Principal Experience Architect
B2B E-commerce Web and App
A national distributor of high-end pet products began a journey of digital transformation so they could not only stay competitive against giants like Amazon and Chewy, but so their independent boutique retailer customers could as well. They needed a completely new platform to deliver online ordering and account management. I architected first their ordering website, and then their native apps.
User need:
Retailers were placing orders by phone or fax. They needed an efficient way to place orders digitally and free up time to serve customers.
Challenge:
The first phase of this project required us to connect legacy product and fulfillment software to a modern e-commerce platform while a middleware system was being constructed
Solution:
User research revealed that most of the client’s audience had low technology proficiency, and preferred more traditional B2C shopping experiences.
Working with the OroCommerce team, we were able to adapt the platform to allow us to mimic some elements of those experiences while still providing fast and intuitive ordering.
The first priority was to design a web shopping experience on their selected B2B E-commerce platform, OroCommerce.
The initial design had to recognize that most users would be ordering digitally for the first time, and the experience needed to take into account their established workflows and offline touchpoints.
OroCommerce was a relatively new platform, and a close partnership with their leadership allowed us to collaborate on enhancements that would help our client as well as other users of the platform.
Adoption rates were excellent, outpacing even the most optimistic projections.
User need:
Retailers needed to be walking the aisles with customers as much as possible. Mobile tools were needed to give them that flexibility.
Challenge:
OroCommerce had not yet built mobile APIs for their platform. The design of the mobile app would need to drive the design of the APIs.
Solution:
We worked closely with the OroCommerce team and the middleware team to craft an experience that leveraged native app capabilities to give retailers a fast, convenient way to plan orders and search for product information.
The mobile app delivered on the promise to support customer success by driving efficiency and giving them access to product expertise.
We designed the mobile app experience around real in-store behaviors. Retailers were able to scan labels on the shelves to quickly re-order items or retrieve product details to answer questions for shoppers.
Retailers were often asked to special-order items for loyal shoppers. The app allowed them to quickly add items to their next delivery without having to leave the store floor.
A dashboard of order information allowed them to plan ahead for large deliveries and busy seasons.
User need:
Buying shows played a vital role in retailers’ planning and ordering of products at valuable discounts. They needed a digital buying show experience to replace a time-consuming paper one.
Challenge:
The client organization had many entrenched operational processes that needed to be studied and redesigned.
Solution:
A combination of tactics were implemented that allowed retailers toto buy special products, bundles, and deals during a show. These included event-based native app and website experiences, QR codes to access product and brand content, and tools to facilitate sales representative communications and offers. The results were massive gains in efficiency for both retailers and the client.
The client’s board members and potential investors needed to understand the broader value and impact of the digital work.
Collaborating with the key stakeholders, I created presentations that articulated the vision and objectives of the digital products, and the ways in which it benefited all stakeholders and powered a unique business model.
Digital adoption was critical to not only converting new retailers, but to making. the client the “first call” amongst the competition.
The client also needed support in shaping, maintaining, and communicating to leadership about the product roadmap and how it continuously delivered on clear objectives and outcomes.
