How we built a system where the customer scans the package and reorders instantly

A warehouse to keep straight, and a reorder that had to be effortless.

Two problems, bolted together. Internally, the team needed a clear view: what was in stock, what was selling, what needed restocking — no spreadsheets, no guesswork. Externally, the customer needed a path to a new order so short it barely felt like ordering — built for someone standing on a job site with their hands full, not sitting at a desk.

The hard part was that the two sides are the same problem. An order placed in the app is, at the same instant, a movement in the warehouse. If the two don't talk to each other in real time, either the customer gets promised stock that isn't there, or the warehouse works from a picture that's already out of date.

We started with what the customer actually does.

A tradesperson who's run out of a component should be able to point their phone at the package, scan the barcode, and reorder in seconds — the app recognizes the part, the customer confirms the quantity, done. No catalogue to page through, no part numbers to copy down. What would otherwise be a small errand becomes a single motion, mid-job.

Underneath, it's one coherent system. We built a web portal in React where the team runs the warehouse — stock levels, parts, and order flow in one place — and a mobile app in React Native for customers. Both sit on the same backend, so a scan in the app and a movement in the warehouse are the same event seen from two sides. Stock updates as orders come in, and the portal always shows what's actually true.

A system that runs the warehouse and puts the reorder in the customer's hand.

• Web portal for the warehouseStock levels, parts, and orders in one interface, built in React so the team can run restocking and order flow without side tools.
• Scan and reorder in the appThe customer scans the barcode on the package, the app recognizes the part, and a reorder goes in within seconds — no part numbers, no digging through a catalogue.
• Warehouse and orders in syncAn order in the app is a movement in the warehouse. The same backend keeps both views current in real time, so the customer is never promised stock that isn't there.
• One codebase, two interfacesShared logic for parts and orders underneath a React web portal and a React Native app, which keeps the system consistent and easy to build on.

A reorder in seconds, and a warehouse the team can trust.

The tradesperson goes from an empty supply bin to a placed order with a single scan, and the warehouse is run from one view that always reflects reality. What used to tie up time — manual order handling on one side, spreadsheets on the other — became one connected flow where every order keeps itself up to date.