Product Portfolio Management System for Interconnecting Info and Accelerating Data Export

Our client is the Czech branch of the Ferrero Group — a multinational manufacturer of branded chocolate and confectionery products, and the world's second-largest chocolate producer and confectionery company. 

They have a strong global presence, and Ferrero products are present and sold directly or through authorized retailers in more than 170 countries belonging to the entire international community.

The client wanted to create innovative software—a comprehensive solution for their company to manage the entire product portfolio. They wanted this solution to be designed to streamline product management processes, saving time and resources. In general, they needed to centralize all information and data about the product portfolio in one (digital) place.

The solution was to build a comprehensive custom portfolio management system that manages all data and operations across many departments, mostly in marketing and sales. Through the system, products and product lines, price lists, information flow, sales materials, document signatures, and various other functions are managed. The system has become the main source of all data.

The challenge for us was to design the system correctly and functionally, as each of their products has over 100 different parameters, and it was necessary to design a reasonable data model for it. Additionally, their product catalog is imported from four different files that complement and update each other. Therefore, we had to take great care to correctly set up the logic to ensure we did not lose any data.

In the beginning, we sat down together at the same table — our Touch4IT team and the Ferrero team — and defined a digital product that would meet all the client's needs and requirements. The decision was to create the aforementioned system that would interconnect all data from various departments within the company and organize them in one place. Therefore, during this initial phase, we engaged in discussions with each department to understand their needs and requirements.

After the consultation and specification phase, we started the design phase. The goal was to create an intuitive and simple system that would enable quick work and save a significant amount of time for many people. After the design was completed, the development phase began, resulting in the completion of the first version of our portfolio system.

The greatest added value for the client is the enhanced efficiency in collaborating across all their departments (mostly marketing and sales). All data and parameters related to their products and product lines are consolidated in one accessible location. If needed, they can effortlessly view, filter, and export the information in the required format and grouping.

For instance, when their business department needs to generate a targeted price offer for a client, the system allows them to easily select the specific products required for the particular market.

In the course of recent functionality enhancements, we have developed a feature for generating presentations with seasonal product catalogs directly from their back-office system. What used to be done manually by employees in the past now only requires a few clicks, making it a quick and efficient process. It's a great time-saving and work-streamlining feature for marketing and sales departments.