Fast implementation of an online shop for Próchnik 1948 clothing brand

About the company

Próchnik 1948 is one of the oldest clothing brands in Poland, established in Łódź, in 1948. Over the years, it has been a symbol of elegance for several generations, offering high-quality coats, unobtrusive jackets and cotton shirts. Premium materials and timeless designs are the main hallmarks of Próchnik. In 2023, the brand returned with a new product portfolio, presenting tradition in a completely modern edition. Thus, the company decided to refresh its brand image and launch an online shop, which will address the needs of the younger generation. 

Goals of the cooperation

Próchnik decided to entrust us with the ambitious task of creating their first online shop from scratch. The goal was to launch a new online sales channel quickly. Until now, the brand was associated with high-quality products, but aimed at a mature group of customers. Therefore, Próchnik decided to refresh the brand image and surprise younger consumers with a modern design of the website. Hence, the business objectives include:

• Implementation of Próchnik's first, but fully functional and innovative e-commerce platform.
• Launching a new online sales channel, which will quickly generate a return on the investment involved in building the platform from scratch.
• Designing a user interface (UX/UI) that will support Próchnik's brand image as a leader in e-commerce innovation. 
• Attracting the attention of a new audience - younger consumers who will undertake their first interaction with the brand.

Project’s challenges

Próchnik is a brand focused solely on online sales, so creating their first e-commerce platform as their main distribution channel was an extremely responsible task for us. Our team likes to achieve ambitious goals, so despite the initial lack of materials, such as content and graphics for the website, we decided to go ahead with the project. Thus, we were actively involved in consultations with the client to establish the aesthetics and functionality of the online shop. A key challenge of this project was also the short time for implementation. We wanted to get a platform up and running as quickly as possible, while at the same time having all the elements necessary for successful sales. 

From concept to implementation of a smoothly functioning shop

During the consultation, we discussed with the client the concept of the website's design and key elements to differentiate the Próchnik brand. Based on suggestions from the UX and development team, we defined the site architecture, ergonomics of the elements and aesthetics of the target website. These meetings allowed us to get to know the client's needs in detail and, as a result, propose a platform design that could change with the dynamic development of the brand. 

Designing the visual layer

Due to the short implementation period, we worked on the graphic concept and the programming layer in parallel. Given the brand's lack of previous online presence, we built the entire shop from scratch, taking into account both interface elements and functional modules such as the static page and the shopping process. 

We wanted the site to provide users with the best shopping experience, so we subjected all mockups we created to a detailed UX/UI analysis. Wanting to combine minimalism with modern design, we decided to use simple fonts without serifs, minimise side margins in product listings and simplify the shopping process to a minimum. In the initial phase, due to the lack of up-to-date visual material, the website was mainly based on a basic graphic template. However, just before the shop was launched, we received the target graphics, which allowed us to convert the mock-ups to high fidelity (with a high level of detail). The site was designed in such a way as to allow the client to edit elements via the admin panel, without having to interfere with the code. 

Mariusz Serafin, Marketing and E-commerce Director at G8 S.A. (Owner of Próchnik_1948/Lancerto brands) was involved in the process of designing the visual layer. His goal was to refresh the brand's image and introduce a modern design. Therefore, on the current Próchnik website, you can find sections referring to the company's rich history and heritage, but the main emphasis has been placed on showing the brand in a modern way. The shop's website reflects the most important trends in the industry, such as video elements in key areas of the site and leads to increased interaction with customers. This metamorphosis of the brand aims to reach a wide audience, both existing consumers and the younger generation. 

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Personalisation of the backend

In creating an online shop, designing the backend layer of the website is crucial. To speed up the implementation process of the platform, we decided to use an existing Magento instance and customise it for the next store, as well as optimise the code in terms of its future scalability.

As part of the end-to-end implementation, we carried out standard integration procedures, including marketing tools, adaptation to the ERP system, configuration of payment gateways and creation of personalised email templates. A particular challenge was to adapt the custom modules in such a way as to allow precise configuration within individual shop views. A key goal in the project was to optimise the checkout module to make it simple and intuitive for the user. In addition, to increase efficiency and minimise the risk of potential human error, we introduced view segmentation in the administration panel and defined which functions were available to each user.

At the very beginning of the project, we assumed to implement the MVP version of the website, but an analysis of market needs led us to broaden the scope of implementation. The final version of the shop therefore includes several additional functionalities and elements, adapted to the specific requirements of our client. 

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Partnership is the key to success

At Strix, we focus on establishing partnerships with our clients. That's why, when working with Próchnik, we took full responsibility for the entire implementation process - from the initial consultation, through the design of the visual aspects, to the implementation of the platform and its development. We knew that relaunching a brand requires a very intensive effort from the client, so we provided additional support when the platform was launched. Our priority is to provide our partners with the highest quality service - the thorough preparation and professionalism of the team allowed us to go through the technical aspects of the implementation in an extremely efficient manner, without any unnecessary obstacles. 

The result of the cooperation, which is the final shape of Próchnik's e-shop, definitely exceeded our initial expectations and positively surprised us. Thanks to Strix's comprehensive support, we managed to launch the platform in a short time. Thanks to its functionality and unique design, we can connect different generations of customers, which reflects the spirit of the brand. All this would not have been possible without the tremendous commitment of the Strix development team and their sense of responsibility at every stage of the project. Thanks to our excellent cooperation, we have gained an effective sales channel, which we can now develop together with the dynamically changing needs of the brand." - Mariusz Serafin, Marketing and E-commerce Director at G8 S.A. (Owner of Próchnik_1948/Lancerto brands). 

Próchnik's new version

Within 4 months we implemented a functional online shop, which not only sells effectively, but also attracts the attention of consumers with its unique design. Thanks to the cooperation, the client gained a new distribution channel that enables communication with target consumers, both regular ones and representatives of the young generation. The online shop is therefore a symbol of the transformation of the brand, which combines tradition with modernity and addresses the needs of many groups with its quality and functionality. Furthermore, it enables the brand to develop its architecture freely, providing a solid foundation for business expansion in the future. 

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