#01 Business Vision

• For retailers & e-commerce brands: The primary business objectives included achieving higher customer retention by enabling users to actively manage and explore their digital wardrobes, thereby encouraging repeat purchases. It aimed to drive increased engagement and sales through features such as social sharing of purchased items, generating organic traffic, and facilitating referrals. Another business goal was to introduce a new revenue stream by establishing a second-hand resale market, aligning with a sustainable business model. Furthermore, the project aimed to provide data-driven insights through detailed analytics on customer preferences, optimizing product recommendation engines, and marketing strategies.
• For fashion consumers: The app was designed to offer personalized shopping experiences, allowing users to track past purchases, find similar styles, and receive AI-driven suggestions. It aimed to facilitate social interaction, enabling customers to follow others, explore diverse wardrobes, and discover trending fashion pieces. Most importantly, it promoted a circular fashion model, empowering users to resell pre-owned clothing directly from their digital wardrobes, fostering sustainability in e-commerce.
• Ecological aspect: Beyond the business benefits, a core ethos of the Loopwardrobe.app was environmental responsibility. The project aimed to combat textile waste by giving garments a second life, rather than discarding them when a user no longer desired them. It also aimed to connect people with items they'd discovered, using image analysis to find identical or similar products in other Loop-connected stores, further promoting reuse and sustainable consumption.

#02 Business and Technical Obstacles

Translating this ambitious vision into a functional Shopify application came with several significant technical and business hurdles:

• Shopify post-purchase page limitations: One of the key challenges was Shopify's inherent limitations on modifying order confirmation pages. Displaying the Loop widget, which allows users to log their newly purchased items into their digital wardrobe immediately after checkout, was a vital user experience requirement. However, Shopify's strict policies on these pages posed a major architectural constraint that needed to be circumvented.
• Data requirements and API gaps: The Shopify platform required additional specific information for the application's smooth operation, which was not readily available from existing data sources. This necessitated the development and integration of supplementary APIs to accurately retrieve and deliver the required data to Shopify, ensuring comprehensive data flow and functionality.
• Existing code incompatibility: The Loop application's core logic and widget had been previously developed as a WooCommerce plugin. Shopify's environment did not permit the direct re-use of this existing code, particularly on the highly restricted post-purchase page. This meant that the existing functionalities had to be re-engineered and re-implemented using Shopify-compatible technologies and methods.

#01 Project Planning

Netkodo's project execution followed a structured methodology to ensure efficiency and meet business goals:

• Analysis: We began with a thorough analysis of the business objectives and the existing WooCommerce plugin, understanding its core functionalities and architectural nuances. This enabled us to strategically plan how to adapt and enhance these features for Shopify's unique environment.
• Planning: Following the analysis, the project was broken down into distinct, manageable stages. This detailed planning phase ensured clear objectives, resource allocation, and a streamlined workflow.
• Implementation: Our development team then proceeded with the coding and integration work, building the application from scratch to meet Shopify's specific requirements.
• Testing: Rigorous testing was conducted throughout the development lifecycle to ensure the application's stability, performance, and adherence to all functional specifications. This included comprehensive QA for user experience across various devices.
• Shopify App Store publication support: Netkodo provided extensive assistance throughout the process of publishing the Loopwardrobe.app on the Shopify App Store, navigating the platform's guidelines and requirements to ensure a smooth launch.

#02 Key Solutions

The most significant challenges—Shopify's post-purchase page limitations and data integration complexities—were addressed with tailored solutions:

• Shopify Checkout Extension: To bypass Shopify's strict policies on order confirmation pages, we leveraged the Shopify Checkout Extension. This solution, combined with Shopify's dedicated library, allowed our team to reconstruct the Loop widget and its intricate logic directly within the post-purchase flow. As a result, we ensured that users could easily add their newly purchased items to their digital wardrobe immediately after checkout.
• Custom API integration: Recognizing that Shopify required specific data not readily available, we developed and integrated supplementary APIs to meet its needs. These custom APIs were designed to accurately retrieve and deliver all necessary information to the Shopify platform, ensuring a comprehensive data flow and the smooth operation of the application.

#03 Core Features of the Loop App

The resulting Loopwardrobe.app is a feature-rich solution designed to enhance the e-commerce experience for both retailers and consumers:

• E-commerce integration: The app is a plug-and-play internal solution built for Shopify and custom e-commerce platforms, designed to require minimal technical effort for business partners and retailers. Its API-based architecture ensures smooth, real-time data synchronization between store inventory and user wardrobes.
• AI-Powered wardrobe management: Customers can automatically log their purchased items through a dedicated widget, creating a dynamic digital fashion archive. Leveraging AI algorithms, the app suggests similar products, significantly increasing cross-sell and upsell opportunities for retailers.
• Social shopping and follower engagement: Users are empowered to share their digital wardrobes, follow fashion influencers, and gain style inspiration based on real product data. Built-in social commerce mechanics enhance brand visibility through user-generated content, fostering a vibrant community.
• Pre-owned sales and sustainable fashion: A cornerstone of the app's sustainable mission, customers can list and resell second-hand clothing directly from their digital wardrobe. This feature actively promotes a circular economy and increases customer lifetime value.
• Data and analytics for retailers: The app provides invaluable insights into customer purchase behaviors, identifying most-followed wardrobes and analyzing resale trends. This data enables brands to optimize their inventory strategy and personalize marketing campaigns more effectively.

#04 Technologies, Integrations, and Tools Used

We utilized a robust technology stack to deliver a high-performance and scalable solution:

• Backend: Ruby on Rails, Docker for containerization, and AWS (Amazon Web Services) for cloud infrastructure, ensuring scalability, security, and high availability.
• E-commerce platform integration: Deep integration with Shopify was achieved through the use of the Shopify API and the Shopify Checkout Extension.
• Frontend: React was employed for developing the interactive and responsive user interface components, particularly within the Shopify Checkout Extension.
• Architectural principles: The solution adopted an API-first approach for compatibility across various e-commerce platforms. It relies on a cloud-based infrastructure for handling high user traffic. AI and machine learning drive its recommendation engines, while mobile-optimized UX/UI ensures an excellent experience across all devices. Data privacy and security compliance were paramount, adhering to GDPR and global data protection standards.

#05 Project Timeline and Team

The entire project, from initial analysis to app store publication support, was successfully completed within 3 months. Our dedicated team, comprising two skilled developers and one experienced Project Manager, ensured efficient collaboration and timely delivery.

#01 Business Outcomes

The strategic implementation of Loopwardrobe.app yielded several key business benefits for retailers and the overall circular fashion ecosystem:

• Increased customer engagement and sales: By enabling users to engage deeply with their purchased items through a digital wardrobe, the application fosters a stronger connection to the brand. This personalized experience, which includes AI-driven recommendations and the ability to track and manage purchases, fosters a higher degree of customer loyalty. Users who actively manage their wardrobes are significantly more likely to return to the store and make additional purchases, resulting in improved conversion rates, increased repeat purchases, and a stronger brand affinity—all vital for fostering long-term customer relationships and driving overall revenue growth.
• Increased second-hand market revenue: The direct integration of a second-hand resale market within the app empowers retailers to tap into the growing resale economy. By facilitating peer-to-peer sales from digital wardrobes, retailers can earn commissions from pre-owned sales, opening up a valuable new revenue stream.
• Data-driven growth: The analytics capabilities of the Loop app provide retailers with predictive insights into customer purchase behaviors, identify popular wardrobes, and track resale trends. This invaluable data empowers brands to optimize their inventory strategies, personalize marketing campaigns, and make more informed business decisions, leading to sustained growth and success.

#02 Technological Outcomes

We successfully developed a sophisticated technological solution:

• The project resulted in a robust, scalable, and fully integrated Shopify application. This application successfully replicated and significantly enhanced the core functionalities previously available only on WooCommerce, demonstrating our capability to migrate and improve complex systems across different e-commerce platforms.
• The solution specifically addressed and overcame Shopify's platform limitations, particularly concerning the highly restricted post-purchase page, by utilizing the Shopify Checkout Extension and integrating necessary APIs

#03 Further Actions

The success of the initial implementation has paved the way for continued growth:

• The client has taken over the application for further development and maintenance, signifying their satisfaction with the delivered product and its future potential.
• We continue to provide ongoing support to Loopwardrobe.app, ensuring a smooth transition and assisting with future enhancements as needed

#04 Client Feedback

The partnership was characterized by strong communication and efficiency. While formal reviews are pending for public display, the client expressed high satisfaction with the speed of implementation and communication throughout the entire project lifecycle.