B2B marketplace and custom development

B2B marketplace digitized the FMCG brick-and-mortar leader

M/store is a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) platform that moves brick-and-mortar commerce between retailers and wholesalers into the eCommerce world. This allows shop managers to access a wider assortment of goods on more preferable terms. Distributors can manage their offers and orders directly from the platform or connect their systems via API.

COMP Platforma Usług is a technology company specializing in retail solutions and network security. With over 28 years of experience, it’s one of the largest integrators of IT solutions on the Polish market. They combine proprietary products with solutions offered by other producers of equipment and software.

Why were we asked to help?

The main challenges for the M/store marketplace are similar to those faced when building digital solutions in any B2B that has been using analog and offline solutions:

- Building a marketplace that enables retailers to get their goods on the best possible terms and helps them create a new online sales channel.

- Integrating with the customer relationship management (CRM) system and databases of technology-first distributors while taking into account the needs of smaller retailers who aren’t digitized at all.

- Creating a bulletproof, friendly, and intuitive interface that encourages everyone to join the digital revolution that has begun for the industry and doesn’t exclude even the least technically-minded retailers.

How did we tackle the tech?

14 experts

14 interdisciplinary experts introduced us to the FMCG industry to discover the needs of customers and the challenges they face.

 

10-week discovery

A 10-week discovery phase led us to create personas and user stories that were later defined as key features in the M/store platform.

 

24 UX testers

24 users engaged in user experience (UX) research, including in-depth interviews with end users and prototype user testing.

It took 7,000 hours of work from 12 fearless people to gather the knowledge in the discovery phase and then turn it into the final version of the solution. The challenge was not to build a marketplace that would handle 20,000 distributors and 50,000 retailers. It was creating a system that would serve them both as equals.

Even at this moment, we are in constant communication with the client and we keep on improving the platform. This includes close cooperation with domain experts, UX designers, and testers. We are one expanded team and we are very proud of what we continue to achieve.

Adam Opaliński

Senior Business Analyst at Cloudflight

What did we achieve?

Main features for distributors:

 

  • General product information imported from data providers, like Wisebase, Nielsen, and Brandbank, to provide updated and coherent product data for all distributors.
  • Managing information about the products they want to sell.
  • Defining trade conditions, including shipment options and payment methods.
  • Creating discounts and special offers to attract new customers or build better relations with their long-term business partners.
  • Managing orders directly or using an API to connect to internal systems.
  • Developing new sales channels and digitalizing the process.


The retailers who can view offers from distributors on the platform look for a wide product portfolio and also for delivery and payment conditions suitable for them. They often operate on small margins, so it’s vital for them to find the best offer and maintain the continuity of supply.

 

Main features for retailers:

 

One panel to manage all shops, orders, and the business network.

  • Browsing assortments from all distributors that provides access to a wider range of products.
  • Unique cart feature to transform shopping lists into orders.
  • An artificial intelligence (AI) engine that suggests how to make an order in an optimized and efficient way.
  • Getting discounts and monitoring special offers.

An integrated approach

We use an integrated approach. We know how to delve into business processes, research the market, prioritize hypotheses, conduct tests, draw the right conclusions, and design the best solutions.

Our clients

We work with the largest eCommerce companies in the world. We create new products for them and improve existing ones. Our goal is to open new digital solutions for business and improve the user experience with the product.

By creating M/store, Cloudflight and COMP are digitalizing the crucial part of the distribution process in the FMCG industry. This platform enables us to develop business relations on a scale that was never possible before."

Grzegorz Podziewski

Vice President at Comp Platforma Usług