Overview

Customer Development Corporation (CDC), a company responsible for managing the Fanatics loyalty program for Exclusive Books and Nu Metro Cinemas, approached Rupert to develop a range of modern tools that would enhance their customer engagement, improve internal efficiency, and extend the lifespan of their existing mainframe infrastructure.

Exclusive Books is South Africa’s largest bookseller chain, while Nu Metro is the second-largest cinema group in the country. Both relied on CDC’s AS400/DB2 backend, which handled nationwide daily transaction processing across over 40 stores in South Africa — plus additional branches in Namibia and Botswana.

Rupert was tasked with designing and developing modern web-based systems that could integrate directly with this environment without disrupting core operations.

Challenge

While CDC’s backend systems were reliable, they lacked the flexibility and accessibility modern businesses required. Key limitations included:

• No online customer portal for Fanatics members.
• No centralised dashboard for management reporting.
• No way to analyse buyer behaviour or personalise promotional campaigns.
• No POS support tools for in-store customer assistance.
• No visibility of cross-store or regional sales performance.

Replacing the AS400 platform was not an option. The business needed a solution that could work with the existing infrastructure — not around it.

Solution

Rupert developed a suite of secure, scalable web applications using open web technologies on a Linux/Apache platform. These applications communicated with the AS400/DB2 backend via ODBC, allowing for real-time data interactions without affecting system stability.

Key components included:

• A Fanatics member login portal for buying/booking with personalised rewards, points tracking, and curated recommendations.
• A management dashboard for daily, weekly, and monthly reporting — including graphical and tabular sales breakdowns by store, region, time of day, author, or category.
• POS interfaces for store staff to access customer loyalty data at the point of sale.
• A mailing engine that segmented users by behaviour, enabling targeted communication campaigns.
• Store comparison tools that allowed decision-makers to monitor and benchmark performance across all stores.

The architecture was designed to be modular, fast, and secure — surfacing legacy data through modern interfaces without altering the integrity of the core system.

Results

The solution delivered immediate and measurable impact across departments:

• Executive Insight: Real-time reporting allowed head office teams to make informed decisions at a glance.
• Customer Retention: Members received timely, relevant content — improving loyalty and response rates.
• Operational Efficiency: In-store staff could assist customers without navigating outdated terminal systems.
• Smarter Marketing: Promotional emails became more targeted, improving engagement and conversions.
• Stability & Safety: All new features operated alongside — not inside — the legacy system, ensuring continuity.

This case study demonstrates how legacy systems can be revitalised without complete replacement. With the right integration strategy, reliable infrastructure like AS400/DB2 can be extended and modernised to meet today’s demands.

Rupert’s work for CDC, Exclusive Books, and Nu Metro helped breathe new life into trusted technology, enabling new functionality, customer satisfaction, and operational clarity — all while respecting the stability of what already worked.

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