UPDIVISION

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

RCos Solutions is a family business which has been selling professional beauty products and serving hairdressers and beauticians for over 50 years. I am the project manager overseeing the development of the RCos e-commerce platform. My expertise is in supply chain management and I have previously led several technical and consultancy teams to implement S&OP processes for businesses in Belgium and abroad.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our goal is to offer beauty professionals the right tools for the trade. Naturally, we needed an e-commerce solution to increase our visibility and to help us bring online our well-established offline brand. So we hired UPDIVISION to help with this transition and to create a custom ecommerce solution fit for our needs.

From high-level features such as discounts and guest checkout to more specific implementations, like ERP integrations and product suggestions related to blog posts. We also looked for a partner who was able to understand and listen to the needs and we found a good fit with UPDIVISION.

SOLUTION

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

We previously worked with UPDIVISION through a partner company and we were happy by the results they provided. Not only the service offered but also the availability to listen and to structure the approach.

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

We wanted the best e-commerce solution for our needs, so the first step was to map out together with UPDIVISION the high-level features which should be included in the first iterations.

Based on these specs, UPDIVISION conducted an analysis of the best ecommerce builders for the job, the degree in which they cover the specs and the amount of custom development needed. In the end, we went with PrestaShop 1.7 plus custom development for certain modules. In the beginning we were hesitating in building a system from scratch but looking at our requirement they advised us to not go that way. We are happy we listened to them.

In addition to business analysis and development, UPDIVISION also created the UI design for the RCos ecommerce. We went with an Anvanto theme, which UPDIVISION customized to fit our brand identity and to include some additional features, like an improved search experience.

We continue to work with UPDIVISION for continuous improvement and custom development for our ecommerce.

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

The UPDIVISION team consisted of a project manager, a technical lead and a developer specialized in ecommerce implementations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

UPDIVISION helped us launch our business online. Through the Rcos Solutions ecommerce platform we can now reach a significantly larger number of users, especially beauty salons which are our main target.

We can keep track of orders and deliveries a lot easier and it improved the way we do business overall. Speed performance of the system was a key requirements and together with UPDIVISION we keep on improving on that aspect.

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

UPDIVISION team was quick to answer any inquiries or requests on our side. We had regular online meetings and we were periodically updated by the project manager via email about the progress and the features which are ready to be tested. We established from the get-go a list of features and specs which were then broken down into iterations. This way we always had our priorities straight throughout the project. This also kept communication errors or misunderstandings at a minimum.

UPDIVISION was never complaining about iterating since they also saw the value into that. From past experiences I know it’s sometimes difficult to express the needs towards a supplier.

Working with UPDIVISION was easier because they already had that e-commerce expertise so they could also share the best practices with us. We had the market and business knowledge so it was a very good match from that point of view.

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

UPDIVISION proved to be more than just a custom software provider. Throughout the entire project they acted as a trusted technical partner and advisor. And they continue to do so by providing us with support and maintenance, as well as custom development for our ecommerce.

Also the fact that if there is an issue you can escalate directly to the right level within the organization. UPDIVISION is very clear on timing and they respect it in 100% of the case. If that is not the case, they communicate upfront. So we really liked that pro-activity from them.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Overall positive feedback and I’d highly recommend UPDIVISION. A few elements I would have done differently : Get a bit more challenged by UPDIVISION to limit the number functionalities and add them step by step.

It would have been easier to detect potential bugs and also keep the budget more controlled We should have been more strict on the requirements which are really key for our business. We have identified together with UPDIVISION the first priorities VS second priorities.

However I think within the first priorities we should also have indicated some as REAL MUST. Some KEY functionalities are not yet fully meeting the expectations (e.g. responsive content, check out process, search, …) Be more challenged on the new trends (e.g. more visual navigation menu, nicer check out process, …)