Smart Data helped Cuddle Clones automate its manual order management process by building a serverless solution using AWS Lambda and Google Sheets integration, all delivered on time through a fully offshore development model.
Client
Cuddle Clones
Industry
Retail
Timeline
2021
Project Overview
Cuddle Clones is an eCommerce company that creates custom plush replicas of pets for customers worldwide. With over 50,000 units sold and orders shipped to more than 80 countries, their fulfillment process is both creative and operationally complex. To manage orders, their team was manually copying order data into various spreadsheets that were shared with vendors. This process was slow, error-prone, and unsustainable as volume scaled.
Cuddle Clones partnered with Smart Data to automate the transfer of order data from their eCommerce platform into vendor-specific Google Sheets, reducing manual effort while improving speed and reliability.
Project Challenge
Cuddle Clones faced several operational hurdles:
Order details were being managed manually in spreadsheets for different product lines.
Vendor coordination depended on accurate, timely updates, which increased the risk of errors and delays.
The internal team lacked technical documentation and had limited resources to build a scalable solution.
The timeline was aggressive, requiring new team members to get up to speed quickly.
This complex environment required a fast, coordinated solution that could be delivered entirely by an offshore development team.
Project Approach
Smart Data proposed an offshore delivery model, assembling a team in India to lead the design, development, and deployment of the automation solution. The team worked closely with the client through daily check-ins and rapid iteration cycles.
Key Implementation Highlights:
Used AWS Lambda to run scheduled, serverless processes that pulled data from the client’s MySQL database (WooCommerce).
Integrated with the Google Sheets API via .NET Core to dynamically populate spreadsheets by product category.
Configured AWS CloudWatch for job scheduling and log monitoring.
Employed Azure DevOps for source control and deployment workflows.
Delivered strong post-deployment support directly from the offshore team.
Development and testing happened in parallel across multiple sheets, followed by integration into a unified Lambda function. Despite working without formal documentation, the team adapted quickly, collaborating with the client to validate evolving requirements.
Project Results
The solution was delivered on time, under budget, and with functionality that fully met the client’s needs.
The success of this project confirmed the effectiveness of Smart Data’s offshore delivery model for complex, time-sensitive development work.
Key Technologies
The project leveraged AWS Lambda for automation, Google Sheets API for dynamic data updates, MySQL for data access, AWS CloudWatch for scheduling and logs, and .NET Core for backend logic.
