Inchoo

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of Croatian company Medical Direct, and we sell medical products and aids online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed to upgrade our web shop from Magento to Magento 2 and make it faster, better looking and with better functionality.

SOLUTION

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

They had a reputiation as the best Magento developer in Croatia and we wanted a reliable partner. They have proven to be reliable.

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

It took some 6 months from the first contact to the launch of the new web site. About 5 months from the start of development to the launch. There we regular milestones and the project manager kept everything on track. Figma was used for the design phase and Collab throughout the project.

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

Beside the project manager there were several teams: design, backend, frontend, SEO, hosting&security.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The web site is faster (loads about 40% faster), much better looking, much more stable and with better conversion rates. It's still a bit early to quote hard numbers.

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

We communicated with the project manager and individual team members. Mostly over Collab but sometimes over video calls as well.

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

They are reliable and professional. I could actually trust them.

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

As a non IT person it took me some time to learn all the jargon words.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Prima namještaj is the largest Croatian retailer and furniture manufacturer. I'm the web content specialist of the firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our website was created many years ago and had become outdated. Since we didn't have in-house developers to invest in a new website, we hired this team to design and develop a custom webshop on Magento 2 platform. By doing this, we were hoping to increase our traffic substantially by the end of the year.

SOLUTION

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

We searched firms in our area and shortlisted 3. After interviewing them, we chose this vendor based on their past projects, design skills, and cost estimate.

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

We had a kick-off meeting to discuss our goals and objectives. From there, the team delivered mock-ups and wireframes for our site. After a few iterations in design and final approval, their team of developers has programmed Magento 2 webshop.

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

A project manager was our main point of contact throughout the process. There were also developers and a designer working behind the scenes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

If we look at the full year since the launch of the webshop, the Prima webshop has grown by as much as + 501% Total Revenue and + 618% Mobile Revenue compared to the previous year.

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

We had daily communication with their project manager, who communicated with the rest of the team. If there were any delays, they let us know ahead of time so that we could prepare. We used Active Collab for communication and coordination.

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

They gave a professional website that's easy to update. My team has never worked with Magento 2 platform before, so they took the time to teach us how to do some stuff in the admin section.

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

When we first launched, there were some minor bugs on product pages. We let them know, and they were quick to fix the issues.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of an online auto part retailer. We specialize in Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Mini, Land Rover, Jaguar, Sprinter, and more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our Magento 1 e-commerce store was created internally over 11 years ago and had become restricted and outdated. Since we didn't have in-house developers to re-design and migrate to Magento 2, we hired Inchoo to design and develop our new Magento 2-based website.

By doing this, we were hoping to improve our store's functions, usability and to increase conversions and traffic.

SOLUTION

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

We've been following Inchoo since 2009. In fact, we've learned a lot about Magento development from their blog. We contacted them several times throughout the years. The official collaboration started at the end of 2019.

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

We had a kick-off phone conversation to discuss our goals and objectives. From there, the team delivered a detailed proposal that outlined their suggested approach for the migration and complete re-design of our store to Magento 2.

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

At first, a project manager was our main point of contact. But then were gradually introduced to the rest of their highly skilled team.

So far, we've probably worked with about 15 people including, backend developers, frontend/graphic designers, SEO specialists, PPC specialists, and server/networking specialists. We communicate directly with every team member working on our project. This allowed for faster and more efficient work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new site has only been up for under two months. We're still experiencing the initial fluctuation with search rankings and traffic. Our customers love the updated design. The store is much more usable and attractive.

Assigning applications guides to products on the backend is also a breeze. Now that many of the bug are ironed out, we have big hopes for 2021.

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

We had almost daily updates from each team member and project manager. With direct access to the ActiveCollab project workspace, collaborating with the team is very easy.

They use Git and GitHub for code versioning and deployment. They take security and backups very seriously. From the initial planning process till now, working with Inchoo's team has been an absolute pleasure.

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

They have a lot of experience with Magento and e-commerce, in general. In addition, they have deep knowledge of analytics, SEO, PPC and networking which helps them take a holistic approach to e-commerce development.

Are there any areas for improvement?

All we desire at this point, is for Inchoo to provide us with the same excellent level of service we've grown accustomed to.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of digital marketing for a business label e-commerce site. We have about 2,500 labeling products, all manufactured in Florida.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Inchoo?

We wanted to migrate from our old OsCommerce site to Magento 2 to get more flexibility and capabilities. Our in-house development team only consists of two people, so we wanted to bring on a more experienced partner that could lead us through that migration.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Inchoo supported us through our site move, migrating our customer and order data from 2015 onward. Then, they modified the site theme on Magento 2, and there were also quite a few custom features that we had to recreate and integrate. 

One of them was a label builder that allowed customers to design their labels on a digital canvas. Another was an auto-reorder feature so that customers could subscribe and receive their items on a recurring basis.

Finally, we had a lot of backend integrations with both our accounting and inventory software as well as our production management software.

What is the team composition? 

At any given time, we’ve probably worked with about 10 people from their teams. But on an ongoing basis, it’s about 7–8. 

How did you come to work with Inchoo?

I came across them through a web search, looking for companies that specialized in Magento 2 migrations. We met with four companies to go over our plans before settling on Inchoo. 

Out of all of them, Inchoo was the most responsive and robust in their early-stage process. They really dug in, examining what it would take to implement all of our custom features. Taking the time upfront to understand the breadth of our project allowed them to be very specific with their proposal.

How much have you invested with them?

The development and migration cost around $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The main migration lasted between April 2019–June 2020. Now, we’re on a service contract with them because there are still so many new features, bug fixes, and other support services that we need.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new site has only been up for under two months, so we’re still experiencing the initial fluctuation with search rankings and traffic.

As far as customer feedback, we’ve received lots of comments about how much easier it is to navigate the site and order items. More quotes and orders are coming in through the custom label feature, and Inchoo has enhanced our ability to track those customers. The aesthetics also look much better than before — more professional and modern. 

All in all, in the early-going, it seems like we’re definitely moving in the right direction.

How did Inchoo perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve knocked it out of the ball park from a project management standpoint. They used collaboration tools like ActiveCollab that made it easy for us to communicate given the time zone differences, and it was simple to follow along, track progress, and add notes. What’s more, they’re very quick and attentive when it comes to replying to our questions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s their attention to detail, for sure. Inchoo is willing to tackle projects no matter how complex and bring about the results that we envision. Whereas other providers might compromise the solution, Inchoo makes sure to implement things the way we requested.

Their team members are experienced and comfortable with Magento 2. They’re definitely experts in the matter.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The main challenge was that the timeline extended far past what we were aiming for in the beginning. That was due to some complications with the custom features. I don’t know if there was another way they could have done things to get everything completed within the initial estimates since the project ended up being a lot more complex than we initially envisioned.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

This is good advice in general, but make sure that you have everything laid out in detail on what you want to achieve prior to starting the project. Try to think of every possible scenario to make sure you get the best, most accurate timeframe and features implemented.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Packaging Price. We’re an internet seller of packaging supplies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Inchoo?

Our website was a shell, so we hired Inchoo to design the website and determine how to have the most effective platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did a lot of research to help us determine how to categorize what people search for on our website, including terminology, specific words, and other needs.

For strategy, they contributed a lot since Magento is a difficult platform to work on. We have 7,000–8,000 items and 50,000–60,000 customers, so they considered those dynamics on the platform when developing. They also helped craft the website so it is intuitive and user friendly. They did continual tweaking of categories and searching tools. 

SEO and Google Ads campaign work was handled by their team, too. They used the information they gathered from Google Ads to determine how the website was performing and what changes to make. 

What is the team composition?

We had a couple of different direct reports on their team. Ivan (Magento Developer) was initially our point of contact and then Vanja (E-Commerce Growth Strategist) took over once the development was done. In general, they had 4–6 people on the team, ranging from developers to programmers for different tasks. 

How did you come to work with Inchoo?

Our CIO decided to bring them on because once we switched to a Magento platform, our prior company wasn’t performing well. He searched and brought it to the team, and we decided to go with Inchoo.

How much have you invested with them?

The monthly fee was based on a percentage of our revenue, so I believe they were paid around $10,000 per month. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from roughly March–May 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had a successful relationship. Their work on the website helped our sales grow. We pretty much doubled our order growth on a regular basis. Our revenue has grown at least 20%, if not 25%, per year. We had a new director of marketing come on board and take over all the campaigns so we could control it in-house. However, Inchoo successfully completed our website development and helped us grow. They did a nice job. 

How did Inchoo perform from a project management standpoint?

There was a bit of a language barrier, so that was a bit of a hurdle to get over, along with the time difference. There were times we had hoped to get quicker responses, but we started working when they were logging off because of the time difference. Despite that, they responded to our emails at all times of the night.

They gave us monthly overviews of our Google Ads statistics, too. We primarily used phone calls or Zooms. We had weekly, or sometimes daily, calls and chats for meetings. They flew in to see us at one point, as well, to go over some highlights of the new website rollout. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were a good, conscientious team and worked well as partners. To understand the Google statistics, a trained eye was necessary so we appreciated that we could just trust everything they told us was true. They gave us good information and we thank them for the work they did for us. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No —out of all the developers I have worked with, they rank highly because of their performance. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The results speak for themselves. We were happy with it. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We design, engineer, fabricate, and produce interior and exterior displays and singage solutions, we also work to enhance interactive customer experiences. We hold patents and maintain a full line of stock product offerings as well. I am the marketing web manager, I oversee 3 MDI websites and social media content implementation, and email promotions. As well as digital signage consultation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Inchoo?

We hired Inchoo for an overhaul of our Magento 1.0 site, that needed an updated look, we needed a responsive design that would make out site mobile friendly. We also needed a way to show off a custom portfolio which is challenging to do on an ecommerce platform.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a fresh look and feel to the site. Incorporate our custom product line into the interface and in a new portfolio section, that would also allow a CMS for us to update this new portfolio section on the fly.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I went to magento's partner portal, found companies where I liked their work, which also included Inchoo, I already followed Inchoo's Magento blog, so there was already a trust level I had with Inchoo. I was also impressed with the amount of talent they presented. Their references were good as well. We talked to a few companies but in the end Inchoo seemed like the best fit for us.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

One reason we chose inchoo was they were extremely talented in creating custom themes, we did not choose a template, they created a custom theme from the ground up, a big part of our business is custom pop displays, we needed a way to showcase this which isn't easily done on a Ecommerce platform. Inchoo came of with a brilliant CMS solution that we can easily update with new content, They also updated our stock product area, which really made that new area pop,

What was the team composition?

We first met with their sales manager, who explained their process and introduced us to different team leads along the way, we used skype video calls and later a cloud base CMS tool to communicate with their team members. I think we met with the UX Team, the Development team. Shipping and tax teams in increments of the build phase.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Right out the gate, we were able to direct customers to area's of the site we were unable to show with our previous website. We were also able to run impactful email marking to these new custom areas. Our daily web visits went up as well as mobile users. We've seen financial growth every year we've had the site.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

There is a new sales PM who that hears your needs, you are then put in contact with a department lead. you can then share your pertinent information on the CMS Tool. Graphics, excel sheets, Screen shots, credentials etc..

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was most impressed with the custom CMS theme design they created. I've thrown some tricky design elements their way, and they always come through, many times with different options and routes we can go. I can't stress enough how impressed I am with their ability to suit our needs.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Early on I was a little nervous about different project leads along the way, I'm used to talking with dedicated PM's and not the developers, in the end I actually prefer talking to the developers as it cuts out the middle man and I can get info back them quicker. If i have new requests I always talk to the PM first, which knowing I'll be transferred to a department lead. Might be a little confusing at first for new customers, but you get the hang of it quickly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and owner of A1Supplements.com. It’s an online sports supplements company, selling online and shipping products all over the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Inchoo?

We were migrating our platform from X-Cart to Magento. We started with a company based in South Carolina, but they completely failed us, going over budget and beyond the timeline. Inchoo took over the migration and have done an amazing job in continuing to customize the store.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Inchoo assigned a team of developers to build a customized site. Magento 2 can cause a lot of complications, especially on the community package, which we have. Inchoo and their team of engineers and developers were really amazing in overcoming working with the promotional section of the site. They’ve never failed to overcome a challenge in the 4–5 years they were with us.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Aron (Head of Marketing, Inchoo) and two project managers, both of whom were superb. The time difference and communication were not a problem for us.

How did you come to work with Inchoo?

We found them through a developer friend of ours in the US. We were struggling with our previous development team, so we reached out to this friend for guidance. When we first spoke with Inchoo, they took some time to evaluate the project, with a lot of back and forth on whether they could salvage the bad code. They never over promised and told us they would try to rebuild the platform from the ground up.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them around April 2015 and it is ongoing. This project ran from March–November 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had an amazing time working with them and have a great relationship with the team. They delivered quality code, provided us with an SEO-friendly e-commerce structure, and set up excellent security for the platform. They met our deadline, and the project was within our budget, so we’re very pleased

They used best practices in development and coding. With that foundation, it’s now up to us to market, vend ourselves, and go. They’re a solid company in terms of knowing how to present a website to the end user and make it a user-friendly, functioning, quality site.

How did Inchoo perform from a project management standpoint?

They were fantastic, working on weekends and at night, and always just a phone call away even during off hours. They assigned a manager to delegate directions to the team and were in complete sync with one another. The project was well-coordinated from beginning to end.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very responsive, very capable, and very reasonable. It’s hard to find a development team we can say this about.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’ll be happy if they keep giving us the same service.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

No, I can't name any specifics.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project manager at Sloan Implement Company. We’re an after-market agriculture parts supplier based in central Illinois.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Inchoo?

Though they’ve offered us a multitude of different services, we initially reached out for help with our website. Our main goal was to make our site visible on mobile devices. We were hoping that an enhanced mobile experience would increase conversions and make the shopping process smoother. We also wanted to reduce the time users spent navigating to and from different sections of our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Inchoo has supported our business in a variety of ways. Their developers migrated our site from Magento to Magento 2 and fixed many of the issues we were experiencing. They redesigned our category structure, built URL routers, and implemented a more user-friendly search tool. Their team also developed a feature that lets visitors search for parts by entering the make and model of their machine. They included all of these updates on the mobile version as well.

In addition to site updates, the team has revamped our shipping capabilities. Customers now have the ability to save money on shipping costs by ordering items on our website for pickup at a local store. We also offer expedited shipping, and visitors can examine prices using our live shipping calculator.

Their team also implemented a Google Shopping integration that has boosted our advertising efforts. To support this feature, Inchoo conducts technical performance reviews of the products listed on our site. Previously, we were experiencing issues with data quality when we submitted our products to Google. The error reporting that they offer helps us avoid these problems. They’ve also developed a PPC and Google Ads strategy for our site.

What is the team composition?

They’ve assigned a project manager and two developers to our project. We’ve also communicated with their consulting group.

How did you come to work with Inchoo?

We originally discovered Inchoo through visiting their blog, which included information about Magento. At the time, we were one of the largest companies using Magento, and their blog became an excellent resource for our team. Years later, we needed a new web development partner and reached out to them for a quote.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Inchoo in August 2016, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since the relaunch of our site, we’ve seen revenue increase by 34%. We’ve also grown our number of organic users to 25%, and our conversion rates have gone up by 48%. We’ve received positive feedback from users, especially regarding the mobile version of our platform.

How did Inchoo perform from a project management standpoint?

We meet frequently, typically once a week, if not more. They’ve been very responsive, and always set aside time to address our requests.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team’s consistent attention to detail sets them apart. They’re very insightful, and typically offer us plenty of ideas when we’re trying to solve problems. Their team also has a deep understanding of technology. They’ve communicated well at every phase of the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

More consistency would be nice. We’ve gone through several project managers since we started working with them, and each time we’ve had to adjust our scope.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open with their team about all areas of the project. Give them specific requirements, and hold multiple meetings when necessary. Having constant back and forth will help with problem resolution.

Also, prepare for the discovery phase. Make sure the scope of the project is clearly defined, because that will help with predicting costs and making timelines.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing manager of e-xplosion. We have two online shops, one of which sells running equipment, clothing, accessories, and nutrition products. We launched our second shop in March 2019.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Inchoo?

Our first shop was already five years old, and we had enormous problems with its plug-ins and extensions. The Magento version was outdated and required a lot of programming work for updates. It wasn’t flexible, the errors were increasing, and everything on it had become complicated.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We began with a four-day workshop during which we worked out all requirements together. They then developed a navigation structure and came up with features, such as a running-shoe consultant. One option was to rebuild the shop entirely, but we decided to update our Magento version and build new features.

What is the team composition?

They assigned a project manager, two developers (one frontend and one backend), and a frontend designer.

How did you come to work with Inchoo?

At one point, they took over support of our online shop. They later approached us and advised that we redesign the platform.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent €5,000 (approximately $5,600 USD) per month on their services, with the total of the two shops coming to €100,000 (approximately $112,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Inchoo in November 2017, and we eventually launched the shop in October 2018.

Our second shop was built for us to expand our offering beyond running shoes, and it launched in March 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We saw an increase in our conversion rate immediately after launching the new shop. Since October 2018, we’ve seen a 20% increase in sales.

How did Inchoo perform from a project management standpoint?

Inchoo is a professional team. They did an excellent job on their side and stayed within the timelines. It was only because of us that it took longer. We used ActiveCollab as a project management tool, primarily for writing and tracking tickets.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We have a lot of experience with agencies in Germany, and their willingness to go beyond the defined scope is not always there. In contrast, Inchoo is really flexible and provides us the help we need. We like working with them, and they’re more than an agency for us. We’ve become friends, and we can go to them with any problem we might have.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything at the moment.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

We’re really satisfied with Inchoo, so there’s no advice I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of technology for Emma Mattress. We design, develop, and sell mattresses internationally.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Inchoo?

We needed to develop a theme for our online shop to go with our new branding campaign. We hired Inchoo to help because we didn’t have the internal resources for the project.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We sent Inchoo our design files and wireframes. With those, they created the theme on the frontend of the Magento platform. They implemented all of the features we asked for and connected it to our backend.

What is the team composition?

Inchoo dedicated two developers to the project.

How did you come to work with Inchoo?

I chose Inchoo for the engagement because I’d worked as a developer for their team six years ago.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Inchoo between November–December 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re fully satisfied with the quality of the final product and they delivered everything as planned. Without Inchoo’s help, we wouldn’t have been able to develop the theme the way we envisioned because of capacity issues.  

How did Inchoo perform from a project management standpoint?

We primarily managed the project on our end, but we also used a collaboration tool from Inchoo’s team. They handled the work professionally and never hesitated to ask for clarity. If they needed anything, they spoke directly to our designers and primarily used Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The delivery and quality of the work were excellent. Everything was done on time and to a very high standard.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Though there were some minor issues, we were able to polish everything. Inchoo did a good job with the project.