My tenure at Schmiedmann was marked by a significant focus on enhancing the company’s digital infrastructure and streamlining operational processes. I played a crucial role in optimizing the website’s performance, specifically targeting loading speeds, which directly contributed to a more fluid and user-friendly online experience. This involved analyzing and refining code, optimizing image delivery, and implementing caching strategies.

A substantial portion of my work involved the development and implementation of various modules designed to automate and improve key aspects of the e-commerce platform. The “Cart Rule” module, for instance, was a complex undertaking that allowed for the creation of sophisticated promotional offers. This included “buy X, get Y free” deals, tiered discounts based on total purchase amounts, and the application of discount codes. The module’s logic was designed to be highly flexible, enabling the marketing team to quickly and easily create new promotional campaigns.

The “Gift Certificate” module was another key project, enabling customers to purchase and redeem gift cards both online and in Schmiedmann’s physical stores. This required integrating the online platform with the point-of-sale system, ensuring seamless transactions across all channels. The “Product Sets” module simplified the presentation of products with multiple variants, such as color, size, and gender, by grouping them under a single listing. This improved the user experience by making it easier for customers to find and compare products.

The “Advertisement Panel” was a dynamic feature that displayed special offers within the shopping cart and on the homepage. Within the cart, the panel’s color would change to indicate when a customer’s order qualified for a specific offer, encouraging them to add eligible items. On the homepage, I used Umbraco to create a series of customizable templates that allowed the marketing team to quickly create and deploy targeted advertising campaigns. This included templates that automatically pulled product information from the database, ensuring that ads were always up-to-date.

To address the challenge of data entry, I developed an “Import Products from Excel” module. This module automated the process of adding new inventory and updating stock levels by parsing supplier invoices in Excel format. By creating templates for each supplier, I was able to significantly reduce the time and effort required to manage inventory data.

Finally, I developed an RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) module that integrated the company’s RMA return system with OSTicket, a customer support ticketing system. This involved using an API to connect the two systems, creating a seamless workflow for managing customer returns. I also configured OSTicket on a Linux server, ensuring that it was properly integrated with the website and the RMA system. This development helped streamline the customer return process and improve customer satisfaction.