An agile digital transition to enhance performance
Client
Colabor Group
Industry
Food distributor
Know-how
Digital
Numérique
Challenge
What you should know
Colabor Food Distributor wanted to shift its annual buying show to a virtual format, after 15 years of holding the event in-person. This ambitious project was part of Colabor’s drive to innovate, in a move to strengthen its competitiveness in a rapidly changing market.
Goals:
- Move from a manual order-taking process to a fully digital solution.
- Provide an optimal experience to all stakeholders (suppliers, exhibitors, distributors, buyers, and customers).
- Allow participants to see their results in real time.
- Facilitate order processing via data automation.
Solution
Our approach
Align communications based on four key principles:
Speed and agility
We quickly implemented a made-to-measure digital solution in under 10 weeks, enabling us to respond effectively to urgent needs while ensuring an optimal operational transition.
A solid technological foundation
We created a modular platform based on a tech stack designed to combine performance, flexibility and interoperability. This new infrastructure allows Colabor to easily adapt the tool to other events, while ensuring seamless integration with its internal systems.
Brand representation
We ensured that Colabor’s digital identity for both the in-person and online components of the show would be perfectly consistent, providing a uniform experience for participants. The entire virtual journey—from registration to placing orders—reflects the essence of the Colabor buying show.
Measurability and results analysis
We developed a global dashboard that enables real-time consultation of sales results and precise performance analysis, facilitating rapid, informed strategic decision-making.
Why does it work?
By combining an innovative strategy, personalized support and real-time assistance, we helped Colabor initiate a sustainable transformation of its practices. This project marks a turning point toward a long-term digital vision, where each event becomes a lever for performance, agility and added value.
It also shows that by reinventing the transactional experience, we’re laying the groundwork for the industry’s future—one event at a time.
Since creating the virtual experience, Bob has helped Colabor plan and execute more than a dozen events, using the same platform for the Restaurant Industry Show and the Colabor Market.
What we did
Visual identity
- Define a consistent digital identity for the online buying show.
- Adapt the Colabor brand to a virtual format while preserving its values.
- Position the event as an innovative experience, and adapt communications accordingly.
Experience
- Vision and strategy: transform an entirely in-person event into a predominantly virtual event with an engaging digital platform.
- Research and analysis: study customer and exhibitor needs to design an optimized experience.
- Design and prototype: create interactive mock-ups to test and validate the user experience.
- Experience and system design: develop an intuitive, ergonomic interface to facilitate interactions.
Technology
- Technical architecture and strategy: design robust infrastructure to support the online buying show.
- Made-to-measure applications: create a platform fully adapted to the event’s specificities.
- Custom interfaces: integrate a fluid and responsive interface designed to ensure optimal navigation.
- Data analytics and optimization: track interactions to fine-tune the experience and improve participant engagement.
- Cloud-native DevOps: host and maintain the platform to ensure performance and scalability.
Result
What we accomplished
- Participation doubled: +100% compared with in-person editions prior to the digital transformation.
- Financial target achieved, confirming the viability of the digital platform. On average, sales have increased by 18.12% per year.
- Ongoing commitment: Colabor continues to collaborate with us for each edition, reinforcing a solid business relationship that fosters operational efficiency, continuous platform improvement, smoother execution, and greater synergy between our teams.
