Japan Rabbit Changelog

Customer-facing changes

We enhanced the customer experience with improved messaging for address length limits, final email confirmations for account deletions, and timely publishing of our June 2023 changelog.

• We enhanced the messaging around address length limits for better clarity.
• In the event of an account deletion request, a final email confirmation is now sent to the customer.

Internal system changes

Efficiency and productivity were our focus. We boosted visibility for "Additional notes" during service requests, streamlined the purchasing page by disabling the "Add Item" button for specific order statuses, added transparency with reasons for user disablement, and incorporated GDPR delete requests process.

• We improved the visibility of the "Additional note" field during service requests for better communication.
• The "Add Item" button was disabled for three specific order statuses on the purchasing page to prevent unnecessary actions.
• The user interface for "disable user" was updated to include a reason for transparency.
• We added a Package Cancellation Reason field for better tracking.
• The new expected arrival date was made visible in the past due section when updating the release date.
• Items in the past due section are now ordered by vendor_ref in the receiving check view for easier tracking.
• An email template for completed Customer Deletion Requests was created to ensure appropriate communication.
• A process for handling GDPR delete requests was implemented for better data protection compliance.
• When a remove request is made, the user's data is now deleted from Japan Rabbit, Delighted, Auth0, and customer.io to ensure data privacy.
• We fixed the logic to update the release date on the orderItem in the past-due view.
• A feature flag for customs description was made dynamic.
• Fulfillment customs were exposed in the production environment.
• We ensured that the automatic pick list displays the correct task when first viewed.
• Package statuses were updated to "Shipped" upon completion of the process.

Additional Bug Fixes & Upgrades

We resolved various bugs, including fixing the "Shipping" service task in admin and enhancing user identification from the back end. We also made significant upgrades, like adding a disable_reason field in the database and refining the end-to-end testing process.

• We fixed a problem where the "Shipping" service task got stuck in the admin.
• Historical refund debits were updated from CUSTOMER_REQUESTED to REFUNDED for accuracy.
• User identification was moved to be performed upon login from the back end.
• The Proxy for Rabbot Extractions was updated for better performance.
• We fixed a 403 error related to Pokemon Center images with Rabbot.
• A disable_reason field was added to the database and made visible on the admin app dialog for transparency.
• Key transactional user events were moved to the back end to ensure they get tracked.
• The expected_delivery_date was removed from the purchases table and related code to avoid confusion.
• The end-to-end test was adjusted to work with the new date selector in the past-due view.
• Inspectlet was removed from the system.
• We wrote an Architecture Decision Record (ADR) about arrival times vs. delivery times to document our decision-making process.
• ALSA lib errors in Cypress were fixed for smoother testing.

User Improvements & Changes

Focused on enhancing user experience, we've refined our refund process, improved address selection during checkout, and upgraded our Rabbot capabilities for seamless product extractions.

• The Customer Wallet Refund Interface was refined to clarify the refund process and improve the user experience.
• We improved the Expected Arrival date functionality to better integrate it into our processes & provide users with more precise delivery estimates.
• Fixes were implemented for Rabbot for Mercari, Surugaya, and Bandai Fashion, enhancing the overall performance and stability of our product extraction for these stores.
• Customers are now able to view notes they've left for Buyers on their Orders, which adds an extra layer of transparency and improves communication.
• A bug that affected the selection of addresses from the Address Book during Checkout was resolved, providing a smoother checkout process.
• A requirement was put in place to specify the state/region in the Address Form for countries that require this information, ensuring accurate shipping details.
• Our company name was added to the Shipping Address during Checkout & Fulfillment.

Improvements to Internal Operations & Fulfillment

We've enhanced our internal operations, optimized load times, enriched fraud detection features, and streamlined our Service Task view and workflow for quicker and more efficient Order Fulfillment.

• The load time on the Admin Package Details View was improved, resulting in faster data retrieval and smoother operation.
• Multiple changes were made to our Admin Purchasing View for an enhanced User Experience & Efficiency, such as the inclusion of the full address in the Fraud Suite and the display of specific release dates for buyers.
• A series of UX improvements were made to our Service Task View & Workflow, including the display of the Package Confirmation List in Pickup, and the reordering of the Pick List to show items from oldest to newest on mobile.
• Features such as displaying relevant Customer Details on the Sidebar, maintaining search filters on the Service Task List upon return to the view, and preventing tasks from disappearing instantly after being checked off, were implemented to increase workflow efficiency.
• Query and load times were optimized, and Ship-to-State information sent to Fulfillment was improved, leading to a more efficient order fulfillment process.
• The Receiving Check View was improved, and expected arrival dates were added to items, allowing better tracking and management of inventory.
• Adjustments were made to the Past Due mechanism to use lead time days, and the filtering of in-stock & preorder items in the past-due view was fixed, facilitating better inventory control.
• Features for easy updating of Expected Arrival Date and Release Date were implemented, and Task-Item associations were improved in the Receiving Process, increasing operational efficiency.
• Staff with the roles of "OPS MANAGER" and "RECEIVING" were granted access to Task handling, enhancing team collaboration and task management.

Additional Bug Fixes & Upgrades

This month saw significant platform improvements, including bug fixes, system upgrades, enhanced analytics, streamlined email notifications, and improved testing practices, all aimed at delivering a robust and user-friendly experience.

• We enhanced our analytics events and added new analytics integrations, providing a more comprehensive understanding of user behavior and system performance.
• GCP Functions Deployment was improved through the investigation of failures, adjustments to the deployment rate, and enhanced visibility of errors in Continuous Integration (CI), increasing the reliability and effectiveness of our cloud functions.
• We enhanced our Fulfillment Service Integration, streamlining the retrieval of shipping rates and customs descriptions, which has ensured a more accurate and efficient processing of orders.
• Issues with Hasura failing to apply migrations in CI were investigated and fixed, stabilizing our development and deployment processes.
• The Payment Flow Code was optimized and reorganized, increasing flexibility and efficiency in handling transactions.
• Unique Algolia indexes were implemented for testing, preventing conflicts and ensuring the reliability of our search functionality.
• We implemented a rule to forbid the shipping of packages if any were on hold, improving order management and customer experience.
• We disabled the "Out of Stock" options for Yahoo Auction URLs, preventing customers from selecting items that are not available.
• Actions for packages on hold were disabled, reducing potential errors in order processing.
• We addressed and resolved issues related to failed and "stuck" Service Tasks, improving the efficiency of our operations.
• Email notifications were streamlined with revised message streams, resulting in clearer and more effective communication with users.
• Proxy installations and configurations were performed, enhancing our network performance and security.
• Remove expected_delivery_date from purchases table and related code

Improvements to customer emails

• The mention of covid-19 delays was removed from the terms agreement email, as covid-19 is no longer delaying shipping 🎉
• The shipping notification email now includes extra instructions on getting local tracking numbers.
• A guide outlining the next steps was added to email notifications when a package has been packed and is ready to ship.
• Plain-text versions of all customer email templates were updated to ensure customers get the information they need regardless of email client and device used.

Various updates and bug fixes

• The sorting of packages in the package tab was changed to display the most recently updated packages at the top, so customers can easily find their packages.
• Outdated content on eye drops and Otamart was removed.
• The Blackship banner on the homepage was redesigned.
• The issue with having two sign-in icons on the changelog page was resolved.
• The problems with scraping images and prices from booth.pm subdomain was fixed.

Improvements to internal operations

• The process of receiving items was improved by displaying the total expected number of items and allowing fulfillment staff to type larger numbers.
• The order of measurement inputs was streamlined to L x W x H for consistency.
• The recording of monetary values in USD was adjusted to convert from cents to dollars, with the recording currency specified.
• The system now logs when Shipping Rates are unavailable for a package.
• An Order Item Canceled event was created.
• Logins were integrated with Auth0 for tracking login counts.
• Buyers were granted the ability to see and search for customers in the admin app.
• Recently active users were identified to target customer communication more effectively.
• Identify calls were added to ensure Customer Traits remain updated.
• We've updated how we keep track of important decisions.
• We've established a new system to make working together on software improvements easier.

Additional bug fixes and upgrades

• Missing customs descriptions on the order details table have been fixed.
• The error that caused "Ship" requests to appear under Service Tasks was corrected.
• An issue of "Shipping" requests getting stuck in the admin app was fixed.
• CI deploys being skipped were fixed.
• The fulfillment location mutation was updated to use camelCase consistently.
• Our software is now running on a newer, better platform.

Estimated arrival time

We now show the estimated arrival time of items in the cart and on the order. The estimated arrival time is based on the delivery performance of recent packages for the given webshop.

• Customers are now able to select what to do with remaining items when one or more items in the order are out of stock.
• Customers now receive additional details about the cancellation reason in cancelation emails, helping them understand the decision and plan accordingly.
• The snow effect on the Japan Rabbit homepage has been updated to cherry blossom petals for Hanami
• The image presentation for articles on the Japan Rabbit homepage has been improved.

Various Bug Fixes

• The chat icon blocking the "Update" button in the cart on Mobile has been fixed.
• The sorting of packages in package tabs has been fixed to correctly sort consolidated packages, making it easier for customers to find what they're looking for.
• The loading of orders in the "Completed" order tab not working due to timeout has been fixed.
• Creating duplicate accounts with the same email has been fixed, preventing confusion and improving data accuracy.

Improvements to internal operations

• Package dates are now retained when the customs description is set.
• The "purchase order ID" is now shown on the "Past Due" view, making it easier for staff to identify and retrieve the necessary information.
• The "Pick List" on mobile devices now shows packages as picked each time pick-up is finished, improving accuracy and reducing errors.
• Testing has been improved by writing several additional tests and automatically retrying failed e2e tests in a separate workflow step
• Diffbot not getting details for Mercari orders has been fixed.
• Too many unexpected events in Amplitude from the Japan Rabbit website have been fixed.

• Now you can select Japan Post insurance during checkout.

Better Shipment Tracking

We embedded a shipment tracking timeline on your package details page. It's powered by AfterShip.

• Hire a new Engineer: Welcome Malene! 👩🏻‍🚀

Launched the Japan Rabbit Blog

Launched a Blog and a set of landing pages for shops and products.

• Added a light snow effect to the Japan Rabbit home page.
• Fixed the logo in the live chat widget.

Various Bug Fixes

• Solved issue with Toranoana.jp not loading product info in cart.
• Started tracking login failures.
• Shipment data is now being sent to AfterShip for analytics purposes.
• Added an error message to improve for the case when a customer tries to reject an adjustment for an order that’s already purchased.
• Upgraded the order success confetti script.
• Corrected the insurance total value sent to Fulfillment.
• Improved load times.
• Optimized active carts query (improves cart performance)
• Fixed completed orders so completed items weren't shown as canceled.
• Investigated & fixed other causes of order stuck in processing state.
• Ensured that orders with all canceled items canceled show as canceled.
• Fixed the bug which was creating false shipping requests.
• Ensured that the checkout and cart items matched during checkout (after deleting items).
• Removed a bad link for Covid-19 shipping delays page in the Japan Rabbit app checkout review.
• Added margin around full name modal and made button red.