GoMage

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at Airthings, a Norwegian-based company that produces home indoor air quality devices. We offer our products in the US and Europe. I’m the enterprise architect that focuses on the ongoing implementation projects and application landscape throughout the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GoMage?

One of our focuses is the e-commerce system of our web store. We originally had a Magento 1 e-commerce platform made by a different provider. After four or five years, we switched to GoMage for their maintenance and support services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, GoMage supported our team in maintaining and enhancing the Magento 1 platform. Since the beginning of the year, we’ve used them to implement our Magento 2 version from scratch. We’ll continue using their services for enhancements, but also expanding them to improve our functionalities further and cater to our aggressive expansion plans and business channels within the new system.

What is the team composition?

Roman (Project Manager) is our main point of contact. They have two fulltime developers and some part-time resources for testing and DevOps.

How did you come to work with GoMage?

We switched to GoMage before I started at the company. I know that my company was unhappy with the previous provider’s quality and price.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve invested €45,000 (approximately $49,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started on engagement with GoMage in September 2018. Their work on the new system began in December 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since March 2020, our new Magento platform has been live. We managed to step up the new Magento 2 store in a matter of weeks. We are happy with the customized modules they delivered. The system is taking orders in over ten countries with different accounting systems and payment methods connected to the site.

GoMage’s technical understanding has been very fruitful. When we discuss ideas with them, they can question what we’re proposing and suggest alternative solutions to problems. With other agencies I’ve worked with, they executed, only for us to find out that it wasn’t something we actually wanted or asked for.

How did GoMage perform from a project management standpoint?

For project management, their team uses YouTrack, which is a similar tool to Jira. It keeps track of work tasks and prioritizes what should go in upcoming releases for both features and bugs.

Their team is extremely flexible from a deadline perspective. Whenever something had to be escalated, they delivered even outside of working times and on the weekends. So far, they’ve achieved every deadline, and they even delivered earlier than expected at times.

What did you find most impressive about them?

When it comes to Magento, they’re skilled. They have senior developers on their team. Most of them worked for Magento previously. We can see that knowledge clearly within the application.

Their communication approach also works pretty well. We went over there a few months ago to meet the team. It was a great experience, discussing the roadmap and reflecting on the work thus far.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’re satisfied. Most of our issues have been with our own requirements.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The most beneficial thing to do for engagements like this is to spend time initially and talk through the business, its challenges, and the different nuances that may make needs different.

The more they know about the company, the better they can ensure that they can build something that actually gives benefit in the long run. This goes back to what I said, that they don’t just execute on our requirements, but actually reflect on and question them to find the best solution.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and CEO of online eyeglasses and sunglasses retail company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GoMage?

We needed to make a new website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built our site from scratch using PHP on Magento 1, based on our wireframes. We took it live and have since continued to make improvements on the website since then. Our latest site was built using Magento 2.

What is the team composition?

I had several project managers over the years.

How did you come to work with GoMage?

I found them on a freelance site first. I gave them a small project to do first, and then we proceeded from there.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in November 2014, and our engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our business has grown significantly.

How did GoMage perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Slack for communication and YouTrack for project management. Overall, they've been pretty good. I've been really satisfied with their communication the most. They’ve been able to everything I’ve asked.

What did you find most impressive about them?

If I ever need something done quickly, they'll try their best to get it done for me even if it's as short of a turnaround time as the next day

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their design is always outsourced.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to be as clear as possible in the brief.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We specialize in selling restaurant equipment and supplies to B2B audiences. My role is the lead project manager for developing a new e-commerce website. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GoMage?

They assisted me in the creation of an e-commerce website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We never had an e-commerce site for this business before. I first created the designs outside my relationship with them. Once the designs were complete, I started looking for vendors that could apply it on top of the Magento framework.

I decided very early in the process that we’d use Magento based on our requirements. We needed GoMage to take the designs provided by my designer and translate them into code. Another major requirement was to set up the extensions and modifications of the Magento code needed to facilitate the custom requirements that we needed.  

I put together a list of requirements and presented them to GoMage. They looked at them, quoted me for the front- and backend development, and got to work, building the site from the ground up. 

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact was a project manager. Our original manager switched partway through the development. We also had direct phone correspondence with the developers over the phone and through a shared helpdesk tool.  

How did you come to work with GoMage?

I put the project on UpWork, and they bid on it. It was clear that they offered relevant experience. After speaking with their sales representative, I felt that they were knowledgeable enough to give them a try.  

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $20,000 in total.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together at the end of April 2019, and our project with them is ongoing.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While their involvement didn’t really require any hard metrics on our end, they’ve performed and managed the project very well.  

How did GoMage perform from a project management standpoint?

In addition to my regular communication with my project manager, I can interface with the developers directly using their ticket system. Given our remote relationship, communication has been very streamlined. 

They allocate the appropriate number of resources to handle tasks in a timely fashion. We correspond using Slack throughout the workday, and there’s never been an issue with getting a response within 24 hours. That goes for both our project manager and the developers. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication is much better than my typical experiences with outsourced companies. They have processes set up to prevent any major emergencies during my workday because that’s nighttime for them. I appreciate that forethought. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, everything’s been good.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate requirements to them beforehand and get an estimated timeline early on. Be as clear with your goals as possible to prevent scope creeps or budget issues.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Naturamarket.ca, which is an online food company in Canada.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GoMage?

Our website was not handling the growth in our traffic, so we hired GoMage to optimize that and then to migrate our site from Magento 1 to Magento 2.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first phase of their involvement was to optimize our site to handle increased traffic. After that, we found out that Magento was discontinuing Magento 1, so they built the new website on Magento 2 from scratch, using our existing design templates. From there, they were able to transfer all of our data and customer information over to the new site.

What is the team composition?

We have a project manager who acts as our main point of contact, and then there is a team of about 5 or 6 people working on the development in the background at various times, doing backend development or UX/UI design depending on what stage of the project we are at.

How did you come to work with GoMage?

We found them on Upwork, where they had a lot of good reviews. We reached out to them, and after our conversation decided to engage with them directly.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent around $300,000 with them overall.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2018, and we are continuing to provide them with functionality upgrades and other maintenance tasks for the site.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website is up and running and has the capacity to handle even more traffic than we are receiving now, which is the biggest sign of success. Our website is our main source of revenue, so the fact that they were able to transfer that without it ever going down was really incredible for us.

How did GoMage perform from a project management standpoint?

Our assigned project manager does a great job of staying on top of all tasks and keeping things moving. He communicates with us regularly on Slack and we are always able to get in contact with him for anything we need.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a really extensive and skilled team of developers, so even if one goes on vacation, they are always able to keep the work flowing and avoid any delays in your timeline. They are always really up to date on updates and patches to Magento that we need to implement. We really appreciated that aspect of their business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there is nothing in particular that I wish they would improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just trust their process. Their system is well organized, so if you make an effort to work with them it will be a seamless partnership.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an Executive of hellosmart

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We sell Smart Home products and solutions

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Redevelop our existing webshop
• Provide ongoing support and development

SOLUTION

How did you find GoMage?

Online Search

Why did you select GoMage over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from GoMage were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Gomage perfromed the following tasks

• Upgrade Magento to latest version
• Untangle old themepack and deploy new theme
• Update all extensions
• UX enhancements
• SEO optimization

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new shop was delivered in October and started to show its value from Q1 2024 as we saw good improvement in organic performance and conversion. The new shop also provide a better backend performance whcih reduces workload.

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

PM was handled by a dedicated person. Contact in most cases went through Slack and Youtrack where necessary followed up by online meetings.

What was your primary form of communication with GoMage?

Email or Messaging App

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

How a company like Gomage with most of the teams in challenging locations in Europe is aable to continue to provide good products without much interruption.

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

We have had some solid discussions on how PM and budget management could be optimised. For smaller companies like Hellosmart wih limited funds this is crucially important. Pro-active communication and guarding the clients wallet is key.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Manager of Restaurant Supply LLC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Foodservice equipment and suppliers dealer

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Magento Development and Support

SOLUTION

How did you find GoMage?

Online Search

Why did you select GoMage over others?

High ratings, Good value for cost, Company values aligned

What was the size of GoMage’s team?

100+

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

Magento 2 development and support

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Completed Magento Site

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

Gomage's project management style is refreshingly transparent and collaborative. They kept us informed every step of the way, making sure we were on the same page and that our expectations were met or exceeded. They were always available to address any concerns or questions we had, which made the entire process stress-free and enjoyable.

What was your primary form of communication with GoMage?

In-Person Meeting, Virtual Meeting

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

One of the most outstanding aspects of working with Gomage was their exceptional customer service. They truly care about their clients and go the extra mile to ensure our satisfaction. Their after-sales support is second to none, which gives us peace of mind knowing that we can count on them even after our project is completed.

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

Better estimations

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CTO at Able Skills, we are the UK's largest private construction training provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired GoMage to fulfill a number of tasks. First of all, we needed to upgrade our website to the latest Magento version. Also, we wanted to customize Trustpay to our needs. Besides that, they offered us to conduct a code review to identify issues and improve the code quality, so this task was also covered.

SOLUTION

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

We searched online for a web development agency with good reviews and a solid portfolio of case studies for web development services. After interviewing them, we chose GoMage based on their experience, expertise, and cost estimate.

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

We had a kick-off meeting to discuss the scope of work. Our first request was to upgrade the website to the latest Magento version. Also,

• we needed to customize Trustpay to our needs
• we wanted to work through API. 
• we wanted to add the option for customers so they can choose either a deposit or a full payment.

The team kept us in the loop throughout the project. When they started the upgrade process, they noticed some code issues. GoMage offered to provide a list of recommendations to improve the code and we agreed upon this.

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

All the communication was done with a project manager who coordinated the work of a front-end and a back-end developers, a DevOps, and a QA.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The GoMage team did all the tasks we requested and was proactive. This is what we appreciated. Now, we have a fully operational website with no technical issues.

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

The project manager communicated through Slack all the time. We discussed the task backlog in advance, so we weren’t disturbed by millions of questions. The time and budget estimations were correct, which is definitely a plus. If any issues came up, they informed us immediately, so we would agree on further steps.

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

We liked their proactive approach. They did everything we wanted and proved to be committed to their work and dedicated enough time to deliver what we wanted.

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

We didn’t experience any serious issues while working with GoMage. Everything was smooth

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the eCommerce director of a clothes and accessories shop.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our website's performance was very low and we wanted to upgrade and update it. We didn’t know what exactly we needed to do, though. That is why we referred to GoMage for a website audit and consultation first.

SOLUTION

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

To be honest, GoMage wasn’t our first choice and that was our big mistake. The agency we hired before couldn't do the job we needed and wasn’t clear on time and budgets. So after 3 month of unsuccessful cooperation, we knew it was time to find someone who could do the job.

I’ve heard about GoMage from a colleague so we decided to have an introductory call where we described everything to GoMage’s team and started cooperating on the project straight away. What we appreciate most is the fact that the team hit not only the deadline but also the budget, which was clear from the beginning of the project.

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

The GoMage team performed the M1 to M2 migration of our website, conducted several stages of testing to make sure everything works correctly and applied additional optimization techniques which really brought our website speed to a new level.

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

We have worked with a team of about 4-5 people, which on different stages included different web-developers and managers, however I mostly communicated with our project manager Andrey.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As I mentioned, our website was quite outdated and migration to Magento 2 with a new design increased the conversion rate. Although we have released the website not so long ago, we already see a big difference in sales indicators and are expecting even more in the next couple of months.

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

Cooperating with GoMage was nothing but pleasure. They’ve been consulting us and sharing all the process updates all along the way, the management quality was on the next level, truly. I can’t remember a time when it took Andrey more than an hour to answer any of my questions. And what is more important — they worked really fast when they needed to fix or update something.

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

The involvement of the team into the project. They don’t just tell you what your business needs, they describe every step of the way and show you how each tech improvement will change the overall experience of your store visitors. I was satisfied after a consultation with their UX/UI experts, their audit and work added extra value to customer experience.

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

The team which was working on our project was very attentive and proactive. There is nothing I would like to change or add to the process in general.