Legacy application modernization is a key element of digital transformation, and there are plenty of ways that modernizing legacy systems can go wrong, from going over budget to failing to account for software dependencies.
Many companies struggle to find and implement the right strategy because large-scale legacy modernization isn’t something most IT professionals have experience with. Plus, it can be difficult to choose from a wide array of potential modernization solutions.
Whether you’re planning to perform an app modernization on your own or hire an outsourcing partner to guide you through it, it helps to review case studies of successful enterprise app modernization efforts.
In this blog post, you’ll find a recap of five app modernization success stories, with links to read the full case study and dive into the details.
Case Study 1: Euro Car Parts
Euro Car Parts (ECP) is a Fortune 500 company currently owned by LKQ. Years before its acquisition, the company’s founder grew it into the United Kingdom’s leading auto parts distributor, but it remained a largely brick-and-mortar operation.
ECP’s legacy eCommerce technology made it impossible to capture a large online market because their existing online store:
- Lacked a scalable platform capable of handling thousands of concurrent transactions
- Struggled to optimize conversions
- Could not integrate various parts of the platform to update inventory and fulfillment processes effectively
Euro Car Parts engaged Net Solutions to design and implement its digital transformation, which included creating new applications and rethinking and refactoring existing applications. The company’s modern, API-first applications let them take advantage of microservices technology and everything cloud computing has to offer.
The engagement was a vast undertaking, which included:
- Software design development—improving both the website’s UI and its overall functionality
- Country-specific websites
- Adapted the existing platform to support customer delivery via UPS
- Click-and-collect functionality that allowed customers to purchase parts online and pick them up
- Same-day delivery capabilities
- Improved website speeds and faster search
- Warehouse automation with Just-in-Time label printing
- Search engine optimization
- Improved order processing that eliminated delays
- Third-party API uptime monitoring to ensure that the new, API-powered ecosystem would continue to work under high-traffic and high-use conditions
- Modern data-collection and processing to support Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) efforts
- Revamping of the underlying code to support the continual introduction of new features
ECP’s digital optimization efforts produced unprecedented sales, increasing online revenue many times over and moving them into the IRUK Top 500. Within two years following their transformation, they moved to IRUK’s prestigious Top 50 list.
Net Solutions provided continual maintenance and optimization to keep ECP at the cutting edge of their industry.
Client company type: Retail & Automotive
Client problem: Outdated legacy systems made eCommerce success nearly impossible, despite tremendous success with brick-and-mortar sales.
Our solution: Bespoke eCommerce Platform with vast functionality to support seamless transactions, improve search speed and general performance, automate order processing and fulfillment, improve SEO and CRO, and more.
Outcomes: ECP came to dominate eCommerce in the auto parts industry, joining IRUK’s Top 50 list.
Key takeaways: When established retailers enter the eCommerce space, they need a comprehensive transformation and an ecosystem that supports sales efforts, improving internal fulfillment and shipping processes.
Euro Car Parts is a powerful example of how legacy retailers can dominate the online retail market if they’re willing to invest in modern technology that addresses the customer experience, optimizes internal processes, and uses modern architecture to integrate new technologies for a competitive advantage.
Case Study 2: IMG
IMG describes itself as a global sports and culture company that handles brand licensing for sports franchises and other organizations.
Net Solutions has worked on many projects for IMG over the years, and at one point IMG turned to us to address their aging legacy records system, which handled their internal licensing workflows and record keeping. The system was extremely limited in its functionality, and it needed an upgrade.
Due to their monolithic, outdated tech stack, there was little they could do to streamline workflows with their ecosystem of legacy apps. They wanted to expand admin capabilities and improve their overall User Experience (UX), and that required a complete overhaul.
The business analysts at Net Solutions worked with IMG to rethink their entire platform from the ground up, documenting user journeys to build a modern architecture that was both robust and highly scalable.
The modernized ecosystem gave IMG:
- Stronger admin controls
- Customer forms for product approvals
- The ability to create custom workflows
- Project archiving capabilities for documentation and knowledge transfer
- Exceptional reporting capabilities to give leadership a bird’s-eye view of the business
IMG’s new systems improved productivity and gave the company a powerful competitive advantage.
Client company type: Sports and Entertainment
Client problem: Legacy apps made it impossible to streamline workflows and add new functionality to internal systems
Our solution: Net Solutions replaced the existing software with completely new, modern, cloud-native systems that were far more dynamic and robust.
Outcomes: IMG streamlined workflows, improved productivity, and incorporated new features based on client feedback. IMG continued to regularly update the web-based app and eventually expanded to a mobile app.
Key takeaways: Companies sometimes neglect internal apps, choosing to modernize customer-facing applications to the exclusion of internal systems. IMG is proof that improving the experience for internal customers and creating more efficient workflows can have a powerful impact on a business.
Streamlining workflows for internal apps can make your workforce more efficient, reduce frustrations, and pave the way for seamless operations that handle higher workloads and boost the bottom line.
Case Study 3: 2XU
2XU was a successful Australian retailer whose leadership decided to expand into the international market—but their legacy eCommerce systems were not up to the task.
2XU’s rapid expansion into the United States, United Kingdom, mainland Europe, New Zealand, and Hong Kong posed major tech challenges, including:
- Shopping that was not optimized for mobile browsing and couldn’t handle the heavy traffic from across the globe
- Outmoded UI and UX design that impacted the customer experience
- Inability to localize transactions for specific regions (to collect taxes, use local currencies, adhere to regulations, etc.)
- Compatibility issues and a failure to fully integrate with local partners and their workflows
2XU hired Net Solutions to create a modern, Magento-based eCommerce website designed for international retail transactions and massive scalability.
The new website includes:
- Responsive design
- A robust backend that could run multiple sites
- Streamlined inventory processing and order integration
- Custom workflow capabilities to adapt to changing conditions and local demands
The new eCommerce site allowed 2XU to reposition itself in a global marketplace and scale rapidly.
Client company type: Retail and eCommerce
Client problem: 2XU struggled in its international expansion efforts due to its outdated eCommerce front-end and back-end, which was designed for domestic transactions and proved unscalable.
Our solution: Net Solutions’ business analysts learned about the retailer’s challenges and requirements, ultimately designing and building an eCommerce site that enabled international scaling.
Outcomes: The new frontend design and backend functionality allowed 2XU to successfully compete in foreign markets and continue to scale at a rapid pace.
Key takeaways: Modern technology enables rapid expansion. Legacy systems might function at an acceptable level in the early stages, but when scaling—especially beyond borders—digital optimization is key.
2XU embraced the path of modernization with its new website and let go of the legacy apps connected to it, allowing the retailer to compete on an international stage.
Case Study 4: ADP/Celergo
ADP is the world leader in payroll management and human resources solutions, and when they acquired Celergo, they hired Net Solutions to support Celergo’s app modernization efforts.
Celergo was a successful payroll management platform with aging systems supporting it. Although their infrastructure was cloud-based, the legacy systems were underperforming.
The in-house team was tasked with modernizing the existing systems, but they needed outside support to augment their efforts. Net Solutions learned the IT team’s systems, processes, and coding protocols. The next step involved upgrading their Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform that was central to their core product.
Over the course of the extended engagement, ADP worked with their partner to:
- Perform a UX overhaul of core client-facing modules
- Create a powerful automation tool for ADP’s payroll system
- Serve as an ongoing partner to support ADP’s regular efforts to improve the platform and address key business challenges
Celergo and ADP used an augmentation model to support their app modernization efforts and address key business needs.
Client company type: Payroll & HR Management
Client problem: The legacy system needed a significant overhaul, but the company’s in-house team was stretched thin with work—a common modernization challenge. They had the knowledge, but not the workforce, to complete the task in a reasonable timeframe.
Our solution: Net Solutions augmented internal staff by learning the company’s systems and coding procedures, supporting a complete UX overhaul.
Outcomes: The company replaced its legacy systems with modern, powerful apps that performed better and offered the flexibility and scalability they required.
Key takeaways: Cloud-based systems can still underperform if they lack a powerful, modern architecture, and in-house teams are often stretched so thin with their day-to-day tasks that they lack the time and resources to focus on modernization. Staff augmentation from a qualified outsourcing partner can help them meet their needs and implement best practices.
Case Study 5: American Golf
American Golf is a UK-based retailer specializing in golf equipment, and as a legacy brand, they’ve been in business for more than 50 years. While the company had a long history of performing well as a brick-and-mortar operation, they struggled to take their business online.
The eCommerce website lacked some core functionality that would make American Golf competitive online, such as a secure payment system and automated fulfillment.
American Golf’s eCommerce efforts involved:
- Creating a customer CMS with strong admin functionality and role-based permissions
- Integrating Microsoft Dynamics NAV/Navision to support a powerful ERP
- Integrating Mercado (now Adobe Search & Promote) to analyze shopper behavior and tailor marketing efforts accordingly
- Creating a store locator that integrated with Google Maps and AFD
- Implemented personalization capabilities to offer discounts to users
- Creating secure checkout with DataCash (Now Mastercard Payment Gateway Service)
- Integrating sales through Amazon
- Creating a custom analytics dashboard
- Providing a whole host of additional integrations
The massive overhaul of the website produced tangible results in the form of increased traffic and higher conversation rates than ever before.
Client company type: Retail & eCommerce
Client problem: The legacy eCommerce website was not equipped to perform modern eCommerce at scale.
Our solution: Net Solutions provided a complete overhaul of American Golf’s eCommerce platform, creating a fully modern digital platform that allowed the established company to compete online.
Outcomes: American Golf experienced increased traffic, higher conversion rates, centralized event management for physical stores, seamless order handling and fulfillment, and powerful internal reporting.
Key takeaways: Legacy brands can (and should) compete online, but doing so requires modern applications to manage a large online presence. Hiring an outsourcing partner can increase their odds of a successful digital transformation and help you use the right app modernization tools.
American Golf saw the rise in eCommerce demand years ahead of other brands, and leadership knew they had a narrow window to dominate the online retail market. They saw the business value in a full digital transformation before many legacy brands, and they reaped the rewards.
Case Study 6: Confectionery Retailer
A popular London-based confectionery retailer, which has chosen to remain anonymous, came to Net Solutions to modernize the web and mobile apps they used to support B2B sales, marketing, and ordering efforts.
The retailer's app modernization project included:
- Revamping the UX for both external and internal users
- Implementing new features, including:
- Offline cart creation and shopping mode
- Cross-platform cart synchronization
- Add-and-scan products for new carts
- Enhanced product offerings and promotions
- Many other features designed to increase sales
- Implementing changes that allowed internal sales staff to:
- Access a powerful sales dashboard
- Review customer ordering trends
- Set up meetings with clients
- Suggest products and special deals to offer clients clients based on their ordering history
The new features improved the experience for both internal and external customers, supporting the retailer’s B2B sales efforts in ways that wouldn’t have been possible without fully modernized apps.
Client company type: Retail & eCommerce
Client problem: The client wanted to introduce new features and improve website and mobile app performance, but this was impossible without a technical upgrade.
Our solution: Net Solutions built new applications with an improved tech stack and powerful API upgrades that introduced tremendous flexibility.
Outcomes: Improved user experience for both sales staff and B2B customers.
Key takeaways: Technology changes quickly, so it makes sense to review your business needs regularly, perform a cost-benefit analysis, and determine whether expanding the range of your software’s capabilities will provide a solid return on your investment.
Looking for the Right App Modernization Partner?
Net Solutions has worked with major brands across a wide range of sectors: Retail and eCommerce, healthcare, financial services, sports and fitness, media and entertainment, food and beverage, education and training, automotive, and more.
Using a DevOps and Agile approach to software development, the Net Solutions team has transformed legacy, on-premises systems into modern ecosystems that take advantage of all cloud computing has to offer.
Whether you’re looking for an outsourcing partner to augment your in-house efforts or a full-service development firm that can build and execute your modernization roadmap, we should talk.
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