IEMR, a leading Japanese research and strategy firm, was struggling with years of technical debt rooted in a monolithic, legacy ASP codebase. Net Solutions orchestrated a comprehensive digital transformation by migrating the site to Sitecore. This full-scale rebuild introduced tiered user access, high-speed search, and seamless CRM automation. The result was a fully responsive platform that significantly boosted both sales and long-term customer retention.
IEMR’s legacy website had accumulated enough technical debt to make further incremental improvement impractical and commercially damaging.
The codebase had grown through layers of upgrades on top of original ASP code, integrating PHP and an Access database. The result was a fragile, difficult-to-maintain system with ongoing stability problems.
There was no structured system for different user types including prospects, clients, subscribers, and publishers. All users experienced the platform the same way, limiting monetization and content control.
Search across a library spanning over a decade of research publications was sluggish and imprecise. Poor discoverability was directly reducing report sales.
There was no mechanism to suggest related reports based on a user’s existing purchases. A significant cross-sell and retention opportunity was going completely untapped.
Nothing prevented paying customers from sharing downloaded reports publicly after purchase. Without copy protection, the business model was structurally vulnerable.
Net Solutions advised IEMR to rebuild entirely rather than patch, won a competitive RFP on the strength of their assessment and references, and built a Sitecore platform with .NET. Apache Lucene powered the search, four distinct user tiers were implemented, a CRM microsite automated report recommendations, and the full historical archive was migrated for day-one availability.
Net Solutions delivered a complete Sitecore-powered platform replacing IEMR’s legacy website.
Four distinct user classes were built: public visitors, clients, subscribers, and research publishers. Each tier had access to features and content appropriate to their relationship with IEMR.
Fast, accurate search across the full report archive was implemented using Apache Lucene. Users could find relevant publications quickly, directly improving discoverability and sales.
An automated microsite delivered personalized report recommendations based on each user’s purchase history. The system acted as an always-on CRM layer, driving repeat engagement and cross-sell revenue.
Over a decade of publications was migrated and made accessible to customers from the day the platform launched. No historical content was lost or delayed in the transition.
Controls were implemented to restrict post-purchase sharing and distribution of purchased reports. The business model was protected without creating friction for legitimate paying customers.
Research partners who licensed IEMR to sell their reports gained a dashboard showing sales data and licensing fees. Transparency strengthened publisher relationships and encouraged more content contributions.
The new platform delivered measurable commercial results from the moment it launched.
Report sales increased following launch, directly attributed to improved search performance and user experience. Customers could find and purchase what they needed far more easily than before.
Personalized recommendations and streamlined access for returning customers improved retention rates. The platform actively worked to keep users engaged rather than relying on them to return unprompted.
IEMR described the new platform as head and shoulders above most competitors. The rebuild moved them from a technology laggard to a market leader in their digital experience.
Net Solutions gave IEMR an honest assessment when an incremental upgrade would have been easier to sell. That honesty, combined with technical depth and delivery quality, earned them the project and the client relationship that followed. If your platform is holding your business back, start with an honest assessment. We will tell you what you actually need.
For a research or intelligence business, the platform is the product. Slow load times, clunky access flows, and outdated architecture don’t just frustrate users; they undermine the authority of the insights they’re trying to access. Net Solutions rebuilds research platforms with the precision and user-experience depth that high-value audiences demand. If your platform isn’t doing justice to your content, let’s change that.