Admin cabinet
The admin has an opportunity to manage all orders from one place while tracking their status and being able to transfer information to other responsible companies along the supply chain.
Clothing Building Platform
Intelligent Software for Sustainable Production: A Single Platform to Design, Create, And Receive the Garment Without Destroying Planet
25K
Drafted products
Switzerland
Country
FashionTech
Industry
About the client
Our client is a Swiss garment creation and customisation company based in Switzerland offering services worldwide. They strive to digitise the supply chain to help other clothes producers access necessary services and heavily reduce waste.
At the time of the project’s start, the client already had a running business for the production of customized clothing for independent designers and brands that do not have their own production lines. Though, their website offered only simple manually customisable options for clothing and cooperation work was limited to a single factory able to produce blank garments.
Ultimately, their core vision was to overcome the struggles of numerous fashion companies in manufacturing and overseeing their global supply chains. In synch a way, they decided to build a complex ecosystem platform for independent designers, connecting individual entities from designing to manufacturing. Looking for a dedicated team able to work under harsh restrictions, our client conducted several interviews and chose EVNE Developers. After discussing all terms and finding suitable options, we got down to work and started building a platform for manufacturers of garments.
Challenge
Our client intended to create a tool for order management and communication with customers through convenient software to replace the existing process conducted in Notion and email. Most of the processes were outdated and performed manually which influenced efficiency and interaction pace.
The order process looked like this: The client filled out a PDF file with a description of all production steps: selection of the size grid, fabric, color, and customization options. Then a PDF file with additional materials (cutting patterns, print designs, etc.) was sent to Labwear managers. The manager created the order in Notion and the entire process from order creation, production and shipping was tracked there. Communication with customers was carried out by e-mail.
Yehor Saprykin, CPO EVNE Developers
After an initial evaluation of the existing state of deals, we offered to create a single environment moderated by a manager, though run independently and faster. We had to build an online system based on the client's design and technical specifications for the final product. The client had several constraints: budget and launch deadline. In such a way the team had to overcome these limitations and reach the goals in the most convenient ways.
Yehor Saprykin, CPO EVNE Developers
Solution
To suit the requirements of the client and get the most outcome we took several side steps. The designed scope required a larger budget, so we analyzed the existing functionality and suggested how to simplify it somewhere, move the user interface to the admin panel somewhere, and move it to the post-MVP phase.
As a technical basis, we offered a basic ready-made solution: an admin panel package that required a minimum of front-end work. For the user interface, we used our basic React project framework and the code generator of our engineer. The basic structure made it possible to quickly pass the initialization phase: most of the components are out of the box and create global styles of the project. The generator reduced the time for routine processes of creating new components and connecting them.
To build a user-friendly portal, our business analyst and UX architect did supplementary UX research that allowed us to create a seamless experience for the users. We defined what exact features are needed and how to implement them in the most convenient way.
Result
Finally, we had to move with the following features as our MVP basis:
Products catalogue
The main feature is a catalogue of available blank garments available for further customisation. Though having no filters from the start, it had to deliver the value of each piece for customers.
Clothing customizer
Through the configurator, it is possible to customize the garment, based on numerous options and selected basic blank. It allows adding pictures, embroidery and numerous options based on the partnered manufacturers opportunities.
Cost calculation
To help users see the probable outcomes of their adjustments, the specific cost for garment is calculated by manager. There users can input their options and get bulk production costs to tangke their plans.
We faced several challenges while developing and deploying these features. Discover how we managed to find the right solutions and deliver the final result.
Limited functions to suit the urge
As a result of preliminary research and discussions with the client, we started development with reduced functionality of the system and our MVP solutions.
One of the options was to use the existing solution to cut the timeline. However, WordPress or any off-the-shelf solutions did not cover the need for customization of the order form according to the type of clothing and live user and admin chat functionality for each order. That is why the team used React frameworks customised specifically to suit the needs of the admin panel and code generator created by engineers to speed the process.
As a result, the code production process was three times faster compared to the traditional one, with the specific quality control allowing the bug rate to stay low.
Order creation and order management by admin
The biggest feature that we had to build was the complex and automated system for order creation and management modules. They should stay both scalable and easily manageable. To visualise the process it had to create a Kanban board and specifically depict the status of every single order. It also had to include the functional scope to deal with every single order.
The process of creating an order takes about 10 steps with different options depending on the type of clothing selected. Each step and available options on it must be configured from the admin panel with deliberately designed table adjusters with interconnections.
The Kanban board and the process of processing and changing order statuses have both manual and automatic triggers to run effectively. So it was important to engineer the flow in detail based on requirements and test it qualitatively to avoid errors.
Clothing customizer
As far as the high goal of the client was in the creation of a more effective supply chain, specific attention on the platform was given to the function of garment customisation. All adjustments had to be done in one place and in limited only-demanded numbers to create a sustainable production through intelligent software. Basically, it started as MVP and was planned to scale in full pledged SaaS.
To build the system, we started the module named Labwear_OS:
- Garment creation
The user can use an interactive tech pack design tool to select fabrics, colors, and patterns that match their vision. Incorporate their designs, graphics, and artwork seamlessly. And select the specific quantities needed.
- Process enhancement
Upon receiving the designs the team reviews clients garment to ensure a flawless production process. Then they provide the customer with a comprehensive quote encompassing both sampling and bulk production costs.
- Bulk production
Once the sample is approved, the is placed for production. Throughout the production process, the client can track the progress of the order. Upon successful completion of final quality control, the product is shipped to the desired location.
Change requests and vision correction
In the second half of the project, when part of the functionality was already ready and the client had the opportunity to test it live, he had several change requests that affected the delivery time of the final solution. To speed the process up, we performed parallel user tests and compared the results to make the UX swifter and more flawless.
So it was necessary to quickly involve new developers to develop individual parts of the functionality in such a way that there would be no downtime. Which led to several changes to the flow of the customisation system and the way the order was processed by outer factories. As far as the project was launched under strict time limitations, hasted and shallow discovery, resulted in this issue, which the team overcame later in the development process.
Value Delivered
The MVP platform we built allowed our client to reach both goals: it improved the experience for current customers while also moving from an extremely manual process of project implementation to an automated solution working on their values. Moreover, all the materials necessary for ordering are stored in one place and are not lost or muddled.
All partnered factories are seamlessly integrated with the advanced software system, ensuring that production orders are distributed efficiently based on available time slots. Real-time tracking capabilities provide up-to-date information on the status of each order, allowing for optimal oversight and management with more sustainable outcomes.
The project was launched under strict time limitations which allowed testing it under live conditions and fit the needs more carefully.
2,5k registered users in the first month
The new solution we developed helped our client grow drastically 10 times in first 6 months after launch.
25K drafted products in the first half year
The platform we built quickly became popular in Switzerland and allowed our client to sell more than 25K products in the first year.
Scalable MVP for SaaS platform
The platform’s growth was accelerated by a strategic shift to a microservices architecture and website improvements, solidifying its scalability.
Client Testimonial
Michael Mangold, Samuel Thoma & Nicolas Schierle
Labwear Founders
Related Cababilities
MVP Development
Related Cababilities
SAAS Application Development
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