Case Studies

An Online Mail Order Catalogue

Our client, an exporter of premium handicrafts, required a solution that would enable them to offer Indian shoppers with the opportunity to shop and order items online. For this purpose they teamed up with Open Source Development. After a detailed study of their requirements we came up with an online mail order catalogue. The solution contained online catalogues of the various products offered by the client, which could be managed at the back-end via the administrator module. Through the mail website shoppers could browse through the details of the products and place orders for the same online.

Customer Profile
Our client, a reputed exporter of premium handicrafts to countries around the world, their product range comprises of home products etc. Their customers include international retail chains as well as the world's leading catalogue marketing companies.

Business Requirements
The client had envisioned introducing to the Indian home, a shopping experience which was only previously available in the West. They desired that the Indian consumer could, from the comfort of their homes, examine, explore, plan, and buy world-class lifestyle products.

An Online Mail Order Catalogue for Lifestyle Product Seekers

Benefits

• Fully customized and administrator driven processes to regulate front-end features.

• Comprehensive access to the product and order information.

• Easy order processing & transaction management.

• Attractive and user-friendly interface

Open Source Development has provided the client with the first Online Mail Order Catalogue in India. The web based solution offers a range of products for and within Servings, Bar, Décor, Games, Office, Bedding, Bath, Juniors etc. The products displayed in their catalogues have either been procured from various countries or have been created in special design centers in India and overseas.

This application is based on a 3 tier architecture.

SOLUTION MODULES
The web application developed by us is highly customer friendly, integrating numerous sections to ensure that Indian customers enjoy a shopping experience that has been available only in developed markets of the West. These sections are:

Products Details Module

• Allows customers to browse through the complete product details which include its title, price (Gross & Net), the company selling the product, how the product has been rated and reviewed, other specifications and any offers related to the product along with other recommended products.

• The Product Detail page contains Recommended Products that are managed through the Admin panel.

• Enables customers to post reviews for the product and add the product into his wish list. Customers can also intimate their friends about the product.

E-mail Notification Module

• Sends an acknowledgement at the time of User registration.

• Sends a mail to with customized links and messages when a User recommends a product to a friend.

• Subscription or un-subscription from newsletters.

• Viewing or changing “My Product Notification” list.

• Sends a notification to the User at the time of order confirmation.

Public Module
The Public Section displays all the products and services offered by the website. Visitors can view and browse through product information, although they need to register before making a purchase.

User Module
This section defines features and functionalities available to registered users. The user section allows registered users to view and modify their profile, view past and pending orders, manage My Wish List and other relevant features.

Administrator Module
This section defines the features available to Administrator of the site. The Administrator can view or modify the content/products/orders and other sections of the site. Updates are made to the E- Commerce database, maintaining data integrity and table consistency.


Technologies used in developing this application are:

                             


Summary
With the help of Open Source Development the client was able to provide Indian consumers with India’s only Lifestyle Mail Order Catalogue. Open Source Development has provided a solution to today’s shopper, where time is in short supply and the prospect of shopping from the comfort of one’s home simply by flipping through a well-designed catalogue suggests a smart move.