Take your retail business online
I help retailers build an online sales operation around their stores, assortment and customers. We define the launch offer, connect stock and orders, organise picking and delivery, then test the complete operation on a selected assortment and service area.
Discuss this projectEugene Mischenko · English & Russian · Remote consulting
01 / Context
Who this is for
For retail chains and established stores opening a direct online channel, adding click and collect or rebuilding a launch that is struggling with availability, cancellations and delivery. Owners, commercial directors and operations leaders work from one launch plan.
02 / Decisions
Questions we examine
- Which customers, products and service area should the first launch serve?
- Where will orders be picked, and how will stock be reserved for online customers?
- What delivery promise can the stores, systems and delivery partners fulfil?
- How much contribution remains after picking, packaging, delivery, cancellations and returns?
Results of the engagement
- A pilot specification: audience, assortment, service area, channels and launch conditions.
- An order journey with stock reservation, picking, payment, handover and exception handling.
- Requirements for the storefront, inventory and order systems, with integration priorities.
- A launch budget, order economics and a decision schedule for expanding the pilot.
What to prepare
Bring a store and assortment list, current stock records, sales by category, staffing schedules, delivery options and the proposed launch budget. We trace one representative order together to identify missing data and operational handoffs.
How we start
Send a short description of the business, the decision in front of you and the result you need. We discuss the context, identify useful inputs and agree the format, scope, timing and fee.
Write about your projectExperience & sources
Experience behind the advice
METRO: e-commerce leadership
Experience leading the e-commerce division at METRO Cash & Carry. A published Mindbox interview discusses customer data, the digital channel and the business behind omnichannel retail.
Read the sourceL’Occitane: digital commerce in beauty
The MediaMetrics interview examines online and store sales, loyalty and the customer experience of buying cosmetics.
Read the sourceMETRO: online and offline customer journeys
A recorded talk at the Online Trade forum explains how METRO brought customer data from several digital channels together with offline transactions.
Read the sourceBefore we begin
Can we launch using existing stores?
Yes. We assess stock accuracy, picking capacity, storage space and handover arrangements in the proposed stores. The pilot establishes which orders each store can fulfil and how its online workload fits around in-store customers.
What should happen before choosing a platform?
Specify the assortment, stock sources, order states, fulfilment locations, payment flow and delivery rules. Use those requirements to compare platforms and integration proposals against the same operating model.
How do we decide when to expand?
Review fulfilled-order contribution, availability, cancellations, picking workload, delivery reliability and repeat purchases. Expansion adds stores, products or service areas where the pilot has demonstrated a workable process and sufficient capacity.