Casa Cuesta – 360 Degree eCommerce Solutions Share: Perception System Score Awaiting client review n/a Date Published 13 June 2019 Reading Time 9-Minute Read An enterprise online e-commerce store (Casa Cuesta – CCN) requested Magento 2 migration for their distributed stores in the Dominican Republic (DR). What Client Was Expecting from Perception System? Casa Cuesta (CCN) is a leading Home Department Store in the Dominican Republic. Besides the B&M store, they had a custom eCommerce store running on Magento 1x platform serving across the nation. Due to the advent of eCommerce technologies across the platforms, Magento released an upgrade – “Magento 2” with altogether different makeup and technicality. This very reason had created performances and compatibility related issues in the CCN online shop. This is the reason CCN was looking for a reliable and competent eCommerce consultant and development team to deliver expected results by overcoming unique challenges. How We Evaluated the Client’s Needs The marketing team at Perception System, San Jose responded to the client quickly and arranged online meetings using the latest communication technologies, as well as visited personally to gather the project requirements. Gathering Requirements Online: We allocated a highly experienced and technically sound BA (Business Analysts) to amass the project requirements online. The BA team prepared business requirement documents. They checked the existing system and prepared system & server architecture diagrams. They prepared workflow diagrams for the most significant features including Product Purchase Flow, Order Fulfilment Process, Gift Registry System Flow, and many others. The BA team then tested each primary function and primed the GAP Analysis Matrix, which depicts EXPECTANCY Vs. REALITY for each function Fortunately, GAP analysis revealed the status of each feature under the test. The BA team described what is working smoothly and where the issues were persistent. Gathering Requirements In-Person: After realizing the risk factors thoroughly, CCN invited the BA team to visit their premises. The client-side team revealed the hidden anomalies in the system as well as presented their concerns well before the beginning of the development. The in-person meeting ensured our BA team saw what they missed during online inspections. How business-side team at client’s premise manage products in the back-end. How the prices of products changing dynamically. How stock inventory being managed. How the execution of product import scripts takes place daily. How customers can buy Gift Registry from KIOSK machine. The team had pinpointed two significant features at the heart of the system, & Gift Registry System. Order Fulfilment Process: Search order – Backend user/admin can see incoming orders and search proper orders for further process. Order Verification – Admin user verifies the order Order Processing – Admin user marks the verified order as under the process order. Prepare order for shipping – packing and labeling Ship the order to the shipping providers. Print invoice for the paid orders. Print warranty documents for paid orders. Track the order that completes the delivery. Modify order for non-availability or refund Gift Registry System: Creation of new registry for various occasions including birthday, marriage, parties, events, and anniversaries. Attach shipping & contact details with the registry. Find registry using attributes like ID, event date, the name of registrants, and so on. Search products from the registry product list. Paging in search results. Find product details in the registry. The user can see multimedia content on product detail page in the registry. Genuine Approach Taken by the eCommerce Development Team at Perception System The client perceived Perception System as its Magento eCommerce development partner and signup Magento updates and optimization project from Magento 1 to Magento 2 platform. Now, the BA team at Perception System prepared pre-required project documents to handover the client along with post-handover policies for the entire project process in the following manner. Pre-required Project Documents The Component Versions Scope Discrepancy Matrix Magento Module Matrix Magento Database Diagram User Guide for Custom Module Wire-Frame/Mock-ups API Implementation Matrix Test Cases Data Migration Scope User Stories Post-Handover Policies Design & Development Policies Maintenance & Support Policies Security Policies Deployment Policies Wireframe & Prototypes Based on the findings and documents prepared, we setup wireframe design options. After the selection of appropriate models, we proceeded towards prototyping using our interactive and the latest tools. Designing & Programming We came up with intuitively designed solutions by meeting all expectations and addressing the client’s concerns. Since we had to do coding for a large scale eCommerce store, our entire team of eCommerce developers including full stack developers paid attention to details and followed the best coding practices. Testing & Deployment We frequently tested the system on each new significant module development and section completion. After approval from the client-side team for adequate testing, our DevOps uploaded the system gradually on hosting server. Project Management We took help of the latest project management methodologies, software, communication channels, and trained resources like project managers and team leaders to deliver excellent software development experiences. Our latest PMS enabled us to provide real-time updates to the client-side team using visuals on the dashboard. We provided access to all team members and the freedom to express their feedback, concerns, and valuable suggestions during the process. Business & Technical Challenges We Faced We had gone through many business & technical challenges during this project life cycle, such as… Magento 2 Enterprise Edition The entire concept was new for a unique audience, and we had to set everything in an advanced and responsive eCommerce environment of Magento 2 Enterprise Edition. Fortunately, our full stack and eCommerce niche expert developers had prior experiences with Enterprise Editions that enabled us to work rapidly and accurately. Imports from SAP The client uploaded all the product master data on the SAP database located in a remote server. Unfortunately, importing SAP data on CCN database was not as simple as we assumed and we had to create a product import script to fetch data from multiple layers in the SAP. Data Migration We had to create Customer Import & Registry Import scripts to migrate the data from Magento 1 to Magento 2 platform. Customization We know Magento 2 is a lot different from Magento 1 in many aspects. So, a number of features by default were not supported during the migration process, and we had to create custom modules for all of those. KIOSK & POS sync CCN had KIOSK and POS like systems integrated into the older version. Therefore, we had to sync both APIs in the new system considering upgrades and differences during the integration. Support In-person support and training were essential considering the complexities involved in it. So, we extended our support further. For training, we handed over our tech documents translated in a comprehensive manner and sent guidance videos as per needs. How did we reach a Viable Solution? Our Journey towards the eCommerce Storefront Development was highly fascinating & inspiring. The following are a few stages and steps worth mentioning from the entire journey. KANBAN We used to take Agile Development approaches for big scale projects. So, we applied a KANBAN software development methodology to manage and execute the entire online & offline goods and delivery system. We listed all features as product backlogs and followed the continuous delivery model. Behavior-driven Development BDD is an excellent approach to create a collaborative development environment and bridge the communication gap between client and development teams. WBS Segregation We applied WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) methodologies to create appropriate sprints as per concessions among all stakeholders. Planning We defined modules and based on it milestones for continuous deliverables. Development & Deployment We selected the best technology and employed the best tools the industry had to provide. After rigorous testing and upon satisfaction of the client-side team, we deployed the system on hosting server. Support & Maintenance As per project terms, we offered the required support services for a set period. Striking Features Included in the Given Web Portal We fulfilled client expectations by introducing the following exclusive features Primary Navigation It was the main menu with a header on the top of each web page providing category and sub-category level of the navigation structure. Search Filter Filtered search through layered navigation provides excellent search experiences. 15 Minutes Timer It was a unique concept that once the shopper hits the button for proceeding to checkout, a 15-minute timer starts automatically and lets the user to accomplish checkout with that time limit only. Secondary Navigation A search bar on the top loaded with the latest advanced search features. Product Details Page Almost all possible product attributes and multimedia content have room to display with advanced designs. Payment Process A shopper can track the payment process visually and know the present step. Collection of Products All collection categories have to be the first option (if it exists) right under each department tab in the menu. Configure Product Myriads of options available to configure products. Configuration UI has cool and comprehensive styles to go easily. BIN Discount CCN offers BIN discount (1%) on a range of BIN number. BIN is a credit card number and expressed in six digits. Search Products A shopper can track the payment process visually and know the present step. Smoother Checkout Process We made the checkout process smoother by applying the latest practices and tools used in the eCommerce industry. Coupon Code Discount The discount can be applied automatically as soon as the customer enters a valid coupon code. Special Price The Special Price (Sale Price) will strikeout the Master Price/Original Price. It is used for personalized incentives. Time Bracket Rule Time bracket rules can be created in the backend. These rules are like “Any order received before and until 6:00 P.M. will be available for pick up the next day after 12:00 P.M.”. Registry This feature facilitates the creation of events (such as “Wedding,” “Bachelor Party”, etc) in the backend. Each event will have its own set of products. Technologies We Used in the Web Development Our highly experienced, versatile, skilled and trained Magento enterprise development team had used the following technologies, frameworks, and tools to create stunning CCN good & delivery system. PHP Magento 2.2.x NGINX Final Result Milestones & Deliverables UI / UX / CX Development & Implementation eCommerce integration & Conversion Optimization Managed Support (On-site & Off-site) Achievements More than 85K users are using this system. More than 60K Products available More than 500 Registries created Satisfaction We delivered the system successfully to the customer and provided a satisfactory level of maintenance & support.