Overview

A prominent high-street retailer, looking to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of their visual merchandising strategy, identified a gap in how merchandising packs were shared and accessed by their regional, area, and store manager colleagues. The retailer also had valuable data residing in a preceding Ascend project that needed to be incorporated seamlessly.

Ascend developed a cutting-edge web-app tailored to the retailer’s unique requirements. This application dynamically pulled data from the previous Ascend project via a REST API, ensuring consistent and real-time access to visual merchandising packs. One of the standout features was the integration with Microsoft 365 for authentication. By allowing users to log in using their existing Microsoft 365 accounts, the platform ensured a familiar and secure entry point. Furthermore, an Azure app was crafted to delegate control to the client’s IT team, enabling them to manage user access effortlessly and without the need or involvement of Ascend.

The web-app wasn’t merely a data-viewing platform. Users were empowered to upload content directly, be it notes or photos from their store visits, fostering a collaborative and comprehensive ecosystem. Additionally, it provided easy access to critical information, such as colleague details or specific store data, further streamlining operations.

The web-app was hailed as a game-changer for the retailer’s visual merchandising strategy. Managers reported a marked increase in efficiency, with timely access to merchandising packs and collaborative features enhancing on-ground implementation. The IT team, with the Azure app at their disposal, could manage access without external dependencies. This project, by fusing existing data with new-age functionality, propelled the retailer to the forefront of digital innovation in high-street retailing.

What we did