How we helped Nextail automate processes

Increasing sales. Empowering teams. Minimizing inventory levels. Providing a data-driven, agile approach, Nextail helps retail companies achieve higher operational efficiency. 

The challenge: Process automation

Nextail’s primary goal was to revolutionize the retail industry. They wanted to transition from traditional paper analysis and Excel spreadsheets to cutting-edge AI solutions and automated processes. 

They aimed to lay a strong foundation for the future development of their entire application. The client needed a reliable team of developers as an extension of their in-house team. The client sought our assistance in crafting new components, services and pages that embraced innovative and high-performance solutions.

At first, they hired us to help them create a user interface (UI) library. Following the successful completion of this project, we earned the trust of our client and were subsequently retained as dedicated developers, actively engaged in the ongoing development of the application. 

We started by taking care of an old app that needed regular updates. We also built a new app using Angular 2+ and used the UI library we created. After two years, it was decided to switch both the old and new apps to Vue 3 while still looking after the old ones. 

Later, the client hired us to work on the Demo Data Generator (DDG) project. The goal of the project was to generate mock data, such as stores, products, product categories, as well as the sales history, store stocks, and warehouse stocks. 

The team: Our expert engineers as an extension of Nextail’s in-house team

The client had a sales team responsible for attracting clients, and as part of their work, they conducted demonstrations with potential clients. Our goal was to provide this team with relevant but fake data that resembled the real data of their actual clients.

Our team of back-end developers, front-end developers, and DevOps engineers worked on multiple Nextail’s projects, providing them with the technical expertise on multiple levels. 

The solution: Creating a UI library and a Demo Data Generator

We were Nextail’s firepower – a reliable extension of their in-house team when they needed it the most. As their dedicated team, we were equal to their in-house employees. We worked side by side with them, delivering innovative solutions, proposing ideas, and participating in decision-making processes. 

Creating the UI library

We created a library of components, using Angular and Storybook. Based on the design the client provided, we created components that were later used for future projects. 

Here are a few examples of what we do: 

• Developing features based on a provided design
• Actively participating in design decisions
• Providing technical support to different teams
• Participating in scrum agile environment
• Presenting app demos
• Participating in the creation of API contracts
• Reviewing code

Demo Data Generator

We provided Nextail with an end-to-end solution for their Demo Data Generator. We developed a Python application that generated this data in the form of CSV files based on a few input parameters. These CSV files were later imported into the existing Nextail system, which processed them and generated visually appealing charts.

The most significant technical challenge was to adapt the existing repository for the Demo Data Generator application within the existing Nextail ecosystem by copying and pasting, renaming, and configuring it to work the way we wanted.

The results: Innovative thinking on all projects

In terms of front-end development, we took our responsibilities seriously and worked closely with the client. Our focus was on delivering solutions quickly and reliably, not only for specific parts but also for the overall architecture of the app. We paid attention to both the details and the bigger picture, which allowed us to create a strong front-end for the project.

For Nextail’s Demo Data Generator, we created an app that generates mock data. It was integrated with the existing Nextail system. 

The tech stack

Front-end:

• JavaScript
• TypeScript
• Angular
• Vue
• Storybook
• HTML5
• SCSS/CSS
• Jest
• Testing library
• Vitest

Demo Data Generator: 

• Python
• Docker
• Circle CI
• PyTest
• Datadog