You’re probably wondering what software development has to do with the beach. Well, we are so eager to digitalize and optimize processes in our everyday lives, that it only makes sense that we do the same and make the most of our leisure time. 

We identified an area for improvement at one of the most popular beaches and vacation spots in Europe and decided to approach the client with our proposal. 

The “Problem”

You arrive at the beach, attempting to choose a spot to rest, grab shade, and leave your things during the day. You are not sure which sunbed and parasol are available, and where did the guy who charges go?

It is safe to say that the beach business process is traditionally very manual and labor-intensive, and obviously has a lot of room for improvement. It is a challenge to develop a system that would be readily accepted by the beach workers on the client's side. On top of that, this is time-sensitive and needs to be ready for the season kick-off, leaving us with three months from initial contact to delivering a production-ready release.

The Proposal

Full development of a new digital system to automate the beach business. The first phase includes the rental of deck chairs and parasols. This involved enabling users to scan a QR code and make online payments. Additionally, it provided the option to book a deck chair or parasol in advance, ensuring a reserved spot on the beach. No more getting out at dawn to secure your favorite beach spot!

Another key component was a back-office system for staff to manage and monitor payments and bookings effectively.

Now how do we do all of that in just three months?

To meet the deadlines, we decided to break the client's requirements into several scopes. In collaboration with the client, we prioritized each scope. This approach enabled us to deliver a functional software system on time, both for users and workers, but with a reduced number of features. The less prioritized features were delivered later, according to the agreed schedule.

We also had to make sure we presented this well to ensure that the employees on the client’s side would embrace the new business process. We established frequent feedback loops, not only with the client but also with their employees, who were the intended users of the application. This collaboration began early, during the wireframe design phase. By maintaining this close partnership, we avoided surprises during the deployment of the production software, and the employees were already quite familiar with the application by the time it was put in use.

The outcome  

The application enabled the client's employees to manage beach items much more effectively, allowing them to focus on other aspects of the business rather than manually handling payments and monitoring.

The client saw a 15% increase in revenue due to improved user conversion from the new booking system, which allowed customers to select their preferred spot on the beach. Additionally, the system provided much more accurate monitoring of each item's payment status, resulting in very few or no missed payments.

“Reeinvent enabled us to completely transform our business on the beach, going from a quite manual approach to almost completely digital. They managed to transform all our needs into technical requirements and ultimately deliver all as agreed. Communication and project organization were great so we have just positive experiences from our working with Reeinvent.“

What’s next?

We can recognize that this is the first step in digitalizing a traditionally very manual process, and of course, we have thought about how to scale this product in the future to involve more features.

We are now looking into Phase II of the product with the client which includes much more than just the sunbed and parasol, and we are excited to share more about these developments before the upcoming summer of 2025!