Pixafy

Please describe your company.

We are a wine delivery service with three different wines every month with delivery to the client’s house.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the founder. 

What was your goal for working with Pixafy?

Our goal was to have the best e-commerce platform possible. 

Please describe the scope of their work.

The scope was to provide from scratch the backend and frontend accounting for what was the POS [point of sale], the best transaction system, the best cutoff date, and the best callable systems that we could expand to other states with different zip codes, different timelines, and zone lines. I think with that work, they made my business more efficient. I used Magento as the e-commerce platform.

What was your process for selecting Pixafy with which to work?

It was based on feedback from some Korean investors and because Pixafy is official partners with Magento. We also like that they’re not too big and not too small to have enough overall experience to handle and focus on a project like ours.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

I believe any major e-commerce business needs a minimum investment of $200,000 to $250,000 to develop an effective platform. Solid platforms need to be able to offer security, and a solid platform with solid code. After that, the main issues are maintenance and improving the site. We are in the maintenance stage now.

When was the project completed?

The main project was completed a month ago so in the beginning of July. 

What were the results of the project?

We’re very satisfied.

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

The metrics probably underestimated the upgrade meaning that when we put all the scope of work in a timeline, they were able to meet those deadlines. To me, this is the best guarantee that every time that we sign a new contract that it fits our agenda. Their projects need to fit our schedule and synchronize with all the other departments like marketing, design, and merchandise. To me, keeping the changes seamless with other company operations is the most important thing. 

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

I think their senior management has integrity, is very experienced, and very knowledgeable about e-commerce and Magento. All of our questions and requests have been handled quickly and effectively because of their knowledge.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

The account management always could be better with any vendor. I hope that improvement will always be an objective for any company. I wouldn’t trust anyone who says they have an account manager who is perfect.

Could you briefly describe your company?

We're an international retailer of dental implants and related healthcare products.

What is your position?

I'm the sales manager. 

What were the business challenges you were attempting to address when initiating the projects with Pixafy?

We initiated our online business in the beginning of 2012. We wanted to sell our products to our customers through a B2B online store. Process efficiency was the key trigger to start this project, with revenue goals attached as an addendum. 

That's when we began to work with Pixafy. They guided us closely in order to achieve our primary objectives. Eight months afterward, we were live in our first country. The biggest part was the integration with our backend ERP system, which was SAP. The integration with that system was dense and complex work. But, in the end, it all worked out very well.

How did you select Pixafy as your solution partner?

We originally had another agency we worked with in the U.K., and they had a subcontract with Pixafy. We didn’t really choose Pixafy in the first round, per se. However, the contract was less than ideal. Once it expired, we began to work directly with Pixafy.

When was this project completed?

This particular project was completed in August of 2012. Since then, we've run several other projects. We're rolling out our online stores in approximately 30 countries, and we've completed 11 so far. 

How satisfied are you with the work that Pixafy has delivered?

There was a substantial learning curve in the beginning for both teams, but we've worked the kinks out and, at this point, we're all operating at peak capacity. It took some time to review and begin adhering to new processes and workflows, but those things dissipated in time. 

Do you believe Magento is appropriate for your technical and strategic requirements?

Yes. I would say it fits well in our environment. It fulfills all of our requirements. What I miss a little bit is that you don’t find a lot of developers working with Magento. However, if you have an agency like Pixafy that fully supports you, then it’s easy to move forward. 

When working with Pixafy, is there anything that you consider unique or special compared to other developers that you’ve worked with?

Pixafy is always eager to help. They treat their clients the very best. I see that they are always willing to support us and find the best possible solution.