A self-service ecommerce model in Umbraco
CPL Learning is part of The Access Group, a global business software provider supporting over 160,000 organisations. Within that ecosystem, CPL Learning plays a distinct role as a leading learning and development partner for hospitality and retail.
This project marked an important step forward. Not just for CPL Learning, but for the wider group. Because this wasn’t simply a move to a new CMS. It was The Access Group’s first step into a fully self-service ecommerce model within Umbraco.
The challenge
On the surface, the objective was clear. Transition CPL Learning’s existing ecommerce site onto Umbraco, align it with The Access Group’s wider digital ecosystem, and improve the experience for users purchasing training courses online.
But the implications went further.
CPL Learning offers over 100 courses, from compliance-led training to broader skills development. That creates a level of complexity in how users browse, select and purchase that needed to feel simple, not overwhelming.
At the same time, the platform had to support:
- high volumes of transactions
- multi-product baskets
- flexible purchasing journeys
- and a fully self-service experience
All while aligning with the group’s broader ambition to reduce friction, improve customer experience and enable scalable ecommerce across multiple brands.
This wasn’t just a platform migration.
It was about creating a foundation for how ecommerce could work across the entire organisation.
The opportunity
Rather than treating this as a standalone project, it became an opportunity to establish a model. A way of delivering ecommerce within Umbraco that could be reused, adapted and scaled across The Access Group’s portfolio.
That meant thinking beyond CPL’s immediate needs and designing something that would support future growth across the group.
The approach with Umbraco Commerce & Stripe
We built on the flexibility and extendibility of Umbraco, alongside the groundwork already established through Project Elevate, to bring CPL Learning into alignment with The Access Group’s wider platform and brand.
Working closely with both brand and divisional teams, the design evolved from an outdated experience into something more modern, consistent and easier to navigate. The focus was on clarity and usability, ensuring users could find and purchase the right training quickly and confidently.
From a technical perspective, this was the first ecommerce implementation within the group’s Umbraco environment. Using Umbraco Commerce, we introduced a structured and scalable approach to managing products, bundles and bespoke offerings. The purchasing journey was designed to feel seamless, with a clear path from discovery through to transaction.
Integration with Stripe ensured a secure and reliable payment experience, removing the need to store sensitive data while maintaining trust and compliance.
The objective
The transformation was felt across both the user experience and the internal platform. Externally, users could now browse and purchase courses more easily, with a clearer journey and greater flexibility in how they engage with the offering.
Internally, CPL became part of a wider, unified platform, creating consistency across the group and opening up new opportunities for how ecommerce could be delivered elsewhere.
The results were immediate and measurable.
15 percent of visitors to the site are now converting to sales, demonstrating a significant improvement in how effectively the platform supports decision-making and purchase behaviour. More importantly, the project established a new capability within The Access Group.
As Martin Hoyle, Technical Director at Pixelbuilders, explains:
“A key objective from The Access Group was to expand online payments across the group to reduce customer friction, improve customer experience and increase self-service. Umbraco Commerce and its flexibility has allowed us to create the ability to transact not only on CPL but also across the group’s wider variety of products and services. CPL marks the start of a long line of ecommerce opportunities within the group’s Umbraco platform.”
That sentiment is echoed by The Access Group’s own team.
“This new Umbraco ecommerce website has redefined the online shopping experience for our CPL customers, combining a truly customer-centric approach throughout user-friendly design while leveraging the Umbraco platform to deliver a seamless business process behind the scenes. By building the capabilities on your central platform it unblocks further opportunities to use this technology wider across our business.”
Pete Hemmett
Head of Web Development, The Access Group
Digital that does more
Ecommerce at scale isn’t just about enabling transactions. It’s about reducing friction, increasing confidence and creating a consistent experience that can grow with the organisation.
By approaching this as a foundation rather than a one-off build, The Access Group now has a model it can extend across its wider portfolio.
This project wasn’t just about launching a new ecommerce site for CPL Learning. It was about enabling a new way of working. One that supports self-service, scales across brands and creates the conditions for continued growth. Because when the foundations are right, progress becomes easier to build on.
