Discovery
Introduction
The project is an e-commerce enterprise portal that is used for ordering construction machinery such as skid steer loaders, excavators etc… The goal was to design the ordering flow for machinery attachments. Attachments are essentially external parts that can be attached/mounted to existing construction machines that add more functionality such as digging, drilling, and removing dirt.
The Problem
The company dealers and third-party dealers cannot easily access information regarding attachments for their machines. The dealers must call a company representative to place an order or inquire about available attachments. This process is tedious, and cumbersome and does not provide enough information about the products.
Solution Statement
Making the process of inquiring and ordering attachments for the dealers easy and independent. To achieve this, we need to add a new section to the existing e-commerce platform that focuses solely on attachments. It includes vital information such as the list of attachments available, the specifications, price, and machine compatibility.
Devices
Desktop(Web App)
Target Users
Primary - The Company Dealers
Secondary - Third Party Dealers
Understanding the users
Due to our clients being in the USA, we in India had limitations in having direct contact with the dealers (target users). Hence, we asked the project stakeholders in the USA to conduct the user interviews on our behalf. You can find the questionnaire we created for the project below.
The Company Dealer
He is a salesman at one of the Company’s machinery showrooms. He oversees the day-to-day functioning of the store such as inventory management and customer interactions
Goals
• To fulfil the customer’s purchase and inquiry requests
• To achieve the monthly sales targets
Tasks
• Managing the inventory of the store
• Placing orders for customers on the web application
• Managing order requests from Third-party dealers
Challenges
Finding it difficult and time-consuming to access information regarding machine attachments
Unable to fulfil customer or third-party dealer attachment order requests due to unavailability of stock
Third-Party Dealer
She is the manager of a Retail store that deals in construction machinery. She manages the store’s inventory, assigns tasks to the salesmen and ensures the smooth functioning of the business
Goals
• To oversee the day-to-day functioning of the dealership store
• To assist customers with product inquiries, purchases, and demonstrations
Challenges
• Finding it difficult and time-consuming to access information regarding machine attachments
• Unable to fulfil customer or third-party dealer attachment order requests due to unavailability of stock
Tasks
• Managing the inventory of the store
• Placing orders for customers on the web application
• Managing order requests from Third-party dealers
Designing the navigation
The company dealer ordering attachment products
The company dealer approving a Third Party Dealer’s order request
A Third Party Dealer submitting an attachment(s) order request
The final product
The Homepage
Product Categories List - find all the attachment categories here
Product Personalization - Including Recently viewed, and Favourites
Product List page
The Product Card - All the information regarding the attachment such as the name, category, price and specifications
Inventory management assistance
Add the product(s) to cart pop-up
To add the attachment to the cart - the dealer must select the compatible construction machine category and the total quantity of purchase
Products added to cart Snack bar
Keeping the users informed - On completing the “add to cart” step, the dealer receives a notification letting them know the product has been added to the cart
The Cart page
Customisable Tracking numbers - To track the orders the dealer can add a custom tracking number a.k.a PO# for each quantity of the order
Request ID details - In case the Company dealer is placing the order on behalf of a Third-party dealer, they can enter their Request ID here to make it easier for them to be updated regarding their order
Shipping Details page
Single or Multiple Shipping Locations - In some cases, the dealers need to ship certain quantities of the same order to multiple addresses. Hence, they have that flexibility here
The process had been made intuitive where they can simply select Add another shipping location and tag the required quantity for that location’s order
This feature also includes auto generation of tracking numbers to save time and effort
Review your Order
All Order information at once! - The Dealer can view all the order information here and select “Submit Order” if everything is in accordance
Order submission confirmation pop-up
On order submission - the dealers get a confirmation immediately letting them know that their order has been sent for approval. They can also jump to the Order History page from here itself
Order History page
Order Segregation - To make the process of tracking orders easier, the dealer can find orders according to the product type, i.e. Equipments or Attachments
Order Details page
Real-Time order status - The Order status is updated in real-time for the dealers to refer to
Individual order quantity information - The Dealer can find all the order information of a single quantity here using the tracking number generated by him during the ordering process
Order Confirmation emailer
After the order has been submitted, the company dealer receives an email letting them know that their order has been confirmed post submission