Think2.eu - A store for vintage fashion enthusiasts where every item is one-of-a-kind.
Building a standard e-store may not be a complicated undertaking, but digitizing the experience of a thrift shop may prove to be on the trickier side. Especially, the one meant to serve a fast-paced international market of Vintage clothing lovers. The project, which had started at the highest point of the COVID-19 lockdown, resiliently withstood a test of getting back to business as usual, which proved the digitalisation model we chose was right.
The Challenge
- There are no two identical items in the daily updated catalogue.
- The new product entries are created daily.
- The risk of two customers buying the same product had to be mitigated.
- The products are automatically reserved for an individual customer, but are automatically released after a pre-set time interval.
- The client's business model includes serving customers across the world.
- The UI features had to create a customer experience that combines efficient operation of the store with the specifics of a thrift shop.
- Integrations with the ERP and automated photo studio to create an automated product creation process.
The Process
We started from a clean sheet of paper by developing a customer experience that matched the client’s business model, and the realities of the unpredictable business environment of the day. We have prepared a design, specification, and the development roadmap. The development work had to be closely coordinated with several external service providers, as the ERP had been developed in parallel by a separate company. The complex process imposed numerous limitations due to the interdependencies of different systems that were developed at the same time.
Key Goals
- Build a future-proof e-commerce store that matched the business needs of the client.
- The Microsoft Business Central ERP had to be used as a central point of product information.
- Create a bespoke customer experience that would increase the client’s competitiveness with new entrants in the fast-developing second-hand clothing market.
- Enable the smooth operation of the system, taking into account the global reach of the business.
The Solution
- Design and brand site with bespoke UX/UI.
- Brand new store based on heavily customized PrestaShop architecture.
- Resolved compatibility issues within PrestaShop core and modules
- Built a custom Microsoft Dynamics ERP integration for real-time inventory sync
- Integration with an automated Photo studio for product pictures
- Streamlined process of product creation
- Seamless and automated sharing of all data (users, orders, products) between the systems
The technology that created the one-of-a-kind experience
“Today we sell products across the World, while custom-built functionalities such as a product reservation system prevent unique products from being sold several times, while reservation time management and customer reminder functionality help to keep stock moving fast. We are sure PrestaShop technology and custom-designed functionalities developed by Invertus agency and ERP partners have helped create a one-of-a-kind experience for our customers. Number of orders and the product cart value increased approximately by 50% since the launch of the new site and continue growing,
Technical representative, Think2.eu
Technology Stack
- Platform: PrestaShop
- ERP: Microsoft Dynamics Office 365 Business Central
- Order management: custom-built product reservation module
- Fulfillment: LP Express, DHL
