Inthebag upgrades performance with ColdFusion

Woolworths` online grocery store, inthebag, has replaced the system originally based on Microsoft ASP and VB technologies with one using MacromediaColdFusion at the backend.

Charles Oertel, CIO at inthebag, says the change was made necessary by a number of factors, not the least of which was the fact that the previous system could not always effectively deal with exceptions. "The Microsoft Web development environment, for all its ease of use, is unstructured and allows programmers to be undisciplined in the way they approach projects."

The argument, he says, is similar to the one used to promote Cobol in the old days - enforce discipline in coding and protect programmers from themselves and their mistakes by using a structured programming platform. "Failing to do so produces software that is a nightmare to maintain for anybody other than the original developer," he adds.

Another factor was performance. "The most consistent complaint we received about the old Web site concerned its performance, or lack thereof. However, we noticed that, even at peak trading hours our Web servers were running at no more than 10% utilisation, indicating that the bottleneck was not the servers, but inefficiencies in the Visual Basic (VB) code and database access procedures," comments Oertel.

"Upon investigation, we identified a further cause to be a lack of bandwidth created by too much unnecessary data [images and hidden variables] going backwards and forwards. The architecture of the original site made it almost impossible to make changes to code in one area without causing severe disruptions in others. Accordingly, wholesale redevelopment of the site was the only viable option.

"We decided to build the new site using technology that would suit our start-up organisation, which has a rapidly evolving business model. The solution also needed to be inexpensive and flexible, to keep start-up costs down and reduce the time it would take to break-even," he adds.

Oertel chose Macromedia ColdFusion and Macromedia Spectra. "Apart from the disciplined development platform this technology offers, it also addresses three areas critical to the success of an online business - content management, e-commerce and personalisation," he notes.

"Since we had identified the technology we wanted to use for the new site, all we needed was a business partner who could fine-tune the existing site in the short-term, and develop a new one using Macromedia technology in the medium-term."

Enter Entelligence, a local Macromedia consulting partner based in Stellenbosch that employs 40 Web developers.

"The first order of business was to make a series of `quick fixes` to the existing site to address as many of the problems reported as possible. Once this was complete, the real work began - developing a new site that appears the same but is based on a combination of Microsoft and Macromedia technologies and integrate it with an existing SAP R/3 implementation as well as the catalogue management system and call centre," says Sean Riley, MD of Entelligence.

With the new site having gone live earlier this month, Oertel says he is pleased with the result: "We`ve seen a decline in the number of complaints received, which is indicative of improved performance and an elimination of bottlenecks. In fact, we have already had several regular customers commenting on the improved speed of the site."

Oertel describes the real business benefit of the new site as twofold: the shortened development cycle allows bug-fixes and enhancements to be implemented very quickly; and the improved stability allowed the organisation to free up developers who had previously spent their time keeping the old system running."

Technologically, Riley says the new inthebag site has been a collaborative effort - one that in not dependent on a single hotshot developer. "The application is mission-critical because, if it falls over, inthebag loses money. It`s that simple.

Looking forward, Oertel says phase two of the project will be the implementation of Macromedia Spectra. "That will enable us to pass control of information content, in a structured way, to line managers of the various departments, allowing them to manage aspects of the Web site pertinent to them and their department without involving technical staff.

"In addition, Spectra enables the personalisation of content for visitors to a site. By building profiles of individual shoppers this technology allows us to personalise the Web experience. The profiles will then be used for one-to-one marketing - targeting individuals on the basis of qualified preferences and improving their shopping experience," says Oertel.

Jeremy Matthews, MD of local Macromedia distributor, Dax Data, says personalisation is one of the keys to success in online business. "Successful e-Commerce depends on integrating the provision of information in a personalised manner, content assets, and the services needed to enable the transactions.

"Approaching e-Commerce in this way allows the Web site to become more than just another point of access to the company. It becomes a living, breathing entity that can react quickly to customer needs and offer a better browsing experience, thereby improving the likelihood return visits.

"As return visits to a shopping site typically result in more sales, the ultimate business objectives of any commercial organisation are being served," concludes Matthews.