No off-the-shelf solution was suitable for cloth merchant

Their existing system had been developed over several years and had specific features to how they work and function as cloth merchants. The custom-built system needed a rebuild and key areas of improvement were necessary to future-proof the business. 

A new and improved marketing website was needed to showcase all of their beautiful fabric collections, which customers could login to or register to access multi-level pricing matrixes and discounts. Comprehensive order management functionality was also needed to enable the team to easily organise orders, accounts and fabric stock levels. 

No off-the-shelf solution was suitable for English Cloth so they needed a new system which could retain their custom cloth merchant functions but offer improvements in the long run. 

Working closely with the English Cloth team to identify improvements and streamline processes

We worked closely with the English Cloth team to identify where we could make the system better and streamline processes. Whilst they were very comfortable with their existing ways of working, to grow the business they needed to plan for the future and make some changes, so we had to find a balance between the two. 

A lot of work surrounded the usability of their website and customer login to make it more user-friendly and give both new and prospective customers better tools to buy the fabrics they need. 

On one hand, you had long-standing customers who needed a simple product code entering facility to add fabrics straight to their basket and make repeat purchases quickly. On the other hand, you had prospective customers who would need more guidance. We suggested a more sophisticated fabric filtering system and fabric comparison feature to aid search and decision-making for those looking to browse and compare. 

From a back-end point of view, the team needed the system to work in a very similar way to how their existing system worked. They had specific ways of navigating orders and managing accounts and stock levels, which all had to be configured and built to fit. The ability to print labels, invoices and manage order statuses were all key components of how the system worked as a whole. 

Happy customers, happy staff 

The updated website now makes it very easy for customers, new and old alike, to do what they need to do. As well as being a user-friendly online experience, the English Cloth stories are told, and their fabrics are showcased beautifully to deepen and build the brand. 

Account discounts can be managed with ease by staff so new customers can register quickly and easily to access pricing and ordering facilities specific to them. 

Shipping labels and invoices can be printed quickly, and stock levels are altered automatically to ensure efficiencies are made when it comes to cutting cloth and getting them out of the door. 

This custom cloth ordering system can be built on and grow with the business over time. English Cloth are not tied down to a particular package or set of features, it can be moulded to suit their evolving needs.