Supporting a high-volume school uniform retailer with a long-running eCommerce platform

With multiple branches across Hampshire and the surrounding area, Skoolkit is a family-run school uniform supplier, catering to parents, schools and clubs.

Serving hundreds of schools, the business manages the demands of retail, online shopping, school-specific products and seasonal peaks. For Skoolkit, eCommerce isn’t just about listing products for sale online. Parents need to find the correct uniform for their children quickly and confidently. Schools need pre-approved items, branded clothing and apparel, and bulk order functionality.

On top of this, Skoolkit needs to process and dispatch a huge volume of orders, particularly during busy peak seasons, without creating enormous workloads for staff.

First Option Software has been working with Skoolkit for more than a decade, supporting the business through a full system takeover, which included a website redesign with mobile optimisation, ongoing development, and integration with key functionalities such as stock and warehouse management systems.

What started life as a website update has developed into a long-term partnership, keeping a business-critical platform stable and fit for purpose.

“FOS have helped us both create and develop our website over the past 15 years and also develop the link between the website and our stock and WMS application to transform the workload arising from our very high volume peak season.”

Sean Davidson, IT Director, Skoolkit

Skoolkit’s legacy online platform needed to cater to multiple audiences at once. Parents are often faced with a frustrating buying process, with school uniforms being highly specific. A blazer or jumper, for example, may look similar across schools, but colours, logos, badges and approved styles can vary significantly. 

A generic online product catalogue was not enough; parents needed to be able to search by school and see the correct items for their children.

For the schools using the platform, Skoolkit had to support more structured ordering, such as bulk orders and school-specific use cases. The website had to serve not only as a customer-facing shopfront, but as a practical tool for schools and institutions ordering in greater quantity.

Finally, for the Skoolkit team, volume and timing of orders can create a great deal of pressure. Uniform demand is seasonal, and during peak periods, manual administration, processing and dispatch, and customer service load can really spike.

“We used to have absolute mounds of paperwork that we almost used to drown in at the very busy time from administrative and operational tasks.”

Sean Davidson, IT Director, Skoolkit

First Option began with a full system takeover, working with Skoolkit’s existing website and improving it, rather than simply starting from scratch unnecessarily. 

The site needed to support easy online shopping, while adapting to the specific needs of the business, with school-led product ranges, branch information, parent journeys, school enquiries, and order processing during peak order season.

Later, First Option Software redesigned the website as browsing habits changed, and mobile use became more important. This new, mobile-optimised eCommerce platform introduced a cleaner, more user-friendly, modern shopping experience.

A key part of the work was integration. First Option connected the website with Skoolkit’s stock control and warehouse management tools, including Fashion Master, which manages stock, ordering, product data and images, and numerous variations of size, colour and style.

The integration reduced duplicate data entry, improved order processing, and prevented errors and inconsistencies between the site and internal systems.

“One of the main upgrades to our site was the integration with our stock control system – this has happened seamlessly and all completed by First Option Software.”

Kieron Davidson, Managing Director, Skoolkit

Rather than asking parents to search through a generic and overwhelming catalogue, then work out which items are for them, the new website allows them to search by school, and view all relevant uniform and branded clothing. This makes the buying process considerably clearer, and reduces the risk of ordering the wrong item.

The school-based structure also helps Skoolkit internally, with product ranges managed around schools in alignment with the online experience.

Key to the Skoolkit website is what goes on behind the scenes. With the website fully linked to stock and warehouse management systems, First Option greatly reduced manual workload. This was vitally important during peak order season.

For a seasonal business, these efficiencies play a key role. A process that is manageable during quieter months can suddenly prove difficult when order volumes increase, putting pressure on staff dealing with manual data entry, paperwork and fragmented systems.

“FOS development helped by reducing operator data entry and order picking and order management tasks.”

Sean Davidson, IT Director, Skoolkit

The previous website was redesigned after a comprehensive discovery process, understanding the strengths and weaknesses. The new site features simple, clean navigation and layouts, with clear, easy paths through the product catalogue, helping customers find exactly what they need.

This also reduced support workload for Skoolkit, as there are hundreds of similar products with multiple variations. Keeping this process smooth and intuitive meant the customer could locate the correct products without needing help.

“The design of the new site was more than we could have hoped for, with clean lines, a very modern feel, and most importantly for us it is very easy to use.”

Kieron Davidson, Managing Director, Skoolkit

Like any long-running online retailer, Skoolkit needs ongoing care. First Option Software continues to support the website through regular maintenance, updates and advice. This continuous relationship ensures the website remains functional and adapts to evolving consumer needs.