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If you sell fencing online, your buyers ask two things first: what exactly do I need and how much will it cost. When answers are slow, intent fades and carts stay empty.
Our client, a nationwide agricultural fencing supplier, asked us to replace a manual, consult-heavy quote flow with a map-based planner, real-time estimator, and one-click checkout. The goal was simple: let your customer go from idea to purchase without waiting on a sales call.
The Challenge: Manual Quotes Blocked Online Sales
Leads came in through a form. A manager called back. Engineers drew a plan. Only then did a quote go out. Good service, but slow and expensive.
Two pressures raised the bar. A rival teased a similar tool, and an industry expo set a hard deadline. Their new planner had to draw on a real map, calculate materials with precision, and hand off to e-commerce in one clean motion.
The Mission
Our clients set a clear offer for their buyers:
- Draw fence lines on a live map that matches the property.
- See an instant bill of materials and cost by fence type and length.
- Push everything to the cart in your store with one click.
For the team: The same platform keeps projects, notifications, profiles, and admin tools in one place.
Delivery: Ruby on Rails + React, Built for Spatial Work
We built the planner in small steps with Ruby on Rails and React, shared regular demos, and kept everything simple and reliable from day one.
Zero Sprint & Discovery
We began with a focused Discovery & Design to capture user flows, pricing rules, and the MVP scope. After that review, the client engaged an external backend vendor. We ran a zero-sprint to realign APIs, refresh specs, and set up CI/CD with smoke tests so both teams shipped in step.
Fence Planner MVP: Draw, Estimate, Buy
The first delivery targeted your buyers:
- Interactive map designer (React + Mapbox GL JS) to trace fence lines on real parcels.
- Live materials and cost based on length, segments, and fence type.
- One-click cart push into the existing e-commerce store, no re-entry.
The stack centers on Ruby on Rails and React, with PostgreSQL and Redis for reliability and speed.
Expanding the Vision: Cadastral Data & Smart Suggestions
Phase 2 is underway:
- Auto-draw from cadastral data to snap designs to property boundaries.
- Context-aware suggestions that pick materials based on terrain and project intent.
Team & Process
A cross-functional squad drove delivery: PM, BA, frontend and backend engineers, UI/UX, QA, Delivery Manager. We worked in short sprints with regular demos, clear hand-offs to the backend vendor, and a roadmap tuned to the client’s expo deadline.
Results: Less Friction, More Confidence
Your buyer now sees a plan, an itemized list, and a price at the moment of intent. Live counts cut guesswork. A pre-filled cart removes re-entry. Sales reps can focus on complex cases instead of basic estimates.
The expo-ready kiosk shows the full funnel in minutes. That positions your brand as the practical innovator in a crowded niche.
The Rails + React architecture gives you room to grow. Phase 2 features drop in without a rewrite, so you can advance accuracy and automation on your timeline.
