Unfolded – Distributor for Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

Success Story – eCommerce & CRM Implementation

History of Chalk Paint & Unfolded

Annie Sloan developed her now famous decorative paint, Chalk Paint, in 1990. This paint has a unique formula that allows it to adhere to most surfaces, creating a matte finish. During the past twenty-five years Chalk Paint has become immensely popular.

Annie Sloan does not sell directly to consumers; rather, her company, Annie Sloan Interiors Ltd., based in the United Kingdom, sells only to retailers. By eliminating business-to-consumer sales, the Chalk Paint brand has developed a strong network of worldwide retailers while maintaining their image as a high-end brand for hobbyists and do-it-yourselfers.

Unfolded is an American company founded in 2010 by Lisa Rickert as an international distributor of Chalk Paint brand paints. Unfolded currently oversees the manufacture, marketing, sales and distribution of Chalk Paint in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand – a network currently encompassing over 600 retailers.

Updating both their business process and the accompanying technology would be essential to their plans for scalability and growth. Unfolded’s website was running on outdated Expression Engine and used a free CMS and Microsoft Excel to organize retailer information. With a growing book of business, this system was causing duplication of efforts and gross inefficiencies.

In August 2014, Carrollton proposed the implementation of a full customer relationship management (CRM) software package to store and organize all retailer information; facilitate the application process for retailers wanting to sell Chalk Paint; and better position the new designer program and directory. Since Unfolded is the consumer-facing site for the entire Annie Sloan network in North America, the site’s design and functionality
need to match the upscale aesthetic of the brand. Unfolded employees desired a seamless experience with the CRM fully integrated into the site.

Assessment of Options

Carrollton’s first step was a month-long phase of Requirements Gathering to learnabout Unfolded’s current business processes and technology gaps. Carrolltonreviewed more than a dozen CRM solutions before selecting Odoo’s cloud-basedsystem. Although Odoo offers an integrated website builder, it was unable toaccommodate the high-concept designs Unfolded required. As a result, Carrolltonchose WordPress for Unfolded’s website and blog. Both systems were selectedspecifically because they are open source (allowing for significant customization) andhighly deployed, making for frequent upgrades and updates. WordPress in particularis extremely easy to use, resulting in a quick training and handoff customerexperience and rapid takeover of the management of the site.

Prior to engaging Carrollton, Unfolded accepted email applications to become aretailer. Carrollton created a custom WordPress plugin that would integrate Odoo withWordPress and replacing email with an application form. This eliminated theinefficient and cumbersome email method for applicants and the Unfolded staff.Odoo’s out-of-the-box structure suits a typical sales cycle that moves from “lead” to“opportunity” to “customer.” However, due to the high demand to become an ChalkPaint retailer, Unfolded needed a system in which applicants would enter the salespipeline as “opportunities” rather than “leads” through the website. To do this,Carrollton’s internal developers worked alongside subcontractor

Odoo’s developmentteam to create a custom pipeline architecture. In addition to the removal of the“leads” portion of the sales cycle, all fields were customized to match Unfolded’sexisting corporate vernacular (example: a “retailer” is known internally as a “stockist”).Throughout, Carrollton’s development team interfaced directly with Odoo developers.This gave Carrollton full access to their software and an advanced ability to makechanges internally, reducing both subcontracting cost and project timelines.

Unfolded uses Odoo internally to move retailer applications that come from theWordPress website through the opportunity pipeline and convert them into officialstockists. A Python-scripted plugin that Carrollton created not only integratesinformation entered on the website to Odoo, but it also syncs data with the public-facing website so that retailers are displayed in real time. Stockists have accounts sothat they may update information, and that information is pushed to Odoo by thecustom-built plugin – again greatly increasing Unfolded’s internal efficiency. Odoohandles over 600 retailers with more added weekly, and is used by Unfolded’s staffdaily.

Early Wins Through Agile Methodology

Unfolded identified that their first priority was redesigning and implementing their blog.Launch of the blog would give Unfolded a voice to interact with stockists, and consumers ofChalk Paint while awaiting the build and launch of the full site and the implementation ofCRM. However, ongoing interface with the design subcontractor was creating a slowprocess. After several weeks, Carrollton demanded that Deep Fried begin using Agilemethods for the project and that planning all work would be produced in Jira. This allowedthe two teams to coordinate more effectively and give the client access to all work beingperformed in one location.

The redesigned blog was launched two months after development began. The design teamthen focused on mockups for the main website, which would have a different aestheticfrom the blog. Carrollton focused on the implementation of Odoo as Unfolded’s retailerapplication pipeline at this time.

Changes To Business Processes

Although Unfolded had been in business for years and was no longer a “start-up,” Carrollton engaged with them at a turning point in their business model due to the firm’s growth. With the implementation of Odoo came a reworking of business processes, which – although necessary and overall positive – caused delays on the client side as they determined how best to work with their new technology. 

The changes in business process and need for better functionality resulted in the timeline being extended from its original due date. The design process was also heavily iterated because Unfolded is (by necessity) very focused on the aesthetic. The continuous customer interaction regarding design also caused short delays throughout the project. The full site was launched in July 2015. Carrollton continues to provide support and expects to create additional modules and functionality in the months to come.  

Project Challenges

The Requirements Gathering was done by a non-Carrollton team that later moved off of the project. While they were able to gain a sense of the overall vision of the website, blog and CRM, they failed to collect needed data points and business processes that would later become essential deliverables. Nearly three months into the project, Carrollton identified more than 250 data points that had to be stored in the CRM and displayed in the site’s design. Corresponding updates to the WordPress designs, Python plugins, and Odoo structure resulted in additional costs and delays and which were communicated and approved by the client as they occurred.

Changes in the team and project management methods mid-way through the project also contributed to a delayed launch. Initially, all design work was sub-contracted outside of Carrollton. When this did not work out, a new Carrollton Project Manager was assigned and immediately began implementing weekly reports run directly from Jira. This additional communication ensured client satisfaction despite multiple changes to the launch date. The client point-of-contact was so pleased with the final product that she engaged Carrollton to build a similar system for another business, Ave Home.