How Urban Arrow scaled its global dealer network with a custom Mendix portal

Urban Arrow is a manufacturer of electric cargo bikes in the premium segment. The company sells bikes to individuals and businesses, including delivery bikes for Coolblue. The company's mission is to make cities more livable with smart logistical solutions. Urban Arrow has established a presence in Western Europe, the United States and Canada. The bikes are distributed in these countries through an extensive dealer network. 

To support these dealers, the company had an outdated dealer portal with limited functionality. Urban Arrow wanted to make the status of orders more transparent for dealers to prevent errors and misunderstandings and provide better support. Erwin Willems, CFO and product owner for the new portal, explains, "We've been around for ten years and have experienced significant growth, especially in recent  years. This means we have dealers selling hundreds of bikes per year. For them, it's crucial to have the right information at their fingertips. Urban Arrow is continuing to grow, so we were looking for a platform that can dynamically grow with the company.

To familiarize themselves with both the Mendix platform and Emixa, Urban Arrow first conducted a test by building a small-scale app. This app was designed for the company's account managers, allowing them to enter plan orders together with dealers. Previously, these orders were manually entered into the ERP system for each bike. With the app, it became possible to schedule complete batches. The new method of input is much more efficient for account managers,  improving data entry quality and saving them a lot of time. Willems explains that it was a highly successful test. 

The dealer portal was then built in twelve bi-weekly sprints. The portal ensures that sales from the dealer channel are administratively processed in the ERP system. Dealers also gain more insight into product information, delivery times, suitable accessories, and orders and invoices.  Dealers can now modify orders, add references, and see when an order is delayed. Thanks to the customer portal, dealers can better assist their customers and manage expectations more effectively. Additionally, there is less need for communication between dealers and Urban Arrow, as dealers can handle many matters on their own.

The dealer portal integrates with the ERP and PIM systems. The digital asset manager, Cloudinary, is also linked for photography. Urban Arrow understood that the portal had to be customized, and the company couldn't rely on a subscription to standard software. With a personalized and intuitive design, the company logically involves dealers in the process without requiring users to go through complicated manuals. The various data streams, combining payment data, customer data, and orders, have successfully connected in one integrated system.