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Our mission was to create a platform that allows parents to buy tickets and lets franchisees easily manage services and orders.
The graphic elements of this project were provided by Sophie Selcoe, a graphic designer from the UK. Our task was to scale them accordingly and prepare a mobile version of the website based on the views of the browser version we received.
this many branches now have their own pages within the WordPress MultiSite
this many products were migrated from the old website
the average response time to franchisees’ questions at the launch of the new platform
people like the project on Facebook
When developing the platform for The Little Sensory, we had to think about how to set up the system so that each franchisee would only have access to their products, orders and customers. After weighing all the pros and cons, we proposed to create a site based on WordPress Multisite – a WordPress extension that allows you to create a network of linked sites.
With WordPress Multisite, each franchisee logs in to a separate sub-service where they can only access their own products and orders. For example, a Stafford franchise manager can’t change the services that the franchisee provides to Milton Keynes.
The only exception, the person that has access to all franchises is Roxanne, the owner of the brand for which we have developed the role of super administrator. As a super admin, Roxanne can create new franchise services and display detailed product and order information for each store.
To prepare the shop part we used the popular WooCommerce. The system has been modified by us to simplify the management of events. In order to do this, we have abandoned ready solutions and encrypted our own fields that allow you to add dates, times, contact information and the location of the courses.
The schedule is structured so that lessons are automatically deleted one minute after lessons start. So even those who order at the last minute have the chance to purchase a ticket.
The single-service admin role within Multisite has been changed. Among other things, we have deactivated the option to add images to the media library and to change content on subpages. The franchisee can focus on product management and does not have to worry about anything else.
Each subpage has the option to overwrite colours and logos. For products, you can create additional photo galleries and manage the availability of lessons. All these functions are intended to facilitate the administration of the services.
Each user can create their own account so they don’t have to complete the data with each purchase. The account can be opened in several phases: before or during the purchasing process.
The website is integrated into Stripe’s fast payment gateway and enables fast retrieval of payments.
Every franchisee needs an attendance list to see who has arrived in class – so each product is assigned orders that can be easily saved and printed as a PDF.
Customers can search for The Little Sensory branches in their area. Once they have entered their location, the map shows only the nearest branches, along with information about the services they offer.
In order to improve the work on the project, it was divided into smaller parts.
The work began with the coding of the views of the parent page, i.e. what is currently located at thelittlesensory.co. This was the most time-consuming part of the project. The subpages were encoded with the plugin Advanced Custom Fields Pro. As part of the work we prepared editable subpages templates. On the basis of these, the administrator can create additional subpages.
After completing this step, we started coding the purchase process. The shopping cart and order page were created at this stage to have more time for testing the purchase process. WooCommerce, the basis of the solution, has been supplemented with fields that improve event management.
The next step was the coding of the franchises pages. Here, we also used the ACF Pro plugin. The services of the individual branches were characterised by a simpler design, but also required more customisation options.
Within the franchise, individual stores can offer one or more of the five services: Little Glow, Little Nature, Little Massage, Little Yoga and – our favourite – Little Mess.
Each service has different logo and colours. Therefore, we had to encode the templates so that the subpages could be freely edited, and in addition we had to teach WordPress what to do and what colours and images should be used when the franchise offers more than one service.
After preparing the franchise services, we worked on the encoding of the location map based on the Store Locator plugin chosen by the customer. The code of the plugin had to be changed to display the information the client needs.
After all subpage views were coded and tested, the next big challenge was the data import. In the previous version of the service, products were added based on a heavy plugin that has not been supported by the developers for years. This was a problem and a potential threat – you should never use outdated plugins that could cause damage to your website or a hacker attacks. Also, part of the old database was damaged and it was impossible to use the old directory.
For this reason, the products could only be imported in part automatically. Many parts had to be moved manually, which required a great deal of challenge and care.
The last step was (so far) the ability to log on to the respective franchise websites and open an account. As a result, recurring users do not have to fill in the order data every time.
As always, we prepared training materials after the collaboration, this time not only as a video, but also as a text. This was important because each of the franchise’s owners has different technical skills. For this reason, we have made sure that the tutorials are clear and understandable.
In addition, during the days of the release of the new service, we were in constant contact not only with Roxanne, the owner of the brand, but also with the franchisees. Thanks to our commitment, the average response time was less than 40 seconds.
We faced many challenges at each stage: adapting the graphic design to the needs of browsers and mobile devices, entering data on franchise sites, or importing data. We are proud to have mastered everything and to have provided Roxanne with a functional platform that allows you to easily manage your branch network and service for new franchises.
