Lamoda: Automating HR Processes with low-code

We’ve built a full-fledged internal business app factory on Directual. The key is — everything is developed in-house, without external integrators, quickly and tailored to our business needs. Directual became the foundation for digitalizing our internal processes, and now we’re using it as a base for implementing AI in internal automation.

Stanislav Gots

Director of Business Applications and Platforms at Lamoda

About the client

Lamoda is a leading fashion retailer, combining an online platform featuring over 4,000 global and local brands, an editorial content hub called Ideas and offline Lamoda Sport stores offering top international sportswear brands. Lamoda’s portfolio includes three in-house brands: women’s clothing brand Nume, men’s wear Mademan, and footwear line Founds. The company operates in Russia, Belorussia, and Kazakhstan.

Founded in 2011, Lamoda employs over 13,000 people. It has its own network of pick-up points and couriers, three distribution centers, an accredited IT hub LaTech, a call center in Volgograd, and a content production studio.

The challenge

Lamoda needed to properly automate existing HR processes, which had long been in place but were implemented through outdated tools — mostly email. The old system was too primitive and lacked the flexibility to meet business needs:

We couldn’t implement complex logic there… We had to adapt our processes to the system, not the other way around.

Alexandra Kalina

Lead Analyst, Business Applications Department at Lamoda

Additionally, they relied on Microsoft Logic Apps, which became unavailable due to sanctions.

Selecting a platform: criteria

Initially, Lamoda chose what seemed to be a “safe” route — a well-known Russian low-code vendor with a good reputation. However, the platform failed even the basic pilot project. This prompted the team to create a detailed checklist and evaluate vendors against it.

Key criteria included:

• Flexibility — No rigid dependence on BPMN, which, while familiar, often lacks adaptability. Any deviation from the predefined process in BPMN requires developer involvement, slowing response to change.
• Accessibility for business analysts — Visual interface with no coding skills required.
• Advanced role-based access — Not just interface visibility control, but access verification at every level: from API calls to business logic.
• Integration with Oracle and internal systems
• Compliance with Russian Federal Law 152-FZ, with data hosted in Russia
• Cost efficiency — Easy entry with low initial cost, scaling expenses based on business impact
• Availability of both SaaS and On-Premise versions — with On-Prem for fixed pricing and infrastructure control

After a second round of evaluation, Lamoda selected Directual. A key condition was delivering a working pilot before signing the contract.

Directual quickly built an integration between two internal systems — and recorded the entire dev process on video. It looked transparent and straightforward.

Alexandra Kalina

Lead Analyst, Business Applications Department at Lamoda

This proved the platform’s technical maturity and sealed the decision in Directual’s favor.

What Lamoda built on Directual

Lamoda implemented a comprehensive HR automation suite on Directual:

• Hiring request — Departments initiate requests for new hires, which then go through multiple stages of clarification and approval within HR.
• Offer & onboarding — Offers are created and approved internally, then sent to candidates. Upon acceptance, the system launches a complete onboarding process, assigning tasks across departments like IT, security, and finance.
• Employee onboarding — Automated onboarding process with notifications and tracking for the first 90 days, ensuring managers follow the correct steps and timelines.
• Internal transfers — Employees moving between departments trigger workflows for role updates and approvals.
• Internship program — Centralized management of internship requests, participant tracking, and feedback collection.
• Exit checklist — Offboarding workflows ensure return of access, equipment, and resources, with all departments involved via notifications and confirmations.
• Power of attorney — Automation of request, approval, issuance, and tracking of powers of attorney, including expiry monitoring.

Now we build processes the way the business needs them — and then bring them into the system, not the other way around

Alexandra Kalina

Lead Analyst, Business Applications Department at Lamoda

All processes are now centralized and logged, eliminating email chains. Directual pulls data from Oracle master systems, minimizing manual errors.

Before Directual, processes were error-prone. Now the data syncs automatically, requests are linked, and everything is transparent.

Alexandra Kalina

Lead Analyst, Business Applications Department at Lamoda

Team and enablement

A team of just three business analysts from Lamoda’s internal business apps department led the project. Lamoda’s organizational model is smart: core IT focuses on product development (e-commerce, logistics, payments), while internal automation is owned by a separate business apps team.

Despite no prior experience with low-code, the team ramped up fast. With onboarding and direct vendor support, they started building live processes within the first month.

I’d never touched low-code before. But with Directual’s support and documentation, everything just worked. And the platform grew along with us. Also, their support is the best on the market — I could write them on a Saturday night and get a response.

Alexandra Kalina

Lead Analyst, Business Applications Department at Lamoda

All development is now handled in-house, with gradual migration from cloud to On-Prem.

What Lamoda liked

• Powerful, flexible no-code builder
• Platform accessible to business analysts
• Fast time-to-value — first integrations delivered pre-contract
• Excellent vendor support and collaboration
• Platform evolves with client needs
  

What can be improved

Directual actively collects client feedback and addresses issues that arise during real-world use.

Lifecycle management exists but merging versions still requires some manual effort — definitely a growth point.

Alexandra Kalina

Lead Analyst, Business Applications Department at Lamoda

While basic lifecycle needs are covered, a full UX overhaul is planned to make it more intuitive and minimize manual steps.

What’s next?

Lamoda’s next step is to build an AI assistant powered by Directual and Yandex’s LLMs:

1. RAG-based Q&A assistant that answers employee questions based on internal documentation
2. Process automation via natural language — e.g., “Delegate approvals to Ivanov from July 1 to 5” triggers the necessary logic
   

If you’re not implementing AI yet — you’re already behind! We’re building a real spaceship here.

Alexandra Kalina

Lead Analyst, Business Applications Department at Lamoda

Directual is evolving into a full-stack AI automation platform. It now includes a built-in vector database for semantic search and tightly integrated scenario logic for LLM orchestration.

We recently launched a free video course on building AI agents — from basics to advanced topics like Chain of Thought and logprobs:

👉 Build No-Code AI Agents on Directual — Free Course

Conclusion

With Directual, Lamoda successfully scaled internal automation through flexibility, accessibility, and in-house ownership. The platform is now a central piece of their internal digital landscape — and a foundation for the next generation of AI-powered operations.

Want to learn more or explore a similar automation journey?

Reach out to us at hello@directual.com — we’ll be happy to show you the platform and discuss your goals.