliminating the technical debt of the legacy platform.
Preserved Integration Layer
Existing import and export integrations maintained through the migration, reducing overhead and protecting prior investment rather than rebuilding working connections.
PIM and DAM Integrations
Custom integrations with product information management (PIM) software and digital asset management (DAM) tools, keeping product data and brand assets flowing into the new storefronts.
Multilingual Multi-Site Framework
The ability to create new sites addressing multilingual needs for particular brands, each extensible for specific brands or regions, so Citizen can stand up branded global sites with minimal additional development cost.
Immersive CMS Content
Designs from partner agency Elva using immersive motion, art, and video, delivered through Autobahn extension points that let the marketing team create and manage that content inside the CMS.
Self-Service Returns
Customers can initiate returns and print shipping labels directly from order history, reducing friction for the customer and service load for Citizen.
What were the results?
Citizen and Bulova now run on SFRA with a multilingual, multi-site framework that supports new global storefronts at minimal incremental development cost. Red Van assessed data portability, integrated with Citizen's asset management tooling, and built customer self-initiated returns. That returns feature adds to the customer experience while removing friction from a process that previously ran through Citizen's service team.
- Citizen and Bulova migrated from SiteGenesis to SFRA
- Existing import and export integrations preserved through migration
- Multilingual site framework supporting global markets
- New branded sites deployable at minimal additional development cost
- PIM and DAM tooling integrated into the new architecture
- Immersive motion, art, and video content managed in the CMS
- Customer self-service returns with printable shipping labels
- Reduced friction in the returns process for both customers and Citizen
The migration removed the constraint of an aging platform without discarding what already worked. Citizen's integrations, asset tooling, and content operation carried forward, and the brand gained a framework for launching new global sites that does not require a new project each time.
What services did Red Van provide?
- 01Discovery and Architecture
- 02SiteGenesis to SFRA Migration
- 03Autobahn Platform Deployment
- 04Multi-Site and Multilingual Architecture
- 05PIM Integration
- 06DAM Integration
- 07Page Designer and CMS Enablement
- 08Self-Service Returns Development
- 09Design Partner Collaboration
- 10QA, Launch, and Ongoing Support
Frequently asked questions
What is SFRA and why migrate from SiteGenesis?+
SFRA stands for Storefront Reference Architecture, the modern Salesforce Commerce Cloud front-end framework that replaced SiteGenesis. SiteGenesis is legacy, which means accumulating technical debt, slower development, and limited access to newer capability. Citizen migrated to SFRA to clear that debt and gain a platform that supports multilingual global sites.
Do you have to rebuild your integrations during an SFRA migration?+
Not always. Red Van developed solutions that maintained Citizen's existing import and export integrations through the migration, which reduced overhead and protected prior investment. Custom integrations with PIM and DAM tooling were built alongside. Rebuilding every connection is a common assumption and often an unnecessary cost.
How do you run multilingual sites on Salesforce Commerce Cloud?+
Through a multi-site framework rather than separate builds. Autobahn let Citizen create new sites addressing multilingual needs per brand, each extensible with integrations specific to that brand or region. The result is that Citizen can stand up branded sites for global markets with minimal additional development cost.
Can a Salesforce storefront support immersive brand content?+
Yes, if the extension points are built in deliberately. Red Van worked with design partner Elva on designs using immersive motion, art, and video, then identified the Autobahn extension points that let Citizen create that content inside the CMS. Without that step, every immersive campaign becomes a development project.