Custom Software Development for Hardware Company
- Custom Software Development
- $50,000 to $199,999
- June 2020 - Ongoing
- Quality
- 5.0
- Schedule
- 5.0
- Cost
- 5.0
- Willing to Refer
- 5.0
“The team does a great job of understanding what your needs and wants are from the project’s perspective.”
- Retail
- Buffalo, New York
- 51-200 Employees
- Phone Interview
- Verified
Brainvire Infotech Inc has developed an omnichannel platform for a hardware and special events equipment rental company. They’ve integrated the True Value API into a Magento and Odoo environment.
While they’re still working on the Adobe Commerce portals, the solution has allowed the internal team to better manage their inventory. As a result, the client has better visibility on their stock and can avoid over-promising. Brainvire Infotech Inc is growth-minded and always available to support. This review is an update by the client company. The original content is located below the new review.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the CIO and head project manager for ABC Hardware Inc. and Special Events. We have a series of brick-and-mortar hardware stores in the Western New York region as well as three special event stores where we rent party-based equipment to customers.
On top of that, we’re a True Value Hardware affiliate, which means we take orders from customers using the True Value network and have items shipped directly from True Value warehouses to their homes.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with Brainvire Infotech Inc?
We were trying to come up with a system that allowed us to control our inventory, manage our warehouse, and combine our sales into an omnichannel environment. The solution also needed to have a rental component and shipping system where we could fulfill orders from our warehouse for customer pickup. Finally, we wanted to utilize the True Value API to handle orders shipped from True Value warehouses directly to our customers’ houses.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
Brainvire Infotech Inc has built out our omnichannel platform. The first phase involved investigating the True Value API to determine the best e-commerce ecosystem. Once we settled on Magento, we moved to the second phase where we did our due diligence to determine if we needed Magento Community or Magento Enterprise (Adobe Commerce).
In Phase 3, we identified Odoo as a suitable ERP system. We’re currently still working on the rental side as well as the B2B portals for Adobe Commerce.
What is the team composition?
I work with about eight people, including a head Magento engineer, two junior Magento engineers, and two Odoo engineers. On the server-side, they’ve assigned someone to help us choose the best server, hosting location, and maintenance package. There’s also an overall project manager.
How did you come to work with Brainvire Infotech Inc?
I had an existing relationship with Brainvire Infotech Inc from working with them on an integration while at my previous company. The project was pretty similar but less complex. I did some additional research just to make sure that other people out there were having similar experiences with them.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve invested about $125,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
The project started in June 2020, and it’s still ongoing. The pandemic has slowed things down a bit from our end.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
By tapping into the True Value API and bringing it into our Magento e-commerce system, we’ve been able to distribute True Value products across the world and make income off of it. We’ve seen quite a good increase in sales as a result.
Additionally, we’ve centralized our warehouse and special events inventory, which was led to an increase in sales now that we have much better visibility on our products. We know when an item is booked and when it’s blocked out, so we’re not over-promising and underdelivering as much anymore.
Finally, we have a better understanding of what our margins are. We now know which products to push and pull back based on profitability.
How did Brainvire Infotech Inc perform from a project management standpoint?
Brainvire Infotech Inc really excels in project management using Jira, Odoo ticketing, Skype, email, and Google Meet. That helps in terms of team coordination and communication. Also, they always have people available during my critical work hours, even though I’m in New York while they’re in India.
What did you find most impressive about them?
I like how they feel more like a partner than a contractor. The team does a great job of understanding what your needs and wants are from the project’s perspective and then fulfilling that. They don’t just do what you ask them to do — rather, they make suggestions and talk through growth opportunities within the integration based on their experience with other customers.
The other aspect that I like about them is their accessibility. From the underlying workers to the CEO himself, I can access really high-level personnel if there are ever any issues or if I want to check in on how the project is going.
Are there any areas they could improve?
They have a lot of people working within departments, so you sometimes have to work with different people from one project to the next. That means taking the time to get to know their style while they learn yours. I’d like to see a more consistent, dedicated team that we could carry through everything.
Other than that, I don’t have any criticisms about the quality of their work, communication, nor price.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Be comfortable communicating through Skype and Jira and understand those platforms. Also, for any project that Brainvire Infotech Inc is working on, it’s best to have a dedicated project manager. Don’t assign someone who has a lot of other existing duties and have them fit these integrations in because there’s so much detail involved. You need someone who can give these projects their full attention and manage that bidirectional communication.
UPDATED REVIEW
This review was published on October 1, 2018.
Kevin Clor
CIO, ABC Hardware
Retail
11-50 Employees
Buffalo, New York
$50,000 to $199,999
Jun 2018 - Aug 2018
Project summary
Brainvire Infotech Inc developed an e-commerce platform using Magento 2. They integrated an existing API system to the platform for retail efficiency and created appealing flyers for the site’s frontend.
Feedback summary
The new platform makes processing, shipping, and tracking orders more streamlined, and product inventory is easier to update. The dynamic system allows for all products to be viewed and purchased in one location. Brainvire Infotech Inc's team was communicative and easy to work with.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the CIO for ABC Hardware. We are a member of the True Value Hardware Network.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with Brainvire Infotech Inc?
Since we’re a member of a network that offers over 200,000 products, we needed a coherent, comprehensive, and efficient way to sell from all facilities. We sell to both individuals and companies from 13 locations in the US, so we sought a way to organize and streamline our process. We wanted an online platform to keep track of inventory, product information, and take care of order fulfillment.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
Initially, they developed an e-commerce platform through Magento 2 and incorporated our API system into it. They designed the Magento 2 platform to have a dynamic and responsive theme, integrating Braintree for payments. They then developed the system to update according to True Values Hardware’s catalog automatically and added the Linux tool cron to refresh all product information. Additionally, they produced high-definition flyers for our services and posted them on our site.
What is the team composition?
I primarily worked with the project manager.
How did you come to work with Brainvire Infotech Inc?
I spoke with one of Brainvire Infotech’s teammates at a tradeshow, and we decided to work with them after hearing about their API experience.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent $50,000 on this project.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked together from June–August 2018.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We are now able to offer True Value Hardware’s entire catalog in one location. Our company can also expedite shipping because the platform allows us to pick the closest distribution center. The system accepts PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, making digital transactions easier. Because of their work, we can access our product information more dynamically.
How did Brainvire Infotech Inc perform from a project management standpoint?
I communicated with the project manager on a daily basis. We primarily used Skype to interface and Jira to schedule tasks and organize project information. They were excellent when it came to managing their time and responsibilities. Though there were various elements of the project to deal with simultaneously, they remained responsive and were able to prioritize tasks.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They were always willing to apply their expertise to solve any issues and fully understand the vision for the project. Their ability to make quality suggestions and implement them stood out. All of their solutions were easy to use and conflict-free. There were never any surprises from them; they spelled everything out from the beginning.
Are there any areas they could improve?
It could be beneficial to them to offer their customized services to a Magento-based market for more business opportunities.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
It’s important to know who your point of contact is and what timeframe you need everything accomplished in. Being comfortable with Skype and Jira could be beneficial.
Star Ratings
Overall rating: 5
Quality: 5
Cost: 5
Schedule: 5
Willing to refer: 5
RATINGS
-
Quality
5.0Service & Deliverables
-
Schedule
5.0On time / deadlines
-
Cost
5.0Value / within estimates
-
Willing to Refer
5.0NPS