Vaimo

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a digital brand manager for a retailer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Vaimo?

We wanted to develop a multi-site e-commerce platform to serve B2C and B2B clients.

What were your goals for this project?

To have world-class design and features, fully integrated into our enterprise resource planning software.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We chose them based on their expertise in South Africa—we knew they could deliver on the project goals.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

I built most of the CMS pages and we have a team of graphic designers for content creation internally.

We created a wireframe mockup of our required UI for one of the brands. That was developed into a functional Magento front- and backend by Vaimo, according to our requirements. They repurposed that framework across a further five of our brand websites, then did significant further work to upgrade the UI, UX and integration services after the launch.

What was the team composition?

The development team was run by their project manager. There were six people in total on their side.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In the past, e-commerce was not the main focus of our business. The goal with moving to Magento was to significantly ramp up our e-commerce presence and revenue. That’s been successful, and our e-commerce revenue is currently 200% up year-on-year.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project management was handled very well, with constant communication and feedback. I have significant experience with Magento from previous jobs, which made briefing and feedback much easier than expected. They used a range of project management tools, including Smartsheet and Jira.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They can easily deliver solutions in a timely and professional manner. A key strength of theirs is their excellent project management, which was very well documented and executed.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

They need to improve their communication regarding the status of development tasks. I like to be significantly involved, which is not the norm for their clients.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

We’re a custom sneaker consignment store that sells limited edition and rare sneakers. We’ve been around since 2005. We’ve got two separate brick-and-mortar locations, one in New York and one in L.A., and a website that we’ve replatformed to Magento Enterprise Edition, which we launched last November [of 2013].

What is your position?

I run all of our business development, which means everything digital. If there’s a screen involved, I’m handling it, along with marketing, strategy, and a bunch of other things. I’m the key vendor decision-maker, for the most part.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges that you were attempting to address when you first approached Vaimo?

Consignment is one of those verticals in business that isn’t really catered to ecommerce solutions. Where most providers might have a single-item SKU [stock keeping unit] with 300 individual counts behind it, for example, we have a product SKU, and then we have individually serialized IDs for each and every product we carry, because each product has a different owner. That complexity was a huge part of what we needed to solve with our system. In our old system the inventory wasn’t updated in real time. As a result, we were refunding a good 25-30 percent of our orders on a daily basis because we couldn’t fill orders based on what was selling on the site. We didn’t have the internal expertise to solve the issue ourselves, so we went looking for a partner to help us implement a solution.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of work in greater detail?

There was a very large design component and considerable Magento customization. They’ve pretty much helped us with everything, from start to finish. The only component that they didn’t handle was our backend integration, which we handled in New York with another vendor. They were our dedicated design and development team.

How did you select Vaimo as your solution partner?

It was a long process. We looked at a handful of vendors, but our initial plan was to find a vendor in New York. We dug through a lot of New York vendors, and there’s a lot of talent here but, at the end of the day, we were very impressed by some of the visuals that Vaimo could deliver. They have a very strong creative team. That was what lured us out to Sweden, even though originally we wanted to stay right here where we’re located. I would say it was pretty much their visual acumen that brought us into the fold.

When was the most recent project completed?

We still use them for maintenance and support on a month-to-month basis. It’s not really a formal retainer, but more of a pay for hours situation. We have a lot of ongoing projects with them because we’re constantly trying to upgrade and enhance our online presence.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the quality of their performance?

We’re up 70 percent business-wise since our relaunch in November, which in less than a year. We haven’t even been though the holiday season yet, which I think is going to be even crazier. That’s really the best indicator of success so far. In additional to that, our entire inventory can now be updated in real-time, so we’re not losing out on orders we can’t fulfill. We perform nearly 25 percent of our transactions through mobile devices, which is essentially up from zero, if you go back to pre re-launch, because we didn’t have a mobile site then. Those are the most important metrics.

When working with Vaimo, is there anything you’d consider unique about their approach and/or development methodology that distinguish them from other vendors?

I think that a lot of other vendors, their solutions are what you could consider out of the box. They look a lot more cookie cutter in terms of what they try to put in front of you. With Vaimo, specifically, they really put a lot of thought and energy into creating something custom that works and excites the end users. A lot of that translates into the visual pieces, but you can’t really understate how important that is. The design sensibility is really something, just super clean, super easy to use, and intuitive.

In retrospect, are there areas in which you think they could improve as a service provider?

I don’t have any criticisms. We’ve had nothing but positive experiences with Vaimo.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your company?

We’re a DYI company. We’re still building materials and everything for home improvement. In the U.S., you have the Home Depot. We are a European version of that.

What is your position?

I’m the IT manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were attempting to address when you began working with Vaimo?

In Europe, the building materials industry has been very slow to get online. Very few companies exist in our industry with ecommerce capabilities. Of the large change in Sweden, we were the first to move into this area. We started almost three years ago with Vaimo, and that was the pilot project for our company in Europe, starting with Sweden.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of the project? For instance, did it include custom design, development, training, or support?

Vaimo’s part has primarily been development of the frontend and backend of the eCommerce solution. They have also helped with training of my eCommerce personnel, but that has not been a very big part. It’s perhaps 30 or 50 hours we’ve put into that part. Vaimo also supports the solution in the day-to-day business.

What eCommerce platform do you utilize?

We began with the Magento community edition. We are currently switching to the Magento enterprise edition.

Why did you select Magento as your eCommerce solution compared to some of its competitors?

That’s difficult to explain shortly. When I took on this project back in 2010, the Swedish part of the company had started with a local Swedish product, which I actually don’t remember the name of. I discussed this issue with our parent company in Germany. They did some tests on the Magento solution for one of our brands. They recommended that I look into the Magento solution. In the end, we went with the Magento solution for Sweden, because it’s ultimately a much more complex product and better suited for our needs.

How did you select Vaimo as your solution partner?

That was the fun part. I chose Magento as a product, and then I went on Magento’s website. I searched for service providers close to our location. When I conducted this search, there were three companies based out of Stockholm. I introduced myself to all three of them. The one that gave me the best feeling was Vaimo.

Could you give me a sense of the size of this initiative in monetary terms?

We’ve spent approximately $1 million.

When was this project completed?

The first launch was back in 2011. We then relaunched in 2012 with the upgrade. Now, we’ll relaunch soon with the third version. It’s essentially an ongoing project. I don’t think we will ever cease, but we started selling after six months, and then we have provided more functionality. That’s a journey that we will continue in the years to come. Your eCommerce solution has to be alive. It’s not a static world. We are constantly developing new functionality and new services for our customers. We will not stop doing that in the foreseeable future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, do you have any statistics or metrics you could share that would demonstrate the effectiveness of their work?

I can’t share sales numbers with you, but the results have been well beyond our expectations. The growth rate we’re witnessing is above the market growth rate in Sweden. There is, of course, official statistics of all eCommerce within our sector. We performed much better than those numbers. In terms of percentages, I am happy. Last year, Sweden had a growth of 18 percent in our industry in the ecommerce sector. By comparison, we experienced growth of more than 100 percent. I’m clearly not unhappy with that performance.

How do you think Vaimo performed on these projects?

Vaimo performed as expected. The building industry is a difficult to move into the eCommerce space because we have many difficult products. Most companies like Vaimo are coming from the book, the CDs, the clothing industry, where freight is not the biggest problem in the world. When you move into the building industry and you have to move concrete, tiles and stuff like that, then freights become problematic. They had to learn my business. They had to understand that everything within my industry is not as simple as the clothing industry. If my customers regret their purchases, then it can be a cost of several hundred dollars to get the products back to the workshop. By comparison, if you regret buying a new pair of shoes, it’s like $10 to return. That difference of scale is a game changer. Vaimo was exemplary on the technical side. I feel that they have put their energy into understanding that I have different needs than many of their other customers. I’m happy with that. As for all partners, in the end, it’s person specific. You have to make sure that you have a good team as your technology partner. I have seen to it that the people who can deliver are on my team, and the people that can’t deliver are not on my team. That’s how I like to work.

When working with Vaimo, is there anything you would consider unique or special about them compared to other service providers you’ve worked with?

That’s a difficult question, but I would say their flexibility. They are a group of energetic people with a proven track record of delivering valuable solutions on a consistent basis. If they have to work late, they always do. There’s no hassle. It’s hassle free when we plan. They pretty much always deliver on time, and that’s not always the norm. They respect my deadlines.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your company?

We are a clothing and apparel company, and our main production focus is underwear for men and women. Our product lines include shoes, socks, undergarments, casual attire, and outerwear.  

What is your position?

I’m the Web content manager, which means I take care of all the graphics regarding our website and some technical aspects of our eCommerce platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were attempting to address when you initiated the projects with Vaimo?

First of all, we wanted to have better eCommerce system. Our previous system was cumbersome to maintain and unnecessarily complex. We decided to look for different options in alternative platforms and other third-party vendors, which is how we were introduced to Vaimo. Ultimately, we wanted a system that could increase process efficiency, and sales volumes on a daily basis.  

SOLUTION

What eCommerce platform did you select?

Magento.

Why did you choose Magento as opposed to some of its counterparts?

We selected Magento because it seemed to be and, we confirmed later, that it’s a very adaptable solution. We were also attracted to it based on its scalability. We know several larger firms using Magento for their business needs, and they’ve expressed nothing, but appreciation for the product. Magento just seemed like the right platform for our immediate and future needs.

How did you select Vaimo as your service provider?

We met a few potential partners. I think the main reason why we chose Vaimo was because they could demonstrate to us that they had already developed a lot of modular components for other customers. That’s exactly what we needed. We needed our solution customized to our specific needs and goals.

Could you give a sense of the size of this project in monetary terms?

I would say it was about 1.5 million Swedish Crowns, or approximately $230,000.

When was this project completed?

We launched the site in August of 2012.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics or metrics that would demonstrate the effectiveness of their work?

We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from our customers, first of all.  Since we launched it, we’ve done quite a lot of things regarding the front end, changes to make it better all the time. In general, all positive feedback.

How do you think Vaimo performed on this project?

I think they performed very well. They have highly developed skills and expertise, both on the backend and the frontend, which is excellent. There were significant barriers and challenges along the way, but we managed to overcome each and every one of them.  

In retrospect, are there any areas that you feel Vaimo could have improved upon or things you might do differently before approaching this type of project?

On the development side, there isn’t anything I would recommend or do differently a second time around. That said, I do believe there could have been better project management on their behalf. Strict timeframes for task completion, regular updates and follow up, vetted proposals, etc., would have been a welcomed addition to the process.