With the help of low-code app development software provider Neptune Software, British home improvement retailer Homebase rapidly developed a click-and-collect app to keep stores operational during the pandemic, paving the way for future digital transformation across the business.
London-based Neptune Software secured a contract with Homebase in 2019 to deliver software to facilitate the company’s in-house IT team to modernise its apps. As one of the UK and Ireland’s largest home-improvement and garden-centre retailers, Homebase sought help to update its systems from an outdated enterprise resource planning (SAP ERP) model to a streamlined, mobile friendly digital experience for customers and employees.
When the pandemic hit in 2020 and bricks-and-mortar retailers were forced to close, Homebase turned to Neptune Software to help transform the company into a fully functional online retailer with the capability for click-and-collect.
With employees working remotely during lockdown, Neptune Software provided the Homebase IT team with low-code app development tools that allowed them to speed up the company’s digital transformation process and meet critical demand to keep the business afloat.
In just eight weeks, the team transformed Homebase’s complicated back-end ordering system, housed in SAP, into a modern, user-friendly website with an inbuilt in-store delivery functionality, well ahead of the rollout of the hardware and service infrastructure needed to support the new processes.
At the same time, Homebase also launched a Neptune-powered vendor/supplier portal that empowered suppliers to manage invoices. Previously managed by a dedicated call centre, automating this service through Neptune Software increased capacity for the Homebase team, empowering them to focus on other, more value-adding activities.
Speaking on the project, Paul Cannon, IT Director of Homebase, said: “It may have taken 10 times longer to deliver the same functionality with SAP tools and on SAP platforms than it took with Neptune. We could not have continued operations during the COVID-19 lockdowns if we did not have the Neptune-based click-and-collect app.”
Alongside saving time for the Homebase team, Neptune Software shielded the company from the additional stress of license and platform costs and the pain of outsourcing digital transformation to a secondary team.
Today, Homebase stores enjoy multiple modern apps used as both web applications and on mobile devices. Neptune apps are now deployed across a large fleet of employee smartphones and the company has seen substantial financial savings by managing back-end processes with its own Neptune-powered systems.
The company continues to move forward on its digital transformation journey, using Neptune DXP as its key modernisation tool.
Speaking on Neptune Software’s work with Homebase, Vincent Kruse, Managing Director of Neptune Software for the UK and Ireland, added: “We are extremely pleased with the results of Homebase’s digital transformation efforts and are confident that, with Neptune Software’s help, the company can grow from strength to strength as both a bricks-and-mortar and online retailer.”
The results of Homebase’s digital transformation efforts come as Neptune Software is named as a leader in G2 Inc.’s Fall 2022 Grid® Report for Low Code Development Platforms, Digital Experience Platforms, and the Rapid Application Development space.
Alongside the distinguishing honor, the global software company has achieved High Performer status in over 15 categories for the third time in one year. Being recognized as Leader by G2 showcases the company’s growing footprint in the low-code development and digital experience space.
Beating its previous record of 31 badges earned in the G2 Summer 2022 report, Neptune Software most recently earned a total of 48 badges based on having a large market presence alongside a very high customer satisfaction rate.
About Neptune Software
Neptune Software is a rapid application development platform vendor with more than 660 enterprise customers and over 3.5 million licensed end users globally that empowers IT departments to deliver tangible business outcomes. Neptune Software offers with its Neptune DXP, a leading low-code, SAP-centric, enterprise app development platform to digitize and optimize business processes and user interfaces – at scale and with ease.
Neptune DXP provides a fast and cost-effective way to industrialize the development of custom applications – saving companies time and money on development, integration, and operations.
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