Rave Digital

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

VP of a popular salon chain having over 600+ outlets across the nation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were looking to develop a storefront based on Magento with high-quality hair and beauty products and supplies. We wanted to design the website to provide hassle-free friendly customer service on time.

SOLUTION

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

Rave Digital is recommended by our technical lead. He met with them in an Magento conference and was very impressed by their portfolio.

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

We wanted to create a storefront based on Magento which boosts sales and reflects our brands. There are many features like Megamenu, Store Locator, One Step Checkout, Customer Loyalty management, Advanced Reports, Daily Deals, Ajax Cart, Mailchimp Integration etc. to make our store functional, professional, and friendly with an excellent shopping experience for your customers.

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

The team consists of one Solution Consultant, 2 Developers and a Designer. Later we have also involved their Digital Marketing team for SEO.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The outcome is a beautifully responsive beauty supply store with an increase of 32% in conversions and 31% increase in transactions. The revenue has increased by 22%.

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

The project was managed via JIRA. We communicated once every week via Zoom. Their team of project managers was proactive and good at communication. They also respected timelines and informed us well in advance in case of any delays.

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

We’re impressed with their expertise and overall Magento experience. They have certified Magento developers who know the platform in and out. We are happy with what they have created in the limited time.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Co-founder of a global public speaking forum providing a platform to ordinary people who’ve accomplished extraordinary feats.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were seeking to develop a Shopify website for our public speaking platform. We wanted to sell our merchandise through the website (things like caps, t-shirts, keychains, and various other goodies).

SOLUTION

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

We came to know about Rave Digital after discussing several options with our technical consultant. After conducting extensive research about their firm and their past projects, we were interested in contacting them. After an initial call, we had a basic discussion about our requirements and their team seemed like the right fit for the job because they had experience in working with similar projects in the past years. Their portfolio was very interesting and we were convinced that they could handle our project.

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

During the early stages of the project, we had handed the vendor team a list of our requirements and they provided us with an estimated completion time for the same. Their team conceptualized the website’s look and feel such that it resonated with our target audience. They uploaded all our products, integrated payment gateways, 2FA, and several other important features we needed on the site for better usability and ease of use.

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

Our project was assigned with a project manager who helped our team in supervision and in providing support wherever we needed assistance. There was a team of developers and a team who worked on the UI/UX aspect of the website because we wanted to ensure the web store looked aesthetically pleasing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While the website is in its final stage to go live - so it's too early to talk about the numbers - but we’re happy with how the project turned out. Their team’s involvement in the project was exceptional. They handheld us at every step and made sure everything fell in the right place.

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

The project was professionally managed, as the project manager was providing our team with updated information via Teamwork and acted as the point of communication for both of our teams. A general update about the progress of the assignment is provided to our team on a weekly basis and this communication is shared mostly over a Zoom Call.

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

We were highly impressed by the fact that their team was always ensuring to meet every expectation that we held in terms of the project becoming a success and they were constantly checking with us if we were content with the way work was moving along and did everything to accommodate our requests.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Sr. Manager at a digital agency based in NYC.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our current website was developed 10 years ago and was not able to provide us with the features we require. We were looking to have a fully functional e-commerce website that can be linked with our POS system with additional customizable features. We required a system through which we can seamlessly focus on retaining our customers. Our website had an overwhelming number of items that would have been required to manage. We were not sure exactly what would be the best platform for our website, but we have been looking into products like Magento, Shopify, etc. That’s when we came across Rave Digital.

SOLUTION

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

We have begun with finding the top e-commerce agencies. After a month's search, we finalized Rave Digital, as their proposal is very detail-oriented, divided into different phases and timelines which actually made sense to us and was promising.

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

When we finalized the Platform as Magento we didn’t know much about it but as per Rave’s recommendation we went with Magento and it never let us down. The main goal was to have a modern UI/UX site with improved site performance including speed, load time and store SEO optimization. We aimed at having a website which was ready for aggressive Digital Marketing efforts. In the second phase we team focused on the conversion rate which was apparently very low due to site speed and the navigational flow. They implemented different features like speedy checkout, POS system, product catalog, loyalty program to retain the existing customers, social login, etc.

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

In the initial phase, we had 2 developers and 1 designer along with a solution manager and 2 Digital Marketing executives. They all are very responsive and active in their roles.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The outcome of the new website is tremendous and has resulted in the growth of our sales. The navigation is smooth and the look and feel are just awesome. Our customer witnesses sales growth as digital user experience has been generally improved which shows in our conversion rate which is almost double when compared to previous.

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

We have a weekly cadence on the updates and next steps of the project. We do have some daily standups when needed. We generally meet on Zoom but sometimes use Google meetings as well. A few of the last-minute changes were added lately, which extended the completion time of our project.

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

They are a team of confident people and we believe confidence comes with knowledge and experience they have in their field. What they've brought to the table for us was a concrete solution with no if and else's.

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

None as far as we were concerned. We look forward to working with them again.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

CEO of a foreign education firm. We have an ecommerce store where we sell books and courses to help students crack various competitive exams.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were looking to migrate our existing system to a more upgraded version. The current version was outdated, and we could not leverage the modern marketing trends like our competitors. We analysed a few resources and found that upgrading to the latest version of Magento would improve our business. Not only will the management become smooth, but we also discovered additional tools that will boost our business. So we decided to hire a Magento Agency like Rave Digital.

SOLUTION

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

We selected Rave Digital after screening 4-5 agencies. We had a discovery call with each of them and presented our goals to the company. We used some of the parameters as deciding factors; companies' knowledge about our business industry and team expertise. We also wanted someone familiar with the Magento migration. After reviewing all the companies, we selected Rave Digital based on their in-depth knowledge and industry specific experience.

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

The website was up for a complete rebuild from the ground. The project started with discussing our expectations from the migration. The team of Rave Digital then moved forward with integrating a better version of UI/UX for the Magento store. The development team came up with a few designs for the store. After a brief discussion, we finalized one of the three designs. The team began the next phase with the development with the features including Inventory Control, page builder, Checkout Customization, Order Management, Banners Slider Management etc. and integrating with Yotpo Integration, Multiple Payment Gateway Integration, Newsletter Subscription Integration etc.

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

The project was executed by a team of Magento lead, designers, and expert developers. The Magento lead, who also managed the entire project, was our main point of contact.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website has received a positive response from the customers. The final layout of the website is robust with simplified product catalog management. Integration of new features has aided effective order and content management which significantly increase the sales. We also gain Loyalty by reaching out to the right customers. Our business is now able to offer better services with improved security systems and payment methods. The customers have experienced decreased loading time and a significant improvement in the appearance of the website.

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

The project management was very effective from start to end. The team ensured all the deliverables were executed according to the deadline. The strategies and performance analysis took place over bi-weekly meetings. The tools Rave Digital used for communication were Zoom and email. The Magento lead was available for all our queries whenever needed.

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

The team was responsive to all our queries without any delays. The experts were quick at resolving our doubts and maintaining a proper chain of communication. The dedication and expertise they've showcased have been very impressive. It was one of the reasons our project was completed effectively as per the schedule.

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

None, we are satisfied with the work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

CEO of a health and fitness brand.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We are using an older version of Magento which is impacting our conversion rate very badly. We have seen a significant dip in revenue compared to previous years and a very high bounce rate. Our Store needs a boost of security as well.

Initially, the idea is to upgrade the site with the latest version and improve the overall site’s performance. But later we figured to add some additional features and functions to the store. To fulfill our online store requirements we decided to hire a full functioning ecommerce solutions agency.

SOLUTION

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

We searched for the top Magento agencies in the space and also consulted with Magento managers. They introduced us to the top three companies according to our needs. After talking with all three and gathering proposals we finize Rave as it fits our budget and needs.

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

In our discovery call they set the expectation right by making us understand that Magento Migration is a Magento Rebuild. For our new Magento Store we change the UI/UX completely and make it more user friendly. The themes are responsive, and the checkout is optimized for mobile. The main issue with Magento 1 was its performance, which is significantly improved in Magento 2. The features include page builder, PWA integration, advanced reporting, extended cache support, and code automation.

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

It was a team of 5 to 7 people but we were mostly in touch with their Magento Team Lead at their Florida office. We also had calls with designer’s the other developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

For us the best part is the checkout experience, it was much easier and faster than before and we can see less card abandonments than before. The performance of the store improves significantly with the increase of 22% in the conversion rate after a new launch. Our new store is highly mobile-friendly and responsive.

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

The project management is impressive. They have weekly sprint planning and daily standups. We meet once every two week in which we discuss the project status and the backlogs. We mostly use Zoom meetings for all our communication.

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

I like everything working with Rave. Their willingness to understand every detail of the project, offering the most feasible technical solutions, addressing all the issues on priority, their dedication to the project and their after-project support are really impressive.

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

No, the entire project was handled with ease.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an IT professional services firm providing technology talent solutions. I am leading the Project based staffing here.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

One of our clients was looking to migrate their e-commerce online store. In the past, they connected with us for their staffing requirements but this time they reached out to us to find an eCommerce development Agency to handle their project.

We extended our services for them to find the best eCommerce agency that can not only handle the project but also guide them to excel in their niche. The goal is to come up with better performance capabilities, Secure and scalable site that can handle more traffic and give a personalized experience to our customers.

SOLUTION

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

We have been connected with Rave Digital since 2014 and have shared professional connections on a few projects as well. The requirements of this project perfectly matched what Rave Digital offers. Since our client was looking for the best eCommerce solution providers, we recommended they associate with Rave Digital.

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

Our Client's current e-commerce platform is not a standalone e-commerce platform so it lacks so many functionalities. The biggest question is to stay with the current platform and add more functionalities or to migrate it to the new one. After the initial call with the Rave Digital team, we are very clear that we need to switch our current platform to achieve what we are looking for. We finally decided to move to Magento.

They work in an agile method. They understood our client’s business and then developed a prototype of the actual store (which was appreciated by our client). Once the prototype was approved by the client, the Rave Digital team transitioned into the development phase. There are multiple features they have implemented like Instant purchase, Product recommendation, customer segmentation, content staging, etc.

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

On our kickoff call, we are assigned with a Magento team lead who communicated very well throughout the project development. There are other developers as well but I am not sure how many as our main point of contact is the lead only.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The store is operational and impressively developed by the Rave team. This stand-alone Magento solution provides PIM, CRM, and reporting capabilities, creating a customer-centric shopping experience, secure upgrade, and payments, multilingual and multi-currency support. The best part of this new platform is its scalability and analytics.

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

They were very consistent and particular when it came to project management. They reported the progress every day via teamwork and we had Bi-weekly calls during which we used to set KPIs, and determine goals for the upcoming week. Communication tools included email, zoom, and sometimes - Google Meet. I must say the team is very frequent and responsive.

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

What makes them unique is the intense and deep knowledge in Magento.. The best part of working with Rave is we never felt we are working from different remote locations because of their excellent communication. Being an Agency partner they make sure we are informed about every action and decisions and always keep us in loop. They're the best Magento partner to work with.

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

Not any.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are the worldwide leading supplier and manufacturer of the gas spread. I am the technical head here facilitating the company with the latest technology changes and advancements.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

With increasing demand for gas cylinders, we are facing extreme difficulty in managing and tracking orders with our current system. We are in need of a more robust and highly scalable website. After exploring many solutions in the market we choose Magento commerce, a feature rich powerful platform.

SOLUTION

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

After selecting the correct platform, the next step is to choose the correct vendor. We searched for the top Magento agencies in the USA and came across Rave Digital. Their in-depth knowledge about the platform impresses us the most. After having a few meetings with them we are confident that Rave is the company for us.

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

We had a discovery call as we got started. We prepared a roadmap, determined KPIs and timeline for the project. We chunked down the project into various phases. Initially, they came up with the 3 designs for our store. All of them looked appealing but one caught our attention immediately. Now that the design was finalized they started working on the features.

Their team developed several custom modules for our project: express checkout, customer group restrictions, social media login, elastic search, partial payment, abandoned cart email, and 2FA. Once these modules were ready, they integrated it in the website along with the third-party services that we used for managing the orders. Finally, they tested the website thoroughly to ensure everything was functioning as intended.

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

We worked with several people from their team. Most of the time, we were in touch with the project manager, and a team of developers who were working on the project. However, occasionally, we also had calls with UI/UX designers..

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As of now the website is being tested thoroughly. But we deployed it 30 days ago to see how our users react. Recently, in a survey we conducted about UX, more than 90% of the respondents have rated the new design positively. In terms of engagement, we have seen a slight increase in the number of conversions and a 20% boost in our mobile users. That said, working with them was a great experience.

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

It was all managed very well. They adhered to the deadlines they had initially committed to. For the tools, we used the most common ones like email, teamwork and zoom calls.

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

They proactively engaged in meetings and came up with impressive ideas that added great value. Not only did they take the time to understand our business but guided us all the way through the project. Their experience with Magento is unrivaled. They know the intricacies and how to make the most of the platform.

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

They are really good at what they do. As such, there’s nothing to complain about.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a managing director for an eCommerce company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Rave Digital?

We hired Rave Digital to upgrade our Magento 2 version to the newest version and also maintain our platform.

What were your goals for this project?

Upgrade the platform, fix any issues that arise and maintain the platform to a good standard.

SOLUTION

How did you select Rave Digital?

Through Aheadworks website. We use several of their extensions for our platform.

Describe the project in detail.

Upgrade Magento 2.1.7 to 2.3.5. Magento 2.3 upgrade is a Major version upgrade as compare to 2.1.x and it couldn't be made directly on the PRODUCTION server. they needed to perform the Magento upgrade over development environment first.

Magento 2.3.x version require PHP v7.2. they had to review the existing server configuration and needed to configure server as per Magento v2.3 requirements. Due to the major version upgrade, they also needed to cross check the compatibility of configured Theme and Third-Party/Custom extensions. Use additional maintenance time to fix SEO issues and other back-end issues.

What was the team composition?

There was a business admin, a project manager and a developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team managed to successfully upgrade the Magento 2 platform to the newer 2.3.5 version. Although it took longer than expected, it was not completely their fault, we had to wait for another vendor to update one of their third party extension.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow for the main task of upgrading the website was great.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team was punctual and approachable.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They need to be more proactive. We had 110 maintenance hours remaining at the end of the contract. We would have hoped that the team would come up with a strategy to use up these hours towards fixing the back-end issues and SEO.

However, only when we decided to cancel the contract, they approached us regarding the remaining hours and that we should use them up. Unfortunately, we didn't want to extend the contract for another 3 months to use up these hours.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I coordinate development tasks with our dev team as well as write copy, social posts, and email marketing for the site.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Rave to fix our website after a previous developer did a poor job building it out. Rave immediately found issues within the core code that needed to be corrected and addressed those. They also have taken on a number of front end fixes to improve our UX and have implemented extensions to improve the overall usability of our site.

SOLUTION

How did you select Rave Digital and what were the deciding factors?

We found Rave through a thorough search of Magento based web developers and they had reasonable pricing with good reviews and feedback.

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

Rave oversees all of our website development work from server side setup to back end configuration and theming, to the front end results our customers see.

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

Our teams have always had at least two developers in constant contact, sometimes 3 or 4, depending on the scope of work required. There is always one direct point of contact that heads the team and a second contact in case they need to be reached also.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The work is completed in a timely fashion and with good results. Occasionally, there are ongoing issues that need to be addressed more than once. We did see immediate gains in traffic, transactions, and revenue after switching to Rave. They clearly know what they're doing.

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

Rave uses teamwork to set out tasks, assign them to the necessary team member/s, and set out time frames for completion within a 2 week sprint and/or within an estimated number of man hours needed to complete each task. Their timesheets outline who spent how much time on each task within each month. The point of contact is always readily available by email or phone.

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

They are quick to respond during emergencies. If the site goes down, they are on top of it within a matter of minutes. They are willing to explain the pros and cons for every decision you make regarding customizations, changes, and new extensions you want to implement.

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

There does seem to be tasks that need to be fixed multiple times. We have a lot of customizations on our site and many of these were built out by a different development team, so it's hard to say how much of the blame should be assigned to each side.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the project manager for our IT group.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We changed our consumer business ecommerce platform from CDS to Magento, but did not have internal Magento experience. Rave was hired to be the Systems Integrator on this project.

SOLUTION

How did you select Rave Digital and what were the deciding factors?

There was an RFP process, of which I was not involved.

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

Build and implement the Magento 2.x platform for our consumer business ecommerce site. Project steps included everything from project definition, design, data mapping, and cutover, as well as integration with our fulfillment center and external widgets (payment widget).

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

We worked directly with 2 people, and were aware of 2 additional resources doing work in the background.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don't have these metrics.

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

They used Teamwork as their PM tool, which I really liked. We had routine status meetings - ranging from higher-level project status meetings on a monthly basis, to daily stand-ups during the development and launch cycles.

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

They are very responsive and had to handle several inputs from our company. (with the various functional areas and stakeholders involved), and CDS who was the former platform provider and continued on as the fulfillment center. They were very knowledgeable, as well (which is why they were hired, but that doesn't always prove to be the case).

Are there any areas for improvement?

As we moved into the second phase of the project, which is to convert the shopping pages (phase 1 was updating the cart only), and needed our development team to get learned up on the new platform, Rave seemed more comfortable wanting to do the work rather than train others to do the work.

In fairness, our dev team was very passive and seemed to be waiting for instruction, rather than diving in and asking for direction; but I think it was a miss on both sides to develop as a team with the objective of using Rave's expertise to help build but also teach. I think we have now addressed this and it is going well, we just lost time while both sides of the team were waiting for the other side to lean in.