ESSILOR B2B RETAILER APP
About the project
Essilor Optika Kft. in Hungary wanted to strengthen its relationship with partner opticians and speed up and simplify communication and the flow of business information. The company considered several options before deciding, with ARworks' involvement, on a B2B smartphone app aimed at its partners. The development was preceded by lengthy planning and consultation, since a business-purpose app has different priorities than an app aimed at the general public or a campaign app. It was especially important that the app be logical and comfortable to use, and that it contain information — and present it in a form — that provides real value in day-to-day use. Alongside the app's frontend, we placed great emphasis on making the CMS (Content Management System) interface simple in both appearance and operation, so that Essilor's staff wouldn't run into limitations when they wanted to share new content through the app. As mentioned earlier, the app's main goal is to facilitate everyday communication and the fast, efficient sharing of information with Essilor's partner opticians. Company owners receive the app's download link and a unique password via an invitation email, which they use to log into their own account. After logging in, opticians can continuously and immediately follow the most important Essilor-related news, events, and information, and can communicate directly with their regional representative or with Essilor's marketing department. Owners can share the app's benefits with their staff, who appear in the system as sub-users. Sales Data One of the most important indicators in a company's life is sales data, which Essilor's partners can now follow continuously through the app. The data is available broken down by week, month, and quarter, covering both delivered quantity and the value of goods. By displaying the same period from the previous year, it's possible to identify market trends and analyze changes in sales alike. Contact The two-way communication is mainly served by the call and message functions — without leaving the app, users can place a direct call to their Essilor contact person, or send a message to Essilor's marketing department, which arrives instantly, in a chat-like manner, for the recipient. These functions provide a quick and useful solution in everyday situations, even when not near a computer. Another form of communication is the questions and surveys that can be sent out through the feedback menu, offering a simple way to conduct various surveys and research. The results are available in exportable format in the CMS system for further use. Content Information coming from Essilor is divided into 3 categories within the app, allowing the company to quickly and easily share various news, promotions, and campaigns with partner stores. Users can also sign up for campaigns through the app, which greatly simplifies the previously used email-based sign-up process. Naturally, the list of registrants is also available in the CMS system in this case. CMS Since the content within the app is continuously updated and regular message exchanges take place, it was important to make the CMS admin interface user-friendly, so that its use wouldn't cause any trouble in everyday operations. Not only users but also administrators face an adoption barrier — if the system's structure is cumbersome and complicated, they won't use it, which directly affects the app's usage as well. Our goal was to make their lives easier, not to add an extra burden. To this end, the CMS system was designed to be simple, logical, free of unnecessary features, and equipped with useful elements such as the ability to schedule content publication, automatic updating of sales data, and the option to send group messages. Result In the end, we succeeded in creating an app that offers an effective solution to the needs formulated by Essilor — it helps both the company and its partners in their work, deepens their relationship, and supports the development of loyalty and further business success.
