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Supply Only Windows and Doors

An E-Commerce Web App for custom Windows and Door supply.

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Supply Only Windows and Doors

Location:  

United Kingdom

Partnership period:  

2022

Industry:  

E-Commerce

Technologies:  

Laravel,  Bootstrap,  PHP,  MySQL,  jQuery,  Javascript,  Infrastructure Modernization,  Data & Analytics, 

Team Size:  

1 Team Lead, 2 Front-End Developers, 2 Backend Developers, 1 Database Manager, 1 Database Engineer, 1 DevOps Engineer

Competitive Environment

The market for specialized B2B window and door supply is unique given the bespoke needs of contractors and architects based on specific building/remodeling requirements. Highly fragmented local providers dominate through offline and manual processes needing more scalability. Attempts have been made to tap the opportunity through home improvement e-commerce players like HomeDepot and Lowes by extending configurable catalog-based solutions. However, heavy customization needs limit market fit.

Our client spotted this gap as a wholesale distributor servicing contractors and architects primarily offline. They possessed deep technical expertise guiding customized window and door solutions but ordering complexity constrained faster growth. By envisaging smart digital selling processes blending configuration capabilities with consultative insights and impossible-to-replicate fulfillment reliability, our client sought market expansion goals leveraging their niche strengths without service disruption.

Emotcia: About the client
Emotcia: About the client

Problem Statement

Several challenges plagued providers in delivering configurable yet consistent window and door supply:

  1. Complex offline and labor-intensive customer measurement processes limited order intake capacity. The business relied on field reps taking dimensions but couldn’t scale beyond geographical constraints at optimized cost structures.
  2. Generic catalog-based platforms restricted customization ability around distinct product variables like materials, sizes, glazing, and design elements. Pre-defined SKUs left revenue leakage.
  3. Pricing complexity from dynamic inputs based on materials, dimensions, etc. hindered real-time quoting accuracy resulting in unreliable expectations.
  4. Lack of feasibility validation during complex configuration selection freedoms resulted in unmet customer specifications and additional rework.

The inability to consultatively guide customization in a scalable self-serve manner while setting reliable expectations around outcomes restricted market expansion and incumbent defendability.

Our client recognized smart guided selling would unlock flexible order capturing at attractive cost structures.

Solution and Objectives

We sought to deliver an intelligent web application enabling:

For Customers:

  1. Self-configure specialty window and door orders across endless size, material, design, and functionality combinations meeting exact custom project needs.
  2. Get real-time feasibility validation against constraints, accurate pricing instantly tied to selections, and photo-realistic 3D visualizations setting reliable expectations before purchase.
  3. Complete secure end-to-end transactions integrated with production and shipping enabling on-time, flawless delivery assurance.

For the Business:

  1. Scale order intake exponentially by leveraging digital reach and self-guided selling tools without reliance on limited field reps.
  2. Unlock 10x+ SKU potential through dynamic customization workflows aligned to in-house production expertise. Reduce lost sales.
  3. Gain deep visibility into configuration analytics revealing profitable solution trends and improving demand forecasting intelligence.
  4. Build customer intimacy over repeat engagements via saved project preferences and account rep assignments.

At the core, the vision focused on blending configuration capabilities allowing endless customization freedom with guided selling mechanisms setting expectations. Further, turning the buying experience into an educational interactive journey would position our clients as technical advisors commanding premiums.

This required overcoming the paradox of flexibility versus user-friendliness. By methodically planning ranges, intelligently constraining invalid selections, and photo-realistically showcasing outcomes at each step, customization complexity could get packaged into a relatable process.

Technology Planning

Getting the guided product configurator capabilities right necessitated meticulous planning across chosen technology stacks:

  1. Laravel Architecture Blueprinting:
    The Laravel backend engineering team reviewed implementation complexities around dynamic pricing, 3D visualization, and feasibility analysis needs requiring complex real-time data orchestration. Modular decoupling was planned to prevent monolith collapse points under various loads.
  2. MySQL Data Modeling:
    We invested cycles reviewing specialized schema designs balancing transactional efficiency with analytical reporting needs. Advanced indexing, query optimizations, partitions, and selective NoSQL decisions were evaluated for managing exponential combinations.
  3. Customer Journey Mapping:
    We storyboarded 100+ variation decision trees based on window/door types to determine optimal balancing between customization flexibility vs. controlled experiences given backend constraints. Persona-based prioritization focused on architects and contractors highlighted must-have parameters.
  4. Infrastructure Provisioning:
    Detailed specifications were developed for hosting infrastructure requirements from security, reliability to scalability perspectives. Test runs emulated various usage peaks along with failover methods given uptime criticality.

The extensive coordination efforts established guiding assumptions around expected outcomes, user journeys, and technical capacities. Had we rushed into implementation, lack of alignment would have guaranteed costly rework postponing ROI. Our diligence upstream proved invaluable.

Phases

Conclusion and Results

Prior complexities around balancing customization with service reliability were resolved innovatively through technology fusion. By blending configuration flexibility with guided workflow simplicity, the platform transformed design and procurement complexity into delighters.

With over 18 months since adoption, core business metrics positively transformed:

  1. 10x increase in annual order intake by expanding reach beyond geographical barriers through 24/7 access paired with guided self-service capabilities not dependent on limited field staff.
  2. Over 50% YOY revenue growth through higher conversions and reduced abandonments driven by real-time visual product clarity and recommendations during configuration finalization.
  3. Over 20% larger addressable market captured due to the ability to cater to specialized niche needs profitably on-demand vs previously needing manual trade-offs.
  4. 63% faster time-to-ship by linking order automation with production planning, inventory, and shipping orchestration preventing fail points.
  5. At least 30% cost savings realization by transitioning lower complexity orders to self-guided digital selling requiring minimal agent assistance.

The solution continues to serve as an innovation case study around getting configuration capabilities right by overcoming the paradox between customization and complexity. Laravel’s flexibility blended with MySQL’s junction storing prowess enabled realizing seemingly contrarian promises is vital for specialty B2B buying.

The continued focus remains on enriching intelligence - recommendation engines for compatible accessories, saved project CRM syncing, and expanded 3D visual configurators allowing customers to see outcomes in their actual spaces rather than theoretically. The foundation is ripe for possibilities!

Emotcia: The solution

Key Challenge

A major technical challenge we faced was around dynamic pricing logic for the endless product combinations. Optimizing feasibility evaluation of custom dimensions against constraints while calculating costs in real-time posed complex data orchestration needs. By undertaking robust modular architecture coupled with selective cache optimizations, we overcame the hurdles without compromising configuration flexibility.

Next Steps

With core customization capabilities established, significant headroom exists for intelligence enhancements:

  1. Recommendation engines tailored to project types to suggest compatible products
  2. Enriched 3D configurators with AR elements bringing designs to spaces
  3. Expanded design workflows with tailored style explorer galleries
  4. Streamlined re-order and project tracking modules offering account management

These present potential high-impact areas for iteration by analyzing application usage patterns and customer feedback. With firm technological foundations in place, our client is excited to push further on innovation while achieving scale and bottom-line efficiency.

Emotcia: The solution

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