4Szpaki – Magento 2 development and the EkoTipy UGC mechanism
- Magento
- UGC
- Loyalty programme
- Magento development
- Zero waste
Ekotipy in the facts that matter
around 3 weeks
How long the development project took.
Magento
The store platform Ekotipy were built in.
up to 1 MB
The maximum size of a single file uploaded by a user.
UGC and points
Approved customer submissions are published as inspiration, and their authors receive loyalty points.
Scope
Working the Ekotipy concept out technically, placing the feature on the product page, submission moderation, integration with the loyalty module, securing photo uploads and functional testing.
Technologies
Magento
How the solution works
How does the EkoTipy mechanism work?
Four steps, in this order. Each of them had to be built separately, but for a customer it is one action: they add a photo and, once it is approved, see it on the product page along with the points on their account.
- 01The customer adds a photoOn the product page, in the EkoTipy section, the customer uploads a photo showing how they reused the packaging a cosmetic came in.
- 02The submission goes to moderationNothing publishes itself. The brand's team sees the submission in the Magento panel and decides whether it goes onto the product page.
- 03An approved EkoTip is publishedOnce approved, the photo appears on the product page as inspiration for other customers — in the same place where they are deciding whether to buy.
- 04The customer receives loyalty pointsPublishing triggers the points in the store's loyalty module. That is the step which turns a good intention into repeated behaviour.
The order is not incidental: moderation comes before publishing, because customer content lands on a product page, and the points are awarded after publication rather than for the upload alone.
Packaging returns were to stay offline. So was community engagement — only online
4szpaki.pl customers used to be able to return product packaging both online and in physical stores. As the brand grew, it decided to end that option in the online channel and keep it offline only.
A large part of the community actively used packaging returns and was emotionally attached to them. So it mattered to 4 Szpaki that the change was communicated properly and that customers could still take part in the brand's environmental initiatives, just in a new form.
The goal was a systemic mechanism rather than a campaign: something that would replace the online returns programme, take organisational load off the team, keep educating customers about reusing packaging and stay consistent with the brand's ecological character.
The project axis
Before the change
Packaging returns online and in store
Customers could return product packaging through either channel.
The operational change
Returns stay offline only
4szpaki.pl decided to end packaging returns in the online channel.
The new concept
A lasting mechanism instead of a temporary campaign
Having weighed several options, the brand chose a mechanism built into the structure of the product itself and tied to the points system.
Delivery
Ekotipy built in Magento
Aurora Creation worked the concept out technically and placed it inside the existing store. The development project took around 3 weeks.
What had to be solved
- 01
Replace the online returns programme
The new mechanism had to take over the role of packaging returns in the online channel, without giving up on activity that engages the community around the zero-waste idea.
- 02
Build a systemic solution, not a one-off campaign
The client considered changes to the loyalty programme, time-limited campaigns and promotional mechanics, among others. In the end it chose a lasting feature running directly in the store.
- 03
Join customer content, moderation and the points system
A user had to be able to send in their own submission, the brand team to verify it before publication, and the author of an approved Ekotip to receive loyalty points.
- 04
Secure photo uploads
A mechanism accepting files from users needed a limit on the number of photos in a single submission, a maximum file size, and control over upload correctness and stability.
From the 4 Szpaki concept to a feature running in Magento
4szpaki.pl came to Aurora Creation with a ready concept for developing their store. The scope of work covered working it out technically, placing it in the structure of the store and implementing the mechanisms needed to handle customer submissions.
Let's talk about Magento development- 01
Working the technical concept out
The concept of a lasting mechanism for engaging the community was translated into a feature that could be placed directly in the Magento store and tied to the points system.
- 02
Placing Ekotipy on the product page
The feature was placed within the product page as a section analogous to product reviews, keeping the UX consistent.
- 03
Moderation and integration with the loyalty module
A submission moderation system was implemented, along with integration with the loyalty module responsible for awarding customers points.
- 04
Securing photo uploads
A limit was set on the number of photos in a single submission, along with a maximum file size of 1 MB and mechanisms controlling upload correctness and stability.
- 05
Testing the feature
QA covered functional tests, edge-case scenarios, photo upload stability and verification of the infrastructure safeguards.
Where this mechanism sits inside Magento
Ekotipy are not a campaign or a plugin for the duration of one. They were built as a lasting element of the product page, tied to a moderation panel and to the store's loyalty module.
The Ekotipy section runs directly within the product pages of the Magento store, beside the description and specification tabs — where the customer is deciding whether to buy anyway. The points are awarded by the store's own loyalty module, so the author can exchange them for discounts through the standard process.
The layer accepting photos from users was additionally secured with a limit on the number of files in a single submission, a cap of 1 MB per file and mechanisms controlling upload correctness and stability.
The Ekotipy section on the product page
Magento
- 01
The customer sends an Ekotip
The customer adds a photo showing how they reused the packaging of a 4 Szpaki cosmetic.
- 02
Brand team moderation
The submission goes to the brand team for moderation.
- 03
The Ekotip is published
Once approved, the material is published as inspiration for other users.
- 04
Loyalty points
The author of an approved submission receives loyalty points, which they can exchange for discounts.
Integration
Loyalty module
Awarding loyalty points once a submission has been approved.
The Ekotipy section on a 4szpaki.pl product page, mobile view.
What was delivered
Ekotipy on the product page
A dedicated Ekotipy section was created within the product page, placed the way product reviews are. In it, users can share ways of reusing the packaging of 4 Szpaki cosmetics.
The Ekotipy section in the 4szpaki.pl store.
A user adding an Ekotip.
Photo uploads by customers
A customer can add a photo showing how they reused the packaging of a cosmetic. The upload is bounded by limits on the number of photos and a maximum file size of 1 MB.
Moderation before publication
Every submission goes to the brand team for moderation. Only once approved is it published as inspiration for the other users of the store.
Points for an approved Ekotip
The feature was integrated with the loyalty module. Once a submission is approved, the customer receives loyalty points, which they can exchange for discounts.
Ekotipy replaced the online packaging returns programme
Ekotipy have effectively replaced packaging returns in the online channel. Customers actively add photos and descriptions, building up the inspiration section. The project had no agreed hard KPIs — the confirmed effect is that users actively use the new feature.
- The online returns programme replaced
- The new mechanism took over the role of the earlier form of packaging returns in the online channel.
- Customers taking part
- Users actively add photos and descriptions, which build up the inspiration section.
- Content created by users
- The brand gained organic marketing content produced by customer submissions.
- A tool for engaging the community
- 4 Szpaki gained a mechanism that supports further customer engagement and consistency between the brand's message and its zero-waste work.
The key facts about the Ekotipy project
The scope, the way it works and how the feature built for 4szpaki.pl was delivered.
The brand decided to end packaging returns online and keep them in physical stores only. At the same time it wanted to keep the community engaged around the zero-waste idea. Ekotipy were created as a lasting mechanism that replaced the online returns programme.
A customer uploads a photo showing how they reused the packaging of a 4 Szpaki cosmetic. The submission goes to the brand team for moderation and, once approved, is published as inspiration for other users. The author receives loyalty points, which they can exchange for discounts. The brand publishes the campaign rules in the 4szpaki.pl store (opens in a new tab).
The feature was placed within the product page as a section analogous to product reviews.
Yes. The project covered integration with the loyalty module responsible for awarding points. Points are awarded once a user's submission has been approved.
A limit was set on the number of photos that can be sent in a single submission, along with a maximum file size of 1 MB and mechanisms controlling upload correctness and stability.
The development project took around 3 weeks.
What this project proves applies to three kinds of Magento development
- 01Develop Magento with Aurora Creation
Bespoke UGC features
The case shows a feature where customers send in their own content directly in the store, and the material goes through moderation before publication.
- 02Let's talk about Magento development
Extending a loyalty programme with a new feature
Ekotipy show a project in which a new store mechanism was joined to an existing loyalty module responsible for awarding points.
- 03Let's talk about Magento development
A change to a business process supported by store development
The project started with the decision to end packaging returns online. Magento development made it possible to put a lasting community-engagement mechanism in their place, directly in e‑commerce.
See other projects
Two Magento 2 projects: building a D2C store for the same brand, and automating shipment handling in a live store.
Implementation4 Szpaki: a D2C store on Magento 2
Building the brand's sales platform: the catalogue, the purchase process, the loyalty programme and the rest of the store.
See the case study
DevelopmentWillsoor: autoshipping in Magento 2
One shipping process for InPost and DPD, triggered by scanning the order code, rather than moving between the store panel and the couriers' systems.
See the case study
Want to extend your Magento with a bespoke feature?
Describe the process or the part of the store you want to change, and how it should work once built. If the feature has to work with mechanisms your store already has, include them in your message. On that basis we can settle the scope of the project and the technical work it needs.
Worth describing in your message
- The process or part of the store you want to change
- How the feature should work once built
- The store mechanisms it has to work with