Work / 01
Moving a billion-euro app business onto a new backend without a minute of downtime
Douglas needed its shopping apps on a new commerce backend while millions of customers kept using them. Four teams, one migration, and no pause in product work.
- €1B+annual revenue running through the apps
- 0downtime during the move to SAP Hybris
- 40+people across four Scrum teams
Situation
Douglas runs one of Europe’s largest beauty e-commerce businesses, and more than a billion euros a year runs through its iOS and Android apps. Those apps had to move onto a new SAP Hybris commerce backend, with millions of customers using them throughout.
What made it hard
Changing the backend touches nearly everything a shopper does: search, product pages, basket, checkout, account. Four Scrum teams were working on the apps at the same time, and the business couldn’t stop shipping while the foundation changed underneath them.
Other work didn’t wait either. Search and discovery were being redesigned, and external technology suppliers were building real-time photo and video editing into the apps.
What I did
- Led product for the iOS and Android apps across four Scrum teams and more than 40 people, owning roadmap and backlog through the migration.
- Ran the move to SAP Hybris alongside ongoing product work instead of freezing the roadmap.
- Redesigned search and discovery during the same period.
- Coordinated the external technology suppliers delivering real-time picture and video editing.
Result
The apps moved to the new backend with zero downtime for millions of customers.
Search and discovery came out of the same period redesigned, so customers got an improved app rather than just a replatformed one.
What carries over
When many teams change a live system together, sequencing and communication are product work, not project admin. The same problem shows up when an AI platform swaps models under live traffic, or when an energy company pulls dozens of installers onto one platform.