i-stats application dedicated to i-systems customers

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A free i-stats app has been prepared for i-systems customers, who have eCommerce system from version 4.3. The application is used to display statistics of an online store. Each user with the appropriate permissions, or the person managing an online store can see which products are most popular and what are the sales results of the store in a given period of time. It can be also a helpful tool in case of choosing effective methods of further development of eCommerce actions.

Data from different time periods

i-stats can be used to obtain interesting data from different periods of time – for the day, week, month or even a year. An app is simple and intuitive – user who wants to download data simply has to select suitable interval.

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Information to determine the further development of eCommerce actions

Thanks to i-stats application one can trace the value of contracts, both in the form of chart and text data. User can also check the amount of executed orders. It can also get information on what days an online store reports the highest or lowest value of sales. Moreover, the application shows summary data, i.e. how many contracts were finalized with a prepayment or by cash on delivery. The system also allows to check the amount of products ordered. Thanks to this it can be found out if the customers prefer to buy less high-end products or more cheaper products. This app also allows to determine the average time of order execution.

How to download i-stats?

Mobile app is available for iOS and Android. It can be downloaded from Google Play, as well as App Store. Only online store’s address, as well as login and password is needed to log in. Once entered, the data is saved, and the application automatically updates the values downloaded from the store.

Download

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UrbanGames eCommerce system awarded by adidas

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UrbanGames – an online store of Arco company, operating on the market of sports shoes for almost twenty years, received “adidas Poland Quality Mark”. The award was granted for compliance with the adidas Group eCommerce guidelines.

The Arco company has a network of stationary stores, located throughout Poland. Showrooms offer their customers clothing and sports footwear by manufacturers such as: adidas, Nike and Reebok. The next and at the same time natural step for the representatives of the company was the opening for the eCommerce market .

Recognition for dedicated solutions

Developed product sheets has been implemented in the new eCommerce system. Thanks to separate tabs in product sheets, customer has a possibility to familiarize with all the details, such as: payments, shipping, warranty, returns, without the necessity to look for these information in the store’s terms and conditions. Developed product sheets also consist of such details as blade size.

– The quality of the store, modules supporting customer service, as well as dedicated solutions related to product presentation are the reasons why we were awarded by “adidas Poland Quality Mark” – claims Łukasz Nagły, eCommerce Manager at UrbanGames


Next development directions

Developing a network of monobrand stores, with close collaboration with producers, allowed UrbanGames to achieve very high level of of both customer service and knowledge of modern trends. Experience in the selection of appropriate models of the products contributed to the development and strengthening the brand position in the market. However for company’s representatives there is no room for complacency. They completely understand the power of online activities, so the new UrbanGames online store will be soon promoted in social media. By these actions the company would like to start cooperation with Polish bloggers and engage in the promotion and sponsorship of talented young athletes.

– According to our assumptions, UrbanGames online store should form a coherent whole along with stationary shops and complement each other – says Łukasz Nagły, eCommerce Manager at UrbanGames


Representatives of the company intend to intensify efforts to combine offline and online sales. Implemented eCommerce system in fact is to be a support for continuously expanding network of stationary stores.

i-systems release – version 4.2

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We have introduced another update of our software, along with meaningful changes and improvements in system’s structure. Changelog consists of 57 records, among which we can find: discount politics, Allegro multi variants, plugin to BZ WBK transfers’ import, as well as moving components from individual repositories to main repository.

Discount Politics

The idea of the key module – Discount Politics – is to provide one point where other modules can report discounts. This module allows to manage discounts in the store globally, by creating connections between discounts and discount hierarchy, as well as fixing the method of calculating discounts. Thanks to the module, each discount can be calculated in a different way on each item in the cart, and discount chain can be broken, so they do not overlap.

There are two basic kinds of discounts: percentage and price discount. Price discount requires fixed price and currency symbol. Percentage discount is basically a percentage. From the delegate level it is possible to give a discount on the cart in different ways:

• Global discount – it is given similarly as any other discount. This is the amount / value we want to subtract from the entire cart. Because of the accounting reasons it can not be subtracted from the total value of the cart. Therefore it is spread over all the possible products uniformly,
• Mass discount – it allows to give a discount for groups of cart’s elements, not the whole cart itself,
• Weight and Volume Discount – it lowers only the prices of shipment, depending on the cart’s weight

The main objective of the discount politics module is to manage logistics of the price choice.

Allegro multi variants

Improving Allegro multi variants option resulted in customer’s ability to choose the size of the product that is to be purchased. Earlier, a single auction was made for one size and a seller had to create a lot auctions for given product. Thanks to this solution, auction costs are much lower, as there is only one auction needed to sell multiple sizes of the same product.

Adding integration with Expert Sender

An integration with external Expert Sender system has been added, which allows to send personalized e-mails and mailing campaigns on the basis of data about abandoned carts, signing up to the newsletter, and placed orders. Thanks to this integration, mailing campaigns are automated, which saved customer’s time, he would normally dedicate to create mailings.  

Plugin to BZ WBK transfers’ import

There is a new possibility to import data about transfers from BZ WBK bank. This module allows to automatically indicate payments for an order placed in the store. Properly paid orders will be automatically marked as paid.

Adding information about the domain to the order

Now orders save an information about domain they have been placed on. Thanks to this, communication of the customer is carried out continuously on the same domain. It is important, especially in case of the stores with language versions on subdomains. This increases the credibility of the store and the safety of shopping online.

Components in the repository’s main branch

The most important novelty introduced to the software is transferring components to the main repository of the store. Previously, the components were external repositories, which made changes took more time. Along with the new release, component’s code was added to the main repository, thus the whole app is in one place, showing all changes. Another advantage is shorter time needed to built an app. Currently, while downloading an app we have a complete, working store, which is much faster and more efficient.

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

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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.

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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

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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

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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.

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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

i-systems release – version 4.1

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Brand new i-systems release has been recently launched. The changelog consists of 38 records, including 11 updates of features such as coupons, remarketing, payments and auctions. The major change introduced in our latest software update has been the migration to the Git revision control system.

Release adjusted to the Git revision control system

All the development works has been executed on the basis of Bazaar revision control system so far. However there were some deficiencies, such as: a kind of archaic solutions, and, the most troublesome, lack of development and adjustment to the changing systems and environment. While creating over a dozen releases during the year, as well as systems of increasing structure, this problem seem to grow bigger with every update of i-systems software. IT team had to create their own solutions in Bazaar very often.

In the long-term perspective it appears to be very ineffective. Therefore all the versions from level 4.1 and upward will function based on Git revision control system. Current release is a key to the transition process, because it identified and solved all the problems and discrepancies between Bazaar and Git. This above mentioned discrepancies concerned among others: adding new scripts, refactoring autoload, and adjusting components to the corresponding location in the project tree.

Why Git?

Revision control system is responsible for tracking changes in files and code. It also enables reestablishment of any previous version during the process of creating eCommerce software. What is more, there is a possibility to compare this versions and find out who implemented those changes, when did it happen, and what are the specific changes implemented. This is a key factor considering system development, and it is very helpful in case of large projects and teams. Git system is a response to challenges that IT teams have to face while working on developed projects. Git is disturbed, fast, it protects against repository errors and eliminates all the CVS errors. Among its specific advantages there are possibilities to:

– track project development from the beginning to the current state; 


– reestablish any previous version; 


– track changes in code in offline mode; 


– maintain every repository as a separate branch, what is very helpful in case of projects with above 900 branches;


– merge changes introduced by different people in different time; 


– build branches, to allow parallel work of several programmers on several solutions without blocking and interfering each other; 


– make the revision control system work faster (easy to notice on large projects); 


– merge from any place in the project to any other place;


– save a complete change view, in opposition to other revision control systems, where only particular changes could have been saved.


Adjusting release to the Git revision control system is a part of long-term development plan of i-systems software.

From continuous delivery…

The vision of the i-systems software development assumes faster growth, as well as more effective adjustment to the market demands and to the dedicated customer demands. Therefore, introducing Git revision control system will allow more effective transition to the continuous delivery model. Continuous delivery is a process of automatic code implementation for the testing environment, where it can be a subject of other tests and where other functionalities can be created, until the desired result is obtained. After a completion of series of tests, the product is being transferred to the “production line”, which means that functionalities tested are being applied into production server.

Of course, despite increased automation, all the decisions are to be made by the team. An intense process of software development has no impact on stability and safety of the projects. Continuous delivery method is being applied in aviation, banking and medical industry. It is assumed that NASA applies this method in case of space probes. Only after passing all the tests and being approved by the team, the software can be used by the customers.

With the automation of the routine tasks and quick feedback, continuous delivery process improves satisfaction level of the programmers as well.

…to continuous integrations

In the long-term perspective all the changes have to result in continuous integration of the i-systems software. Continuous integration is characterized by a systematic addition of current changes in the code to the main repository. A frequency of the changes mentioned can reach the amount of even several times a day. However, the optimal frequency, taking i-systems into the consideration, is smaller. The most important advantages of the continuous integration are: increased efficiency when combining work during projects, the ability to detect any possible errors and constant access to the latest code version. In practice, continuous integration provides a set of tools for the programmers, which compiles code, creates build, performs automatic tests and other static code analysis.

All the changes in the process of software development will be implemented gradually, and will be practically invisible for the i-systems customers – what changes is only an organization of the part of IT team itself.

Polskie Fabryki Porcelany “Ćmielów” i “Chodzież” S.A. and i-systems together in eCommerce

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One of the oldest Polish brands, established in 1790, has launched a new online store. All of the works has been performed by i-systems.

Everything started in Ćmielów, Poland in 1790, when a local potter, Wojtas, started a workshop of clay pots and faience. In 1838 production of porcelain begin. Polskie Fabryki Porcelany combines three brands of different nature: elegant and luxury Ćmielów, classic and functional Chodzież, as well as modern and bold Ćmielów Design Studio. Moreover, Polskie Fabryki Porcelany is a member of the Wistil capital group.

– Ćmielów is one of the 10 oldest brands in Poland. The fact that such brands can see the potential in eCommerce and are willing to take a full advantage of it, by investing in new B2B and B2C solutions, is very significant. – claims Marcin Rutkowski, PR & Marketing Manager at i-systems.

– We wanted to combine our rich tradition with the best solutions on IT market. As a result we are now in possession of the system that enables us to take advantage of the fact that we are a well-recognized brand and thus – reach the client’s attention even more effectively. – says Sebastian Kozłowski, Production & Development Manager at Polskie Fabryki Porcelany “Ćmielów” i “Chodzież” S.A.

Where tradition meets modernity

Historical collections made by Polskie Fabryki Porcelany “Ćmielów” i “Chodzież” S.A. from generations can be found among others in the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland, the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, in Vatican, and what is more, in many diplomatic institutions.

The main intention was to create an online store that would represent brand’s values and meet the demands of the mobile users. All the design and development works were conducted according to responsive web design solution, which enables the new online store to adjust excellently to every mobile device.

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Pro sales and pro logistic solutions

eCommerce system, prepared especially for Polskie Fabryki Porcelany “Ćmielów” i “Chodzież” S.A. has a number of pro sales solutions, for instance: intelligent groups and extended coupons, a possibility to add reviews, extended filters, advanced cart history, and fully automatic, two-way integration with Allegro.

Another advantage of the new eCommerce system is supporting the brand in logistics. With dedicated warehouse modules it is easier for the system’s administrator to manage product flow in both internal and external warehouses, prioritize, and verify states systematically.

The new online shop can be found here: http://sklep.porcelana.com.pl

i-systems release – version 4.0 Black Adder

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This year’s next release is already available: it is the first eCommerce system upgrade marked with 4. The number alteration was caused by two factors: a complete change of the administration panel design and the creation of a shop with the Git version control system.
Beginning with version 4.0, every subsequent version is going to have a unique name serving purely informative and identification purposes. The most significant changes in Black Adder are as follows:

Creating a new administration panel design

The administration panel for our customers required renewal. The design and frontend team was entrusted with a task of creating a new panel which would have a simple layout, be functional and comply with i-systems identification spirit. After an analysis of requirements, the design team created project UI, i.e. basic colors, typography, logos, icons and other graphic elements connected with the panel.

UI

The next works concerned the implementation of the new panel. The result is a modern interface with perfected details which puts emphasis on easy handling of the eCommerce system.

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Adding a call center module

i-systems integrates eCommerce with other sale environments because this is what the market and the customers require. Thus, a call center module has appeared in release 4.0 Black Adder. It is an expanded, advanced module combined with information about customers, products, orders, returns and stocks. It allows for conducting telemarketing from the browser.

Moduł-call-center1

Moreover, the call center module is integrated with the B2B module, a calendar and a flow diagram. The latter enables the user to create a conversation scenario for a given campaign; such a scenario is very useful to people making the conversation and can be created and edited independently in each campaign.

Scenariusz-rozmowy

The call center consultants see conversation stages and click appropriate buttons depending on the course of the conversation, thus making it proceed according to the previously defined scenario.

During the conversation, the consultants can also view the information about the products and their stocks as well as plan subsequent conversations since the module is linked with the calendar. If a given date and time selected by the user is already booked in his/her calendar, the module suggests the next free date and time every 15 minutes.

The call center employee can use the module to check a customer’s purchase history, open a new order form, write a remark in the form, place a marking which shows if an order was generated during the task as well as set the date and time of the next contact.

The module can also record the task time from the moment of opening to saving by the employee as well as verify the list of tasks with an appropriate mode in order to include them on the list of automatic calls at a given number on a specified date and time.

Improvement of basket UX with special consideration for displaying promotional prices and product discounts

We are aware of the importance of the basket in the entire purchase process, so we continuously introduce small corrections which increase its effectiveness. Release 4.0 Black Adder has an improved price display which takes into account additional discounts and rebates. Owing to this change, the basket view is more transparent.

eCommerce solutions in B2B – receivable management

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Receivable management is a process aimed mainly at the prevention of outstanding receivables from appearing. Effective receivable management combines activities which include prevention, monitoring and debt recovery. These are precisely the tasks of the ARMS module, which has proved itself useful not only in B2B systems. It improves the company’s financial liquidity and reduces the costs related to handling receivables. The work of the whole team responsible for company finance is streamlined as well.

Work and architecture

ARMS means Account Receivable Management System. It is an original module which monitors receivables and allows for quick reactions. The ARMS solution offers defining tasks at the user’s will. Every task has its own condition (e.g. the number of days past the payment deadline) and operation (e.g. sending a notification by e-mail). In the above example, if a contractor delays in payment by one week, an e-mail message with a reminder will automatically be sent to it. The number of days, notification form, message content and other variables may be freely edited.

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The simplified diagram shows the ARMS module work process. The module starts working every day at a specified time. Then, it verifies the payment in relation to the customer’s reliability status. If the payment fulfills task conditions (e.g. no payment within one week of the invoice issue date), the module undertakes the next (previously defined) operations. All activities are recorded in the form of a log register. The main panel of the ARMS module shows a detailed history of operations and their results. Sample tasks in the ARMS module include:
– sending the customer an e-mail message with thanks on the day of issuing the document (invoice or order),
– adding a task for an employee to the calendar making him/her contact the customer three days past the payment deadline,
– automatic blockade of the contactor’s possibility of placing orders after missing specified deadlines,
– sending the customer an e-mail reminder two days before the payment deadline.

Customer segmentation according to the reliability status

Task defining can also be combined with the reliability status ascribed to a given customer. System settings offer three contractor reliability statuses: green, yellow and red, and any number of tasks can be defined for each of them. A sample list of tasks for the most reliable (green) customer may be limited just to an e-mail reminder of an unpaid invoice two days past the payment deadline. Yellow customers (those with a medium reliability status) may be additionally informed by phone one day before the payment deadline. The customer reliability status is not ascribed permanently: upon seeing that a yellow customer submits payments reliably and on time, we can transfer it to the green group.

The receivable management ARMS module proves itself useful in every sale type because its functions are not limited to debt recovery: it also places emphasis on preventive monitoring of payments. The possibility of combining it with other modules and solutions makes it a guarantee of maintaining the financial liquidity in the entire company.