RIVER ISLAND: THE FIRST STEP IN A COMPOSABLE COMMERCE JOURNEY
ABOUT RIVER ISLAND
River Island is a popular fashion brand renowned for its stylish and affordable clothing, catering to men, women, and children. With a rich history dating back to 1948, River Island has become synonymous with trendy designs and contemporary fashion. The brand's collections feature a diverse range of clothing, including chic dresses, tailored suits, casual denim, and fashionable accessories. River Island is known for its ability to capture the latest trends and translate them into accessible and wearable pieces, ensuring that customers can effortlessly express their personal style. With its combination of quality craftsmanship, fashion-forward aesthetics, and accessible price points, River Island continues to be a go-to destination for fashion-conscious individuals seeking on-trend and affordable attire.
THE CHALLENGE
As River Island looked to the future, it became clear that their commerce platform was acting as a bottleneck. Introducing new features or making updates was taking too long, slowing down their ability to innovate. More than just the delay, this meant a significant drain on resources for a system that wasn't delivering optimal returns. Recognising this challenge, River Island decided to kick off their transition from .Net to commercetools by first focusing on the checkout. They aimed for the new checkout experience to mirror the old one to ensure customers encountered a familiar interface. Simultaneously, the brand chose to shift their payment gateway from Adyen to Stripe. The goal wasn’t just about modernising; it was crucial to maintain a seamless user experience throughout. With these strategic updates, River Island is taking steps to align with the latest technology trends, aiming to boost operational agility, encourage faster innovation, and lay the groundwork for their full transition to a MACH architecture.
THE SOLUTION
Cabiri, leveraging our vast experience in delivering composable commerce projects, partnered with River Island to reshape the brand's digital commerce landscape. This partnership was a synergy of Cabiri’s expertise, enriched with lessons learned and best practices from previous projects, and River Island's profound understanding of their brand's nuances, customer preferences, and market dynamics.
While River Island offered a deep insight into their operations and customer expectations, Cabiri introduced proven methodologies and a reservoir of knowledge from past successful ventures. Together, they embarked on the intricate task of meshing diverse systems, including Stripe, Talon, SVC, Global-e, and Metapack, ensuring seamless product and fulfilment processes.
Beyond the technical elements, there was an emphasis on collaboration and knowledge sharing. Cabiri and River Island's frontend team joined forces not only on development but also to guarantee a comprehensive knowledge transfer, preparing River Island's team for the journey ahead post-transition.
A significant challenge was orchestrating the handover from the .Net system to the new checkout platform. This meant ensuring a consistent customer experience as they navigated unaware between the platforms, with the utmost importance placed on real-time data synchronisation.
While much of the transformation effort was directed towards the new system, River Island's original commerce platform was intentionally left as-is. This decision was strategic; by focusing on the checkout migration first, they adopted a strangulation approach to migration, ensuring a gradual transition over a 'big-bang' overhaul. The agile methodology underpinned their efforts, with sprints, continuous refinements, and feedback loops guiding them towards achieving River Island's visionary goals.
Rob Brown
“Cabiri was the driving force behind our tech vision of moving to a MACH architecture. They were collaborative and worked with us through every stage of the project, partnering to make decisions that fit in with our roadmap and the ecosystem. It was quick and easy to leverage and extended our new commerce platform for self-serve POS in 6 weeks.”
THE FUTURE
Following their partnership with Cabiri, River Island's next major step is the full migration from their legacy .Net system to the new commerce platform. This transition is not just about embracing the latest technology; it's a strategic move expected to yield significant cost savings. Decommissioning outdated systems will reduce maintenance costs and challenges, leading to more efficient resource allocation.
Moreover, with the new platform in place, River Island's product ownership department anticipates faster feature rollouts. The new infrastructure allows for more agile development, positioning the brand to introduce innovative customer-centric enhancements swiftly.
In essence, River Island is set to optimize costs and enhance their digital offerings, ensuring the brand remains a forerunner in the dynamic retail sector.