Archiwum kategorii: Implementation

Vistula Group S.A. and W.KRUK S.A. with a new e-commerce system created by i-systems

Vistula Group S.A. is a company listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. It specializes in the design, manufacture and distribution of men’s and women’s clothing. Due to the dynamic development, Vistula Group S.A. successively develops its e-commerce activities. Cooperation with i-systems has resulted in new dedicated sales platforms for Vistula and Wólczanka. The project also included implementation of a new e-commerce system for W.KRUK, the oldest jewelry brand in Poland, managed directly by W.KRUK S.A. – a part of the Vistula Group S.A. Capital Group. The i-systems company is responsible for all technological works.

Business analysis

The scale of the project and its level of advancement made it necessary to start work from business analysis. This particular type of examination of the current IT architecture has identified key processes, actors, and areas for the company. It also determined points which are worth to develop in order to achieve even better business results. The result was a document that laid the foundation for the implementation of all three systems. This stage took i-systems analysts team a month of work.

– The analysis showed the possibilities of the new system and defined a preliminary work schedule. At the same time it was flexible enough to correct a plan, for example by adding new options at the stage of implementation. It is important to stay open for new options during such large implementations – says Aneta Kazanowska, e-commerce Manager at Vistula Group S.A.


Effective implementation process

Development works started immediately after the business analysis stage. A team dedicated to the project was created, which included people responsible for each area (analysis, UX, frontend, price policy, integration, import, omnichannel solutions, etc.). The number of the team members was flexible throughout the whole process. All the design and implementation works for three brands were made in less than three months and ended according to the schedule. The new system for the company was launched in three stages. The first online store to be launched was Wólczanka, then Vistula, and the last one was e-commerce system for W.KRUK.

– It is one of the largest e-commerce implementations in Poland, which took such a small amount of time. It is worth appreciating the involvement of the customer’s team in the project – comments Marek Pawlak, Project Manager at i-systems.

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Omnichannel solutions

The Vistula Group has a rapidly growing network of stationary stores. It currently has 370 showrooms, with a total sales area of 30.9 thousand sqm. (including 118 Vistula stores, 116 Wólczanka stores). W.KRUK jewelry chain has 106 boutiques. Therefore, the implementation of multichannel solutions was immediately taken into account. These are for instance: the ability to check online the availability of products in the store, the ability to order home delivery products while shopping at a stationary store, a consistent customer loyalty program – regardless of the place of purchase, or advanced inventory management.

New systems in the long-term perspective

Immediately after the launch of the e-commerce system, the Vistula Group, W.KRUK and i-systems signed agreements for further development. The agreements cover Service Level Agreement, dedicated cloud infrastructure, and post-implementation support.

– The first stage of the new version of e-commerce system in W.KRUK is already behind us. Now it is time for the development of the systems. We have a lot of interesting ideas, which we plan to enforce – comments Bartłomiej Twardosz, e-commerce Manager at W. KRUK. 


More details about the implementation will be described in the nearest future in the form of a case study.

The furniture industry invests in e-commerce

Nobody is surprised that the fashion industry can show of innovative e-commerce solutions area. Whether it is clothing or footwear, online stores are introducing new, dedicated ways, not only to attract the attention of the customer, but also those supporting building customer loyalty towards the brand. Trends, however, permeate further sectors for which other functionalities need to be prepared to provide efficient shop management and customer service of top quality. The example can be furniture industry and the online store KARE24.pl, implemented by i-systems.

KARE24.pl is part of the DESIGN AG Anna Guenther group. KARE Design since 1981, thanks to its creative ideas, has been constantly successful, offering designer furniture, lighting and decorative accessories. Its showrooms are located not only in Poland but also in Germany, Austria and outside Europe. It also has 200 industry partners and 2000 commercial customers.

As the brand emphasizes, its main recipients are people of all ages, but with „young spirits”. In pursuit of modern trends, the company has decided to implement the e-commerce system, in cooperation with i-systems.

After the analysis, the solutions have been identified to match the specificity of the brands from the furniture sector. In addition to modules, such as discount policy or newsletter signup coupon, the new e-commerce system is equipped with modules designed particularly for business needs of the company.

– We decided to invest in e-commerce, because we are constantly tracking fast-changing trends and trying to match them. Online sales give more and more opportunities and are an effective channel to reach the customer – comments Anna Guenther, owner of DESIGN AG Anna Guenther.

The new e-commerce system, created for KARE24.pl, is another step in the company’s online sales strategy. Further activities are planned to expand the company’s activity in this area.
The new online store can be found here: KARE24.pl.

New lookbook = higher conversion

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



Neness has launched a new online store

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

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

The i-systems company has created e-commerce system for FASHION HOUSE Group

The i-systems company has created a proprietary e-commerce system for FASHION HOUSE Group, a leading player in the European market of outlet centers. A solution has been implemented under FASHION HOUSE Online Shopping, the very first online outlet in Russia.

A cooperation between the companies has led to development of the dedicated software, taking into account the specificity of outlet centers and its business model – the so called “flash sales”. During the implementation, a characteristic features of the Russian market were taken into account, including logistics, invoicing and advanced product management.

Creating online store for the outlet center is one of the most innovative projects in case of combining traditional market and online sales. This is also an undoubted support of this kind of objects through technology for its tenants and support in terms of analytics of sales from different sources – claims Marcin Rutkowski, PR & Marketing Manager at i-systems.

FASHION HOUSE Online Shopping (shop.fashionhouseoutlet.com) is available for over 40 million customers in Middle and West Russia. Online store offers limited-time sales of popular brands of clothes, 30-90% cheaper prices than originally, and it is the first online outlet in this part of the world.

FASHION HOUSE Online Shopping provides tenants with full support of the sales process, including taking orders, customer relationship management, marketing and logistics.

We decided to choose i-systems, due to the two basic factors: experience in creating e-commerce solutions and flexibility in approach to the FASHION HOUSE Online Shopping solution design. Thanks to the hard work of the joined team of specialists, we managed to create unique e-commerce platform in record time, which from the point of view of our tenants is a complete solution – says Piotr Kreft, Head of e-commerce at FASHION HOUSE Group.

fashiohouse

FASHION HOUSE Group is part of Liebrecht & wooD Group, which for more than twenty years has been conducting a comprehensive activity in the commercial real estate sector in Poland, Romania and Russia, where it executed office, retail and warehouse investments, of the total area of almost half a million quarter meters. FASHION HOUSE Group bulit 5 FASHION HOUSE Outlet Centres in Poland, Romania and Russia, of the total rent area of almost 100 000 quarter meters, as well as an online platform – FASHION HOUSE Online Shopping – based in Russia. Currently FASHION HOUSE Group deals with the project in Saint Petersburg and works on further development of FASHION HOUSE Outlet Centre in Moscow.

Brand-new system created for FASHION HOUSE Group can be found here:
http://shop.fashionhouseoutlet.com

The advantages of i-systems cloud

Servers are one of the most crucial parts of the eCommerce system. Therefore, we decided to crate our own, fully adjusted to the demands of e-market, cloud hosting infrastructure. We present the nine technological advantages of i-systems solutions.

Administration

Dedicated servers or vps/cloud suppliers make clean servers available for their customers. The customer gets a password, IP address and other necessary information needed to administrate. Next, user has to configure, secure and optimize servers. Configuring the scalable environment for the store itself needs 5-10 virtual servers (load balancers, application servers, empty servers, servers’ replications, cache servers, etc.). Except for configuration the servers needs to be optimized, which is not a one-time task, contrary to popular belief. At i-systems, all the works connected with server administration are conducted by a team.

Incremental backup

One of the most important resources of eCommerce system is data. Keeping backups of all data, even after a few months, is connected with a necessity to have enormous disc resources. Therefore, i-systems team created own solution: incremental backup. It allows to recover data state, even a few months back, without a necessity to have all the disc resources. It is possible because the only thing that is saved on backup are the differences in files since the last backup. There is always a catalog with an exact copy of a backup system. If it is necessary, the differences are applied to the last version of the system and thus we recover all data.

Vertical scalability

Vertical scalability of servers is increasing a number of processors and RAM in virtual server. Such actions are a natural development of infrastructure. That gives us a rapid possibility to increase the number of users the web can handle. However, this kind of scalability has a certain limit. At some point, the addition of resources is not possible (there is no physical possibility to add another disc or memory), or it is not effective anymore (system reached its maximum efficiency). When vertical scalability is no longer an option, the only option is horizontal scalability.

Horizontal scalability

Horizontal scalability of servers is increasing an infrastructure by physically adding another servers and to split particular tasks between them. The task assigned to the particular server is not visible for the users in any way. This kind of scalability and tasks’ division allows multiple increase in number of users the web can handle. Horizontal scalability is limited only by apps capabilities and the knowledge of admins.

Service monitoring

On every server, no matter who is the supplier, a range of functionalities is installed. From those indispensable, as www servers, cache, data bases, to dedicated services. In the context of hosting services it is very often that the only thing that is monitored is computer operation. What is excluded from the monitoring is the operation of each functionality separately. In case of i-systems cloud solution all the functionalities of the server are being monitored and its operation is checked every 5 minutes. This monitoring also checks CPU load and the amount of available disc space. Network admins are on duty 24/7 and in case of any problem they are additionally alerted via email or text message.

Service-level agreement

Thanks to the own solutions we guarantee that all the server’s functionalities will work. Hosting suppliers ensures only the availability of the machine. When the functionality of www server stops working, which means that the webpage is not working, it is not a problem of the hosting company. It can cause a situation, where hosting company fulfills the agreement (the hardware physically is working indeed), however it is not responsible for the failure of one single functionality. SLA for us is a responsibility for servers operation as well as the functionalities installed on them.

Adjustment to the system

i-systems cloud is build on the basis of many years of experience in maintaining customer’s systems from different suppliers, in different configurations and different servers. Currently, all the hardware infrastructure, network, as well as server software is optimized to fit i-systems software apps. Thanks to this, servers are free from panels which slow them down (they are managed by script) and they are created optimally to the eCommerce actions. Own solutions and adjustment to the eCommerce, since the beginning makes the system work 40% faster than in commonly used Linux in the same hardware configuration.

Redundancy

Single Point of Failure (SPoF) is a threat to the servers. It is a part of the infrastructure, which failure is a cause of the whole system paralysis. This is why in i-system cloud solution every machine has among others: two CPUs, two independent power supply units, disc matrix, double power source, emergency power supply (UPS and generators), links from multiple operators, and double network devices. Thanks to this, a failure of one element has no impact on servers and their services operation.

High Availability

High Availability systems can be characterized by high reliability. Implementing HA system consist in connecting cloud hosting with system’s capabilities. While creating HA solution, it is assumed that, despite the best hardware, every element of infrastructure can fail and the system still has to work. The i-systems software may work in HA/cluster mode. Hardware working on i-systems cloud is based in two independent server rooms, 13 km away from each other. Such distance allows live replication of all data and automatic failure repair of even all data center.

The new release of Monnari online store

With the change of collection, Monnari unveiled a new design of an online store.

Monnari is one of the most well-known Polish clothing brands. The company is listed on the Stock Exchange in Warsaw. Currently Monnari’s chain of stationary  stores has 146 showrooms located throughout the country. Monnari online store has been operating for over 5 years. At first, the store functioned on Magneto, then on PrestaShop. For over two years it has been operating and developing on i-systems software.

Mobile potential

The work on new version of Monnari store mainly covered mobile side of sales.  New layout of the home page, as well as all subpages, has been designed. All the development and implementation works has been executed according to mobile first rule, to make it easy for target customers to search and buy products on mobile devices.

Sklep-Monnari-w-responsive-web-design

New lookbook

New Monnari store has also a refreshed lookbook. It means that product page consists of photos of high quality, with the models presenting new collections. Each product presented on the photo has its equivalent in online store. This solution can have an impact on many shopping decisions. What is more, new lookbook is more clear and creates an interactive product gallery. Among all the functionalities there are for instance: a possibility to create lookbooks’ categories, a possibility to assign multiple lookbooks to one category, a possibility to add multiple photos to one lookbook, a possibility to determine the date of publication of the lookbook, and the possibility to enter photographer’s data to the lookbook.

From online to offline

Currently Monnari’s chain of stationary stores has 146 showrooms located throughout Poland. Each of them is located in convenient and frequently visited place. Online customers have also a possibility to order directly to the stationary store. During the process of placing an order, customer can choose where it can be delivered.

Salony-stacjonarne-Monnari-na-interaktywnej-mapie-kopia

Brand-new Monnari online store means also less visible changes for users. Works covered among others: an improvement of the way products are put up on auction site (an option of automatic price change), ERP integrator update, and last but not least, dedicated cloud servers optimization.

The new online store can be found here: http://emonnari.pl

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/.