DIA Express App: fast delivery with innovation
CWI’s IT consulting has operated in different ways, with a strategic view of the process as a whole, encompassing design, leadership and quality.
The spanish network DIA, which has stories in four countries, had the support of CWI’s IT consulting to structure their online business in Brazil. The goal was achieved with the launch of the delivery DIA Express app and the consolidation of operations on Ifood’s app.
Our team’s business vision and extensive technical experience were essential for the project to be carried out in a few months, bringing innovation and working with professionals of different time zones. Check out the complete case below to find out how we made it possible in partnership with the DIA team!
Identifying the necessary process to achieve the goal
The DIA Express delivery app allows customers to make their purchases through their phones and receive them quickly at home.
Simply provide your address, and the app will display the products available at the nearest store. The goal is to provide the customer with an experience most similar to physically going to the supermarket. The app offers the same product mix, same prices, and the same promotions as the store. The fast delivery, as the Express of the name, is facilitated by the characteristic that the purchase is made at a nearby store. Therefore, there is no need for the products to leave a distribution center, for example.
Putting this app into operation was a collaborative effort involving many hands. Those responsible for the Spanish network operations in Brazil chose CWI as the consulting firm to design the necessary process to, in a few months, achieve the received challenge: establish DIA’s online business in the South American country based on an existing technological platform abroad.
The performance was complex, demanding flexibility and a great deal of know-how from the CWI team involved. What started as consultancy supporting DIA’s IT department, mediating communication between different ends, ended up with much greater involvement from our team… and even resulted in new contracts to meet other demands of the company.
Simply provide your address, and the app will display the products available at the nearest store. The goal is to provide the customer with an experience most similar to physically going to the supermarket. The app offers the same product mix, same prices, and the same promotions as the store. The fast delivery, as the Express of the name, is facilitated by the characteristic that the purchase is made at a nearby store. Therefore, there is no need for the products to leave a distribution center, for example.
Putting this app into operation was a collaborative effort involving many hands. Those responsible for the Spanish network operations in Brazil chose CWI as the consulting firm to design the necessary process to, in a few months, achieve the received challenge: establish DIA’s online business in the South American country based on an existing technological platform abroad.
The performance was complex, demanding flexibility and a great deal of know-how from the CWI team involved. What started as consultancy supporting DIA’s IT department, mediating communication between different ends, ended up with much greater involvement from our team… and even resulted in new contracts to meet other demands of the company.
Delivery — with innovation — in a short amount of time
In July 2021, after less than five months of work, the MVP of DIA Express went live. For this, different expertise from the CWI team was necessary, such as strategic vision of the entire process, design, leadership and quality.
One of our fronts in the project was the integration between the involved parties, both from the perspective of centralizing communication and in the technical sense. The operation behind the existing platform, however, could not operate in Brazil. So, it was up to CWI to integrate the necessary partners for this in our country and abroad, working across different time zones. More than 20 companies make up the set of suppliers, responsible for areas such as anti-fraud, payment and delivery.
Considering all these spheres, the mastery of the English language by our team was essential to connect professionals from different nationalities. Similarly, an end-to-end perspective – from business to technology – was a differential in our performance.
One of our fronts in the project was the integration between the involved parties, both from the perspective of centralizing communication and in the technical sense. The operation behind the existing platform, however, could not operate in Brazil. So, it was up to CWI to integrate the necessary partners for this in our country and abroad, working across different time zones. More than 20 companies make up the set of suppliers, responsible for areas such as anti-fraud, payment and delivery.
Considering all these spheres, the mastery of the English language by our team was essential to connect professionals from different nationalities. Similarly, an end-to-end perspective – from business to technology – was a differential in our performance.
Attention in different fields
- The consultancy provided by CWI also involved itself in the design of the platform. The visual concept used in other nationalities, for example, would not work in Brazil.
- Professionals with expertise in Quality Assurance (QA) also worked on the project.
- Beyond the app intended for DIA customers, we delivered all the back-office systems and the Picker App, used by employees who handle order separation.
- This tool introduced an innovation that, later on, was even incorporated into competing applications: the option to replace a product in the purchase in case of unavailability in the store.
Pioneering to enhance the user experience
During the preparation of a grocery order, it sometimes happens that an ordered product is not available in the store. With the Picker App, the individuals responsible for this part of the delivery process can suggest another similar product to replace the one that is missing.
The customer is notified through the same app where they placed their order and has the option to accept or reject the substitution. Until the launch of DIA Express, this convenience for the user wasn’t available in competing apps. Currently, however, the functionality created by the CWI team is also part of other applications.
The customer is notified through the same app where they placed their order and has the option to accept or reject the substitution. Until the launch of DIA Express, this convenience for the user wasn’t available in competing apps. Currently, however, the functionality created by the CWI team is also part of other applications.
Improvement in the operation through iFood
In addition to the DIA Express delivery in just over four months, the CWI team collaborated on stabilizing the retail network’s operation on the iFood delivery app. Our involvement in this sphere began by chance, due to common integrations, but it ended up being taken on by the CWI team.
In this way, DIA began consistently serving through both platforms, achieving the goal of structuring its online business in Brazil. Since then, this foundation has also come to include delivery through the Rappi service.
In this way, DIA began consistently serving through both platforms, achieving the goal of structuring its online business in Brazil. Since then, this foundation has also come to include delivery through the Rappi service.
Next steps of the consultancy
- After the launch of the DIA Express MVP, several improvements have already been made for the Spanish network, such as expanding the number of delivery partners and introducing the wallet feature.
- For this year, the goal is to implement even more improvements in the app and enable operation on additional digital channels.
- The future perspective in the CWI + DIA partnership also includes rewriting the ClubDIA loyalty app. This challenge, along with our support contract with the company, began with the successful work done on the DIA Express project.
How CWI optimizes evolutions
CWI is the main IT partner of DIA Brazil in the consulting service model. This is an aspect of our Software Engineering that combines the high level of technical knowledge of the team with experience in different business segments – something that the 30 years of CWI’s presence in the technology market can confidently ensure.
The multinacional’s employees can rely on the strategic vision of those who are part of our team, contributing to the expansion of the Spanish company in the Brazilian digital market.
About DIA
The Spanish supermarket chain DIA is present in four countries, with approximately 40 thousand employees, serving thousands of people daily in its physical stores and delivery service. The company’s work is guided by four pillars: affordable prices, freshness (focus on perishables), own brand and exclusivity.
The first store was inaugurated in 1979 in the city of Madrid. International expansion began in Portugal 14 years later and continued in Argentina in 1997. In Brazil, the network arrived in 2001. Today, there are more than 7 thousand employees in the country, operating in over 750 stores located in the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, as well as in the network’s five distribution centers.
From 2019, the DIA Group underwent a global transformation process. Approximately 74% of the company’s shares were acquired by LetterOne, an international investment company.
The first store was inaugurated in 1979 in the city of Madrid. International expansion began in Portugal 14 years later and continued in Argentina in 1997. In Brazil, the network arrived in 2001. Today, there are more than 7 thousand employees in the country, operating in over 750 stores located in the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, as well as in the network’s five distribution centers.
From 2019, the DIA Group underwent a global transformation process. Approximately 74% of the company’s shares were acquired by LetterOne, an international investment company.
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