Developing mobile sales app for a hardware manufacturer
1. USER FRIENDLY
PRODUCT
NAVIGATION
CUSTOMIZED
SOLUTION
CATEGORICAL
PRODUCT ANALYSIS
MULTICHANNEL
COMMERCE
ANYWHERE
ACCESS
Background
OTTO Controls, a division of OTTO, is one of
the leading designers and manufacturers of
precision switches and control grips, serving
numerous commercial and government
establishments for more than 50 years. Their
switches and control grips perform every day
in some of the toughest applications
including heavy equipment, aerospace,
marine, medical, communication and other
demanding markets.
Case Study
Developing iOS and Android catalog sales
app for a leading hardware manufacturer
Challenges
For OTTO, catering their industrial grade products to unique and demanding
environments brought about a need for a catalog application that would showcase their
products without having to redirect the sales representative to another website. The key
here was to centralize their product database for it to be available on all their online
channels.
Serving multiple ecosystems, the app also had to be compatible with Android and iOS,
two of the world’s most used mobile operating systems. Another key requirement of the
client was to make the application fully functional in offline mode. This meant that the
showcased data had to be made available in case of no internet access. Multiple product
channels meant that the sales representatives had to look through a number of sites to
gather information and documentation related to the products.
Solutions
Softweb Solutions identified these requirements and provided an innovative catalog
application analogous to both mobile environments. With the ability of SQLite to link its
library to the application program, which can also be called dynamically, we were able to
centralize the product database across all platforms. This ensured a smooth operation
through all their channels that deal with the same products. Xcode was used to design
the iPad app, while Eclipse was used to design the Android app.
The offline access gives sales representatives using the app the ability to make
presentations and conduct meetings anywhere, ensuring the availability of the entire
catalog. Information entered into the app during offline mode would reflect on relevant
channels as soon as the device finds an internet connection. The app serves as a vantage
point for sales representatives who have all the product knowledge at their disposal any
time of the day.
2. Summary
OTTO wanted to expand its reach beyond
the web for which they needed a unique yet
simple catalog application for iOS and
Android based tablets, which would aid their
sales staff in pitching their products to
prospective buyers. Softweb Solutions
developed an intuitive and attractive catalog
app, complete with product knowledge and
sales related information. Using TestFlight for
iOS and Google Expansion for Android, we
were able to deploy the apps to check their
functionality, before they were made
available on the respective app stores.
Contact Information
Softweb Solutions
2531 Technology Drive, Suite 312,
Elgin, Illinois 60124
US Toll Free Number: 1-866-345-7638
Email: info@softwebsolutions.com
www.softwebsolutions.com
Case Study
Technologies Used
Operating System: iOS 6 and above
Tools: Xcode, Instruments
Device compatibility: iPad
Database: SQLite
3rd party tools: TestFlight
O
O
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Features
Business Benefits
Product catalogO
Document repository for product detailsO
Offline accessO
Search product by meta dataO
Compare products of same levelO
Locate product distributors and sales representativesO
Advance search capabilityO
The app creates brand awarenessO
Sales reps always have hands-on informationO
Offline access for anytime functionalityO
Save on printing costs as all documents are available on the appO
iPad: Android:
Operating System: Android 3.0 and up
Tools: Eclipse
Device compatibility: Tablet
Database: SQLite
3rd party tools: Google Expansion
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