STEYN'S DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Complete digital transformation of a traditional South African specialty food retailer, creating their first e-commerce presence and doubling company revenue through strategic mobile application development.
Project Impact
The Challenge
Steyn's, a traditional brick-and-mortar South African specialty food retailer, operated solely through physical sales channels. With a growing demand for authentic South African products globally and shifting consumer preferences towards digital shopping, the company faced the challenge of establishing their first digital presence.
The opportunity was clear: transform a traditional business model into a modern e-commerce operation whilst maintaining the authenticity and quality that defined their brand. This required not just technical implementation, but strategic business development and a deep understanding of both South African specialty foods and mobile commerce.
The Solution
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
- • Identified market opportunity through research and analysis
- • Created comprehensive Figma designs and business proposal
- • Negotiated innovative revenue-sharing agreement
- • Established performance metrics and tracking systems
TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION
- • Complete React Native application with Expo framework
- • Secure payment processing through Stripe integration
- • Firebase authentication and Cloud Functions
- • Supabase database architecture for scalable operations
Technical Architecture
FRONTEND
BACKEND
INTEGRATIONS
Development Journey
INITIAL DEVELOPMENT
First iteration focused on learning and proof of concept. Developed over 3-4 months whilst mastering React Native, Firebase integration, and mobile commerce best practices. This phase established core functionality and user experience patterns.
ARCHITECTURE REWRITE
Complete system redesign and implementation completed in 2 weeks. Leveraged lessons learned to create a scalable, production-ready application with optimised performance, enhanced security, and improved user experience.
ONGOING SUCCESS
Live production application with active user base and continuous growth. Ongoing monitoring, maintenance, and feature enhancement based on user feedback and business requirements.
Results & Ongoing Success
"The application successfully established Steyn's first digital sales channel, transforming a traditional brick-and-mortar operation into a modern e-commerce business with measurable growth and expansion opportunities."
The project delivered immediate and sustained business impact. Order volumes doubled post-launch, establishing a strong foundation for continued growth. The application maintains an active user base of over 550 members with consistent weekly order processing of 50+ transactions.
This engagement demonstrated the value of comprehensive digital transformation - from initial business analysis through technical implementation to ongoing operational success. The revenue-sharing model ensures continued alignment between technical performance and business outcomes.
Ready for Your Digital Transformation?
Let's discuss how we can engineer optimal solutions for your business challenges.
GET IN TOUCH