CoffeeDesk Pick-Up Points
A unified system that lets CoffeeDesk customers ship to coffee shops, get real-time updates, and pick up seamlessly—while warehouse and barista teams handle batches with confidence.
Background
CoffeeDesk sells specialty coffee and high-end brewing accessories online and operates branded coffee shops. To bridge e-commerce with physical locations, they needed a pick-up-in-store (PIS) experience that fits their daily warehouse flows and barista routines.
The goal was to keep couriers for line-haul efficiency while turning shops into convenient, low-friction pick-up points—complete with tracking, notifications, and clear handover at the counter.
The Problem
Click-and-collect needed to work across many shops, align with warehouse batching, and stay decoupled from the core e-commerce platform while providing transparent status and reliable notifications.
Multi-shop orchestration
Orders must route to the right café and remain visible to all roles—warehouse, couriers, shop staff, and customers.
Decoupled but integrated
Create labels, batches, and statuses without entangling the core store; still react to courier events and webhooks.
Timely notifications
Send SMS/email at the exact moments that matter: dispatch, arrival at shop, pickup window reminders.
Counter verification
Fast, reliable lookup in-shop so baristas can confirm identity and hand over the right parcel.
Solution Overview
A dedicated service with role-specific UIs and APIs: warehouse creates labels and batches, couriers move consolidated totes, shops receive and release parcels, and customers track everything on a clean status page.
Order to Shop
Customer selects a CoffeeDesk shop at checkout; an order is created in the e-commerce system with pick-up fulfillment.
Warehouse Labeling
Warehouse prints a custom tracking sticker via the service API, marks the parcel ‘ready to send’, and stages it for end-of-day dispatch.
Batch Dispatch
At day’s end, staff create a batch (delivery) of many shop-bound parcels; a courier (e.g., DHL) collects the consolidated package.
In-Transit Tracking
Customers receive a tracking page at dispatch showing live status, ETA, and pickup window.
Shop Arrival & Notify
Courier arrival triggers webhook processing; the service automatically notifies customers via SMS/email that their parcel is ready.
Counter Handover
Barista UI lets staff search by name/code, verify details, and mark the parcel as picked up—closing the loop.
Key Benefits
Operational clarity for teams, convenience for customers, and a modular architecture that plays nicely with existing systems.
End-to-end transparency
Clear statuses from warehouse staging to café handover; everyone sees what’s next.
Decoupled architecture
Independent service integrates via APIs and webhooks—no risky changes to the core store.
Reliable notifications
SMS + email at dispatch and arrival ensure customers show up at the right time.
Faster counter ops
Baristas find parcels instantly and verify pickup in a few taps.
Courier-friendly
Keeps existing carriers for line-haul efficiency using daily batch shipments.
Stack & Architecture
Modern web stack on managed infrastructure with pragmatic third-party integrations for shipping and comms.
Frontend
- React: Role-specific interfaces for warehouse, shop staff, and customer tracking.
- Next.js: SSR/ISR for fast tracking pages and internal apps.
Backend
- Node.js: Core application logic, label creation API, batch handling, and webhook processing.
- REST APIs: Stable contracts to e-commerce and courier webhooks without tight coupling.
Infrastructure
- Google Cloud Platform: Managed services for reliability and security.
- GKE (Managed Kubernetes): Containerized apps with easy, frequent deployments.
Notifications
- SMSAPI: Transactional SMS for dispatch and ready-for-pickup alerts.
- EmailLabs: Email notifications and reminders tied to shipment status.
Integrations
- Courier Webhooks (e.g., DHL): Arrival signals drive automatic customer notifications.
Ready to Optimize Your Pickup Operations?
Transform your retail locations into efficient pickup points with batch delivery management and automated customer notifications.