Archiwum kategorii: Article

New lookbook = higher conversion

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At the end of 2016, the i-systems company introduced new lookbook. Lookbook is a photo gallery, presenting a product collection of the designer or a brand. Interactive version of this tool has multiple features, both from the administrator’s and customer’s point of view.

“Natural environment” of the product

New lookbook directs the user from multimedia product gallery, straight to the product page. The customer, while viewing products on models, has a direct possibility to click on the specific image or product and place an order. Hence, there is no need to search for the product by catalogues, categories or tabs. There are two advantages of this solution: firstly, the customers can see the product in its “natural environment”. Therefore, they are able to check how the chosen product looks like in reality and make a fair assessment. Secondly, shorter path to purchase is a more efficient way to conversion.

Interactive gallery

When it comes to the functionalities of the administrative panel, lookbook gives unlimited possibilities of product presentation. The most important tasks of lookbook include: the ability to create any number of categories and subcategories. You can also assign multiple lookbooks to a single category, and add multiple images to a single interactive gallery. There is also a possibility to assign a number of products to given photo in lookbook and to determine the date of publication.

New lookbook – what does it mean?

Lookbook attracts customer’s attention for longer period of time because of the new kind of interaction. In the latest version of lookbook, a new design and layout were created, to build the position of the brand on the market more efficiently. In addition, the new version draws more attention, because of the simplified navigation on the site, shortening the path to purchase.

Adjusting to individual needs of the brand

Every lookbook is a very flexible tool and significantly influences buying decisions. Therefore, its layout and navigation have to be adjusted each time to individual needs of the brand, the size of the collection and target group.

While making a decision to implement Lookbook module to online store, it is worth remembering to create several dedicated options for different occasions. It is also important to make the layout variable. This affects the better performance, which leads to conversion. Lookbook is a form of professional portfolio, which serves fashion bloggers in communication from several years. When it comes to e-commerce, especially the fashion industry, it is based on this type of modules, because the seasonality of products is what matters, as well as offer transparency and easy navigation on the site.



Find out more about lookbook



Mobile app integrated with e-commerce system

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The e-commerce systems, created in responsive web design, are standard today. Online store with matching layout to mobile devices is a kind of must have in online sales. However, modern customer is demanding and needs more and more efficient forms of online shopping. A mobile app, integrated with online store of the brand, meets the demands of today’s consumers.

Previously, problems with updates were a nuisance for the companies, which made mobile apps available for their customers. Therefore, very often application did not show the actual state, it was not integrated with e-commerce system, so it became outdated. In the case of mobile app, created by i-systems, all the information is collected au courant form the online store of the brand, hence inventory or discount data are always valid.

The advantage of the mobile app over RWD

First of all, mobile application is an additional sales channel, which increases the number of mobile customers, thanks to the possibility of efficient and convenient shopping.  In comparison to the online store, adjusted to mobile devices, mobile application has a lot of advantages. There is no need for the users to login to the online store each time, and thanks to push notifications he or she receives information about the latest discounts through the application. Research shows that up to 58% of mobile customers would prefer to use mobile app if there was such a possibility, generating at the same time 3.7 times higher conversion rates.

Meeting business needs

While creating a mobile app, dedicated to a particular brand, it is important to become familiar with the objects and business processes, which will allow to adapt the application to the needs of consumers. Department of analysis at i-systems prepared thorough workbook that describes the particular elements of the mobile application.



SIPOC diagram - “Account management” business process

SIPOC diagram – “Account management” business process

Workbook indicates business actors – logged in and logged out customers and the store’s admin, who manages settings in mobile app. It also indicates 5 key business processes. The main processes include: account registration, login, account management, product search and order registration. Characteristics of business processes has been developed on the basis of prepared SIPOC diagrams, which are a tools for description of suppliers, inputs, process, outputs and customers.

For each process the main goal and specific scenarios have been described. Example: account registration of the retail customer is a basic scenario, whereas the possibility of introducing corporate data for business customer is a detailed scenario. In each process business objects were created – 18 for the current version of the mobile application. Each business object has a name, a special designation, type – that is the division into a standard object, which is in each version of the application, or special one. For business objects a brief description was created, as well as attributes, meaning the scope of information which are possible to assign to the given object, such as: name, surname, e-mail, phone number, password, shipping address, invoice data etc.

Building mobile app

Performing an accurate description of the processes and business objects occurring in the mobile application is the first step of its creation. If a company, which already has the e-commerce system, is interested in mobile application, it places an order and i-systems employees begin work on recognizing business needs and fitting actors, objects and processes to them.

Mobile app, built by i-systems, is available for iOS and Android. Two versions of the mobile app have to be prepared for those systems. In addition, each company selling online, wants the application to be consistent with the visual identity of the online store, which is why it has to be personalized each time, so as the template, colors and icons harmonized with online store of the brand. Functions are matched to the individual needs of the company. Next the application is integrated with e-commerce system, and payments are configured from online store level. After building the mobile app, based on business needs of the company and adapted to its e-commerce system, i-systems team submits the application to the App Store and Google Play. Therefore i-systems customers can have their own dedicated applications, ready to be shared with their target customers.

The information about the mobile app can be published on the online store. After clicking the icon, App Store or Google Play is displayed, where the user can download the app.

The main functionalities of the mobile app

There are several ways of logging in to the mobile app built by i-systems. It can be done in a traditional way – by entering e-mail address and the password obtained while placing an order in online store. While entering data, one obtains a token, so that later the user could log in the application, without the need to re-enter personal details. Another form is log in by individual Facebook profile.

After starting the mobile app, a potential customer will see two banners, showing new and recommended products. Next version will be extended, so as the admin of the store could create the home page by his own by choosing the categories he would like to place there. There would be also more than two categories to be chosen.

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Application integrated with e-commerce system does not have to be manually updated along with every change in the online store. Updating e-commerce system does not mean having new version of mobile app. Moreover, building application by the same company that implemented e-commerce system, allows to develop and modernize application, so as it was always updated and met customers’ needs.

The customer can also sort products according to the newest, cheapest or the most expensive. He or she can also add product to favourites, in order to get back to them in time. While opening the product sheet, the user will see exactly the same information as in online store of the brand. Also, below product data, recommended products can be found.

An interesting feature of the mobile application are filters, built automatically for the category and the flag. The mobile application has exactly the same filters as e-commerce system. Filters are built dynamically, so if something changes in the online store will also be updated in the application. There is no need to enter new data manually and submit an app to the App Store or Google Play once again.
Shopping by mobile app is exactly the same process as in the case of online store. There is a possibility to find product by using the search engine based on SOLR, add product to cart, use a discount coupon, modify delivery data and select the payment method. Each purchase is shown in the „orders” tab.

Prospects for development of mobile application

Mobile application, built by i-systems, is most of all a new sales channel, allowing more efficient and safer shopping. Application integrated with online store will be developed and updated according to individual needs of the brand. Currently, it is adapted to the latest version of e-commerce system.

In the nearest future, it will be possible to login with touch ID, as well as pay by credit card. The development also covers work on implementation of push notifications, which are alerts about discounts and sales. The administrator of the store will be able to create discount offer in e-commerce system, and the user will receive it directly on mobile app. It is extremely interesting form of reaching the customer, because only 10% of customers open e-mails, while 90% of them open push notifications. Beacons will be another novelty. They will allow to strengthen omnichannel actions, connected with the use of mobile app. Beacons are devices which allow communication with smartphones or tablets. The customer while walking past brick and mortar sales point of the given brand, in which the beacon has been mounted, will receive notification about discounts or interesting offers of the store.

There are not many e-commerce companies which build mobile apps, as the separate mobile department has to be created. If the company does not have such a department, it has to subcontract building an app to other company. In such cases it is very common that problems with integration arise and application cannot be updated. There is a risk that the product range would not be actual, and the product purchased via mobile app would not be available. Beside the problems with data exchange, there is also an issue of costs, which are much higher than in the case of building mobile app by the company which implements e-commerce systems.

The online store, created by i-systems, which is integrated with ERP system and mobile app is a efficient and safe sales model.

Matching recommended products depending on the weather

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Selling seasonal products is still a challenge for online stores. In this case, the demand lasts from 3 to 4 months, so the time limitation forces sales optimization. Integration of the online store with Weather Module is the solution. Its sales effectiveness can be seen especially in the following sectors: clothing, cosmetics and outdoor.

Even well-planned advertising campaign can not bring expected results if the offer of an online store is not personalized. An effective solution is a combination of measures and tools for matching product offerings to customer needs in real time. Dedicated Weather Module offers the choice of products, depending on the location, type of weather, temperature and sex.

Advantages of Weather Module

The solution can be used in two ways. In the first case, the system indicates the appropriate products on the basis of geolocation specified by the customer. A forecast service, configured with an online store, makes data updates on the prevailing weather conditions in different localizations exactly every hour. In the second case, the customer determines the weather, for which he would like to find the relevant products.

pogodagrafika

Online stores, equipped with Weather Module, facilitate shopping for their customers, for which components of the product and its use under varying weather conditions play an important role. Weather Module will help people traveling to different climate zones – select products from the appropriate categories, to suit the prevailing weather conditions at a particular location in the best way.

Cross-selling

Weather Module has three functions: basic – sales function (in real time) and two additional: it builds loyalty among customers and develop cross-selling. The last function allows to determine products in order to increase sales records, by offering complementary products. For example: someone who bought ski goggles may also need windstopper gloves and skipass holders.

Know-how

Implementation requires from the administrator to enter a category of products, that will be displayed, depending on the selected weather or city. In the tab of the product to be matched to the weather, it is worth choosing several options, among others: availability – whether the product is to be available in search by weather; category – whether the product is for man, woman; kind of weather – cloudy, sunny, rainy; temperature – temperature range for the specific product. Full configuration of the module allows the customer to search, for instance, all the rainproof clothes for women. In addition, Weather Module is equipped with mass editor, which allows mass attribution of the parameters to the specific groups of products. It is a convenient and time-saving functionality for the administrator of an online store. The module makes a weather updates every hour. Weather forecasts are configured with http://openweathermap.org service, making the solution ideal for travel planning in different latitudes.

i-systems once again in Deloitte Technology Fast 50

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This is the second time, i-systems was a part of Deloitte Technology Fast 50. The ranking affiliates the fastest growing technology entrepreneurships in Central Europe, based on the growth rate of annual operating revenues. Technology Fast 50 is a part of Technology Fast 500 EMEA, organized by Deloitte – international company, specializing in audit services in the field of economic consulting, financial advisory, risk management and tax advice.

17th edition of Fast 50

In this year’s ranking of the fastest growing technology companies in CEE, there were 21 companies from Poland. The dynamics of revenue growth of all companies equaled 1057% in 2015, and it was almost two times higher than a year before. i-systems company took 43 place in the ranking with 373% growth and was one of the seven European companies, which managed to appear in the ranking for two consecutive years.

– Our company specializes in creating dedicated e-commerce systems for retail and distribution. Being among 50 most innovative technology companies in CEE for the second time is a great honor for us. We hope that in the upcoming years we will take higher and higher places in the ranking – says Krzysztof Jaciw, CFO at i-systems


As in previous years, this year’s Technology Fast 50 ranking was dominated by companies dealing with use of information technologies, however in different applications: marketing, analytics of large databases, Mobile UX. They constitute up to 74% of all companies from the ranking (50% a year before).

Criteria of the ranking

To be a part of Deloitte Technology Fast 50, except from dynamic growth, the companies had to develop or create proprietary technologies and/or spend a significant amount of capital on research & development, have an ownership structure that excludes majority-owned subsidiaries of strategic entities, have its headquarters in a participating country, be a technology company and be active in one of the categories: IT and digital solutions, internet, media and telecommunications, clean technologies & energy, and biotechnology, nanotechnology and medical technologies.

8a.pl with an idea for e-commerce development

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As in any business, in case of e-commerce you need to act fast. You need to stay open-minded and constantly develop system to meet the demands of a modern customer – says Piotr Czmoch, the owner of 8a.pl

What are the plans of 8a.pl company to use the e-commerce potential?

– Our e-commerce system is a professional online store, directed to strictly defined customers. Selling online, we focus on a narrow group, however we want to be the best in chosen area. 


We don’t want to extend our product range with all possible physical activities. We do our best in order to our customer, the user of outdoor equipment and clothes – climber and mountain hiker – found satisfying offer in terms of brands, products and prices. We want the customer, a potential visitor to our store, to efficiently and intuitively make a purchase.

What are the biggest challenges of selling online?

– The number of challenges connected with online sales is considerable and despite commonly shared opinion: nothing comes easy. The competition is enormous, and customers more and more pampered and demanding. While making a decision to start selling online, from the beginning you need to fit the standards and have an idea for further development. Trade rules are becoming increasingly tougher, more professional and global. Foreign companies, which on the domestic market have already reached the maximum level of development, see Poland as an excellent area for „colonization”. Therefore, while selling online, you have to be prepared to fight for the interest of the customer.


fotorcreated

How do you imagine e-commerce at 8a.pl and in Poland in two years?

– Online sales is developing dynamically, so that forecasting what will happen in two years, would be like reading tea leaves. Because it depends on several elements, among others: the economic situation, the expansion of „big players”, the mode of action of shipping companies etc.


What we know, however, is the direction 8a.pl wants to follow. Due to the growth in sales, we want to develop processes related to warehouse logistics. We also want the constant modernization of our e-commerce system, so that it meets the growing expectations of our customers. Also, not resting on our laurels, investing in our team and sales system determine today’s success in online sales – sums up Piotr Czmoch, the owner of 8a.pl

Among its product range, 8a.pl has equipment for mountaing trips – touristic, as well as climbing. The product range also covers: outdoor women’s and men’s clothing, trekking shoes and climbing shoes, high quality equipment and accessories for ski touring, as well as accessories for fans of outdoor cooking. 8a.pl store is the right place for climbers, travelers and adventure lovers. The brand has won many awards for the use of modern business e-commerce solutions. This year, the company was placed among four final companies in Mobile Trends Awards for the design and operation of sales system on mobile devices.

i-systems among Polish LIRs

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i-systems is the first producer of e-commerce software in Poland, being LIR at the same time. After receiving a positive decision, the company can support the security and development of its customers, while improving service quality.

What is LIR and RIR?

Starting from the abbreviation RIR, which stands for “Regional Internet Registry” one can find out that it is an organization, which deals with allocation and registration of IP addresses in the particular regions of the world. The custody is exercised by IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority), which aim is to keep order in IP addresses and domains.

However LIR (Local Internet Registry) is an organization, to which a pool of IP addresses has been assigned by RIR. Those addresses are further assigned to LIR’s customers. LIRs are mostly internet service providers, entrepreneurships and academic institutions.

What are IP addresses for?

IP addresses are used to identify servers, and their number is limited. Therefore, their price on the market is constantly growing. This is why an alternative standard, called IPv6 was developed, in which the number of IP addresses is enormous. Unfortunately currently most of the operators do not support this standard. But yet, there are IPv4, which availability is constantly decreasing. However, being among LIRs we have a pool of addresses at our’s disposal.

Theoretically, you can run any number of sites on a single IP address, however it is not advantageous taking the positioning into the consideration. Moreover, you cannot successfully run SSL, which is to provide data confidentiality and authentication of server, on such address. Until recently, it also assumed that one IP address is assigned to a single domain. Currently, standards allow to run multiple domains on a single IP address, however once again, this solution is not supported by all devices. What is more, many services evaluates the so-called “reputation of the IP address”. Let’s take, for example, spam servers, which have a low reputation, and that means that e-mails from these addresses are rejected.

Swimming in the pool of IP addresses

Previously i-systems rented the so called pools of IP addresses, and their number was limited. When the company wanted to have bigger pool of addresses, the older one had be returned. This, however, involved a time-consuming configuration of domains and security.

Currently, being LIR, the company received a pool of thousand unique IP addresses. It is strictly connected with security, as in case of leased IP addresses, the operator can ask to return them at any time, which would result in unavailable i-systems sites. Being a partner of the main provider of IP addresses, no one can request their return.

Another benefit is the fact, that when having its own IP addresses, i-systems can direct them to any server room. In case of leasing addresses from the server room, while moving, they stay with particular server room. Hence, it is another element of security, and moving between server rooms is no longer a problem.

A pool of IP addresses, i-systems received while becoming a LIR, is a pool of brand-new addresses, which were never used before. The customer can therefore be sure, that for instance a month earlier under this address there wasn’t any  domain used for a spamming purposes or containing illegal contents. Receiving IP address from the server room is pretty like buying in secondhand, you never know who wore the clothes before and what happened during wearing them. Such address can be listed on blacklists and be blocked, and this can cause problems with, for example, receiving e-mails with orders.

Being among LIRs, i-systems company strives to improve the safety of services, being independent from server rooms and assuring unique IP addresses, which couldn’t be blocked in any way before. Having such addresses also affects better positioning. The company meets, at the same time, all the most stringent SSL standards, because one domain has a single IP address.

New Balance has launched a new online outlet

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For the Polish representative of New Balance, 2016 is the time of rapid online and offline development. At the end of the year, brand has plans to open forty stationary stores and run next Street Style points, they also implemented StreetStyle24.pl online store. 2016 is also a year when New Balance Poland received an award for effective social media actions. The award has been granted during the international meeting of all New Balance representatives in Atlanta.

But this is not the end of the progress – New Balance has recently opened online outlet, thanks to which the lovers of the shoes with a characteristic “N” letter can shop with additional discount. Online outlet is consistent with the overall visual identity of the brand. Product sheets include full size tables and panoramic photos.

New Balance footwear is characterized by innovative technology. That is why, there is also  an information about applied solutions. Data can be presented in three ways: in the form of written description, infographic or short movie. The implementation of the new online outlet is the next step in cooperation between New Balance Poland and i-systems in e-commerce field.

Online outlet is available here: nboutlet.pl

Neness has launched a new online store

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The new system created for Neness – a company which offers perfumes for man and woman – includes dedicated e-commerce solutions. These solutions support building loyalty among customers and accelerate the execution of complex orders. All the work on implementation was done by i-systems.

– We wanted our customers to feel comfortable while making purchases online. Therefore, delicate and clear layout was indispensable. We also paid special attention for the functionalities allowing a potential customer to easily find and buy the product he or she is looking for – says Edyta Brudny, Neness

Functionalities for quick shopping and efficient execution of orders

New e-commerce system has SOLR search engine, thanks to which customers can find their favourite fragrance by entering the name or the parameters of the product. System is also able to find the product, despite entering misspelled name, as the search engine will show products that are likely to interest the customer of an online store.

Brand-new online store is also equipped with Shipping Manager module. This functionality allows to pass an information about new parcel to Poczta Polska [Polish Post Office] and easyPack by InPost. Then, the module generates a label that should be placed on the package prepared for shipping. Normally, the customer data are entered manually, which can cause multiple errors. Shipping Manager module automates the entire process, reduces the time needed for package preparation and eliminates errors associated with wrong address data entering.

Solutions for loyal customers

Each customer feels appreciated when he or she gets additional discount or extra points, which can be exchanged for a gift. E-commerce system created for Neness has Discount Coupons Module, which are granted in exchange for signing up for the newsletter. This allows the company to obtain customer data and to invite customers to make a purchase in the online store. Another functionality is loyalty programme, allowing logged in customers to collect premium points for shopping. The administrator of the store can determine whether the points are granted for buying a specific product, or each product. In his or her panel, the customer can see the number of collected points, as well as things he or she can buy for those points.

A possibility to sale abroad

Neness online store is adjusted to cross-border sales. A customer cas choose language of the store: polish or english, he or she can also buy favourite perfumes in different currencies – PLN, GBP, EUR or USD, which for the foreign customer is great comfort.

Online store available here: www.en.neness.pl

The new image of BeanBrothers e-commerce system

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The new e-commerce system for BeanBrothers has been created for the lovers of aromatic teas and coffees from all around the world. The new online store is a combination of an elegant graphic design, referring to the colors of the earth, and modern functionalities supporting online sales. All of the solutions were implemented within single idea – to create a place, where the customer can easily and comfortably purchase both favourite coffee and specialized equipment, needed wherever short black is brewed.

– Our online store has a lot of advanced functionalities, which facilitate making purchases for individual customers and business partners. We especially appreciate the integration with the accounting system, thanks to which we can execute orders much quicker – says Filip Sura, BeanBrothers

Solutions for efficient and flawless execution of orders

E-commerce system prepared for BeanBrothers offers high-quality tea and coffee, as well as grinders, coffee machines, and special accessories, such as filtering systems or dispensers. As the offer is directed either to B2C and B2B sector, it generates considerable traffic on the website. In order to ensure efficient execution of many orders, company’s representatives made a decision to integrate e-commerce system with Subiekt GT accounting system. Thanks to the implemented solution the situation when the customer orders unavailable product can be avoided.

The company also sells its products through Allegro auction portal. Wide range of products means a necessity to create multiple auctions with different parameters. Generating auctions “manually” can be burdensome and can cause many errors. Thanks to the automatized creation of auctions, only products which are available in BeanBrothers warehouse, are the subject of an auction.

Repair Management System

Repair Management System

Automatization of the Repair Management system

Except for products, BeanBrothers offers repairs of different kinds of coffee equipment. Every year, the brand gains new customers, so traditional completing of documents, related to possible equipment failure, would be time-consuming. Therefore, automatization of the Repair Management System was for company’s representatives of great importance.

A dedicated Repair Management System has been implemented in the new e-commerce system for BeanBrothers. Every coffee machine owner can now easily report failure directly through online store and order service. What the customer needs to do is simply fill a short form. On the basis of this information, accurate costs and repair time are given.

Information on stationary stores and discounts in exchange for signing up for the newsletter

Information on stationary stores and discounts in exchange for signing up for the newsletter

Modules aimed at improving customer service quality

An interesting solution which supports customer service quality is Abandoned Carts module. There are several reasons why customers do not finish their purchase transactions. They want to check the price of the competition or they just simply forgot about the order. Thanks to this solution, the administrator of the online store can set automatic e-mail reminder to people who did not finish their purchases during a specific amount of time. This module is a perfect remarketing tool, allowing low-cost reminder of the offer.

The customers who signed up for the newsletter were also well taken care of because of the additional discounts. Customers are reluctant to share their private e-mail addresses, however everyone likes to get bonuses. Module called “coupons for signing up for the newsletter” allows to create customers database at low cost. Customers, on the other hand, get additional percentage or amount discount for BeanBrothers online store.
Brand-new e-commerce system for BeanBrothers can be found here: www.beanbrothers.pl