A Liverpool tech company turned a simple plan to watch Wednesday’s solar eclipse into a miniature e-commerce and fulfilment operation after finding itself with more than 100 pairs of eclipse glasses.

Liverpool-based digital consultancy Jamescape had originally bought the glasses so its team could safely enjoy the eclipse during a company party.

After realising they had far more pairs than they needed, Chief Executive James Barber decided to put the surplus to good use by building a web application to sell them to people across the Liverpool City Region looking for last-minute eclipse glasses.

The application was put together in a matter of hours before being shared on the Liverpool Reddit community.

The response was immediate, with all 100 pairs selling out in just five hours between midnight and 5am, generating around £500 in orders.

James Barber, Chief Executive at Jamescape, said:

“After being unable to get any less than 100 pairs of glasses for us to watch the eclipse together, I saw the perfect opportunity to put our software development skills to use.

“I quickly built an online shop thinking that we might get rid of some of them and we’d be able to help some more people enjoy the eclipse. I absolutely was not expecting all 100 to sell out in five hours between midnight and 5am!

“It was a great example of the quality and speed of tech we can deliver, and it was great fun meeting so many people excited by the eclipse.”

But the project quickly became more than simply putting a product online.

Jamescape integrated the application with the company’s Slack system, allowing the team to receive notifications when customers arrived at their Liverpool office and checked in using a link contained within their booking confirmation.

A local delivery option using courier service Stuart was also added for customers unable to collect.

What had started with buying glasses for an office party had suddenly become a fully functioning mini e-commerce and fulfilment operation, complete with online ordering, customer check-in, team notifications, collection and delivery.

For Jamescape, which specialises in developing bespoke applications and digital solutions for organisations, it also became a spontaneous real-world example of the technology the Liverpool team usually creates for its clients.

The unexpected project gave the team the chance to meet people travelling from across the Liverpool City Region to get hold of a pair of glasses before the eclipse.

Among those who visited was a customer celebrating their ninth wedding anniversary that evening, who planned to surprise his wife with a pair so they could experience the eclipse together.

The team said one of the highlights of the project was seeing how pleased people were to have managed to find eclipse glasses at the last minute.

The solar eclipse took place on Wednesday 12 August, drawing plenty of attention across Liverpool and the wider UK as people headed outside to try to catch a glimpse of the rare astronomical event.

While what began at Jamescape as preparation for a company party might have been short-lived, the project provided the Liverpool business with an unusual opportunity to put its own technology into action while helping local people enjoy one of the biggest celestial events of the year.

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