Plumbing E-commerce Platform
Took a 15-year-old plumbing supplier online with a custom storefront, product and inventory management, order workflows, and service booking built around the realities of the business.
Role
Product design and engineering
Tech Stack
NextJS
TypeScript
NodeJS
PostgreSQL
TailwindCSSThe Problem
A 15-year-old physical plumbing supply store faced pandemic-driven challenges including no online sales channel, manual inventory tracking, limited after-hours sales opportunities, 40% revenue decline during lockdowns, and customer migration to online competitors.
The Solution
A full-featured e-commerce platform that digitized the entire product catalog, integrated with existing POS systems, and provided 24/7 online ordering capabilities with real-time inventory management and comprehensive analytics.
System Modules
Product Management
Comprehensive catalog system supporting multiple product variants, bulk pricing, inventory tracking, and dynamic pricing rules for different customer tiers.
Order Processing
Automated order workflow from placement to fulfillment with email notifications, payment processing, and integrated shipping/pickup scheduling.
Customer Accounts
Tiered customer system with contractor pricing, order history, saved addresses, and personalized product recommendations based on purchase patterns.
Admin Dashboard
Real-time operational visibility with inventory alerts, sales reporting, customer management, and performance analytics for data-driven decisions.
Key Features
- Product Catalog with 500+ items including images, detailed descriptions, and bulk pricing tiers
- Online Ordering system with guest checkout, account-based ordering, and multiple payment options
- Flexible Delivery and Pickup scheduling with real-time availability
- Admin Dashboard with real-time inventory tracking, order management, and sales analytics
- Customer Portal featuring order history, contractor pricing tiers, and saved preferences
- Inventory Integration with seamless POS sync and automatic reorder alerts
- Analytics & Reporting with sales metrics, customer behavior tracking, and product performance insights
- Stripe payment integration for secure online transactions
Results & Impact
300% increase in online orders within 3 months of launch
24/7 sales availability expanding revenue opportunities
60% reduction in order processing time through automation
40% increased average order value through personalized recommendations
80% reduction in manual order entry errors
Key Learnings
System integration with existing POS was critical for staff adoption and seamless operations
Mobile-first design essential for field contractors placing orders on-site
Staff training and change management drove successful platform adoption
Data analytics informed inventory optimization and marketing improvements
Contact
Interested in working together?
I take on selected consulting and freelance work: full-stack builds, ERP and SaaS implementation, technical SEO, and operations-heavy products. I’m also open to conversations about FactoStack or forward-deployed engineering work.