Designing and Architecting a new eCommerce platform for a major supermarket

The Challenge

Our client was facing the threat of competition for online point of sales, but its monolithic technology environment, and an inertia for innovation, was holding it back. Furthermore, operational efficiencies were hampered by severe connectivity issues due to the technical infrastructure prevalent across much of Vietnam. The client turned to BCG Platinion to design and architect an MVP that would lead to the launch of a new eCommerce venture, enabling our client to innovate across omnichannel platforms and become a store of the future.

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The Approach

The process began by baselining and reimagining customer journeys across two separate product offerings and two critical personas aligned to the marketing strategy. Digital use cases were subsequently presented to the client, each one prioritized by desirability, viability and feasibility. At the same time, the team developed a new blueprint of the supermarket’s IT architecture that aligned with its operating capabilities and strategic objectives. This included a cloud-first platform for product development, a delivery model based on the business criticality of its services and archetypes for any foundational platform components. In the execution phase, BCG Platinion applied six architectural principles to design an MVP and identified three implementation tracks to establish data models, analytical services and a governance policy.

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The Impact

By augmenting the in-store experience with tech innovation, our client has successfully penetrated the emerging market for eCommerce in SouthEast Asia.

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Looking Into the Future

By building a proprietary platform, on the cloud and following the delivery model for any new MVP, the client has been able to launch lateral products – overcoming its original pushback on any new innovation.