DGS Retail Case Study

The Business

Introduction

DGS Retail, a Pioneer in Personalized Retail Solutions

Among the leading players in the retail industry, DGS Retail offers intricate custom shelving and signage solutions tailored to the individual needs of different retailers. This case study provides an analytical perspective on how DGS Retail revolutionized its online sales platform with a sophisticated product configurator.

Background

Creating the Configurator Vision

In the evolving world of eCommerce, a one-size-fits-all approach no longer suffices. Recognizing this, DGS Retail sought to take product personalization to the next level. Their ambition was clear: to craft a digital space where retailers could intricately design shelves, tweaking every detail to mirror their brand’s identity. While their existing platform served basic customization needs, it paled in comparison to the dynamic and immersive experience a product configurator could offer. This absence of an interactive shelf customization process became a deterrent, overshadowing the customer journey and impacting prospective sales.

The Objective

Objectives

A Vision to Transform

DGS Retail aims at:

A Revolutionary eCommerce Experience: DGS Retail sets out to upgrade but revolutionize its digital storefront. They envision themselves at the forefront, leading the way in offering advanced customizable retail solutions empowered by a state-of-the-art product configurator.

Interactive Customization with Real-time Previews: Moving beyond mere customization, DGS Retail intended for customers to have an immersive shelf design experience. With the integration of dynamic visuals, customers can now see their design choices evolve in real time, offering a tangible preview of their tailored shelf. This instantaneous visualization turns potential uncertainties into vivid, clear concepts.

Inventory Management for Customized Orders: Recognizing that these bespoke shelves were a composite of multiple child products, the configurator was also designed to seamlessly track inventory for each constituent part. This ensured that every custom order placed was always in sync with available inventory, eliminating potential fulfillment hiccups.

Harnessing Personalization to Drive Business Growth: At the heart of this transformation was a business imperative. DGS Retail believed that by granting customers the power to tailor, visualize, and track their products dynamically, they would enhance the shopping experience. In addition, they would catalyze increased sales and heightened customer loyalty.

The Strategy

Methods

Development of the Advanced Configurator

The Optimum7 team designed a multi-step product configurator for DGS Retail’s specific requirements. The focus was not just on the final shelving unit but on every detail leading to it. Customers could choose materials, colors, and dimensions, and see previews immediately. Recognizing that the shelves consisted of multiple components, the configurator included an inventory tracking feature. This ensured customizations matched available stock, enhancing the user experience and operational efficiency. This tool demonstrated DGS Retail’s commitment to quality and personalization.

Results

Findings

The Advanced Configurator’s Impact

Once DGS Retail introduced the advanced product configurator, it wasn’t merely an increase in sales that was evident. There was a marked increase in customer involvement. Customers extended beyond mere browsing: They interacted closely with the tool, leveraging its dynamic visuals and immediate previews to design their desired spaces with DGS shelving customizations. As they sifted through the plethora of options, from materials to colors, and from configurations to sizes, they also remained conscious of the inventory levels for each component. It became clear that every decision wasn’t just about buying a product; it was about customers creating a personalized environment they could envision, aided by real-time feedback on their screens. This in-depth interaction underscores the value of a tool that doesn’t just facilitate a sale but elevates the entire shopping experience.

Challenges/Problems

Client’s Issues Solved

Resolution through Innovation: The Dawn of the Dynamic Configurator

• From Constrained to Limitless Customization: The journey from static choices to an expansive spectrum of dynamic customization marked a significant turning point. Prior to the configurator, customers felt boxed in by narrow choices. Now, equipped with the state-of-the-art product configurator, they had a broad canvas to explore. Each selection, be it material or color, is dynamically adjusted based on available sub-child product inventory, ensuring seamless customization aligned with real-time stock.

• Bringing Ideas to Life with Visual Previews: Imagining a product is foundational, but seeing that vision materialize is transformative. The configurator bridges this chasm, allowing customers to view and adjust custom shelf configurations in real time. As they chose specific elements, they were immediately treated to accurate visual previews, offering a tangible feel of their end product.

• Operational Mastery for DGS Retail: Gone were the days when the DGS Retail team struggled with cumbersome manual updates. The introduction of the advanced configurator optimized their operational workflow. Adjusting product attributes, pivoting in response to evolving market trends, or launching fresh offerings transformed daunting tasks into streamlined processes. The integration of inventory tracking for the custom shelves’ sub-child products further amplified their efficiency, ensuring they were always in sync with the supply chain and consumer demand.

Issues Encountered

Navigating the complexities of Configurator Integration

• Harmonious Integration with BigCommerce: Integrating the intricate product configurator into BigCommerce, known for its vast array of features, was no small feat. It was imperative that this advanced tool seamlessly mesh with the existing platform, functioning as an organic extension rather than feeling like a tacked-on afterthought.

• In-Depth, Dynamic Customization Layers: Each component of the shelving unit—down to the smallest attribute- demands unparalleled attention. Consider, for instance, the impact of a single shade variation; it could completely transform the product’s appeal. Given the configurator’s ability to offer real-time visuals, previews, and inventory tracking for sub-child products, customization depth and precision became paramount. Every single attribute selection by a customer dynamically interacted with the current inventory, ensuring the designed shelf was not just an idea but a feasible product.
• Pursuit of Flawless Execution through Rigorous Testing: The introduction of any complex tool is rarely without its initial challenges. Given the multifaceted nature of the product configurator, a comprehensive testing phase was indispensable. This phase was dedicated to identifying and rectifying any glitches. This ensured that customers experienced a fluid, intuitive customization journey, from the first click to the final product visualization.

Solutions/Recommendations

Mastering the Configurator: Innovative Solutions by Optimum7

Iterative Development for Dynamic Customization: Optimum7 employed cyclical development processes, ensuring that as each module was assimilated, it was finely tuned for peak performance. This approach was especially pivotal when integrating real-time visual previews and inventory tracking for the sub-child products, ensuring that each customer’s dynamic shelf design was both visually accurate, feasible, and producible based on current stock.

Collaborative feedback with DGS Retail: Staying in close communication with DGS Retail was paramount. Regular feedback sessions ensured that the configurator met but exceeded business objectives. This aligned with the broader vision of delivering an optimized, dynamic shelf customization experience to the end user.

Empowering the DGS Team: Knowledge transfer was vital. To ensure that DGS Retail’s team could capitalize on every advanced feature of the configurator, comprehensive training sessions were conducted. These sessions enabled the team to adeptly manage real-time visuals, inventory checks for the sub-child products, and all other facets of the configurator, ensuring a smooth experience for their customers.

Conclusion

Revolutionizing eCommerce with DGS Retail’s Custom Product Configurator

In the fast-paced world of eCommerce, staying ahead of the curve and meeting consumer demands is crucial. Recognizing this, DGS Retail embarked on an ambitious journey to provide customers with a specialized product page. This was designed specifically for bespoke shelves. The customization offered a rich palette of choices – from selecting the material, defining the specific retail business type, deciding the number of shelves, stipulating unique dimensions, to even picking out the exact shade of color. Personalization depth is rare and commendable.

This case study spotlights the transformative potential of product configurators in today’s eCommerce environment. As highlighted, when executed well, these configurators are not mere digital tools but potent business catalysts. They don’t just enable customization; they elevate the entire shopping experience, translating into tangible benefits like increased sales, operational efficiency, and robust revenue growth. Moreover, with a more interactive and user-friendly design interface, they magnify customer engagement, simplifying the complex ordering process for custom products that traditionally seem daunting to the average consumer.

Innovations often come with challenges. DGS Retail faced a significant hurdle with their custom shelving product, termed the “Shelving Gondola.” Given that it was a composite of various individual items, each with its SKU, amalgamating these into a singular, coherent final product, based on customer preferences, was complex. The underlying configurator had to be smart enough to dynamically combine these sub-products, or child products, based on user-selected attributes like material, number of shelves, and specific dimensions, among others.

Yet, challenges remain to be overcome. With the Optimum7 team’s expertise, this issue was adeptly addressed. Their solution was the development and deployment of a multi-step custom configurator, integrated with an intuitive ordering process. This not only streamlined the customization process but also ensured that every user’s unique vision for their shelf was realized accurately and efficiently.

In essence, DGS Retail’s journey with its custom product configurator epitomizes how eCommerce businesses can innovate, adapt, and thrive. This makes the shopping experience more personalized and efficient for customers.