Case StudyE-CommerceRental Platform

Apparel Rental
E-Commerce Platform

A proof-of-concept platform combining short-term rentals, subscriptions, and direct purchases into a seamless "try before you buy" experience for premium workout apparel.

Nike Incubator
Client
Lead Full-Stack Dev
Role
Rapid POC
Type
React.jsNode.jsMongoDBStripeKlaviyoSegment
The Vision

Three Business Goals, One Platform

Try Before You Buy

Let customers test premium workout gear in real life before committing to full-price purchases.

Travel Light

Help frequent travelers pack light while still accessing quality workout apparel anywhere.

Drive Sales

Use low-friction rentals as an entry point that converts to full-price purchases of new items.

My Role

End-to-End Ownership

As lead full-stack developer, I owned the complete delivery—from evaluating and discarding a stalled previous implementation to rebuilding from scratch as a production-ready POC.

The platform was later handed off to a larger internal team with a clean architecture and clear documentation already in place.

Full-Stack Dev
React + Node.js
Database Design
MongoDB schemas
API Integrations
EzRentOut + Stripe
Inventory System
Barcode workflows
Analytics
Klaviyo + Segment
DevOps
Deploy + handover
Product Experience

Three Experiences, One Platform

Create Your Kit

A guided flow where users build complete workout outfits—mixing shoes, shirts, shorts by style and size. Save favorite combinations for fast reordering.

Mix & MatchSize SelectionSave Favorites
👟
👕
🩳

Rental & Purchase

Select dates, build your kit, checkout. Real-time inventory checks + subscription or one-off pricing. Return or buy new versions of items you love.

Operations Portal

Barcode-driven workflow for staff. Scan at each stage: packing → delivery → return → cleaning → restocked. Zero technical knowledge required.

Analytics & Marketing

Segment tracks kit creation, checkout, conversions. Klaviyo powers email flows and campaigns. Full funnel visibility.

Architecture

The Orchestration Layer

The platform coordinated multiple external systems that didn't natively talk to each other, presenting a unified experience.

EzRentOut
Rental Assets
Stripe
Payments
Klaviyo
Marketing
Segment
Analytics
Custom Application
Centralized business logic • Single source of truth
React.js
Front End
Node + Express
Back End
MongoDB
Database
Users & Profiles
Orders & History
Item Metadata
Reservations
Challenges

Problems Solved

1

Early-Stage Rental API

Challenge

EzRentOut's API was immature—endpoints didn't behave as documented or didn't exist yet.

Solution
  • Collaborated with EzRentOut team directly
  • Built robust integration layer with retries
  • Isolated integration logic for future changes
2

Complex Inventory Logic

Challenge

Inventory needed time-based reservations, cleaning buffers, and delivery windows—but staff needed simple workflows.

Solution
  • Designed clear state machine for items
  • Barcode scans trigger automatic transitions
  • Minimal training, reliable accuracy
Results

Impact & Outcomes

Successful Launch

Functioning POC supporting real customers across full rental + purchase journey

Clean Foundation

Architecture and integrations ready for internal team to scale

Great UX

Polished e-commerce feel despite complex rental logic underneath

Smooth Handover

Clear technical + product foundation for larger team

Key Learnings

Own the Orchestration

When multiple external tools are involved, the custom application must be the source of truth for business logic and data flow.

Design for Users & Ops

A great customer experience depends on giving operations simple, reliable tools to keep system data accurate.

POCs Can Be Robust

Even under POC timelines, investing in clean architecture makes it much easier for future teams to scale.

From stalled implementation to production-ready proof of concept.

A reference implementation for rental + purchase strategy.