case study in retail

Project Overview:

• Goal: Launch new B2C e-commerce platforms in six APAC countries with a focus on fast rollouts and scalability.

• Teams Involved: Foot Locker’s internal IT and business teams, Data Duke’s development team, and third-party system vendors.

• Timeline: 6 months.

• Challenge: Seamless integration of multiple third-party systems while ensuring fast, scalable rollouts and agile workflows that could adapt to changing requirements.

• Outcome: Successfully launched six B2C platforms within six months, with no hotfixes required and improved team transparency and process efficiency.

The Challenge

Foot Locker, a global leader in athletic footwear and apparel, aimed to expand its digital footprint in the APAC region by launching new e-commerce platforms across six countries. The challenge was immense, requiring the coordination of multiple third-party systems, including payment gateways, logistics providers, and CRM solutions, all while adhering to tight timelines.

The key to success was ensuring these systems were flawlessly integrated, allowing for rapid rollouts while maintaining flexibility for future updates. Foot Locker's management emphasized the need for an agile process, capable of scaling quickly with additional manpower, features, or change requests. The goal was to release new versions continuously without disrupting the overall system, ensuring that each launch met country-specific requirements and maintained platform stability.

The Approach

Data Duke was chosen to lead the project, tasked with managing both the technical complexities of system integration and the operational demands of fast rollouts. A comprehensive analysis was conducted to assess the existing infrastructure and identify potential roadblocks in the integration of Foot Locker’s internal systems with third-party vendors.

Data Duke implemented an agile framework that allowed for iterative development and rapid adaptability. With a two-week sprint cycle, teams were able to maintain momentum while regularly refining the approach based on real-time feedback from stakeholders. To handle the complexity of integrating numerous third-party systems, a modular architecture was developed. This allowed for separate components to be worked on independently, minimizing dependencies and ensuring flexibility.

The system’s scalability was a core focus. With the ability to quickly add resources or adjust to new requests, Data Duke ensured that the project could grow alongside the expanding scope. Cloud-based infrastructure was employed to manage the increased demand across different countries, ensuring that the platform could handle diverse user needs and traffic spikes.

Overcoming Integration and Release Management Challenges

The project’s primary technical hurdle was the integration of various third-party systems, all of which had to communicate seamlessly with Foot Locker’s SAP backend and e-commerce platform. Each APAC country required a different set of payment processors, shipping providers, and customer management systems, meaning that a one-size-fits-all solution wouldn’t suffice.

Data Duke tackled this challenge by employing robust automated testing, combined with manual QA, to ensure each system worked in harmony with the others. These tests ran throughout the development process, allowing the team to identify and address integration issues early. Continuous integration (CI) practices were also used to ensure that the different parts of the system were always up to date and synchronized, preventing any last-minute surprises before launch.

The complexity of managing multiple country-specific versions of the platform was also addressed through careful version control and release management strategies. With each new rollout, teams ensured that changes were implemented incrementally, which allowed for a smooth transition between releases while ensuring that all regulatory and compliance requirements for each market were met.

Agile Process and Scalability

Data Duke’s agile process proved vital for scaling the project as new requirements emerged. Regular sprint reviews and retrospective sessions ensured that Foot Locker's management had full visibility into the project's progress, allowing them to quickly make informed decisions about resource allocation or adjustments in focus.

The modular architecture supported a dynamic and scalable workflow, enabling the addition of features or manpower without disrupting the overall system. Teams were able to onboard new developers quickly as needed, thanks to the well-structured and clear development environment. This approach was instrumental in ensuring that each new market’s platform was delivered on time, despite the tight deadlines and complex system integrations.

Moreover, the process allowed for fast implementation of new feature requests. As Foot Locker’s management identified additional needs or refinements, Data Duke was able to incorporate these into the ongoing work without slowing down the broader rollout schedule.

Results and Business Impact

The project resulted in the successful launch of Foot Locker’s B2C e-commerce platforms in six APAC countries within the targeted six-month timeline. The most impressive outcome was that no post-launch hotfixes were required, a rare feat in large-scale e-commerce rollouts. This was achieved through the meticulous planning and testing of the third-party integrations, ensuring system stability from the outset.

Team transparency increased significantly throughout the project. With agile processes and clear communication channels, Foot Locker’s leadership gained greater insight into the development process, helping them to make timely decisions that kept the project on track.

Foot Locker also saw a dramatic improvement in the efficiency of the release rollout process. Each country’s platform went live seamlessly, thanks to the well-coordinated efforts of the development teams and the scalable infrastructure in place. This not only allowed Foot Locker to meet its business objectives but also laid the groundwork for future growth across the APAC region and beyond.

Conclusion

Data Duke’s partnership with Foot Locker to expand its B2C e-commerce operations in the APAC region was an unequivocal success. By adopting an agile, scalable approach, Data Duke was able to meet the project’s tight deadlines while overcoming the significant technical challenges posed by multi-country rollouts and complex third-party integrations.

The project delivered not only six new B2C platforms on time but also ensured a level of quality that required no hotfixes after launch. With increased team transparency and an efficient release management process, Foot Locker is well-positioned to continue expanding its digital presence in other regions, supported by a scalable and reliable e-commerce infrastructure.