Insights

Applying Solutions: What were the steps taken to reach our goals? What were the strategies used? What was the process like?

1. Project scoping

• Identifying all use cases of the platform

During the early stages of the project, Ayala established multiple high-level requirements that the platform needed to meet. These factors are as follows:

• • The front-end must be accessible through both web and mobile

User accessibility remains a priority for the ZingMall platform. As such, shoppers must have smooth access to it on both website and mobile platforms.

• • The back-end must be accessed via laptop and tablets

Merchants should have easy access to the ZingMall through various devices. It will enable a more convenient way to use inventory management and other essential features in the platform.

• • Both the front-end and back-end must be integrated

Any changes made by merchants related to the product must apply to the front end. Subsequently, orders from shoppers must flow seamlessly to the back-end for order processing. 

• • There must be a content management system

The ideal content management system should allow the Ayala team to make significant changes to the platform. Some examples include:

• • • The photos used in each banner of the home page
    • The layout of all banners
    • The merchants featured on the home page
    • The external links (e.g., footers)
    • The notification templates (email and SMS)
  • The platform must mirror offline shopping in an online setting

Users are encouraged to select a mall they want to shop in and search through the available products listed to imitate offline shopping. Through this, the customer can now window shop for items they might want to purchase. 

• • Payment disbursements to merchants and stakeholders must be automated

The selected payment gateway must automatically send the appropriate amounts under a specified function. It allows the platform to distribute the proper sum to the merchant, third-party logistics (3PL), Ayala, and etaily, the eCommerce enabler.

• • The platform must have multiple 3PLs

Given the timeframe for processing orders, there must be multiple integrations with 3PLs to ensure that deliveries can be booked within a short period. In this case, there must be a minimum of three 3PL providers.

• • Other key features determined during project scoping:
    • Single Sign-On (SSO) – Users already signed in on Zing, Ayala’s app, should not need to log in again when checking out items via ZingMall. 
    • In-platform customer support – Customers should conveniently access a customer support agent within the application.
    • Location-based inventory – Merchants must tag their stock to a specific location or branch. This feature will allow customers to find products nearby more easily. 
    • Multiple and specific user roles – Tasks are segmented according to brand admin, branch admin, and clerk positions. Merchants must have one of three available user roles assigned.
    • Voucher and promotion management – Merchants should be given access to create their own vouchers and markdowns. Users may use this to claim promotional prices and discounts on the shopper’s portal. 
    • Reporting and dashboards -Merchants should have readily available dashboards that present their current metrics. They can view branch and brand performance here.
    • Cross-mall ordering – Users should access other malls and shop for products they need. It allows them to expand their search beyond their local areas.

• • • Cross-merchant ordering – Users should have access to multiple merchants under one mall. The items must be consolidated and delivered by a single rider to minimize delivery fees.

• Listing down all user stories that needed to be developed

In its development stages, etaily and Ayala discussed each possible user story for the minimum viable product. The team set the user’s intention to flow in every application section. Factors in this step included browsing, adding items to their cart, and checking out.

Each user story listed also required acceptance criteria, which acted as the basis for the development team for each feature. Below is an example: 

• Preparing documents to support merchant operations

To better support the features of ZingMall, the development team created standard operating procedures (SOPs) and other documents. The ground team would utilize this to support the following mechanical operations:

• • Creating flow charts and drafting SOPs for each

The platform will outline single merchant orders, cross-merchant, cross-mall, orders for delivery, and other types of transactions. It will help support on-ground team operations and allow order processing to go smoothly.

The SOPs will also cover how to handle negative scenarios like being unable to book a rider for delivery and having a customer order an out-of-stock item in the store.

• • Developing merchant rules and regulations

Merchants must adhere to the rules when they opt into the ZingMall platform. These specify the minimum preparation and ship-out time along with other shop requirements. 

• • Devising customer support knowledge base

This base is a consolidated list of 26 frequently asked questions (FAQs) that may arise from the customer’s side. Merchants will use the establishment of this document to help lessen the number of tickets submitted to customer service.

2. Platform development

• Developing code based on user stories identified

The development team used the Scrum methodology to conceptualize and implement each feature in the ZingMall. This process required creating wireframes that would map out how the user interface and experience would be. Once established, this would be used as a guide to writing the code up to certain specifications. 

• • Paynamics

Paynamics was a payment method the platform provided to aid in automated disbursements. It included options such as credit cards, debit cards, e-wallets, and cash-on-delivery. 

• • 3PLs

A comparative analysis found that out of eight same-day delivery 3PLs identified. Three were to be prioritized: Lalamove, Grab, and Borzo. These factors were based on their supply of riders, competitive shipping fees, and reliability. 

• • Zing

Zing app integration was necessary to address the SSO requirement. It was also one of the many factors worked on by the development team. 

• User acceptance testing (UAT) 

Once the developed code has undergone quality assessment and quality check, the team has moved to the UAT process. Each feature is tested under multiple scenarios to see how it will react to positive and negative actions. 

A total of 378 UAT cases were established over two weeks, including the time needed to remedy issues that did not pass the process.

• Vulnerability assessment and penetration testing (VAPT)

VAPT focuses on the platform’s security as a whole. In this stage, the team partnered with RedRock.io to mimic the movements of cybercriminals in a live environment. Weak points were identified through this process, tagged as severe, high, medium, low, and informational risks. 

Throughout this phase, the team did not identify any severe, high, or medium risks before launching the platform. It took around three weeks to complete, which includes the remediation time. 

• Live testing

After passing the VAPT, the platform underwent live testing to simulate real-life scenarios. Test cases account for single merchant orders, cross-merchant orders, and cross-mall orders with varying fulfillment methods. It is done in a live environment where the public site is accessible to all. 

• Go/No-go testing 

This stage was a meeting with the Ayala team, where we discussed issues during the live testing. Major conflicts involved payments not pushing through, inability to book riders, and order status not updating as they should. 

3. Operations preparation

• Hiring of ZingMall operations manager 

Parallel to the platform development, preparations for the on-ground mall operations were also being made to support merchants and fulfill the two-hour order processing promise.

The operations manager monitors the fulfillment times and handles backlogs and 3PL concerns. They would also be assigned to address merchant concerns and manage mall runners. 

• Hiring of ZingMall runners

Mall runners will pick up items in an order, which can come from multiple merchants in one mall. The products will be consolidated and handed over to one rider to prevent multiple deliveries and fees. 

• Constructing consolidation areas in participating malls

Each mall with an on-ground team will establish a ZingMall kiosk or consolidation area. It will be set as a point where orders are picked up. The operations manager will also be stationed here, so they are easily reachable and can provide support anytime.

• Training of merchants 

An extensive onboarding process was done to ensure that all participating merchants were prepared, which was split into the following parts:

• • ZingMall orientation

The merchant head office undergoes an online orientation where various points are discussed. Merchants must upload a master list of all stock-keeping units (SKUs) in bulk to establish their ZingMall store.

Other details such as product images, banners, and user information were also required. It is to help establish their online stores properly and network them to a designated e-wallet where disbursements will be made. 

• • ZingMall store setup

The setup process covers how a merchant can upload various information and data to their store. It includes the user creation process, product upload, and order fulfillment roles. 

• • In-store operations

A physical demo shows how merchant staff should manage their ZingMall operations. A run-through shows workers how they can update inventory and fulfill orders. 

Currently, the team is averaging an onboarding rating of 9.8/10, which can be highly attributed to the sessions’ extensive training decks, videos, and direct group chats that help address any concerns about becoming a part of the ZingMall.