Marketing Analytics Software Improvement
The Mbicycle dedicated team improved the client’s marketing analytics software by implementing new NFC-based functionality into their current web analytics platform to enhance its feature set.
Client & Context
In this project, Mbicycle cooperated with a company that attends marketing research in the US market. They designed smart equipment for retailers to gather data on the sales of specific products along with the buyers’ behavior. To collect and process this data, our client has also developed a specific web platform that displays data collected by their equipment. This data can be sorted, filtered, and visualized in graphics and charts.
Our company was initially interested in joining this project as we saw the potential of this service. We contacted the client’s representative directly and arranged the meeting. After we discussed our vision of the project’s further development, the client asked us to compile a team of experts from Mbicycle to develop and implement new functionality for their full-fledged marketing analytics software.
Challenges & Requirements
The main requirement was to develop from scratch a new functionality based on QR codes and NFC tags to gather and analyze accurate and complete data about buyers and their preferences. This new functionality had to fit into our client’s existing system for collecting marketing data via other channels and sources. Therefore, our custom development specialists were required to create functionality for gathering and processing data and also design a web interface for administrators who will manage the collected analytical data.
Since we joined an already operating project to enhance it with additional QR and NFC-based features, we needed to research the main infrastructure of this marketing analytics platform. We were required to implement our new functionality taking into account all the settings of the client’s current marketing platform. So, one of the challenges for us was to develop our administrative web panel following the UI of all already existing management panels of other platform’s features.
Process
We at Mbicycle believe that an effective Discovery Phase involves collaboration with various stakeholders and subject matter experts, ensuring all aspects of the improvement are well-understood and meticulously planned. An effectively conducted Discovery Phase leads to a clear roadmap and a well-calculated estimation. We started this project by launching a Discovery Phase for the client to implement all the project features properly. We divided this phase into several stages, as follows:
- Initial Assessment and Planning: Our team conducts an in-depth review of the current client’s software, including its functionalities, strengths, and weaknesses. This helped us in setting clear objectives and defining the scope for further improvement.
- Requirements Gathering: Engaging with stakeholders, users, and current software matter experts to gather their input, understand pain points, and define the critical features needed in the improved software.
- Resource Estimation: Calculating the resources, time, and costs required for implementing the enhancements. Thanks to well-calculated estimates by our experts at this stage, we were able to pick the required workforce, technology, and infrastructure properly.
- Risk Assessment and Mitigation: Identifying potential risks or challenges, such as technology limitations, compatibility issues, or integration problems, and creating strategies to mitigate them.
- Prototyping and Proof of Concept: Creating prototypes or proof of concept (PoC) to validate the proposed enhancements. This phase helped us visualize the changes and gather the project feedback during the implementation process.
To implement the client’s requirements efficiently and develop new software functionality for marketing analytics from scratch, Mbicycle has compiled the most relevant team of the following qualified experts:
- Tech lead
- Project manager
- Business analyst
- 2 Frontend developers
- 2 Backend developers
- 2 QA engineers
The project team followed Scrum as the main development methodology. We divided the entire scope of work into 2-week sprints. At the end of each sprint, the project manager from Mbicycle organized a meeting between the client and the project team to discuss features already implemented and planned. We also conducted a demo for the client once a month or sooner depending on the task implementation progress.
Solution
Marketing analytics software that leverages QR codes and NFC tags to gather data about customers plays a crucial role in modern marketing strategies. With this in mind, our team designed the proper software ecosystem to collect data from QR codes and NFC tags about different buyers’ characteristics. When customers interact with these codes or tags using their smartphones or other devices, our software captures information related to the interaction. To get the most out of this marketing analytics solution for the client, we equipped our part of the software with the following features:
- Customer Profiling: It analyzes the collected data to create detailed customer profiles. These profiles include information such as customer demographics, behavior, preferences, and the frequency of interactions. This allows businesses to better understand their audience.
- Behavior Tracking: The software tracks customer behavior in real-time. It records actions such as website visits, product scans, or location check-ins. This helps businesses identify patterns and trends in customer engagement.
- Data Processing: After collecting data, the software processes it to extract actionable insights. It can identify which marketing campaigns or touchpoints are most effective in driving customer engagement and conversions.
- Segmentation: Users of our software may segment customers into groups based on various criteria, such as demographics, purchase history, or behavior. These segments can help in creating targeted marketing campaigns later.
- Personalization: With the insights gained, the software enables businesses to personalize marketing messages and offers. This personalization increases the relevance of marketing content, which can lead to higher conversion rates.
- Reporting and Visualization: One of the key functions of this software is to generate reports and visualizations displayed in the specific administration panel. It creates graphs, charts, and dashboards to represent data in a comprehensible manner. This makes it easier for marketers to interpret the information and make informed decisions.
- Campaign Optimization: Our marketing analytics software helps businesses optimize their marketing campaigns. It provides recommendations on which campaigns to continue, modify, or terminate based on performance data.
- ROI Measurement: By tracking customer interactions and conversions, businesses can measure the return on investment (ROI) for their marketing efforts using our app functionality. This is crucial for assessing the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.
As a solution for this project, our experts improved the client’s marketing analytics software with features that utilize QR codes and NFC tags, providing users with a powerful tool for gathering, processing, analyzing, and visualizing customer data. It empowers businesses to make data-driven marketing decisions, improve customer engagement, and enhance the overall effectiveness of their marketing campaigns.
Technologies & Tools
Architecture
MVP
Frontend
React
Backend
Java
Third-party library APIs
PostgreSQL, Hibernate, AWS, Docker, Jenkins, REST API, Google Analytics API
Results
We managed to implement from scratch all the required functionality to improve the client’s marketing analytical platform. It required our team about five months of close-knit cooperation with the client to implement their requirements properly. We also conducted an effective Discovery Phase for this project to ensure a clear roadmap and a well-calculated estimation.
At the moment, we have completed enhancing the client’s current app with data-gathering features based on QR codes and NFC tags and conducted a demo for the client with all the initially stated functionality. The client was completely satisfied with the results of our work and has already asked our team to evaluate the second phase of the project, which will include improving and expanding the functionality of the current service.
We understand that continuous innovation and processing user feedback are essential to maintaining a competitive edge in the marketing analytics market. Along with our client, we will be working on regular updating and enhancing these implemented features based on user needs and industry trends to stay ahead of the competition.
