Cognize

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the digital operations manager at an online wine retailer offering a wide selection of wines, beers, and spirits from around the world. We provide expert advice and free next-day delivery on qualifying orders.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cognize?

We needed to transition operations seamlessly from the previous agency. Additionally, we wanted to ensure robust and ongoing security measures to protect our systems and data. We also needed help developing and implementing ad hoc features to support our business goals and user needs. Finally, we wanted to modernize and improve the UX of our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cognize has been responsible for maintaining high-security standards and ensuring robust protocols are in place to protect user data and system integrity. They have overhauled the product detail page to deliver a significantly improved user experience, with enhancements to layout, usability, and engagement. Moreover, they have optimized category pages to streamline navigation, improve content structure, and boost overall discoverability and conversion rates.

The enhancements made to the product detail page include an improved layout and visual hierarchy, making key product information more accessible and scannable. The page is also mobile responsive, ensuring a smoother experience across devices. Additionally, the call-to-action elements have been streamlined to boost conversion rates, and the loading speed has been optimized to reduce bounce rates and improve SEO performance.

As for the category page, the filtering and sorting options have been refined to help users find products more efficiently. The layout is consistent and clean, providing better visual organization. Performance optimizations ensure faster page loads and smoother navigation, while responsive design updates guarantee usability across all screen sizes.

What is the team composition?

We have four teammates from Cognize.

How did you come to work with Cognize?

We found Cognize through a referral. We chose them over other options because of their competitive pricing, strong technical understanding of Magento, and proven track record.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2023, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Since working with Cognize, we have seen an increase in conversion rates. Following the redesign of the product detail and category pages, conversion rates have improved, indicating a more effective user journey and stronger calls to action. Additionally, performance optimizations have led to a reduction in average page load time, enhancing user experience and supporting SEO performance.

Moreover, the time spent on product pages has increased, suggesting that users find the new layout and content more engaging and informative.

How did Cognize perform from a project management standpoint?

Cognize's project management style is firm but fair, which has proven to be effective throughout the engagement. Working within financial constraints has required careful prioritization of features and a lean development approach. Cognize has been instrumental in helping us identify impact areas where resources can be focused for maximum value. They have worked closely with us to prioritize high-impact features and adopt a lean, agile development process. This ensures that we stay within budget while still delivering meaningful improvements. We primarily communicate through emails and Google Chat.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of the most impressive aspects of working with Cognize is the direct access we have to key contributors on the project, including designers, developers, and other specialists.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren't any.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an executive at ADEGIS Sp. zo.o. Sp. k.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Selling and repairing of industrial electronics.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Cognize to accomplish?

• Digitalization of sales
• Increase the proportion of product sales to services
• Enter worldwide marketplaces

SOLUTION

How did you find Cognize?

Online Search

Why did you select Cognize over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Cognize were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Cognize implemented Headless architecture + Magento 2 engine, integration with the marketplace via Baselinker allowing us to start online sales, launching new channels for promoting services and selling spare parts, as well as entering foreign markets.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We have initiated online sales, entered foreign markets and automated product management processes.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Collaboration with Cognize started with consulting. At this stage, they helped us to understand our needs and proposed the best solution based on the results of the analysis. Secondly, Cognize started an implementation of the final system. The project was managed with a high level of communication, on time, and what is most significant - with constant initiative from the Cognize team.

What was your primary form of communication with Cognize?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Exceptional understanding of the business side of our market and excellent technical skills.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Cognize could have done differently?

We could have analyzed the ERP integration subject more thoroughly, even though the other company was responsible for that.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Global Sales Specialist / B2B and PIM Implementation Manager of FCA S.A.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Integrator and manufacturer of fibre optic solutions, for the construction of teletransmission networks.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Cognize to accomplish?

• PIM (Akeneo) Implementation with custom functionalities.
• Consulting on digital transformation of sales.

SOLUTION

How did you find Cognize?

Online Search

Why did you select Cognize over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Cognize were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Cognize has provided us two services: Consulting on digital sales transformation and PIM Implementation. They delivered the necessary know-how and showed us methods of conducting various types of integrations of business processes with PIM systems. Thanks to their knowledge, we're now able to manage our product catalog easily and effectively while minimizing our implementation costs

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Product information management became easy across divisions in our company and reduced time by more than 40%. On top of that, the functionality of automated generation of product catalogs cut cost and time of that process to zero.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Cognize provided ongoing communication across divisions in our company. Elements of their services were delivered on time. In terms of recognizing and responding to our needs they went above and beyond.

What was your primary form of communication with Cognize?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Combination of technical expertise with the ability to recognize our needs.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Cognize could have done differently?

There was nothing they needed to improve on.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The Konrad Wina Wybrane company imports wines from all over the world, we help in selecting them for the occasion & deliver them wherever they are needed. We sell wines through our own stores, winebars, franchise local stores. The products also go to business and corporate (B2B) customers. We advise, train and create wine cards for restaurants and hotels. We conduct wine tastings and training for individual and corporate clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire grupa KMK?

We were seeking technology and UX audit and strategic consultancy

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

grupa KMK was recommended to us.

We were looking for a diagnosis of the current state of our e-commerce, recommended directions to take, areas of improvement and quick wing to increase profits and sales.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

KMK prepared for us an audit and a strategic consulting. Work was initiated by a workshop with our team. In the next step, analysis was prepared by grupa KMK specialists - consultants, UX designer, marketing manager, IT. Finally, there was a presentation with conclusions: strategy directions, key areas for development, cost estimation and the list of elements to be improved in the future.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

The team consists of:

• Consultants
• UX designer
• marketing manager
• IT

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

This audit and strategic consultancy will allow us to plan the project in the long term, make strategic decisions, make simple corrections and create a development backlog for our company.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Brief, desk research, meetings, team work preparing the workshop, workshop meeting, work of grupa KMK specialists, presentation of the work results.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Level of knowledge.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a leading producer of flexible residential and commercial PVC coverings. We are a leading Polish manufacturer of nonwovens. We have a 100-year tradition combined with modernity. The result is a high brand awareness and an established position of the company on the domestic and foreign market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire grupa KMK, and what were your goals?

We wanted to develop and improve our company website & catalog. Include all important information about our products and improve customer experience on desktop and mobile.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

After online market research and meetings we have selected grupa KMK as our contractor.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Grupa KMK independently initiated the appropriate scope of work for this project. They were responsible for creating the entire process: design, testing, consulting and implementation. They were always very helpful, constantly advising and suggesting best solutions for our business.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Project coordinator; Researcher, UX/UI Designer, Backend Developer, Front End Developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Our website has become more user-friendly. All meaningful factors improved, like increased average time, visitors, convertion rate for new employees, bounce rate went down, etc.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Grupa KMK use asana tool, which was used to handle day-to-day communication, planning, prioritizing tasks and reporting on progress. The team is perfectly organized, communicative - we are informed about everything. Meetings were organized at key moments where they extensively explained their design and technology decisions.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They were effective and built excellent partnerships and trust.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

No, all went as promised.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a retailer and wholesaler of electrical goods. We sell our products both at our own points of sale and over the internet using our online shop elektryka-sklep.pl. We also offer electric installation service in building structures. I'm co-owner of El-Maro sp. j.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire grupa KMK, and what were your goals?

Consultation, technological support within the scope of developing e-commerce and the Magento system itself. Integration with external warehouses and a module for monitoring the prices of the competition at ceneo.pl (a price comparison website), comparing and updating prices in our product catalogue, taking into account the purchase price, the minimum profit and the discounts obtained from producers.

A mechanism for providing access to product feeds for popular comparison sites, the google store or marketplaces e.g. for Facebook.

SOLUTION

How did you select grupa KMK and what were the deciding factors?

We knew grupa KMK and their outcomes before, so they were an obvious choice.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

grupa KMK has provided us with the necessary know-how and showed us the methods of conducting various types of integrations of business processes using the Magento 2 platform.

Thanks to their knowledge we were able to start large-scale sales based on the dropshipping model in numerous marketplaces while minimizing our implementation costs. Independently, together and on an ongoing basis we are developing the business functionalities which are of key importance to us.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

PM, Head of Magento Team, Magento Backend Developer, Magento Frontend Developer, Tester

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Rapid implementation of marketplace sales. Significant growth in online sales.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

Internally, within the organisation, the team communicates using Jira, which is used for all IT projects. The team of programmers, testers, project managers and the client all have ongoing access to the status of the particular tasks within the project.

Externally, especially directly with the client, communication is conducted using Asana, phone calls and the Google Meet platform.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

That we were able to start working right away closely with agility and goal-oriented fashion was impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

None.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We sell high quality seed of flower meadows. Our goal is to accelerate the re-introduction of flower meadows into the landscape of cities and rural areas. We advise and inspire both B2B and B2C sectors. I’m co-owner of the company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire grupa KMK, and what were your goals?

We hire KMK for creating an e-commerce and website, creating visual identity and marketing communication. Goal: Grow of e-commerce sales and grow of generated leads for large-scale meadow creation projects for cities and companies.

SOLUTION

How did you select grupa KMK and what were the deciding factors?

They were recommended via social media by a Marketing Manager of the company they work with for a few years now.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Design and development of Magento 2 e-commerce. Design and development of website based on custom CMS. Design of visual identity. Creation of marketing communication strategy for B2B and B2C.

After one year of sales, we have asked grupa KMK to handle 100% of the e-commerce distribution.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Project coordinator; Researcher, UX/UI Designer, Illustrator, Backend Developer, Front End Developer, Magento Developer, Copywriter.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Nearly +400% of growth in sales yea-over-year.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

Grupa KMK co-created the scope and planned the project. They suggested asana tool, which was used to handle day-to-day communication, planning, prioritizing tasks and reporting on progress.

During the project they have organized appx 5 meetings to summarize certain phases and conclude on further steps for the project.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The degree to which they helped define the proper scope, and were able to work almost independently, engaging us only in crucial moments of the project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Initial Magento 2 training for our team could be more extensive.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Inter-Elektro S.A. is a purchasing group created to represent the common interests of electrical wholesalers belonging to the Group. Currently, the over 50 electrical wholesalers belong to Inter-Elektro S.A., and their cooperation is aimed at strengthening the position of the entire Group as well as its individual members for the Polish and European distributors market. I’m the Chairman of the Board of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire grupa KMK?

We hired grupa KMK to design and develop system that integrates 300+ distributors and producers on electrical market.

What were your goals for this project?

Creating an IT system that will improve the operation of Inter-Elektro S.A. and its users by: - collecting and sharing information on product stocks and allowing purchases between Group members, - increasing the efficiency of use of warehouse space, - creating reports for Inter-Elektro S.A. that enable better understanding of current market trends and proactively respond to customer needs, - ensure a high level of system security.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They have been proposed by one of our members, who has a successful long-run cooperation with grupa KMK.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Grupa KMK was responsible for: comprehensive project management, integration with external ERP systems, back-end Development & front-end Development, coordination and design management, UX / UI project, naming, visual identification and illustrations.

What was the team composition?

Project coordinator; Backend Developers, Front End Developers, UX/UI Designer, Illustrator, Content Manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

It has accelerated our transition towards highly automated key business processes between 400 stakeholders working in different ERP and e-commerce environments.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project has started with a series of workshops. First - with the Board, then with more of identified stakeholders. As a result of those workshops, the vision, documentation (SRS) and MVP of the project was created. This few phases were a limited risk and highly beneficial for us as allowed to set up a proper scope for the project. After that, the ongoing development has started. Every few months grupa KMK presents live to the stakeholders the progress and plans for future development.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The distinguishing features of the work of the grupa KMK are timeliness, flexibility, availability, professionalism and most importantly the ability to present complex programming solutions in an accessible form.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Communication of progress towards all stakeholders.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

KOSMOS is a cult skateboarding and snowboarding brand in Silesia. We started up as a skate shop in the 1990s. At the moment we are the biggest distributor in central Europe of the biggest snowboarding brand in the world – Burton. I am a business owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire grupa KMK?

We were looking for a e-commerce developer that would migrate our e-commerce to Magento 2 platform, refresh our visual identity and increase sales.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to move seamlessly to new platform (Magento 2), design refreshed storefront and to strengthen our visual communication. Overall goal was to increase sales.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

grupa KMK was recommended by one of companies that was providing us ERP integration services.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Services included in the project: Market research, visual identity refreshment, design and implementation - Magento 2, constant development of new features and optimization.

What was the team composition?

Project leader, Magento Developer, Graphic / UI designer, Researcher, Analyst,

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We saw an instant growth of sales right after the launch of the new store.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Grupa KMK co-created the scope and planned the project. During the project they have organized appx 5 meetings to summarize certain phases and conclude on further steps for the project. They were left with a lot of freedom, which made the project not very engaging for us, what was beneficial for us.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The extent to which that they can be left alone with the project and they will take care of it.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, the cooperation was good.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Ostrowski Handel Internetowy is a leader on the lighting and electrics market in Polish e-commerce. We are the owner of the following stores: DobreGniazka.pl, LuxMarket.pl, OtoLampy.pl, DobreBezpieczniki.pl, Helukabelsklep.pl, KableSklep.pl, and ASAPlastici.pl. I am a business owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire grupa KMK?

Consulting, design and technological development that would build an advantage and significantly expand our business.

What were your goals for this project?

Increased sales, process automation.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Grupa KMK was recommended by a Project Manager who had previously completed a large project with them.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Grupa KMK is key technology, design and marketing partner for us. The scope of work in a nutshell:

• IT Infrastructure:
  • Designing IT architecture
  • Scaling and optimisation in order do handle ever-increasing traffic
  • Security
  • High SLA
• Development of:
  • external integrations
  • emergency procedures
• Backend development:
  • Development of custom e-commerce engine including weekly delivered new functionalities and tens of integrations for dropshipping purposes.
• Frontend development:
  • Development of custom made PWA multiple storefront connected via tailored API.
• UX and UI design:
  • Innovation development based on:
    • Trendwatching
    • Testing 
    • In-depth-interviews,
    • Desk research
    • Marketing strategy and execution via Google Ads, Facebook, Mailings etc.

What was the team composition?

IT supervisor and project coordinator, Design Coordinator, Backend Developers, Frontend developers, UX/UI Designers, Analyst, Marketing Manager. Appx. 500 man-hours per month.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Steady growth of 30-40% year-over-year for 5 consecutive years. We became 2nd in national e-commerce market in our category and became key partners for producers to launch new products.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The strategic direction of our company's technological development is co-created by the owners of the grupa KMK. Areas for growth are determined by us and by the grupa KMK. Works are accounted in the Time and Material model, which enables agile and quick decision making and relieves cooperation from too extensive analyzes, over defining the scope and time consuming change management.

For project management, the grupa KMK proposed the ASANA tool, which provides daily and direct communication between our team and grupa KMK team members.. In addition, meetings are organized quarterly during which we jointly determine the direction of further development.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Constant business contact based largely on mutual trust and respect impresses. This is less and less common, and at the same time is extremely effective in business.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None