Subscription model for Magento

Fast White Cat / Case studies / Subscription model for Magento

What was our task?

Our Partner, Digital Care (now Bolttech), came to us with an unusual task – using the Magento platform for a subscription-based business model, i.e. temporary rental of electronic equipment, not traditional e-sales. This very unusual and rarely used way of using Magento turned out to be the first implementation of this type in our portfolio. How did we do it?

Initial goals

The most important initial goal in this project was to adapt Magento to a subscription model, not a typical sales model – in this type of business, many elements require personalization or additional modules, such as the need to indicate the rental period, recurring payment or a place where the subscriber completes personal data. to the conclusion. So we had to build a platform from scratch that would respond to these needs. We chose Magento 2.4.3 (we recently updated the website to Magento 2.4.5)

Initial goals The next goal our Partner set for us was to transfer another Digital Care website – the corporate website – from WordPress to Magento. We used our platform to refresh the corporate website https://digitalcaregroup.pl/ with a new visual identification and adapt it to the appearance of the subscription page. To do this, we used ready-made components from the subscription website and applied them to the corporate website.

How did we manage to achieve this?

The team working on the project for Digital Care Group included 3 Backend Developers and 4 Frontend Developers, as well as a System Architect and a Project Manager at the most breakthrough moments. The reason was that the deadline for this implementation was relatively short – we received the task in May, and we had to be ready by September. Therefore, the work continued in parallel and required

Using DC API
DC API was an essential element for the operation of the entire project – a team of experts from Digital Care Group, in cooperation with FWC, built a dedicated API for the subscription model, which enabled communication between the Digital Care Group system and Magento, and consequently – exchange of information regarding potential subscribers, the ability to check them in the KRD or confirm their credibility in the banking system. Moreover, the mentioned DC API is a generic interface for all external Digital Care Group Partners/li>
A flexible view of Magento
We started with a flexible approach and a broader look at Magento, so as to adapt this platform and the entire purchasing process to the subscription model – we had to find a way for the platform to include elements such as:
- rental period of the rented product (for this purpose, we used the SKU of a given product and created a sub-product for it),
- the possibility of subscription payments, i.e. automatic withdrawal of money from the account of the customer who decided to rent (we have adapted the payment gateway to meet these requirements),
- a module for collecting data necessary to sign a rental agreement (we adapted the entire checkout by adding additional fields for personal data, PESEL number, ID number, and then we made sure that this data was not stored in Magento due to GDPR), as well as a widget needed so that the customer can transfer to the bank and be verified by the KRD (we have implemented an additional widget especially for this purpose), data),
- an additional element that allows you to collect information about the subscriber’s financial status (for this purpose, we have personalized the basket and added the fields needed to collect this data)
- an additional module of maintenance services, which Digital Care Group also has in its offer (we used the custom option here, which Magento has in its capabilities).

Artur Świętonowski

Head of IT R&D w Digital Care Group

The cooperation with Fast White Cat was professional and in a good atmosphere.

the team that was dedicated to our project had extensive knowledge not only in the field of Magento, but also new technologies, and was aware of how the e-commerce world works.

The solutions proposed by Fast White Cat, personalized strictly to our needs, fully met the business requirements we set for ourselves. The implementation was completed on time, and we were constantly informed about its progress during the work.

As Fast White Cat, we keep an eye on what is happening in the world of e-commerce

to offer our Partners cutting-edge solutions that will appeal to end customers and increase conversion. The project for Digital Care Group allowed us to look at the market from a different perspective and understand how the subscription model can disrupt it. With the help of Magento and the expert knowledge of our developer team, we have responded to the expectations of Digital Care, and now we are starting the next stages of our cooperation aimed at developing the project.

Ewelina Ścisłowska

Project Manager

Effect, or how it works…

A well-functioning, personalized platform on Magento 2.4.5 with the entire order process adapted to the subscription model – created in 4 months! Now Digital Care Group customers can have their dream equipment and, during the rental agreement, replace their device with the latest model available on offer. At the end of the contract, customers can return the device, switch to a permanent contract status or sign another contract covering a new device – and all this happens on Magento.

Development?

Our implementation for Digital Care Group was an interesting challenge for us, showing that more is possible with Magento. In addition to the full implementation of the personalized platform, we have also created a corporate website, but that’s not all – we are going further!
Let’s talk about your project