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Monthly Archives: October 2015

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IoT for health – a dynamic corporate wellness reward platform

Category : Embedded Blog


When Embitel’s IoT team worked on a brief project for a US-based website two years ago, little did they know the association would turn into a long-term one, and the website would grow by leaps and bounds.

In October 2013, a web-based corporate wellness reward program chose Embitel for a one-time development project. The IoT team completed their task and then presented to the client a series of suggestions and ideas to make the UI better. The client gave Embitel the go ahead, and set the ball rolling.

Shashikumar P., Tech Lead, IoT, Embitel, says the nature of the project means it requires frequent refreshing. “The program offers corporates a platform to collate, monitor and reward efforts by employees towards their own wellbeing,” he explains. “The platform is compatible with a variety of popular fitness tracking devices, or data can be entered manually.” To be able to sync with various trackers, the team implemented various versions and sub-versions of OAuth protocols published by the respective providers. The data, once transmitted, is updated on the platform immediately. The implementation of this immediacy and extensive compatibility keeps the Embitel team on their toes.

“While the platform caters to corporates, we’ve also created an option for a ‘trial account’ that allows people to give it a shot,” says Shashikumar. Though the platform is US-based, it is accessible to members the world over and can support up to 2000 users.

“With rising concern for wellbeing of employees, especially with the belief that happy and healthy employees work better, this platform is very relevant to the times, and we’re glad of this opportunity to work on it,” Shashikumar says. “We’ve made the UI more responsive and easy to use. In fact, we’ve designed the platform so that it doesn’t even look like a third-party service to users—the employer can place his own logo on it.”

The team’s innovation and dedication paid off—from being a one-time project, the client has handed over all his development operations to Embitel.

Know more about Embitel’s IoT and mobility offerings for home automation and ecommerce

If you have any query/feedback, connect with us at sales@embitel.com to set-up a conversation!

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Hybris implementation for a Food and Beverage supplier

A leading Food and Beverage (F&B) supplier collaborated with Embitel for functional and technical support for hybris implementation for its business.

Business challenge:

The supplier required multi-site implementation in multiple languages and operational capability from multiple brick-and-mortar outlets. The other requirement was for various custom functionalities that the wholesaler wished to provide to its customers for ease of bulk shopping.

Embitel ecommerce solution:

  • Development of WCMS for easy content management
  • Improved inventory management and import
  • Use of hybris 5.5 and hybris accelerators for multi-site capabilities
  • Custom development of unique functionalities such as:
    • multiple wish lists
    • wish list reminder on login
    • capability for store employees to place online orders on behalf of customers
    • delivery date selection

Embitel impact:

  • Wider reach through web due to multi-site implementation
  • Ease of business operation and inventory management
  • Range of conveniences offered to customers due to availability of custom functionalities

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Magento Extended (ME) – A proprietary framework designed for faster and better performance

With an increasing number of businesses opting to make an appearance on the web, and many of them choosing Magento platform, Embitel’s Magento Ecommerce team thought it was time to streamline processes for better results.

“For every project, each developer had to download and set up Magento locally on his system, a lengthy process. So if the project required several developers, a whole day would be spent doing only that,” says Manish Narayan, technical manager for Magento at Embitel. And so Magento Extended (E) was conceptualized to solve operational and platform performance-related challenges

Magento E explained, and how it helps

A proprietary DevOps Magento framework, Magento E is deployed through SVN/GIT and can be set up with one command.

With an additional data cache layer and a module of automated merging and minifying JS and CSS script, it leads to a faster page load.

The set up time alone falls from 45 minutes per developer to 15 minutes. Magento E also separates the core and the customizable features, making it easy to install upgrades.

With many such small amendments, Embitel’s Magento E framework makes processes more streamlined. With good data integrity and easy deployment strategies, the result is a product with better stability.

While the advantages of the framework seem to be process-oriented, the fact is ease of use and enhanced efficiency leads to better output and improved project quality.

If you have any query/feedback, connect with us at sales@embitel.com to set-up a conversation!

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Going Omnichannel: 3 Operational Challenges Retailers Face

While stating that omnichannel is the surefire road to success maybe exaggeration, it’s the path retail is taking and consumers expect no less.

Even so, providing a seamless omnichannel experience is a journey that calls for diligent co-ordination between an organization’s tech acumen and detailed business ops planning. Some of the common challenges retailers face when implementing omnichannel are drawn out below.

Inventory integration

Research has shown that buyers like to browse and make purchases online but prefer picking up the product offline, from the store.

Whether this is to save on delivery time or costs, the fact is it throws the retailer’s inventory management haywire. An inventory tracker that functions in the real time and allows the customer access to all inventories is vital to implement this store-pickup feature.

But with the current practice of batch processing, where the inventory updates are not fed in the system at real time but at the end of the business day, is a classic case of legacy operations business hurdle.

Consider this scenario of the omnichannel store-pickup feature: A customer has ordered apparel online and has opted for the store-pickup. But due to the batch processes, the store manager is unable to update the inventory in real time. This leaves the manager clueless as to how he can avoid going out of stock of that item before the online customer turns up at the store.

Even after the drawbacks of legacy systems have been sorted out, it is critical to train the entire sales staff in constant and complete awareness as well as tech management to enable them to use the inventory management system. Even then, the chance of human error is never fully eliminated.

Blurring of Point of Sale (POS)

Your customer walks into your store, browses the products on display and decides to buy one right away. She takes out her cellphone and proceeds to make the purchase online, with a special discount being offered on the app. Then she opts for a pickup from store instead of getting the purse delivered to her. So to which point do you attribute this cross-channel sale? With a tussle like this, how will any channel meet target and justify investment and cost or running?

Customer information integration

When your customer purchases online but walks into your store to initiate exchange or return, how is the transaction to progress without the required billing information? And how do you identify an in-store customer as the one who buys a particular style of shoes from your web store every few months? Customers expect personalization and the same shopping experience across platforms, and if the retailer is unable to offer that due to lack of data, it defeats the purpose of going omnichannel.

There are no textbook solutions to these hurdles; each business will find a different policy suitable to its requirements. But preempting and preparing for these will help you and your business overcome them and emerge successful in winning your customers over.

If you have any query/feedback, connect with us at sales@embitel.com to set-up a conversation!

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The curious case of the Mobile App and the Ecommerce Business Model

With changing customer expectations, and convenience and omnipresence becoming priority, retailers are rapidly developing mobile presence.

 
Mobile-App
 

The arguments are compelling: Gartner research estimates the number of smartphone users to reach 2.16 billion by 2016, with over 268 billion app downloads world over by 2017.

Last year, in India, monthly mobile app download was over 150 million. Studies in the US have shown that shoppers using retailers’ dedicated apps have a conversion rate of 21% higher than those who do not. This is attributed to a more relevant and customized shopping experience.

If you have determined that your business needs justify the time and investment required for development of a mobile app, it is necessary to follow a step-by-step procedure to ensure you derive maximum value.

  • Identifying capabilities of the smart-phone that best suit your business and designing App features accordingly. For instance, phones are equipped with cameras that can be used to scan QR codes, thus facilitating requests or returns. Or phones have sensors that may be used with beacon technology to determine proximity and push in-store offers and new products at real time for maximum conversion.
  • Evaluating the capabilities of the phone and customizing the app to also suit every stage of the buying cycle as well as replicate the in-store shopping experience. While technically these are separate platforms, but to the consumer, it is all the same—different ways to reach the same brand.
  • In order to measure the app’s effectiveness and strive towards a goal, clear-cut and quantifiable business objectives must be drawn up.
  • Now that all the evaluation is complete, it’s time to take action and develop functionality as perceived.
  • It’s imperative to test the functionality before going public—any glitches or shortcomings can be disastrous.
  • After successful testing, it’s time for deployment of the app in stores from where it is easily accessible to the target group.
  • No matter how well-designed your app, it’s of no use if nobody knows about or downloads it. So it is important to market it in the right circles, to the relevant people and encourage customers to install it. Unless there’s a real requirement, customers will not simply install the app, so extra effort must go into this stage.
  • For sustained growth, it’s necessary to measure the effectiveness of the app on various parameters such as ease of use, reaching the right people and data analysis using appropriate tools.

Going mobile isn’t a shortcut to success, it requires sustained attention and effort, but the correct implementation can yield major benefits. With innovations such as geo-tagging and push notifications, retailers can use the mobile app to create a seamless experience right at the fingertips of consumers.

This blog is the work of Anuj Ramachandra, Business Consultant, Ecommerce at Embitel Technologies.

Anuj has eight years of experience across various business functions including digital marketing, market research, business development, strategic business planning and product management with a specific focus on e-commerce and advices several leading Indian and international retailers on their e-commerce strategies.

Anuj can be reached at anuj.r[at]embitel[dot]com

For more information and to know how Embitel Technologies can help you drive your business objectives using e-commerce technologies, contact us at sales@embitel.com

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Magento Developer/Senior Developer Walkin – copy

Category : Uncategorized

Job Position: Magento Developer/Sr Developer

Education : B.Tech/BE/ M.Tech/ MCA

Experience: 1-5 Yrs

Location: White Field, Bangalore

Primary Skills:
  • Should have worked on projects with Magento
  • Will be better if Magento Certified
  • Should have experience in customization, development of new extension on Magento
  • Strong PHP 4 & 5, MySQL, AJAX, CSS, Smarty
  • Strong knowledge of Zend framework, MySQL
  • Familiarity with the SDLC and Scrum Methodologies
  • Familiarity with Web 2.0

Email: hr@embitel.com


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hybris multi-channel and Omni channel implementation for various brands of a leading Indian retail multi-sector conglomerate

Category : Digital Commerce , Others

One of India’s leading retail store conglomerates with outlets in various sectors ranging from fashion, accessories, kids, gifts, sports, household goods and grocery to electronics and more collaborated with Embitel for hybris multi-channel and Omni channel implementation for various brands. The goal was create an efficient and consistent shopping experience while reducing time to market.

Business challenge

Having recognized ecommerce as the next avenue of growth, this conglomerate tested various ecommerce platforms, but none had capability to efficiently manage their vast bouquet of brands and deliver a consistent brand experience across channels.

After functional and business consulting workshops with Embitel, this retail giant decided to collaborate for hybris implementation because of the following key attributes:

  • The retail group already had all their back-end systems built on SAP ERP and Database modules
  • hybris multi-channel, multi-site and omnichannel capabilities present the ideal solution for efficient management of a vast number of brands and future Omni channel business strategy
  • Embitel’s mix of hybris engineering talent and ecommerce consultants along with proven and robust QA and Project Management capabilities (EmbiQ Engagement Model)

Embitel Ecommerce solution

  • Our ecommerce consultants designed an efficient back-end solution architecture by leveraging the capabilities of hybris platform and customized it to the unique business requirements.
  • Based on this customized architecture, a dedicated engineering team developed a back-end service layer that serves as a robust backbone for the design and development of multi-channel web store-fronts (desktop websites, mobile websites and apps) with scope for omnichannel capabilities that can be implemented in the future.
  • Design and development of master Product Catalogs with the respective brand product catalogs along with WCMS integration for the respective brand store-front.
  • Design and development of Native Android and iOS Mobile Apps based on hybris Android SDK to implement multi-channel features.
  • Future implementations to be based on hybris 5.5 platform to leverage recently launched responsive websites capabilities of hybris
Embitel impact
  • Reduced development lead time for web store-fronts of various brands due to common back-end service layer
  • Consistent shopping experience for customers across all channels and brands
  • All brands are perfectly aligned to go the Omni channel way in order to a deliver seamless shopping experience

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Unique connector for Manthan Systems legacy suite and hybris

Category : Digital Commerce

Renowned data analytics provider Manthan Systems had the unique requirement of an accomplished tech provider to build a connector between their legacy suite for consumer behavior analysis and hybris platform. This task required a sound understanding of hybris architecture and strong Java J2EE concepts, which they found Embitel has.

After a consulting workshop with Embitel, Manthan showed confidence and trust in our capabilities in both the areas and this marked the onset of a successful collaboration.

Business challenge
  • To build a connector that facilitates the flow of information to and from Manthan’s legacy suites and hybris platform.
  • The connector had to be designed completely on server side scripting.
  • To enable identification of the browser, OS, and kind of device being used by the consumer.

Embitel Ecommerce solution

  • To build the connector on default hybris site to enable compatibility.
  • To use Java J2EE to suit the client’s requirement of server side scripting.
  • The project was split into two phases: batch feed analysis and real-time analysis.
Embitel impact
  • Enablement of the legacy suite with hybris platform, allowing Manthan a wider customer base in sync with latest technology.
  • Clickstream now possible for hybris platform.
  • Ease of deployment for customer as the connector was built on default hybris site.
  • A secure and reliable connector as there was no scripting from the client side.