Kiwee Software sp. z o.o.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Product Owner of an Online Store that sells construction material and everything you need to successfully complete a DIY or construction project. I plan new features and improve the shop together with the developers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our in-house resources of developers are limited, which is why we decided to work with Kiwee. The goal was to identify the weaknesses of the store together with the team and implement minor missing features.

With Kiwee's constant support we wanted to fix urgent emergencies and bugs, so that our customers have a good shopping experience 24/7 and enjoy shopping on our site.

SOLUTION

How did you select Kiwee and what were the deciding factors?

We were looking for a qualified Magento agency that could support us in a timely manner - whereby our price expectations and the flexibility of those involved were of course not irrelevant in the selection process.

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

We worked according to the Scrum process and had Planning Meetings and Daily Calls to catch up on the progress and next steps. Many of the tasks have dealt with optimizing the presentation of our product data in the store as well as improving the customer experience and ensuring data security of our users.

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

We worked with a total of four people throughout the project - directly with the CEO, the CTO and two developers, whereby one of the developers became our main contact person over the time for all our Magento questions.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The most important deliverable is probably that our shop is still running as it should be and that customers are happy. There are no bugs disturbing the customer and by improving the presentation of the product data, we could reach the user a bit better.

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

We used Jira to organize tasks and Slack for easy communication. There were daily stand-ups and a quick summary via Slack channels when you couldn't join the call.

We could always reach the CEO and CTO who organized the team, but were also able to ask quick questions to the developers at any time.

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

They were always quick and uncomplicated in their work. While working on a task, constructive suggestions were also made for other problems/improvements that were found during the process.

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

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BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of TENETRIO, a dog food brand.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Kiwee?

We were relaunching our online shop to increase the conversion rate and overall customer experience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team helped with the redesign of our web application and the mobile usage of the website, but it wasn’t an app development project.

We already had a shop on Shopware, but with Kiwee, we redesigned the whole design, and all the configuration was redone. It was like setting up a completely new shop, even though it was still on Shopware. We launched the shop in May, but since then, we’ve been working on smaller projects and maintenance.

What is the team composition?

There’s one point of contact who took care of our project. Since we had a tight schedule to finish the project, at the height of it, we had four developers and one designer working for us.

How did you come to work with Kiwee?

They found us and reached out to us if we had any need for IT development. Since we weren’t so happy with the IT partner we had, we decided to work with them.

We also chose them because they combined everything from design to user experience and the programming/coding itself.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested over $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement started in December 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our customers say the website is very easy to navigate, and they really like it. They’re able to find the products much easier. Since the relaunch, we’ve seen a 50% increase in conversion rates.

How did Kiwee perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re completely satisfied with the project management. Communication is really great. We’re really happy in the way they support the project.

Their team helped us to think of things that we didn’t think of before since we don’t have a big background in e-commerce.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It was the first time of having an agency that combines the different needs for design, user experience, and coding. This was really helpful for us to have it all under one roof.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had a small issue with the budget because after 1/3 of the project, it turned out to be more expensive than we thought.

It’d be helpful to put a little more extra time in the planning of a project to really have a good estimation of the effort that’s going to be needed.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend them as a partner. They’re a great help in all areas. It’d be good to have an exact estimation of the cost.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company is an omnichannel retailer and manufacturer of model railways and accessories. We have five or six employees. I’m the Managing Director for our Norwegian division.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Kiwee?

We were looking for a developer and provider for our online store. We had a previous developer that wasn’t working very well for us. We did some research and found some websites online which Kiwee had made, and they looked very professional and worked very well, so we contacted them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a Magento website already, but it was not working very well. Kiwee developed an entirely new Magento website from scratch. First, they were brainstorming and doing research to find what we were looking for and what kind of performance we wanted to have regarding page loads speeds and server demands. They manage our complete online solution for us as of now including installing all add-ons and extensions, payment services, MailChimp extensions for newsletters, etc. They are also responsible for both our servers. Kiwee is a relatively small company. I was in contact with all the employees at that time. The CEOs and designers - the whole team at that time was dedicated to our project. Now that they’ve expanded a little bit, we have a fixed contact person which we are working with, but for difficult challenges, the whole team is still involved in our project.

How did you come to work with Kiwee?

I stumbled across a website they developed and from there I went to their home page and had a look at other sites they had made.

How much have you invested with Kiwee?

We are around $50,000 to $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We met for a quick meeting I think around September or October 2015, and then we started working together in the fourth quarter. They’re still providing maintenance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

If you look at the sales on our website, the sales are growing every month with the new website. We went with the Magento project and stepped it up quite a bit. We used to have a good but old OS commerce site before and when we changed to Magento with the first developers our sales dropped instead. Of course, that was a disaster for us. With Kiwee we managed to go back to where we used to be with our OS commerce site, and now we are growing approximately 5% to 10% each month in all markets. We would attribute that to the new website. It’s the right tool for us. With the new solutions, we can also work better. But without that platform, we would not be able to have that increase for sure.

How did Kiwee perform from a project management standpoint?

I can only speak to what I’ve experienced before. I must say they are extremely dedicated. Kiwee works with project platforms like JIRA. They are very professional, and they are very thorough technically. They are extremely knowledgeable and provide a lot of in-house testing before release also. They also use a Jenkins platform for releasing the code. We find them extremely professional, helpful, and customer oriented in their quest for customer satisfaction. I find them also very fast working and very affordable considering their knowledge and know-how as a team.

What did you find most impressive about Kiwee?

Communication with the customer and their project management is extremely professional.

Are there any areas Kiwee could improve?

Normally there is always a negative side but to be honest, I have never been more satisfied with a developer or IT company during my 18 years’ experience in the business. I’m extremely satisfied.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an e-commerce company. We represent the brand Melvin & Hamilton, a brand for shoes and leather goods. Essentially, we’re selling through the Internet to different countries in Europe. Our main markets are Germany and the Netherlands, but we also ship to over 20 different countries. Our company is based in Paris with around 12 people. We started in 2012, so it’s our fourth year now. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Kiwee?

Back then, we needed someone to develop the Magento framework of our store. One of the challenges was that we have seasonal campaigns that result in spikes in orders.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Kiwee’s our main provider of IT services. They developed the website and the Magento store, including the front-end and the back office. The site was then connected to our technical services for warehouse management, emails, help desk, and customer tickets. Kiwee manages the Magento store, system administration, and the interaction with those services. The majority of the design was also their handiwork. Some parts of the design are outsourced, but most parts are managed by Kiwee. During the year, we also need to rework some features as there might be some bugs here and there. They manage the performance and the systems; basically, all of our IT.

We do face-to-face meetings probably once a year. Kiwee works remotely using Skype and a ticket system. We’re fully agile and we use JIRA to manage the backlog. There is 1 dedicated resource who works full-time for our project. One of the founders of Kiwee is also involved with us part-time. It depends on the type of projects and tickets he is sending in. Based on demand, a graphic designer or UI [user interface] designer would also be available to us. Occasionally, another developer would be involved if the workload demands it. Throughout the summer, we had a second person half-time, and right now we don’t need it. It’s really on demand.

How did you come to work with Kiwee?

I met the Kiwee founder in my previous company. We were not working in the same division, but we worked for the same company. Kiwee’s founders started their agency about the same time that I launched this company in 2012. They had some experience with Magento, which was the framework that I wanted to use for my shop, so I naturally asked them. It was a good fit because they had the experience we needed. We knew each other and that confidence helped.

How much have you invested with Kiwee?

[Confidential]

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2012 and the engagement is ongoing. Kiwee has been there from the very beginning.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Kiwee was able to grow with us, from being a brand-new company to having almost 5 million in turnover business this year. Also, Kiwee understands the importance of traffic peaks for our website. We don’t do TV advertising, but we have large campaigns around Black Friday. We also have another big campaign in the springtime, when we have a change in our product catalog. Another partner drives a lot of traffic to our site then. So far, they were always able to go from, say, 2,000 units a day to almost 100,000 units a day within 24 hours. They’re able to build the back-end just the same during those peaks. It’s not always easy to accomplish, but so far it always worked.

How did Kiwee perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s pretty agile. We have probably 7, 8 people who can create tickets in JIRA. Every 2 weeks, we review priorities, look at the top tickets in the backlog, and then start a new sprint. There’s a planning meeting with our lead developer from Kiwee, who also happens to be one of the founders. We also review the tickets together with the graphic designer. Kiwee estimates the timeline beforehand. Generally, they’re very careful about what they promise in terms of delays and features. Every morning, we also have a 15-minute call on Skype to review yesterday’s tickets and the tickets that they plan to work on during the day. We would also discuss potential roadblocks or issues before proceeding. We keep things very agile; if projects change or something urgent comes up, we adjust accordingly. If we need to pull in additional resources, Kiwee makes that possible. If we need short-term resources for graphic design or to fix anything that breaks, they can put in additional people. Usually, the short-term requests are either design or system admin in nature. If there’s something on the system, then those guys are pretty flexible.

What did you find most impressive about Kiwee?

Kiwee is very easy and very straightforward to work with. They’re remote, so we are hooked together on Skype. They are based in Poland and we are in France. They’re pretty much available whenever I need them, so I appreciate the ease of collaboration. It’s almost as if they are right next door.

Are there any areas Kiwee could improve?

The only remark I have is that real innovation or out of the box thinking needs to come from us. I don’t know if I should expect this from them or not, since they focus on execution. That’s okay. But whenever I ask them about best practices, it’s really not coming from them. You have to tell them what to do. Still, they’re doing their job so I don’t regret anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are an e-commerce start-up founded in November 2011. We run an online shop selling individualized pet food for dogs. The concept is to provide dog food which meets the nutritional requirements of every individual dog. I am the Chief Technology Officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Kiwee?

From the founding of our company, Kiwee has been one of our major partners for development and support of the e-commerce shop. The e-commerce is based on Magento and highly individualized to our needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It's a PHP based framework based on open source Magento Community Edition. It's highly customized, and a lot of JavaScript, PHP, and MySQL is required to operate the page successfully. In the last couple of years, Kiwee has supported us to maintain and extend the online shop in order to successfully sell our pet food and to meet the security goals we have.

How did you come to work with Kiwee?

It was through a recommendation in our close business network.

How much have you invested with Kiwee?

This is confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

We are still working with them. At least one developer is always full time on the project. We have had up to two and a half developers in busier periods.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We have an increasing number of new customers and a good retention rate, which is for sure our main key performance indicator for customer satisfaction.

Primarily, the customer feedback focuses on the emotional part, which is the dog. Most of the feedback is based on the product for their pet - the website is basically a side product for the customer. However, there is no negative feedback on the websites design, the website’s performance, or the business logic. I suppose the customers are happy using the website.

How did Kiwee perform from a project management standpoint?

Kiwee is very passionate about delivering their work. We have a close partnership, learning and growing together. From a project management point of view, Kiwee’s developers have a good degree of self-structuring and a high ability to breakdown complex topics. Project management is required, but it is part of our strategic planning that we have the project management in-house. I would be in communication with the experts internally since we basically have been working together remotely for four years now, only using Skype for design and other collaboration tools.

What did you find most impressive about Kiwee?

They are very committed to their customer. They're very committed to our project and very committed to the products since they are emotionally close to the project and close to the product. I don't see any other agency so committed to a customer like Kiwee is. They are very eager to deliver, very eager to reach the next goals and steps, and also very eager to learn in terms of content, in terms of new functionality, and new technology. This is where I see that Kiwee is leading in comparison to the other agencies I have worked with.

Are there any areas Kiwee could improve?

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the CTO of an NFC Tag Retailer

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Selling NFC tags through a rich e-Commerce store with option for personal consulting.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Kiwee Software sp. z o.o. to accomplish?

• Improve UX of e-commerce pages.
• Increase reliability and automation of shopware deployments.
• Develop custom features for shopware.

SOLUTION

How did you find Kiwee Software sp. z o.o.?

Online Search

Why did you select Kiwee Software sp. z o.o. over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Kiwee Software sp. z o.o. were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

• Building an automated pipeline for shopware deployments. 
• UX-Review of shop with planning of fixing identified issues. 
• Relaunching the NFC21 SEO-Pipeline. 

Deliverables: 

• Automated build pipeline 
• UX improvements implemented in store
• Relaunch of SEO content

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Code contributions to our GIT-System that improve the state of our system and work towards defined goals.

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

Regular sessions to discuss current work were established and led by a dedicated agile manager. All tasks were delivered on time. Delays were always results of unforeseen technical hiccups that were discussed in an agile manner. Additional 1:1 sessions helped to focus and streamline development.

What was your primary form of communication with Kiwee Software sp. z o.o.?

Virtual Meeting

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

Honest feedback and direct developer2developer communication where the whole team strives for sound and sustainable technical solutions.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Kiwee Software sp. z o.o. could have done differently?

None