Pipelabs

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

A family run business, in wholesale and retail of menswear and accessories. We have an existing and established retail bricks and mortar business with 10 stores nationally. In addition an established wholesale business.

This was our first significant investment and foray into ecommerce. I am the Commercial Manager and lead the Ecommerce build. I am also the fourth generation of the family in the business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Pipelabs, and what were your goals?

We hired Pipelabs as an end to end solution for the development and ongoing maintenance of our e-commerce solution. We had a blueprint platform to mirror, being the existing global Gant websites.

Pipelabs were required to integrate Shopify front end not only with our own ERP system (inclusive of POS, Financials, Warehouse Management, etc) but also the systems of the Global Head office of Gant, for access to all imagery, product details, etc.

This was not an out of the box solution and required innovative thinking and adaption by Pipelabs to achieve a seamless solution. We also required this to be turned around within 4 months to allow launch in time for the busiest retail season in e-commerce - Black Friday and Christmas.

SOLUTION

How did you select Pipelabs and what were the deciding factors?

We had an existing relationship with Pipelabs through one of its founders, Matt Hayward. We had previously engaged Matt to assist with smaller ecommerce website maintenance.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

As outlined previously. Pipelabs were engaged on a time critical basis to deliver an ecommerce solution that integrated with several internal systems, as well as reflected and mirrored the quality of the Gant global brand.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Most of the Pipelabs team worked with us at various stages of the project and continue to do so. Our main contact was Matt Hayward, who liaised regularly and ensured the broader team was engaged as necessary.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The project was delivered on time, in time for Black Friday Feedback from our Global Ecommerce Team: " GANT Australia site launch has been a really exceptional project in many ways, but particularly in how fast it progressed and how close your team managed to replicate the visual aspects of our subsidiary sites, and as such I'd like to ask you about the best practices in development"

The team continues to be daily support to us in maintenance and adding additional functionality and scope. With COVID, the site has experienced much greater than anticipated growth and the product delivered has been able to sustain that.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

• Weekly face to face catch up a meeting to ensure project on track and discuss deliverables
• Utilization of Teamwork App to keep track of all aspects of project and ensure appropriate allocation of tasks
• Matt and team available almost 24/7 as required

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Day to day contact and personal attention. We really feel as if the Pipelabs team is simply an extension of our own team.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None.