Main Enterprise Resource Planning Case Study
Client & Project Overview
The client wanted a modern eCommerce platform that supports split payments – i.e., Letting customers pay for a purchase using multiple payment methods or split the cost across different parties / vendors. The main goal was to reduce cart abandonment, improve flexibility, enable marketplace-style payouts or commissions, and provide a seamless checkout experience.
Challenges / Needs
- Shoppers often abandon carts because they don’t have full payment available with one method.
- Marketplace scenario: orders may involve multiple sellers, each needing their share automatically from a single checkout.
- Ensuring security and correct distribution of amounts to each payment recipient (vendors, marketplace owner, commissions).
- Handling different payment methods together: credit/debit cards, wallets, maybe gift cards or partial payments.
- Reliable reporting and transparency so both buyers and sellers know what has been paid, remaining, when funds will be disbursed.
- Handling refunds, cancellations, and disputes cleanly when payments are split between multiple entities.
Goals & Objectives
- Implement a checkout flow where customers can split payment across multiple cards / methods, or share cost among recipients.
- Automate the distribution of funds to multiple parties (vendors, admin, etc.) per the order’s composition.
- Maintain consistency, accuracy & security throughout payment, disbursement, refunds.
- Provide a good user experience: clear UI for splitting payment, showing what portion is assigned where, transparency.
- Dashboard for admin/vendor to track transactions, see split payments, commissions, payouts.
Our Role & Scope
- Requirement analysis: use-cases, edge cases (partial payments, refunds etc.)
- UX/UI: design checkout screens which allow splitting, selecting multiple payment methods, showing summary
- Backend/payment gateway integration: APIs for multiple payment inputs, tokenization, amounts distribution
- Vendor / marketplace module: defining commission rules, vendor bank/account linkage, payout schedule
- Transaction / accounting module: tracking payment flows, disbursement, accounting, ledger entries
- QA / Testing: checking splits, edge cases (if one payment fails), refund flows, security tests
Solution & Key Features
- Split Payment Options at Checkout: Customer may choose e.g. part payment via credit card, part with wallet / gift card, or use multiple cards.
- Multi-Vendor / Marketplace Disbursement: If products come from different vendors, system automatically splits payment amounts among vendors + platform commission.
- Flexible Configuration: Admin can define who-gets-what share, commission structure, minimum/maximum splits.
- Payment Method Variety: Support for credit/debit cards, digital wallets, gift cards, installments (if applicable).
- Refund Handling: If an order or product is returned, refunds are handled in proportion to initial payment splits.
- Transparent UI: Buyers see split breakdown, vendors see earnings, admin can see entire ledger.
- Secure Payment Flow: PCI compliance, secure tokenization, fraud detection.
Challenges & How We Overcame Them
- Legacy Data Migration: Data was inconsistent, duplicated or missing fields. Solution: Pre-migration cleaning & mapping; staging environment; validation checks.
- Custom Business Logic: Complex workflows across departments. Solution: Flexible configuration, custom modules, frequent feedback loops with stakeholders.
- Performance Load: Large transactional volume during peak operations / month-end. Solution: Performance testing, database optimization, horizontal scaling where needed.
- Change Resistance: Users comfortable with old systems reluctant to shift. Solution: Training sessions, early involvement of key users, pilot phases.
- Maintaining Security & Compliance: Several regulations to comply with. Solution: Role-based access, logging, encryption in transit/at rest, regular security reviews.
Design & UX Approach
- Enterprise-grade dashboard with quick insights on key metrics after login.
- Consistent UI across modules to reduce learning curve.
- Clear workflows for approvals, requests, alerts.
- Mobile / tablet friendly interface for management on the go (if applicable).
- Training materials / onboarding help integrated: tooltips, guided tours.
Results & Impact
- Cart abandonment reduced by X% after enabling split payments.
- Average order value (AOV) increased by Y%, as customers could afford larger orders by splitting cost.
- Number of checkout failures due to payment shortages dropped.
- Vendors received payouts correctly, reducing payment disputes / support tickets.
- User satisfaction increased (from survey feedback) due to checkout flexibility.
Key Learnings & Future Plans
- Making split payment UI super intuitive is essential—users must understand what they’re committing to.
- Need to monitor potential risk of fraud especially when multiple payment methods are involved.
- Ensuring vendor trust and clear payout scheduling helps marketplace ecosystem.
- Future features: installment plans, more payment options, dynamic split (user can adjust split proportions), support for regional payment methods.
Visuals / Assets Ideas
- Screenshots of checkout flow: splitting payment, selecting methods, confirmation.
- Dashboard view for vendors showing split payments and commissions.
- Flow diagram: from customer selecting split payments → payment processing → vendor commission / platform payout.
- Before vs after charts: cart abandonment rate, AOV, checkout completion rate.