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INSIGHTS / Case Studies

A Unified Shopping and Payments Experience

 15 Feb 2023 
A Unified Shopping and Payments Experience A Unified Shopping and Payments Experience
A Unified Shopping and Payments Experience
INSIGHTS / Case Studies

A Unified Shopping and Payments Experience

 15 Feb 2023 

How this footwear and clothing company used omnichannel ecommerce technologies to put the customer at the centre of its business.

Problem

After this footwear and clothing company was acquired by a private investment group, it decided to embark on a digital transformation that would put the customer at the centre of everything it does. It also wanted to use technology to provide customers with more value, whether it is through the products and services in front of them, or through more personalised communications.

The challenge for company was that none of its systems talked to one another, which had led to fragmented customer journeys and long wait times. For example, their customer service team were managing calls and emails with more than 30 legacy systems.

To resolve this, they decided it would replace its legacy systems with modern technologies that would empower their staff. To ensure that this business transformation was smooth and problem-free, it would need a quality partner to ensure the correct delivery of the new technologies.

Solution

The footwear and clothing company adopted several solutions from Salesforce to realise its technology transformation.

We were referred to this project by one of the Salesforce development partners after their positive experiences with us. Impressed by the breadth of our services and experience with Salesforce solutions, the company picked us to provide quality assurance and ensure the successful implementation of the project.

They initially wanted to switch everything to Salesforce simultaneously and complete the changeover within 12 months. Moving quickly like this would only put the business at risk, so Salesforce structured the implementation into three releases. Planit worked side-by-side with Salesforce and its other key partners to implement these solutions to create new experiences for customers and efficiencies for employees.

The first release consisted of replacing the company’s marketing platform, AVT Bronto, with Salesforce Marketing Cloud. The new capabilities of Marketing Cloud, such as case management, gave the company transparency into its customers’ needs for the first time, while the ability to segment data and tailor campaigns based on customer behaviour and purchase history, enables more targeted and personalised engagement.

The next release involved the implementation of Salesforce Customer 360 for their customer service operations to better engage and support customers online and in-store. The ability for customers to engage the retailer directly from the web allows for greater transparency of their needs and understanding of support cases.

The integration of Service Cloud Voice into their computer telephony integration (CTI) solution puts everything their customer service team needs in one place to quickly respond to questions on the status of orders, or coordinate returns or repairs. Support staff can also immediately see which customer is calling. The introduction of Salesforce Knowledge on its site also allows customers to search and read answers to frequently asked questions.

The company’s ecommerce site was rebuilt using Salesforce Commerce Cloud’s Storefront Reference Architecture (SFRA). The site was already on Commerce Cloud, but the move to SFRA vastly improved the mobile shopping experience.

With this new and improved foundation for its site, the existing Cegid Retail Y2 Point of Sale (POS) system was replaced with NewStore, a turnkey omnichannel store solution, and Adyen, an all-in-one payments platform with payment tokenisation technology. The company is the first business in its home market to leverage the combined NewStore and Adyen solution, which enabled click-and-collect at its 50+ in-store locations.

The connection between NewStore and Salesforce also provided in-store sales staff with a complete view of customers. Store staff can now look up customer information to provide more personalised discussions about their needs, such offering proactive advice about repairing and preserving the life of their footwear.

We created and ran over 580 test cases for the various Salesforce solutions, as well as for NewStore and Adyen. Over 1,235 issues were identified by us and then resolved by the development teams, and these test cases were then used for a regression testing suite that the retailer can now re-use as much as they want to ensure existing functionality works correctly following any updates or upgrades.

Performance testing was done to ensure that the integrated solutions can handle the heavy flow of transactional data during peak selling periods. We also did acceptance testing to determine to what degree the new solutions meet end users' approval, and then used these insights to create user training and reference materials.

In addition to liaising with the local development partners, we collaborated with third party teams in four other countries. Our combination of on-shore experts augmented by our off-shore capability in the Philippines enabled an uninterrupted workflow in which tasks were handled by and passed between the two different time zones for added responsiveness and reduced delays.

Outcome

This digital transformation was one of the most significant investments in technology by the footwear and clothing company, and we worked closely with them to ensure its success.

This first release of their new technology stack was delivered in just five months. In addition to the quick delivery, the various systems were so reliable at launch that very few production tickets were logged after go-live.

The second and third releases achieved similar milestones. The on-time delivery and efficient management of testing meant that almost no reductions in scope for the project took place.

As the company had hoped, the digital transformation delivered a unified experience for customers no matter where they shopped or interacted with the brand. The move to a unified omnichannel commerce strategy with one platform for every channel also enabled them to reduce complexity for both customers and staff.

Some of the benefits the company saw from its Salesforce solutions were:

  • Over 40% reduction in phone calls as customers engage directly from the web.
  • Over 60% increase in email deliverability.
  • Over 30% reduction in unsubscribe rates.
  • Over 5% lift in email revenue.
  • Over 175% increase in average order value from targeted email campaigns.

One targeted email campaign achieved the highest online daily sales ever, even exceeding sales from the prior Christmas period.

The integration of the NewStore omnichannel platform and Adyen's payment tokenisation technology has resulted in a smoother checkout process in-store with mobile checkout and endless aisle capabilities. It also means the retailer has extended digital into physical retail by connecting its in-store systems to its online ecosystem, which has the added benefit of providing valuable insights into customers’ shopping behaviours.

Thanks to this successful digital transformation, the company is now well positioned to add new functions and capabilities to its technology stack. There are now plans to upgrade its middleware and its ERP platform to unlock further business efficiencies.

The company is looking at using augmented reality (AR) to make the shopping experience more interactive and customisable for customers. Some ways they are looking at using AR, either through 3D modelling or photorealism, include virtual try-ons, fitting rooms, color matching, virtual tours, and more.

They are also looking at using radio-frequency identification (RFID) to unlock efficiencies in its manufacturing process, such as tracking materials through the production process to ensure they are in the right place at the right time, better managing bulk containers, and tracking tools and equipment to ensure they are maintained properly. Automatic notification can also be sent to customers to update them on the progress of their custom orders.

New capabilities such as this will need quality assurance to ensure they deliver a great experience to staff and customers. There is also an opportunity to use test automation for many of these new, as well as existing, functions.

Key Outcomes:
  • First release of a new technology stack delivered in just five months.
  • Second and third releases achieved similar milestones
  • Almost no reductions in scope for the overall implementation.
  • Extended digital into physical retail by connecting in-store and online systems.
  • Smoother checkout process in-store with mobile checkout and endless aisle capabilities.

Delivered:
  • Testing & QA
  • Quality Engineering
  • Business Analysis
  • Operational Readiness
  • Core & flex (T&M) Delivery
  • Hybrid Service Delivery

Technologies:
  • NewStore
  • Salesforce
  • Tealium
  • Comestri
  • Infor M3
  • ION
  • Adyen
  • Givex
  • Shippit
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