SkillNet Solution Highlights

• Single eCommerce infrastructure for three online stores
• Multiple re-designs and enhanced functionality for online stores
• Personalized online shopping experience
• Business platform ready for dramatic growth
• Solution incorporated Blue Martini eCommerce, BEA application server, Oracle databases

"Gymboree views its three eCommerce sites as business critical systems. We had to execute the planned enhancements with precision, optimal costs and in the shortest possible time frame. SkillNet's expertise with the Blue Martini eCommerce platform, understanding of retail issues and ability to quickly respond to our needs helped us achieve success."

Himanshu Parikh
Director of Applications, The Gymboree Corporation

Gymboree’s Goals

Gymboree is a specialty retailer of apparel for children and had a clear eCommerce objective: Achieving revenue growth with continued emphasis on customer loyalty. It’s three brands, Gymboree, Play and Music, and Janie and Jack targeted different clientele with different buying needs. As a business strategy, Gymboree wanted its different sets of customers to have a personalized and delightful shopping experience when they were online; an experience that would match their offline shopping experience.

In addition, Gymboree wanted to minimize the cost of developing and maintaining its eCommerce business platform over the long term, and build flexibility into its platform as a readiness measure to adapt to the new demands of doing business. An agile eCommerce infrastructure would also ensure that business opportunities would be addressed quickly.

SkillNet Approach

SkillNet designed a solution that would address Gymboree’s current and future needs, outlining a distributed architecture using Blue Martini applications, BEA Weblogic Servers and Oracle databases, with Java as the programming language. A single instance of the infrastructure was used to run the three eCommerce sites for the three retail brands. Blue Martini application capabilities in content and catalog management, personalization, and check out processes were extended and customized to Gymboree’s requirements.

Since the launch of gymboree.com, playandmusic.com and janieandjack.com in 1999, SkillNet has helped integrate Gymboree’s new merchandising system to other systems, as well as implementing multiple redesigns and key enhancements to the online stores, such as gift certificates, My Gymboree, and Gymbucks loyalty programs.

As a next step to build upon the strengths of the SkillNet solution, Gymboree will embark upon several strategic initiatives including multi-channel integration and a business readiness assessment exercise to ensure that its online stores can continue to handle the continuing growth in sales.

About The Gymboree Corporation

The Gymboree Corporation is a $ 500 million international company selling high-end specialty apparels, accessories and developmental programs through various brands, including Gymboree, Play and Music, and Janie and Jack. Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, it has more than more than five hundred retail stores supporting its brands in United States and Canada, and more than five hundred franchised and company-operated Play & Music program sites in United States and across 28 countries.