Case Study
ICSC
Guiding tech strategy for the retail real estate industry’s premier membership organization for over a decade.
01
The Challenge
For member organizations, their web presence is one of the key ways they can add value and retain members. However, navigating the constantly changing technology landscape can be daunting, and betting on the wrong technologies can have lasting consequences.
02
The Approach
For over a decade, Foster Made has been more than just a vendor providing web development services; we've been a true strategic partner to ICSC by providing expert tech guidance and implementation.
03
The Outcome
Under Foster Made’s guidance, the ICSC website has steadily evolved, adding more and more value to members and embracing a headless, composable future.
Client Introduction
Supporting Over 70,000 Members Globally for the Advancement of the Marketplaces Industry
The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) is a trade association supporting retail and real estate industries. It focuses on fostering innovation, collaboration, and professional growth through networking events, research, and advocacy for the development of marketplaces and communities.
Project at a Glance
What Our Team Provided
Solutions
- Ecommerce
- Websites
- Custom Software
- Search & Discovery
Technologies
How it Started
Driving ongoing results through a long-term partnership
The relationship between Foster Made and ICSC began in 2012 when the organization wanted to adopt ExpressionEngine as a CMS. As ExpressionEngine Platinum Partners, we were more than up to the task.
After the success of this first project, ICSC retained our services to provide ongoing support and maintenance. Over the past 13 years, we have guided the organization through many projects, moving them from a monolithic website to a modern, headless architecture as web technology has evolved.
search
Delivering value with search & discovery
Search is a foundational tool that can power other website features, such as personalized match-making and recommendations while fostering a deeper understanding of member needs through search analytics. Over the years, we've implemented and improved ICSC's search experience, keeping up with the evolving landscape of advanced search capabilities as they become available. The website currently utilizes Algolia, a best-in-class, AI-powered search platform. As a headless, composable SaaS platform, it allows us to continue adopting a composable approach to their technical infrastructure as it can be layered onto an existing site without replacing the entire content management system. Not only can ICSC now offer its members the ability to quickly and accurately search for content and events on its website, but it is also able to leverage Algolia for member matchmaking in its networking platform.
Networking
Facilitating meaningful connections
The ability to network is the number one reason people join ICSC, and much of that happens at the 300+ live events the organization hosts each year. But when you have thousands of attendees–the largest ICSC event attracts over 30,000 people–finding the right people can be tricky. We helped address this issue by developing a networking platform that lets members easily identify other members they want to meet.
The platform, powered by Algolia’s search as a service platform, asks members a few questions about what they’re looking for and then provides highly personalized matches, including identifying who will be attending specific live events. The networking platform went live in late 2021 and has since become one of the most popular features on the website. It provides increased value to ICSC’s members and helps fuel member retention and growth.
Ecommerce
Improving the purchasing experience
Like many member organizations, ICSC relies heavily on business and member management capabilities provided by independent Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) platforms–originally iMIS, now Microsoft Dyanamic–for day-to-day business functions. To optimize the user experience and improve ICSC’s eCommerce capabilities, we built an API-first middleware application that serves as a data broker between the front-end web experience and the back-end business systems.
This approach creates a reliable and resilient system that allows the ICSC team to optimize for the best user experience without compromising system needs. For example, when the UI/UX team identified an opportunity to improve member experiences and increase average checkout values by combining membership and event purchases into a single checkout, the middleware platform made this possible. It allowed us to bypass the constraints of the COTS platform, which required a member to join before receiving special member pricing.
Access Management
Modernizing authentication for increased security
With a gated member area and other features behind a paywall, ICSC’s website needs to authenticate logins. But at the same time, complex passwords and cumbersome security features can become an obstacle to members using the site. To rectify this, we encouraged ICSC to modernize its authentication experience with Stytch. As a composable auth platform, Stytch offers modern auth features like magic links and single sign-on (SSO) authentication. At the same time, it allows ICSC to offload some of its security burden, eliminating the need to do things like hash and store passwords. On top of all that, Stytch can meet their needs at a more affordable price point than other auth options, such as AuthO or Okta. Now, members can log in and enjoy their membership privileges with minimal hassle, and ICSC can relax knowing industry experts secure their site.
Client Testimonials
"Foster Made is a key strategic partner for us. They help us to build great products that are a value to our members but they also connect us to vendors and individuals that put us in a position to expand beyond the current technology landscape."
Ongoing Results
Staying current through strategic partnership
A lot has changed since 2012, for ICSC, for Foster Made, and in the wider world. By providing ICSC with expert tech and UX guidance, and also top-notch execution, we’ve helped the organization’s website keep up with the times and meet the needs of their growing membership base. When we first implemented ExpressionEngine, ICSC’s site was 100% monolithic. Fast forward 13 years and ExpressionEngine is still there–there hasn’t been a need for a total re-platforming–but the site is now about 80% headless and well-positioned to take advantage of a composable future.
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