B2C PrestaShop implementation for Vipera Cosmetics

About the brand

Vipera Cosmetics is one of the leading cosmetics companies in Poland. The history of the brand dates back to 1987. Vipera is famous for its products created from certified raw materials and not tested on animals, making the entire range skin and environmentally friendly. The brand has been repeatedly awarded in competitions Consumer’s Laurel, Discovery of the Year, Pearl of the Cosmetic Market, or Emblem – Product Quality. Viper cosmetics are available in dozens of countries around the world, mainly in the Mediterranean, Slavic countries, the Middle East, Asia, North African countries and the Americas.

The challange

The brand had been successfully developing stationary sales and turned to us to go through a digital transformation, expanding sales to include the online sales channel. Until now, the brand has treated the Internet as purely informational which meant that customers could not conveniently purchase products directly from the manufacturer. This prompted the brand to change the strategy of its operations in which the store was to be implemented directly on the store’s domain replacing the existing information sites. All of the customer’s attention was to be directed to the purchase. Along with the implementation, we had to guide the client through a redesign of the product offering. We rebuilt the entire menu and category structures, and then re-added products to the right places.

The implementation required an integration with the ERP system, which we carried out in its entirety. We modified the client’s product pricing policy for better visibility of promotions on the site. Especially the mobile version of the store had to be taken care of.

The implementation was carried out as part of a broader effort with the client to guide the customer through a digital transformation. We were well aware that implementation was only one of the elements needed for a brand to effectively sell online.

Scope of work

The implementation was carried out in accordance with our process, which we have been continuously improving for more than 5 years and consists of three standard phases. The implementation was divided into 13 stages, which allowed the client to fully understand the process, as well as to control it from the side of receiving results and billing.

As part of the implementation, you can specify:

1. Integration with a custom ERP system
2. Store implementation as part of broader strategic work on brand digital transformation
3. Blog

The result

Analysis

In the first phase, we deeply understood the client’s needs and applied our experience gained in the daily marketing and programming services of our clients in the same industry the client operates in – Beauty. We also invited to the meeting our marketing specialists, who advised what solutions to use to increase sales in the online store. The analytical stage showed us deficiencies on the client’s side which allowed the client to prepare early enough. This saved the client’s team and ours a lot of implementation time, and we were able to move along with technical readiness to the store launch, without waiting for action on the client’s side.

Graphic design

The graphic design was preceded by a workshop in which interested people on the client’s side and on our side took an active part in planning the vision of the project. After the graphic designer gathered visions at workshop meetings, we proceeded to the graphic design stage. In the implementation, we also took care of those elements reported by marketing specialists. As a result, the brand earns more, and customers become more loyal by using a store that they simply enjoy shopping. As part of this phase, a graphic designer prepared the concept for the homepage. During the graphic design process, we devoted a lot of attention to the arrangement of the product offerings in the store and the navigation. After creating the concept for the homepage, the graphic designer prepared all the other views required for implementation in the online store. As the work progressed, we met with the client to discuss each of the store’s graphic elements. We use modern graphic design tools, so we were able to share the graphic design with the client in real time and at the same time mark the elements that needed work after the meeting.

Implementation

We carried out the implementation like any other in accordance with the Scrum methodology. Thanks to the use of Scrum, we always implement projects successfully, as we communicate extensively with the client as the work progresses, clarifying the scope of work and adapting to changes that may always arise as the client takes more time to fulfill his vision. This gave the client the confidence that the online store would be completed according to their expectations, and gave us the confidence that the project would be completed on time and on budget.

As the implementation began, we precisely broke down all tasks in the project tool by sprints. This approach allows us to more effectively conduct a sprint planning meeting at which we usually specify the details of task requirements.

The sprints lasted on average every 10 days and ended with a meeting presenting the results of the work in the tasks. It is standard for us to present the results of the work on the development server, so that the client can also check the results of the work on his own.

As part of the implementation, we also made numerous integrations and completed an integration with an ERP system that required the creation of a customized solution.

Summary

The implementation of an online store for the Vipera Cosmetics brand was successfully implemented and the result of our work can be seen directly at vipera.com.pl The implementation took a total of 350 hours and was completed in less than 3 months from the start of the order.