Plan Your Project with Your Software
A key distinctive feature of Azerbaijan E-commerce market is monopoly of big players. Launching an online store in such market is not an easy task to do. A startup with "room for mistake" is one thing, but a national-scale project with corresponding budget is a whole different story. It raises the bar extremely high — mistakes are simply inexcusable on such level.
Launching a project of creating an internet store for "MAXI.AZ" chain is that what we want to tell you about in this article. The choice of the object was no play of chance — it is a "no room for mistake" project.
At first glance, there is nothing extraordinary in it. But, at a closer look, project "architecture" discloses venturous innovative solutions on a strong technological base. Moreover, the work on the project was made its way through various force-majeure, which could quite possibly destroy any development and put the entire work process under the threat of wrecking. Considering the mentioned issues, this project is an excellent illustration of new opportunities in management and technology, which disclose themselves during resolution of problems of higher difficulty with strict deadlines.
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Circumstances at the start of the project
Situation
Everything was done from scratch. Taking into account local mentality and differences in product lines, we were preparing the project on the distribution spots, signing contracts with vendors, training personnel, sketching business processes, and have launched a digital catalog – and, as a result, opened, according to expert opinion, one of the best electronics and household appliances hypermarket in the Caucasus region.
Tasks for development
Regional specificity of calculations: Azerbaijani commonly use taxit cards — credit cards with credit lines and complex system of credit rates: it was necessary to create calculation system considering this specificity.
Perspective scaling: The project task required providing growth of the amount of merchandise to hundreds of thousands. Even though "MAXI" trademark was launched only in such segments as electronics, household and office appliances, and photo and video technology, segments of other type could be added at any point. That could be, for example, clothing and shoes, which are goods with a whole different measurement model (shape, color, etc.). Technical enquiry also required accounting for an opportunity of selling service and unusual goods without reducing performance, response time, and download speed.
Work in Marketplace mode: Marketplace is an online platform which sells its own goods as well as goods from other producers within a unified catalog, also providing purchase checkout and transmitting order details to the ultimate owner. Project implied work organizing process in this exact mode. Developing internet stores in accordance with marketplace model is quite a perspective topic; that is why in our upcoming article "Marketplace is the next step of internet store evolution" we will analyze this trend.
Bilingual project: Since almost 90% of Azerbaijani citizens speak only Azerbaijani language, the project was launched in two languages.
Perspective scaling: The project task required providing growth of the amount of merchandise to hundreds of thousands. Even though "MAXI" trademark was launched only in such segments as electronics, household and office appliances, and photo and video technology, segments of other type could be added at any point. That could be, for example, clothing and shoes, which are goods with a whole different measurement model (shape, color, etc.). Technical enquiry also required accounting for an opportunity of selling service and unusual goods without reducing performance, response time, and download speed.
Work in Marketplace mode: Marketplace is an online platform which sells its own goods as well as goods from other producers within a unified catalog, also providing purchase checkout and transmitting order details to the ultimate owner. Project implied work organizing process in this exact mode. Developing internet stores in accordance with marketplace model is quite a perspective topic; that is why in our upcoming article "Marketplace is the next step of internet store evolution" we will analyze this trend.
Bilingual project: Since almost 90% of Azerbaijani citizens speak only Azerbaijani language, the project was launched in two languages.
Project start
Beginning of development
At first, we planned on using a tried-and-true business model: quick start, feedback, immediate adjustments, new functionality addition — a continuous chain of development cycles and feedback analysis.
Our platform for development was "Bitrix24", and we had solid reasons for choosing it:
1. Our arsenal included a library composed of more than a hund red components worked outonother "Bitrix" projects: those were components of a proven quality and excellent image which are used for work on complex marketing, on business processes, on tasks involving work with large product catalogs, and on integration systems.
2. Our client used "Enterprise" accounting system, and we had an experience of close integration with this ERP.
3. Client managers had already had positive experience of working with our platform.
4. Product line launch should be done as soon as possible, and the platform allowed filling product catalog long before the main functionality was ready.
Work was going intensively.
1. Our arsenal included a library composed of more than a hund red components worked outonother "Bitrix" projects: those were components of a proven quality and excellent image which are used for work on complex marketing, on business processes, on tasks involving work with large product catalogs, and on integration systems.
2. Our client used "Enterprise" accounting system, and we had an experience of close integration with this ERP.
3. Client managers had already had positive experience of working with our platform.
4. Product line launch should be done as soon as possible, and the platform allowed filling product catalog long before the main functionality was ready.
Work was going intensively.
Force majeure equal to a catastrophe
But, a month after the project start, one event changed everything fundamentally.
During one meeting, the client told us that marketing division had decided to change future trademark image and designed a new "brand book", while the launch deadline was decided to be moved two months earlier than the planned date. As a result, the project was under the threat of wrecking which could derail all work we had done!
During one meeting, the client told us that marketing division had decided to change future trademark image and designed a new "brand book", while the launch deadline was decided to be moved two months earlier than the planned date. As a result, the project was under the threat of wrecking which could derail all work we had done!
By this time, around 30models were designed. The graphical part of the project was totally completed —front-end development was about to begin.
It is only a small part of the work done by the moment of force-majeure
It is only a small part of the work done by the moment of force-majeure
Having realized the level of catastrophe, we understood that we would not be able to manage on our own. The technological part went in accordance with the schedule, but creating design for such a large-scale project from scratch required time we did not have.
Fortunately, we had under our belt an experience of working with guys from "SensePro" — ourpartnerswhowecouldconfidentlyrelyonknowingtheirprofessionality, responsibility, and ability to live and breathe the project. "SensePro" is a company of professional designers whose portfolio included such projects, well-known in the CIS, as "DON PION", "Ultra.BY", "Тот самый F.ua", and "SL-IRA". The colleagues agreed to give us a hand and dove into work as quickly as they could. They took under control the development of new adaptive design by the discussed deadline and took lead on negotiating the entire visual part with the client. The "SensePro" leader of the work was Irina Kopylova.
Consumer psychology in Azerbaijan has its peculiarities— Azerbaijani audience value convenient up-to-date websites as much as Ukrainians do. That is why Irina decided to use the "flat design" concept with large interface elements – it is a well-tested design concept, earned good reputation on Ukrainian market and pretty much bound to be successful.
Fortunately, we had under our belt an experience of working with guys from "SensePro" — ourpartnerswhowecouldconfidentlyrelyonknowingtheirprofessionality, responsibility, and ability to live and breathe the project. "SensePro" is a company of professional designers whose portfolio included such projects, well-known in the CIS, as "DON PION", "Ultra.BY", "Тот самый F.ua", and "SL-IRA". The colleagues agreed to give us a hand and dove into work as quickly as they could. They took under control the development of new adaptive design by the discussed deadline and took lead on negotiating the entire visual part with the client. The "SensePro" leader of the work was Irina Kopylova.
Consumer psychology in Azerbaijan has its peculiarities— Azerbaijani audience value convenient up-to-date websites as much as Ukrainians do. That is why Irina decided to use the "flat design" concept with large interface elements – it is a well-tested design concept, earned good reputation on Ukrainian market and pretty much bound to be successful.
Active stage of the project
Two teams in one project
Considering the circumstances we had faced, we developed a business process involving cooperation of three work groups:
1. Design team was to analyze client's demands, to affirm concepts of each project module, and to make a prototype.
2. The prototype was discussed with development team with a checklist which, among other questions, included:
— What will behavior be like for different types of content?
— How easy it is to implement visual design?
— Can it be simplified or can another case be used?
3. The final design was released in three resolutions — 1366, 768,and 320 (and some certain blocks in 960) to make viewing the website convenient from any devices.
4. Development team was working on layout, while QA engineer was testing cross browser and cross device compatibility — it was done with specific software (want to know more? Request), and by device virtualization.
5. The landed layouts underwent "designer control" for correspondence (designer often finds a lot of discrepancies in such situations).
6. Layouts then were passed on to be developed and were discussed with the client. As a result, the functionality started working: catalogs were being filtered, products – purchased, and orders placed.
This approach gave us an efficient production model — each team was working on a functionally complete segment, team manager took responsibility of communicating with the client and was passing the completed result on to the next one in the chain.
1. Design team was to analyze client's demands, to affirm concepts of each project module, and to make a prototype.
2. The prototype was discussed with development team with a checklist which, among other questions, included:
— What will behavior be like for different types of content?
— How easy it is to implement visual design?
— Can it be simplified or can another case be used?
3. The final design was released in three resolutions — 1366, 768,and 320 (and some certain blocks in 960) to make viewing the website convenient from any devices.
4. Development team was working on layout, while QA engineer was testing cross browser and cross device compatibility — it was done with specific software (want to know more? Request), and by device virtualization.
5. The landed layouts underwent "designer control" for correspondence (designer often finds a lot of discrepancies in such situations).
6. Layouts then were passed on to be developed and were discussed with the client. As a result, the functionality started working: catalogs were being filtered, products – purchased, and orders placed.
This approach gave us an efficient production model — each team was working on a functionally complete segment, team manager took responsibility of communicating with the client and was passing the completed result on to the next one in the chain.
What was important at this stage – Feedback of the participants
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