SmartMage

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My name is Krzysztof Kozdrowicz I'm the Magento project manager of an online outdoor clothing and equipment retailer. The 8a.pl brand was created out of passion for mountains and climbing. Very quickly it turned into something bigger - a shop for mountain enthusiasts, but not exclusively.

The store provides supplies for a wide range of outdoor activities; tourists, runners, explorers, cyclists, ski-tourers - everyone will find something for themselves here.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our first contact with SmartMage happened when we were still working with another big agency. SmartMage provided additional resources supporting the other partner. We quickly saw their high levels of engagement and vast Magento knowledge, so we decided to entrust them with leading the maintenance contract.

Our primary goal was to improve and expand the possibilities of our online shop. The first and most pressing goal was to fix persistent issues with the product categories. SmartMage team managed to find the root cause of the problem and introduced a permanent fix to stop it from coming back.

After that, we focused on expanding existing modules, working on stock levels sync with our ERP system as well as upgrading the Magento core version to 2.4.2

SOLUTION

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

We selected SmartMage to be our e-commerce support provider because of their work as a support team for another agency. Thanks to their dedication, we always felt we were their priority, and soon they knew the ins and outs of our shop as well as we did.

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

We have worked with SmartMage for over 18 months, and we went through many processes together. For day-to-day task management, we communicated through Jira with weekly meetings to establish short term priorities.

We also had longer planning sessions when required, such as preparing for a significant Magento update or discussing adding new variables to stock management.

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

We had constant access to a UX designer and project lead, technical analyst, and Slack access to a few developers working on our projects for quick questions or research needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We achieved the goal of fixing issues with products quite quickly, and then we moved to expand the shop's functionalities - both on the client and administration sides. During those 18 months, we introduced many new features, for example, a landing page builder that allows us unprecedented control over our content.

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

We had constant access to a project manager and a technical lead. All tasks were logged through Jira, where we had a live view of the progress and potential blockers.

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

SmartMage are actual Magento and e-commerce experts. We could always rely on their support and knowledge. They are confident in what they know but not afraid to ask for more time if they ever needed additional time to uncover better solutions. They were always available for us and kept to our agreements and deadlines

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

Nothing big comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Here at "Home&You", we are united by love for beautiful interiors - that's where it all started. We champion functional and full of charm arrangements, and we have been working for the last 20 years to deliver quality and style to our customers. We closely follow new trends in the industry, but we are also not afraid to become trendsetters.

We are constantly looking for new inspirations; our team consists of specialists in various fields, including graphic designers, designers, quality controllers and visual merchandisers. We work with producers and suppliers from all over the world. Our mission is to share our passion for beautiful, unique arrangements and an unconventional approach to creating space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We came to SmartMage because of its reputation for creating custom modules. They have built a very popular Magento module called “SmartMage Paczkomaty” that allows seamless integration with one of Poland’s biggest parcel delivery providers. Our goal was to expand the existing module with a specific shipping packaging configuration. Our parcels often contain non-standard-sized products, and we needed to make sure the shipment process was handled correctly from the point of order to the successful delivery.

SOLUTION

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

We selected SmartMage because they created the original module which meant they had the know-how and skills to prepare the extension.

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

We had a kick-off meeting with SmartMage’s technical team. We established the parameters and configuration process and we were then presented with a written offer regarding time and budget. After approving the scope and budget we waited for the work to be finished and then we were given the opportunity to test the new features over an online demo.

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

We have constant access to a project manager and technical analyst as well as hearing input from an UX designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We achieved the strategic goal of being able to manage parcel delivery in a much more efficient way. The fact that the project finished on time and on budget was a huge bonus.

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

We had constant access to a project manager and a technical lead, so we felt secure knowing that the project was progressing on schedule. At the end of the project, we were presented with the results in an online demo to see the finished product and ask questions.

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

The SmartMage team really knows their strengths, so they were very confident about what can and what can’t be done. We appreciated their expertise which allowed us to avoid unnecessary costs.

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

Nothing major comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company offers custom-made artistic glass as well as 2D and 3D engraving of glass products. The quality of our products and the precision of our laser engraving technologies make unique and personalized awards and gifts for both individual and corporate customers. Our website GlassoGroup.com contains the catalogue of the products we offer. Each group of products can be found on a separate website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We have found the SmartMage team through a friend’s recommendation. It was obvious very quickly they were communicative and open to a partnership. We have started working with SmartMage around 2013-14. First it was more of a task based relationship, later on we wanted to work with them more. In 2017 They have taken over full maintenance of our online store. It was a challenge for us to maintain as we were selling to over 15 countries in the world. Thanks to our cooperation with SmartMage we made the process more manageable. In the meantime we also worked together on a few non-commerce websites. Today we are also talking to them about upgrading to the Magento 2 engine and they are very accomodating in their offered solutions, making sure it’s affordable and also scaled to our needs. Originally we needed help in the day to day maintenance of the online shopping experience. Over time we worked on processes, user experience and most of all we expanded the shop with new countries and languages. When we needed to refresh the look and feel we received some good tips and some recommendations on the functionalities of the shop.

SOLUTION

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

We had a modest budget so we were looking for someone we can partner with and that would give us flexibility in the project approach. After having our first phone conversation with SmartMage we were impressed with how normal and straightforward they are.

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

Building a new production environment on linux servers and their ongoing administration. Managing domains and certificates. On the Magento side, it was primarily the maintenance and building new features of the site grupaglasso.pl: adding new languages, building a gallery. There was also a comprehensive implementation of the http://www.letsdrinkit.pl/ store, unfortunately it is no longer online.

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

We have constant access to a project manager, dev ops specialist and UX designer. As for developers, there are at least two developers working on our code that we hear from regularly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Improved page load speed
• Expanding the shop to cover 4 new countries
• We achieved better visibility in Google Search results which is where we get most our traffic from

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

At the beginning it was emails and phone calls with a dedicated project manager who was also our account handler. But last year we have been using the Basecamp project management tool and it has been working out great. We can leave non-urgent tasks there and if there are serious issues we call SmartMage directly.

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

They really want to help, and we can count on them giving us good advice. Even when the problem isn’t specifically related to the shop, we can expect they will help us to find a solution.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing major comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

ARKANA Cosmetics is a producer of professional beauty care cosmetics for beauty salons and retails. My position is Manager Ecommerce

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Main goals is improvement of our e-shops to be more efective and growing selling and bring also new customers. Smartmage was very helpful with repair it of previous developers.

SOLUTION

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

Well, I searched trustworthy software house which can help me with development our e-shop. I was looking for in internet many software houses, checked their offer and finally decided on Smartmage because of their many years experience, professionalism and good communication with client.

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

We work in Basecamp platform where I put tasks with things to do. I write about it in details and ask Smartmage about offer how many time takes this task. They usually give me feedback with question to be sured about projects. Then we realize it and finally I check it on test shop on Magento and confirm if is correct if not I give them feedback what's wrong.

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

Project Manager, 2 frontend developers and 3 backend developers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks cooperating with Smartmage our e-shop is more useful for customers, conversion rate is still growing. Customers use our dedicated solution for example join marketing digital files movies, leaflets, pictures for their business. Smartmage team has a big knowledge about development and also ecommerce and very often recommended things which should be repair.

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

I have a weekly meeting with Project Manager by Teams or Goolge Hangsout. During this meeting we talk about current task and timelines.

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

Their engagement, communication, and problem-solving skill are impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Smartmage team very often recommend good practices for better e-business.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am E-commerce Manager at Obsessive - a producer of sexy lingerie for women.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

In 2018 we were looking for an agency able to bring a fresh perspective to our online presence. We have found SmartMage through a recommendation and quickly decided they were the right partner for us.

We’ve run two projects simultaneously, one for B2C and one for B2B clients. In the end the B2C shop took precedence and we have managed to improve its performance and profitability.

SmartMage was a great help both on the front as well as backend configurations of the store. Working with their graphic designer helped us to achieve better user experience and the store’s performance was improved by speeding up the load time.

We also integrated new tools that helped our sales and marketing departments as well as integrate the ERP system which binds it all together. Additionally we work with 4-5 third party suppliers so it was nice to see that SmartMage communicated well with other suppliers and often helped us understand more complex solutions proposed.

We needed to refresh the look and feel of our online shop. We also wanted to do more with it so it was necessary to expand the number of functionalities. We wanted to aggressively expand our online presence, SEO, UX, and with the cooperation with SmartMage we are able to achieve this goal.

SOLUTION

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

We were looking for good quality but also matching personalities. We started with a small project first and then SmartMage quickly became our first choice in managing our online store.

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

We have started with kick-off meeting, providing Smartmage with documentation of our Magento online shop and our ERP system, and discussing our goals.

After implementing the first solution which was integration of our Magento with Allegro (Polish marketplace) which was actually kind of a test for our co-operation, we were really impressed and absolutely sure that we would continue our work with Smartmage!

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

We have constant access to account handlers, UX designer, and there are at least three developers familiar with our code.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Improved page load speed and filters performance meant more happy customers
• Much better user experience, especially with the checkout process, decreasing the number of “abandoned basket” scenarios.
• Better visibility of analytics that allows us to draw better conclusions and make decisions.
• Integration with Allegro, Polish online e-commerce platform that serves as an additional marketplace for our sales.
• Connection with our ERP system.

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

Thanks to the tools such as Jira Software and Basecamp we are able to work together efficiently. The company uses an agile approach, we have weekly catch ups that allow us to keep a good track of the progress.

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

I think communication is their strong suit. Some of the tasks require multiple angles and two or three suppliers to cooperate and the SmartMage team helps us with connecting the dots. Every issue is always explained in a straightforward way.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We need more of their time so hopefully they can expand real soon!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a retailer of tools and hardware as well as health and safety signs. Founded in 2011, we have been selling our goods over the Internet for almost 10 years now. I am the Chief Technology Officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SmartMage?

We used to have our stores on a free platform however it did not meet our expectations any more. To move forward with sales and profits we needed to move forward with our e-commerse at first. SmartMage helped us with: - graphic design (desktop and mobile); - external data integration ERP, Allegro, inventory synchronisation with the suppliers; - providing a relevant technical support and taking care of continuous maintanance of our stores for many years now; - day-to-day contact providing all necessary information; - advisory services and consulting in terms of e-commerce development

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a stable, way more functional platform however wanted to keep it simple as well as keep features we have already had and have been used to. As our business has grown pretty fast, documentation was not our strongest side. Taking that into account the whole integration was quite challenging.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Living in the environment of e-commerse business, a friend of mine mentioned Smartmage as one of the most reliable partners of his. Altough I wasn’t convinced at first after meeting the team and a few video conferences later they gained my trust and respect. Finally I felt convinced they were capable of resolving all the unresolved issues we were dealing with for ages.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

It is continous project of 3 internet stores: www.beta24.pl ; www.znaki24.pl ; www.sklepratownik24.pl based on magento.

What was the team composition?

We had a frontend developer, backend developer, UX&UI designer and a project manager assigened to our project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

- The combined effect of cross-selling opportunities - Improvement of page loading speed   - Improvement of the shopping cart – as a result, decreasing the number of abandoned carts.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The company uses Agile Project Management to keep an eye on progres of the project. Thanks to the tools such as Jira Software and Basecamp we were able to work together efficiently. We usually contacted project manager but when needed developers were added to the video conferences as well. Apart from couple of missunderstandings everything has been going pretty smoothly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They provide services on a very high level. We were impressed by their communication skills, every issue has been explained to us in detail in a straightforward way.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can’t think of anything at the moment…

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Easy Australia is a part of Educational Group that has been operating both in Europe and Australia for last 15 years. Our team is well trained and experienced. We welcome you at the greatest educational platform ever. It’s the first innovative, fully interactive platform of this kind dedicated only to Australia and Australian education. Did you know that over 70 000 international students per year come to Australia to undertake their studies? You can be one of them. We have more than 3100 courses and products to offer. You can check the options starting here (course browser) and plan your career.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SmartMage?

We used Magento as an education and service platform in Australia and not only for clients in many countries. SmartMage was hired to maintain, develop the platform and implement new functionalities as well as deliver few new projects.

What were your goals for this project?

Goal was to keep it fully functional not as standard eCommerce platform but educational with functionality to send quotes about migration to Australia.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We did a very large survey and compared offers from the market. We wanted to cooperate with people who have Magento's certificates. The company that won was chosen from among 5 other companies. It was not the cheapest, but it had the best price/quality ratio.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The project was already working, but throughout our cooperation it required maintenance and development. SmartMage provided backend developers support thru whole time and partially frontend developers to develop designed layouts.

What was the team composition?

Team composition was changing with our needs from 1 backend developer to 5 people (backend, frontend developers).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This project has automated package shopping. That is Education, Accommodation and Insurance. Until now, there was no such solution globally.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was very effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Due to the fact that we were making very innovative solutions, we could not plan long-term activities in detail. Therefore, we were in constant contact, observing the progress of work and analyzing new solutions.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We can only wish you further development and interesting projects

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're eCommerce company that sells smartphone accessories all around Europe. I'm lucky to be a Head of eCommerce and Board member.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SmartMage?

We're developed new online shop in Magento 2, but we needed professional partner to run more advanced projects during monthly service plan.

What were your goals for this project?

To stabilize the shop after the in-house development.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I knew this company before and I was sure they can handle to run the project. After short negotiations they confirmed their skills, and we started to cooperate.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Back and front-end development in online store based on Magento 2. SmartMage was responsible for completing tickets started by our team - mostly the issues we were not able to solve by ourselves.

What was the team composition?

From the begging there was approx. 5 people involved.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We completed all started tickets and our cooperation was as expected

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Collaboration was good, we used Basecamp for daily work and monitoring the project's progress . Programmers used fully professional workflow with GitHub and Cloud Environment (dev, test and live).

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Extended Magento 2 knowledge and big eCommerce experience.

Are there any areas for improvement?

SmartMage should more control their developers or they should more communicate with Customer before they start to write a code. Maybe it's only with our company, because we had specific relationship: in most of the cases our programmers already tried to solve every problem before we passed it to SmartMage. We realized that SmartMage was trying the same solutions and simply wasted a time. I think it's only the matter of communication that could be better on both sides.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Manager of IT

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SmartMage?

To develop a new website for a roller-blading website. 

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to make a good-looking and user-friendly online shop.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Recommendation from other customer.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We have been working with SmartMage for almost 2 years. The biggest advantage of cooperation with this company is the ongoing contact and work flow, thanks to which we know what is being done and when it will be completed. This is a key aspect in terms of planning work and expenses.

SmartMage employees do nothing mindlessly. If the given task does not make sense for them, they communicate it and discuss whether the implementation of such a solution makes sense or suggest other quick fixes. They are very involved in projects that they implement and often suggest ideas for new solutions. So far, there has never been a task or error that could not be solved. Definitely worth the recommendation!

What was the team composition?

I was responsible for contact with SmartMage and they gave me 6 people who worked on my website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

New website is awesome. Customer loves it. We are getting better and better in SEO and our sales are bigger - especially in mobile version of the website.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We were working on Jira and Slack - contact was awesome. No problem with deadline - if something went wrong I was informed about it before deadline.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Contact with the customer and how much they are involved in the project are great. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

For now - no. We had some issues but they were solved and now everything is working perfectly. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO at Time Shine GmbH. We are a wholesale company selling authentic branded watches, jewelry and sunglasses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SmartMage?

We wanted to add a contact form on our webshop

What were your goals for this project?

I expected a contact form in german and english including all required fields like Company name, contact person, phone number, email, type of business, attachment (upload of PDF) and also acceptation of the privacy policy statemant.

SOLUTION

How did you select SmartMage?

I searched online for web designers from Poland as i am also polish

Describe the project in detail.

I have sent a list of points that the new contact form should contain. everything was processed. I was advised to limit the uploads to only PDF and pictures.

What was the team composition?

I only spoke to our Projectmanager. he passed the tasks on to his team

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within we first day we received 3 messages from potential new customers

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project manager was contacted via email and phone. Hewas avialbale all the time even outside of his working hours.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The contact was personal and possible at any time. The tasks were carried out by SmartMAge very quickly, even faster than previously stated. Possible difficulties were pointed out in time.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We are very, very satisfied with their work. We would recommend this company to everyone. We will also work with this company in the future.