Homebase adopts low-code development to roll-out shopfloor mobile apps

Homebase plans to roll-out a series of low-code applications in belated digital transformation

Homebase has adopted low-code and agile development methodologies to build new applications for employees and to support its digital transformation.

The first application developed by the DIY retail chain is a ‘product look-up' mobile app for employees enabling them to quickly look-up product details and specifications. That app will soon be augmented with features enabling staff to reserve and order items in real-time, and the capability to help customers and staff specify and order complex products, such as bathrooms and kitchens.

In addition to product selection and availability, this will also encompass delivery scheduling, warehousing and stock integration, requiring a high level of integration with disparate legacy systems.

The shift has been supported by the adopt of Neptune Software's DX Platform that provides a rapid-application development front end that uses an API-base approach that connects with Homebase's legacy systems. IT teams can then design, develop, integrate and manage applications demanded by the business with little or no code required.

"Gone are the days of complex integration projects that take years to complete. Now we build a new experience, roll it out to a single store, and if it works it can be live across the business in weeks," said Homebase IT director Paul Cannon.

Natalie Kouzeleas, managing director of Neptune Software UK, suggested that low-code development approaches, supported by platforms like Neptune DX, can cut development time by 60 per cent.

The move by Homebase is part of the company's transformation following its liberation from ownership by Australia's Wesfarmers, which acquired the company from Argos in 2016 and solid it off just two years later. The disastrous experience cost the Australian company around AU$1 billion. Homebase is now owned by private equity firm Hilco, which it in 2018 for just £1.