Pets4Homes, which started in 2005 and was later obtained by Pet Media Group in 2019, is one of the most trusted pet marketplaces in the world, due to its pose on responsible practices and safeguarding animal welfare, reflected in the company’s stellar Trustpilot rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars and its work with many reputable animal charities and shelters across the UK.
The platform, available on desktop, iOS, and Android, provides a safe, secure, and trustworthy way for people to adopt animals from several categories, including dogs, cats, horses, fish, and birds. To further build on their track record of animal welfare and safety, the platform also provides advice on pet health, veterinary care, and other tips for adopting pets.
Securing the Pets4Homes transaction process
Pets4Homes connects buyers with responsible breeders across the United Kingdom, and does this safely it uses a secure payment system called Pets4Homes Deposit Service. This feature was an important part of the EBS development process and one of the key drivers for recoding the platform. This unique care service, which was altered by EBS to handle much-needed additional functionality, including deposits, money management, refunds, and bills, is a foundational element of the development. Pets4Homes and EBS keenly identified this as an integral part of boosting and improving the renown of the marketplace.
Additionally, the escrow service can scale to meet the demand of its parent company Pet Media Group’s worldwide footprint – users can now select from more than 40 different secure payment processors. As a result, it will travel out to all of Pet Media Group’s online marketplaces in the future. With a 100% success rate for payments, they can be confident in the security of their on-platform transactions. Because all payment flows and task-based transactions are automated, the Pets4Homes team is allowed to focus on other areas of the business.
Using the service buyers can be verified and reserve any pet through the marketplace. Before visiting the seller for collection and completing the transaction through the Pets4Homes payment gateway. The system also takes into account refunds if the need should ever arise, through a simple, streamlined process for dispute settlement.
Refactoring the code base for optimal stability
Due to the age of the platform, the code base, libraries, and logic had significantly depoler in quality. The vast majority of the platform’s architecture had to be overhauled to implement newer. Moreover secure methods of transacting – the outdated system simply didn’t allow for it.
To do this, EBS manages a thorough code review to ensure regularity in the design. The implementation phases while optimizing the code for vastly improved functionality and performance. The code review was a foundational part of the project, enabling the EBS team to build a consistently solid foundation. Which to validate and develop the features and functionality required by Pets4Homes. By maintaining a consistent code pattern, the EBS team was able to focus solely on those features without needing to go back over old ground. They Reanalyze the code after each iterative sprint.
Building a culture of trust and innovation
To kick off the project, EBS developed a range of in-under workshops. To better understand the project range and business requirements. The EBS team, including all developers. The project manager regularly met with the team at Pets4Homes for weekly workshops.
Through this workshopping process, EBS was able to design schemas and logic, while identifying potential risks to the development. In addition to this, it provided the framework for Pets4Homes. To develop a greater understanding of the practicalities and feasibility of their growth plans. How that would factor into the platform development? Before embarking on the Pets4Homes project, EBS. They already delivered a project for another of Pet Media Group’s companies, Hästnet. A similar online platform for the Swedish equestrian market. Due to this live relationship, Pets4Homes was versed in EBS’ development style, working practices, master plan, and solutions design.
EBS implemented daily meetings between the internal and external teams. Define and prioritize the project specification, requirements, budget, and timeframe. While also setting best practices for the ongoing development of the Pets4Homes platform. As EBS moved further into the development phase, after the complex code review and business analysis workshops, the team presented numerous solutions to Pets4Homes for refactoring the outdated and depreciated platform by making significant improvements to the existing code base in the highly prioritized areas, such as payments, listings, and messaging. Chat functionality was one of the main areas of focus during development, and is end-to-end encrypted for additional security.
Pets4Homes: A pet market fit for a queen
In early 2021, the news broke that a team of the British royal family had used Pets4Homes. To find a pet through a verified breeder listed on the site. The late Queen Elizabeth II, whose love for dogs is nationally known. Moreover, had reportedly selected a corgi before a member. The royal household made a transaction through the site in February 2021. This story perfectly illustrates the ubiquity and reputation of the Pets4Homes platform. Which has gone from strength to strength since EBS refactored the code and implemented a wealth of new features.
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