Allgeier company SOFTCON keeps model Natascha Grün’s fashion rental business running smoothly – Software manages the logistics system
Munich, December 11, 2012 – Model Natascha Grün has established a business renting out designer fashion items at a fraction of their regular retail price. Softcon AG has developed the corresponding portal dresscoded.com. Most notably, the portal’s software coordinates the complicated logistics processes required for renting out several hundred dresses.
The website at the front end of dresscoded.com offers customers of Natascha Grün a simple and good-value way of renting a glamorous outfit for a special occasion. Each dress can be viewed right down to the last detail, with matching bags and accessories suggested directly. The rental period is four or eight days. An online calendar allows users to instantly view when their desired dress is available. The order is then placed in the shopping basket. All that is left for the customer to do is enter delivery and payment information.
In the background, the back end uses Java/Eclipse RAP to take care of the entire administration of each individual product, from the coordination of the rental periods and preservation of stock to the pricing. The shopping basket management system requires optimal coordination between the front and back end. Natascha Grün on the Softcon software: “We currently have more than 200 items in various sizes and colours. Without reliable administration software we would be unable to operate dresscoded.com. Softcon advised us on everything from the front end website to the system rollout. They also ensure that everything runs smoothly.”
The implemented solution has to be able to do substantially more than a conventional online shop: When there is a rental request, the software automatically calculates the availability of the selected item (taking into account Sundays and public holidays, rental periods, collection and cleaning time) in the corresponding colour and size. Every dress has a security label with a unique number. This number is then used to assign each individual dress to a customer as well as to schedule its cleaning and availability after use.
As the next step, Softcon will introduce a system which allows RFID tags to be attached to all dresses. This enables the business owner to have even easier administration of the collection without having to manually check the labels and enter the corresponding numbers by hand. An RFID reader can take care of these tasks automatically. As a result, customers can look forward to receiving their desired outfit even quicker. And there are also benefits for the business owner: The process is automated, the error rate is minimal and the dresses are available for rent again after cleaning much quicker than before.
