E-COMMERCE
E-commerce Site and Shopify Development
How easy an online store is to use depends not only on its look but on its connection to the core systems that handle inventory and orders. Here are e-commerce and online retail cases, from Shopify customization and wholesale site redesigns to SEO that helps customers find the store.
Related Service: System Development
CONSULTATIONS
Common Requests in Building an E-commerce Site
How easy an e-commerce site is to use depends less on how it looks than on how it takes orders and how it connects to inventory and the core business system. Here are the requests we hear most often, along with how we approach them.
How to Build
On a marketplace, we cannot collect the information we need when the order is placed
Our Approach
Marketplaces are strong at attracting customers, but the screens and checkout have to follow the marketplace’s specifications. For products with many delivery conditions, such as furniture, the store has to go back and forth with the buyer repeatedly after the order is placed.
In a case of direct furniture sales, we custom-built the product combinations, cart, and checkout that Shopify’s standard features could not handle, so that the information needed for delivery could be collected when the order is placed.
We built on Shopify, but the standard features are not enough
Our Approach
Shopify comes with member registration, payments, and an admin screen from the start, so you can begin faster than building from scratch. On the other hand, the more complex your product structure and operations become, the more parts the standard features cannot handle.
We move ahead with building the parts whose specifications are already clear, and for the parts that are not, we test on a small scale before deciding the direction. When Shopify ended its standard support for a payment service, we built a custom integration so that the same payment method could keep being used.
Operations and Integration
Support time gets eaten up by inquiries and procedures after an order is placed
Our Approach
When procedures such as address changes, cancellations, and arrival date changes are handled by phone and email, support cannot keep up as orders increase.
We built in a system that lets buyers change their address, cancel, and change the expected arrival date on screen 24 hours a day, along with a chat in which AI answers pre-purchase questions about products.
Between the wholesale ordering and order management site and the e-commerce site, product information and inventory are kept separately
Our Approach
When product information and inventory are updated separately on the wholesale ordering and order management site, marketplaces, and your own e-commerce site, missed updates and overselling occur.
We built a system that automatically reflects product information managed in spreadsheets on the e-commerce site and synchronizes orders and product information with the core business system. We have also developed a core business system that consolidates orders and inventory from multiple shops.
STRENGTHS
How We Can Help with E-commerce Site Development
From the wholesale ordering and order management site and your own e-commerce site to the core business system that consolidates inventory, we handle both the customer-facing side of sales and the systems behind it. Here we focus on what we actually did in our case studies.
Making Full Use of Off-the-Shelf Platforms, Tailored to Your Business
We keep the off-the-shelf parts of Shopify, such as member registration and payments, as they are, and build out only what the standard features do not cover, such as product combinations, the cart, and checkout. You can start in less time and at lower cost than building from scratch.
Connecting to the Core Business System and Inventory
We synchronize e-commerce site orders and product information with the core business system, and we have developed a system that allocates orders from multiple shops against warehouse and supplier inventory. Even when you add sales channels, we keep stock counts from drifting.
CasesCore Business System for a Furniture WholesalerA Company’s Own E-commerce Site on Shopify
Ordering Site for Business Partners
We completely rebuilt the ordering and order management site used by a wholesaler’s business partners, adding product search with individual downloads, card payment, and shorter ordering and billing procedures. We were selected after a comparison with more than ten companies, and we released the site about 5 months after starting.
Promotions You Can Run Yourselves, Even After Launch
We make it possible for you to update banners, messages, and sales promotions yourselves, and we put in place an operations setup that lets you try promotions without waiting for the development team. After launch, we also keep expanding features step by step, such as AI answers to inquiries.
CasesA Company’s Own E-commerce Site on ShopifyCore Business System for a Furniture Wholesaler
SCOPE
Features and Scope We Cover in E-commerce Site Development
We handle everything from the screens buyers see to the back end of orders, inventory, and payments, and operations after launch.
Shopify Customization
Development of what the standard features do not cover, such as product combinations, the cart, and checkout.
Ordering Sites for Wholesale and Business Partners
Accounts for each business partner, product search and individual downloads, card payment, and invoices.
Core Business System Integration
Order and product information sync, and automatic updates from product information managed in spreadsheets.
Multi-Shop Inventory
A system that consolidates orders from marketplaces and your own e-commerce site and allocates them against warehouse and supplier inventory.
Payments
Payments such as credit cards and Amazon Pay, and custom integration for payment services whose off-the-shelf support has ended.
Post-Purchase Support
A system that lets buyers change their address, cancel, and change the arrival date on screen.
AI-Powered Inquiry Handling
A chat in which AI answers questions before and after purchase, based on product and delivery information.
Design for Being Found in Search
Site design with search engines in mind, including page structure and how product information is presented.
HOW TO CHOOSE
Choosing Between Marketplaces, E-commerce Platforms, and Custom Development
There is no single right answer. The method that fits depends on the characteristics of your products and the buying experience you are aiming for.
| Method | Suitable When |
|---|---|
| Selling on an E-commerce Marketplace | You want to prioritize attracting customers, and the marketplace’s screens and checkout are sufficient |
| Off-the-Shelf E-commerce Platforms Such as Shopify | You want to sell under your own brand, and the standard features cover most of your operations |
| Developing the Missing Parts on Top of an Off-the-Shelf Platform | You have many product combinations or delivery conditions and want to build out the checkout |
| Developing a Custom Ordering Site | Wholesale business where prices and the ordering process differ for each business partner |
We compare the options, including cost and timeline, and recommend the one that fits.
FLOW
Our Process for Building an E-commerce Site
We start by building the parts that are already clear, and for the parts that are not yet clear, we test on a small scale before deciding.
Organize Sales and the Business Workflow
We sort out sales channels, product structure, delivery and payment conditions, and connections to the core business system, and then decide how to build.
Check the Screens with Stakeholders
Using wireframes and prototype screens, we design while checking how buyers and site operators each use them.
There is a case in which we shared validation results and prototype screens in meetings held twice a week
Development and Integration
We develop everything, including customization, payments, integration with the core business system, and migration of existing data.
Launch and Growth
After launch, we expand features starting where the impact is greatest, such as self-service resolution of inquiries and AI answers.
The full redesign of a wholesaler’s ordering and order management site was released about 5 months after we started
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions About E-commerce Site Development
Here are the questions we are asked most often before a consultation. Please feel free to ask about anything not covered here.
Do we still need our own e-commerce site if we already sell on an e-commerce marketplace?
It depends on your products and the buying experience you are aiming for. In a case of direct furniture sales, we built the client’s own e-commerce site for experiences that are difficult under a marketplace’s specifications, such as collecting delivery information when the order is placed and letting buyers complete post-purchase procedures themselves.
Case Study: A Furniture Company’s Own E-commerce Site Built on Shopify
Can you also develop what Shopify’s standard features do not cover?
Yes. In one case, we custom-built the product combinations, cart, and checkout. When Shopify ended its standard support for a payment service, we also built a custom integration so that payments could continue.
Can you connect to our current core business system and inventory management?
Yes. We have a track record of synchronizing order and product information between e-commerce sites and core business systems, and of developing a core business system that allocates orders from multiple shops against inventory.
Can you also build an ordering and order management site for wholesale business partners?
Yes. We completely rebuilt the ordering and order management service of a furniture and interior wholesaler, adding product search with individual downloads, card payment, and shorter ordering and billing procedures. It was released about 5 months after we started.
Case Study: Tsuhan Sozai, an Ordering Service for a Furniture Wholesaler
Can AI be built into inquiry handling for an e-commerce site?
Yes. We have developed a chat in which AI answers pre-purchase questions about products, and a system in which AI answers inquiries to marketplace stores and to your own e-commerce site based on product and delivery information.
How long does the build take?
It depends on the scope. The full redesign of a wholesaler’s ordering and order management service was released in about 5 months. Building on an off-the-shelf e-commerce platform lets you start in less time than building from scratch.
How is the cost determined?
The cost varies greatly with the build method, how much the standard features do not cover, integration with payments and the core business system, and the amount of data to migrate. Before preparing an estimate, we sort these out together with you.
Case Studies by Field
All Case Studies30
Cloud Services9
Core & Business Systems4
Construction DX2
E-commerce Development3
Inventory & Order Management4
AI Adoption10
DX Promotion8
New Ventures12
Case Studies (3)
E-commerce Development
AI Adoption
Case Study: An AI-Supported Shopify Store for a Furniture Seller That Sold Mainly Through Online Marketplaces
Cospa Creation Co., Ltd., which deals in furniture and interior goods, sold directly to consumers...
E-commerce Development
Inventory & Order Management
Case Study: A Full Renewal of Tsuhan Sozai, a Furniture and Interior Wholesaler's Ordering Service, So New Business Partners Can Use It Without Confusion
Cospa Creation Co., Ltd., a wholesaler of furniture and interior goods, runs Tsuhan Sozai, an...
Core & Business Systems
E-commerce Development
Inventory & Order Management
AI Adoption
Moving Tens of Thousands of Items Correctly Across Multiple Sales Channels: A Core System and the AI Assistant "Buddio" for a Furniture and Interior Wholesaler
Cospa Creation Co., Ltd., a furniture and interior goods wholesaler that also sells directly...
FREE ESTIMATE
Free Estimates: Learn What to Build and the Cost Range on the First Call
Your requirements do not need to be settled. Tell us in a sentence what you want to build, and your project manager will sort it out with you.