Retool CMS Marketplace for School Programs

About the project

Challenges

CutTime needed a CMS that worked for two groups:

Vendors: They needed a straightforward way to add and manage products, handle shipping and taxes, and keep inventory organized.
Program Directors: They needed a user-friendly system to browse products, filter options, and set up storefronts that worked for their schools.

On top of that, the CMS had to connect with CutTime’s Next Gen system to keep everything running smoothly and ensure data was always accurate.

Requirements

This CMS was a critical piece of CutTime’s operations, so it had to:

Support Vendors: Make it simple to update product details, upload CSV files for bulk changes, and manage inventory, taxes, and shipping settings.
Help Program Directors: Provide secure logins and easy-to-use tools to customize storefronts.
Work Seamlessly: Sync all data with the Next Gen system for accurate and secure operations.‍
Simplify the Shopping Experience: Create a smooth checkout process for students and families while giving vendors tools to track orders.

Key Deliverables

Here’s what we delivered:

A CMS built with Retool that let vendors quickly manage product listings, upload bulk data, and set up inventory, tax, and shipping details.
An intuitive interface for program directors to browse, filter, and customize storefronts without any hassle.
Full integration with the Next Gen system to keep data synchronized and ensure everything worked smoothly.

Main tool

Retool

We used Retool because it’s flexible, fast, and perfect for building custom tools like this. It helped us create a CMS that met all of CutTime’s needs without overcomplicating the process.

Additional tools

Stripe

Project Timeline

12 months

Akveo’s team, who was working on the project

Aliaksandra Labko

Low-Code Solution Engineer

Aleh Krauchanka

Retool Developer

Solution

When CutTime reached out to us in 2023, they were looking for a way to simplify how their vendors and program directors managed their tasks. Vendors needed a straightforward way to add and edit products, while program directors wanted tools to create and manage storefronts for their schools. On top of that, the system had to work seamlessly with their existing Next Gen platform to keep everything organized and consistent.

We kicked things off with a prototype. Retool helped us build a functional demo quickly, giving CutTime the chance to test and share feedback right away. This early collaboration helped us shape the system to fit their needs. What started as a one-developer project grew over time as we added more features like bulk uploads, inventory tools, and flexible shipping options. Over the year, we worked closely with CutTime to deliver a system that worked for them—and we’ve continued supporting and refining it ever since.

To see how Retool has been applied across various business domains, you can explore additional use cases in our blog article, ‘Retool in Action: Practical Use Cases Across Different Business Domains’

Scope of work

Our goal was to create a CMS that was simple to use and solved real problems for both vendors and program directors. Here’s how we approached it:

1. Vendor Product Management

Designed a clean interface where vendors could update details like prices, descriptions, photos, and variations without any confusion.
Added a tool for bulk uploads using CSV files, making it much faster to add or update products.
Built features for tracking inventory, setting tax rates, and configuring shipping options.
Made it easy to activate or deactivate products with a simple toggle.

2. Program Director Storefronts

Developed a secure login system using school program pins, so access was straightforward and reliable.
Created a dashboard where program directors could browse products, filter by category, and customize storefronts for their schools.
Allowed program directors to make changes directly without needing technical support.

3. Integration with Next Gen

Built APIs to sync product data—like IDs, descriptions, and updates—between the CMS and the Next Gen platform.
Simplified the login process to make it easy for program directors to get started quickly and securely.

4. Shopping and Order Management

Added a guest checkout option so families and students could shop without extra steps.
Created unique links for each school program’s storefront, making it easy to share and access customized shops.
Developed an order management system where vendors could track and update orders, view order history, and get notifications about changes.

Technology stack

Backend Development

Retool Workflows connected the CMS to the Next Gen API for syncing data.
Retool DB securely stored vendor and product information.

Frontend Development

Retool was used to create the interface, making it simple and functional for all users.
JavaScript/TypeScript added interactivity and ensured smooth performance.

Selecting the right development partner is crucial when working with Retool. For tips on making this choice, read our article, ‘Choosing a Retool Development Company: What to Look for as a Business’