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Technology Consulting
Digital Transformation Strategy
From Legacy Operations to Cloud-Native Commerce
Client
Heritage Retail Co.
Retail / Traditional Business
Duration
12 months
MicroservicesCloud NativeDevOpsAgileReactNode.js
Project Overview
Heritage Retail Co., a 45-year-old brick-and-mortar retailer with 80 physical stores, had no meaningful online presence and was losing market share to digital-first competitors. They engaged us for a comprehensive digital transformation encompassing technology modernization, e-commerce launch, and organizational change management.
The Challenge
Heritage Retail was running on a patchwork of legacy systems including a COBOL-based inventory system, paper-based purchase orders, and zero e-commerce capability. Their technology debt was not just slowing them down; it was threatening their survival as competitors captured their customer base online.
- •COBOL-based inventory system with no API access or integration capability
- •Zero e-commerce presence while competitors captured 40% of market online
- •Paper-based purchase orders taking 2-3 weeks for supplier fulfillment
- •No customer data platform resulting in zero personalization or loyalty programs
- •IT team with legacy skills and no experience in modern development practices
Our Solution
We executed a phased 12-month transformation that modernized their technology stack, launched a full e-commerce platform, migrated to cloud infrastructure, and trained their team in modern development and agile practices.
- Replaced legacy systems with microservices architecture on AWS
- Built and launched full-featured e-commerce platform with omnichannel capabilities
- Migrated 20+ internal systems to cloud-native alternatives
- Implemented customer data platform for personalization and loyalty
- Trained 25+ IT staff in modern development, DevOps, and agile methodologies
Development Process
Discovery & Roadmap
6 weeksConducted comprehensive technology audit, stakeholder interviews, competitive analysis, and created a phased transformation roadmap with clear milestones.
Foundation & Architecture
12 weeksEstablished cloud infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, and microservices architecture while beginning the legacy system decommission plan.
Build & Migrate
24 weeksBuilt the e-commerce platform, migrated systems incrementally, and launched the customer data platform with loyalty program integration.
Optimize & Transfer
6 weeksOptimized system performance, completed team training program, and established ongoing support and continuous improvement processes.
Key Features Implemented
Omnichannel Commerce
Unified online and in-store experience with buy-online-pickup-in-store and real-time inventory
Cloud-Native Architecture
Microservices on AWS with auto-scaling, ensuring 99.9% availability and rapid feature delivery
Customer Data Platform
360-degree customer view powering personalized marketing and a points-based loyalty program
Modern DevOps Practice
CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code, and automated testing enabling daily deployments
Project Results
The transformation repositioned Heritage Retail as a modern omnichannel retailer, reversing years of market share decline and setting the foundation for sustainable digital growth.
400%
Online Growth
Year-one e-commerce revenue growth
91%
System Efficiency
Improvement in operational efficiency
20+
Systems Modernized
Legacy systems replaced or upgraded
Daily
Deployment Frequency
From quarterly to daily releases
“
A year ago, we were a 45-year-old company facing extinction. Today, our online store is our fastest-growing channel, our teams ship features daily, and we actually understand our customers for the first time. This wasn't just a technology project; it saved our business.
Richard Calloway
CEO, Heritage Retail Co.
Technology Stack
frontend
- React
- Next.js
- TypeScript
- Tailwind CSS
- Storybook
backend
- Node.js
- NestJS
- PostgreSQL
- Redis
- Elasticsearch
cloud
- AWS ECS
- AWS RDS
- CloudFront
- S3
- Lambda
devops
- Terraform
- GitHub Actions
- Docker
- Datadog
- PagerDuty
What's Next?
The project continues to evolve with new features and improvements planned:
- Launching mobile app with augmented reality product visualization
- Implementing AI-powered demand forecasting and automated purchasing
- Expanding to marketplace model with third-party seller onboarding
- Building real-time analytics dashboard for store performance benchmarking
Ready to Transform Your Business?
Let's discuss how we can help you achieve similar results.
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