Building a B2B webshop MVP from scratch with agile methods

We set out to create a new webshop from scratch using a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) approach. Our common goal with Finn-ID was to increase digital sales by creating a B2B webshop with only the most value-creating features.

Webshop features need to be considered from two perspectives 1) what makes buying easy for the B2B customer and 2) how to make the daily duties convenient for the involved shopkeeper and salespeople.

Other important objectives for the webshop were to increase the service level of customer service in digital channels, improve customer experience and free sales managers’ time from selling basic inventory products and spare parts.

Our approach

After carefully scoping the project, we found out that the most suitable technology to suit the need was WordPress platform and WooCommerce. Nevertheless, before writing a single line of code, we needed to clarify the digital sales vision with all important stakeholders. The business objective and context were thought out in the workshop in a “war room” setting.

It was clear that the webshop would not be merely a development project but an important piece of Finn-ID growth strategy.

After setting the business goals for the webshop, we focused on customer experience. Finn-ID’s sales and marketing gave the designers insights into the current customers and their most common needs. Based on this data, we clarified 5 of the most important personas for the webshop.

Personas were defined for both the webshop’s end users and internal users, their most pressing problems and created the actual user stories. Important questions were: Who is the customer? What are her goals? What is the most critical information to her? Besides the core ecommerce functionalities, what to include in the webshop MVP?

The important questions were answered in the form of a concrete list of development items: the MVP backlog. After a few visual and layout designs, we began the full stack development of the webshop at Finn-ID’s facilities. The technical implementation was done with agile methodologies and an open-door policy, allowing all important stakeholders to pop in, test and iterate the webshop throughout the whole project.

Impact

The B2B webshop was conceptualised, designed and developed from scratch to a live MVP version during eight calendar weeks. True to agile methodology, we were live and had real product data in the store from day 1. Columbia Road helped with manual product enrichment processes to bring the product data up to the MVP’s level from a customer’s perspective.

We continue to work with Finn-ID on the webshop, iterating the MVP further based on analytics and customer feedback, as well as supporting the digital marketing for the webshop.

✓ B2B Webshop MVP from scratch on WooCommerce

✓ Holistic approach, including business goals, customer focus and internal roles

✓ Ramping up digital sales operations quickly with minimal waste

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