Archiwum autora: Marcin Rutkowski

Release i-systems – version 3.46

Another software upgrade has been released. The changelog lists as many as 59 items and is one of the biggest upgrades in the history of i-systems software. Every changelog consist of new features, bug fixes and refactoring. The most interesting changes in release 3.46 include:

Adding a content preview of the order status change notification for the customer

Sales service is related to sending the target customer information about the current status. Now it is enough to click the magnifying glass icon next to the order information to see the content of all messages directly in the panel. This change allows for a quick check of the correspondence with the customer and control of message correctness.

Adding a class for multivariant distribution to separate filters in the advanced product browser

Some products have many variables by which they can be browsed. Shoes from the newbalance.pl shop are an example here: the footwear from individual collections has two variants – standard size and shoe width (a rarer parameter). Thus, the browsed products previously had to fulfill both conditions to be displayed on the list of browsing results. The new class in the PAS (Product Advanced Search) browser allows for distributing both variants to two independent filters. As in the newbalance.pl shop, the customer can now find the New Balance ML574POG shoe model no matter if he/she uses a “size 42.5” or a “D width” filter.

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Adding a task module in the background

Customer teams operating an online shop wish to send information packages comfortably via API to the shipment manager. With several hundred or more orders, such information takes up a lot of space, but API usually requires sending all information via one request. This activity may last longer and thus hinder the work. The task module in the background allows for performing time-consuming operations in the background of the system. No more rotating loaders or white pages while waiting for the target page to open – the operations are now delegated. At the same time, the customer service staff can see the task progress status.

Adding a box module

Personalization of online shopping is currently implemented in many ways. One of them may be offering the target customer the possibility of choosing the packaging. The customer can select a box for the goods in the order basket.
The boxes have a virtual warehouse status, which serves solely informative purposes useful to the shop administrator. The box in the basket is only available for the products which have an appropriate box size ascribed. It has a name, color, size, warehouse status and photo.
The shop staff can see the information about the selected boxes in order details and on generated shipment lists. Box selection is displayed next to every ordered item for which the box has been chosen. There is also a summary at the bottom of the generated document, which includes the number of boxes for the selected configurations of size and color. This minimizes the risk of making a mistake when packing the products.

Adding a shipment plug-in for InPost service

Release 3.46 has also widened the range of courier companies available. InPost courier services are provided in Poland and 18 European countries. Recipients expecting a quick delivery may also choose an option of guaranteed delivery till the noon of the next working day (though one must remember that this service is only available in selected places in Poland). At the beginning, the integration uses the option of payment on collection, but it will be possible to configure other forms of delivery in the future.

Adding the handling of cookies in the affiliate partner module

The affiliate module is aimed at tracking the visits of target customers from the partners with which the shop signed a partnership agreement. Such partners may include blogs, news websites, advertizing networks and other online shops. Each partner is identified individually using a GET parameter. The identification allows for settlement between the partners: if the target customer visits the shop by clicking the partner’s link and makes a purchase, a suitable piece of information will be displayed in the order view in the administrative panel. The added cookie handling function replaces the session-based solution and will measure affiliations better.

Improvement of UX of the purchase process

The release also includes changes immediately visible to the customers. The 3.46 version has improved minor design elements in the order summary. Thus, the content is now displayed better on mobile devices and the phenomenon of abandoning the baskets should decrease.

Adding new authentication methods via REST

The safety of connections is one of the most important issues in eCommerce and the entire IT. The applications are now protected against unauthorized access by REST-handled authentication methods such as SessionCookie, OAuth1 and HTTPAuthBasic.

This is the last series 3 release – the next software upgrade will already be numbered as 4.0. Beside standard updates, it will also refresh the whole administrative panel layout. Stay tuned for the details.

The new eCommerce system in 5.10.15.

A new shop for Komex is already online. Komex, the owner of a stationary shop chain 5.10.15., is one of Poland’s biggest retail sales chains. It currently owns over 230 stationary shops, where it sells children’s clothing and accessories. The cooperation with i-systems is aimed at enhancing the use of online sale potential.

Changes in the shop

The new online shop means not only a new image and a wider offer, but also many new options for customers: they can now preview the available sizes on product lists as well as use enriched search and filtering options. Moreover, a full mechanism of promotion combined with a refreshed loyalty program was created. More efficient system integration allows for faster delivery of orders to customers. Thus, the majority of packages is sent on the day of placing the order and delivered the next day.

Mobile consumers set the standards

The entire eCommerce system was prepared according to the best standards of Responsive Web Design. The new online shop of 5.10.15. automatically adjusts to the resolution of the screen on which it is viewed. All the development works concerning the full mobility of the online shop were carried out according to the Mobile First rule, which means that the shop layout on the smallest devices was prepared first and then the workspace was widened. Shop implementation also followed that rule. Thus, shopping on mobile devices is now much simpler.

eCommerce is the fastest developing sales channel. The reasons are obvious: it is comfortable and saves time as well as, oftentimes, money. Young generations, which grew up with computers, tablets and smartphones, are becoming parents today and eagerly choose that kind of shopping. Thus, we treat eCommerce as a promising sales channel and mobile shopping as its strong basis. The entire eCommerce will soon be very mobile; it will intermingle with traditional shopping, the ROPO effect will increase and… the market will become crowded. That is why we are preparing for it as early as today” said Tomasz Sulejewski, eCommerce Manager in Komex.

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Dedicated eCommerce integrations

Large stationary sales chains such as Komex act on the basis of precisely defined business processes. Their skillful transfer to eCommerce and subsequent optimization is very important. One of the key implementation elements was the creation of dedicated integrations affecting the sales system. The 5.10.15. brand has several affiliate partners within the sales network. Thus, we prepared a module allowing for launching the integration with affiliate networks and flexible management of parameters for each network” highlighted Marek Pawlak, Project Manager in i-systems.

The system also offers advanced integration with ERP. The integration is responsible for product and promotion management plus sales reporting. Its detailed functions include communication with the ERP system and updating the products and their prices; it also regularly sends to the ERP system the information about completed orders and trade documents issued in connection with them.

SAP logistic outsourcing solutions were also implemented, via integration with a Partner, in the new online shop at http://www.51015kids.eu/. This allows one to control the handling of the whole order.

Omnichannel retailing challenges

The scale of the undertaking presented by the new eCommerce system for the 5.10.15. brand made it necessary to divide the works into several stages. The first step in combining online and stationary sales was the possibility of checking the locations of all stationary shops belonging to the brand in Poland. Then, the loyalty program was unified in all channels: now it is coherent both online and offline. The next functions taking advantage of the multichannel idea will be implemented systematically as part of an adopted action plan.

“The platform constructed by i-systems based on modern standards is a prelude to further cooperation and the beginning of implementing the omnichannel strategy in full, since we are currently working on the latter,” claims Sebastian Moleda, Operations Director in Komex.

The implemented platform can be viewed online at http://www.51015kids.eu/.

i-systems among Deloitte Technology Fast 50

Company i-systems entered 16th edition of Deloitte ranking of the fastest developing companies with innovative technology in Central Europe.
Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe ranking identifies the fastest developing companies with innovative technology based on the growth rate of annual operating revenues in the analysed periods. In Central Europe, the programme includes companies from 17 countries: Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Estonia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosna and Herzegovina, Albania, Macedonia, Moldovia, Montenegro and Lithuania.

Strong position of Poland

16th edition of Deloitte ranking of the fastest developing companies with innovative technology in Central Europe included 19 companies from Poland. The leader of the main “Technology Fast 50” ranking became Czech company called Simplity and the second place was taken by Polish Sky Cash Poland. The third place was taken by the last year’s winner, Hungarian company Szallas.hu.

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Polish laureates in the major category of Technology Fast 50

i-systems entered Deloitte Technology Fast 50 ranking for the first time. In Europe, it takes 39th place and in Poland – 8th place. Fast 50 Central Europe ranking is a part of Fast 500 EMEA and all laureates of the “fast 50” are automatically enrolled in it. The Partners of Honours of the competition include the Polish Minister of Economy, the National Centre for Research and Development, the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, Warsaw Stock Exchange and the Polish IT and Telecommunications Chamber.

B2B benefits in eCommerce you do not know about

B2B solutions in eCommerce are characterized by the fact that their results are not conspicuous right away. New code lines, invoices, statistics, analyses, reports and prognoses are not solutions giving us a thrill of positive emotions. They come (especially for people dealing with finance and its optimization) when we realise the likely benefits of B2B system in e-commerce. The solutions described were implemented by i-systems in Higma Service, a company supplying products, hygienic systems and professional chemical agents for companies, institutions and HoReCa sector.

Easy access to data

Even today you can find some archaic solutions, frequently adopted in companies. The nightmare of each tradesman – one main computer with access to all data which can be used for entering the order in the system. The tradesman is forced to ask the computer owner (usually Sales Manager) to provide the hardware to her/him even for a couple of minutes.
It would be hard to find a better example of wasting resources and losing time for the team. Open web access to the IT system for all company employees enables the tradesman, having her/his own account, to come and enter the order in the system from any computer connected to the Internet. The introduction of such a solution (along with other) help Higma Service sales representatives to meet with as much as 12 customers during a single day and to prepare a customised offer for each of them, including a full presentation. Such a solution offers also a comprehensive control of each ordering stage. It is enough to have a look at the system to learn what happened to a specific order, when and why.

Optimisation of overhead costs and expense prognosis

Each document in the form of a sheet of paper can be lost, get wet, be taken by the wind and is a cost in itself. Higma Service generates over 23 thousand invoices a year and several times more Goods Dispatched (WZ) Invoices. This is an immense amount of paper which was replaced by electronic documents. They are generated automatically and attached to the order performance stage preferred by the customer. What is more, the electronic documents are grouped in sets to analyse and obtain Business Intelligence information more easily, of key importance for the strategic decisions. Such an analysis of data can be created any time in a month, not only after the end of any settlement period.

Improving the work qualify of sales representatives

B2C or B2B solutions can actually be reduced to H2H, that is Human 2 Human, relations. Here, personal likings and dislikes (partially subconscious) of our sales representatives towards some companies come to play. How to encourage the sale representative, beside her/his personal animosities, to contact and visit all the companies? The IT system can also be helpful here. The solution implemented suggests the employee should make an appointment for the meeting and if s/he keeps ignoring the message, s/he will lose the opportunity to make other appointments before vising all customers suggested by the system.

Logistics handling

Warehousing costs constitute a large part of sales companies’ expenses. The logistic solution adopted analyses sales of products and prognoses warehouse shortages. Thanks to that, the warehousing space is optimized and does not generate unnecessary costs. Such a policy can reduce warehousing costs by 45%. Additionally, each manufacturer connected with the company can generate the sales reports for their products themselves as this offers information to both companies for improved cooperation.
Business activity cost optimisation is the most important challenge for companies in almost any sector. As you see, B2B systems are able to optimize costs in many areas of the company operation: from sales, through employees’ time management, debt recovery, offering, expense control, to the logistics. It is worth considering implementation of B2B solutions in e-commerce as some money can still be obtained from the designated subsidy from the EU funds.

B2B eCommerce: how to reduce costs and increase profits?

eCommerce activities in B2C are very easy to identify and define: a store offers a product, the customer buys it. We can also speak of marketing, offer comparison, customer service and, eventually, the transaction. When we ask about eCommerce in B2B, the most frequent answer is the sales of the same products but in wholesale amounts and preferably on pallets. eCommerce area in B2B looks, however, different. What is more: it can change entirely the company strategy and its efficiency.

eCommerce in B2B is the abundance of opportunities

There is a multitude of studies, analyses and reports describing the sales potential of the Internet B2B channel. According to the most cautious estimates, the level of 150 billion PLN is within easy reach (unless it has already been exceeded). This is close to six times more than B2C market, but only about 5% of all B2B transactions. Observing the development of the Polish eCommerce sector, we frequently look at the U.S. The said share in that country reaches 30%. The potential is, thus, present but where is it exactly? The products most frequently bought in the Internet business to business sales include: office products, raw materials, manufacturing materials and products related to using the company assets. Also Higma Service sells such products. The case of competitive advantage building by this company through technology will be described below.

Optimising the costs of acquiring and retaining the customer

Strong competition between distributors makes it difficult to compete by means of the price, which is more and more similar for all distributors. If it is more difficult to compete by means of the price, you can offer more to the Customer for the same price. What can this added value be in B2B eCommerce transactions? It can be comprehensive control of the expenses, minimizing the likelihood of mistaken order performance and consequent reduction of error handling costs, complete automation of document flow, improved efficiency of employees’ work or the ability to report and verify sales plans in real time. If we are able to provide such a benefits’ package to the business customer, they loyalty will grow. What is more, the exit barrier will be much higher and we will reduce customer rotation, still offering the same product for the same price.

Business analysis a key to success in B2B eCommerce

All large B2B and IT projects should be started from a cross-sectional analysis. Implementing the project for Higma Service, key eCommerce challenges were identified, that is: more efficient service of customers in the entire territory of Poland, creation of a settlement mechanism for contract customers having many outlets, higher automation of the sales process, elimination of errors caused by a growing base of compatible products, improved efficiency of meeting scheduling or improved warehouse management. Each of those aspects contributes to significant improvement of the financial efficiency of the company.

Solutions adopted

Abraham Lincoln used to say that every work can be done if it is divided into small tasks. The same is true for IT solutions. In the said case, all works were divided into three major stages. The first consisted in creating new infrastructure and taking the load off the resources possessed by simplifying and automating repeatable processes; the second one was devoted to improving the entire sales process and creating new tools increasing the operating capacities of the sales department employees; the third one assumed that all the regular customers will be covered by the panel facilitating the process of sales, service and debt recovery.

Big data – collection and effective use of business data

Public institutions, mechanical and food industry, medical sector, education, administration, catering and hotel sector (HoReCa) as well as private companies have different needs and expectations. The collection and analysis of data have become an important aspect of business. According to the studies by InsightExpress, 80% of Polish IT managers believe that big data will be the grounds of their corporate strategies in the five years to come. The demand for such specialists grows by about 30% a year. Another basis for operation in eCommerce is data analysis. For such operations, a unique tool enabling to optimize business processes between the company and its vendors in everyday work.

Business results obtained

The introduction of innovative solutions changes the nature of work performed. After the said system was implemented, the time and labour intensity required for the handling and performance of orders were reduced by 50%. Human and equipment resources were liberated and they can be shifted to perform other tasks. In Harvard Business Review Poland published in January, in the article devoted to the Internet of things we could read the statement by Jeff Immelt who claims that each industrial company will be the software producer. This vision can be expanded also to services and it can be added that each company will have to invest in cost optimizing software in the years to come. The said software will open up new opportunities for optimization and the B2B eCommerce case described is a perfect example of that.

eCommerce challenges in the OmniChannel epoch

Multi-channel sales, omnichannel, online and offline synergy, omnichannel retailing, sales channel integration… I have heard multiple synonyms for the new phenomenon in the eCommerce sector. What is more, the new ones will still be created to describe the omnichannel assumptions in a more or less precise way. All of them can be reduced to the following assumption: improved sales by using various channels to reach the target customer. What should, however, be considered when preparing eCommerce to make use of the entire omnichannel potential?

Creating coherent pricing policy

Adoption of one, coherent and implemented pricing policy can ensure success to brands in the field of combining brick-and-mortar and electronic sales. Most frequently, the coherent pricing policy means identical prices in all sales channels although there are exceptions to this rule in the form of e.g. local promotions in the brick-and-mortar outlets or discounts awarded for online shopping. Such solutions should, however, stem from strategic decisions concerning the co-existence of both channels. From the customer’s perspective, what counts is the coherent marketing information. Deciding to open the omnichannel issue, we must develop both forms of sales at the same time.

Creation of advanced Brick2Click processes

Brick2Click processes are aimed at completely two-directional sales and customer service in every channel. This is to enable the customer to: buy online and return the goods offline, buy and return online (by filling in a website form) or buy offline and return the goods online. Brick2Click processes can be further expanded with the online reservation system of goods with the option to check them (e.g. try on when it comes to clothes) in a brick-and-mortar store and pay. The above-mentioned pro-consumer solutions are a challenge for the logistics, software and marketing. We must also not forget about the shop assistants in the brick-and-mortar stores. It is them who will handle part of the transactions every day.

Offering the Device2Web sales opportunity

The number of mobile devices connected to the Internet which can be used to do shopping online is growing. And it will keep growing. The most important and popular include smartphones, tablets, TVs and web kiosks. An interesting fact is that the latter devices are more and more frequent in the shopping centres which are still afraid to sell online. Omnichannel assumptions force to adjust the contents for each device both with respect to the offer presentation quality and to the optimization of technical aspects and the website loading speed. At present, all the standards in this respect focus on e-shop creation in the responsive web design. RWD offers most benefits and enables to improve mobile shopping conversion by as much as 20%. Here it should be added that Google is more and more friendly towards the responsive web design websites.

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Expanding the reach of product presentation via eAve2Web solutions

The omnichannel notion entails use of other sales channels besides the own ones. To increase the number of contact points with the target customers, it is also worth using external channels, such as price comparison engines, auctioning portals, vortals etc. Integrating sales with external channels we must pay special attention to automating all processes. Otherwise, their operation will be very labour intensive.

Creating a single sales management centre from many channels

For the manufacturers and brands selling solely their own products, the site where the customer buys products is frequently of minor importance. Regardless of whether the transaction takes place in the e-shop or in the brick-and-mortar one, it will always be handled by the same system. This is why it is worth creating one place to manage the entire sales which will be adapted to the corporate strategy. In that place all processes with additional integrations must be specified.

Omnichannel is not the future – it is the present time

“Online Shopping in the Fourth Quarter and in 2014” is the report published by the Statistical Office in South Korea which should be a favourite bedtime reading of anyone connected with eCommerce. The reason is very meaningful and important. Namely, for the first time in the market research history (not only for the South Korea) we can see a higher sales value for the online than for the offline channel. It was 46.9 billion wons spent for online shopping when compared to 46.64 billion wons spent offline. eCommerce has reached another breakthrough point in its history. Ominichannel solutions which are of key importance for generating improved sales results have contributed significantly thereto.