Redstage

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a beauty tools company with three brands under us, and I am the global e-commerce manager for two of our three companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Redstage?

We were operating on an outdated Magento platform and wanted to migrate our site to Magento 2, as well as to streamline our e-commerce efforts, and Redstage helped us with both of those goals.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us to redesign our website to be more e-commerce friendly, with things like optimized pages, streamlined design, and a more friendly UX/UI. From there, we consolidated the tech stacks of several of our international branches so that we would have proper security compliance and a more general ability to move quickly at a business.

Redstage also helped us to design two of our subsidiary sites. One was intended to be more of a refresh, but we ended up going a little deeper into updating the technology page, ensuring the PDPs had more room for product information and educational features and improving the prominence of the shopping cart.

On the second site, they built it from the ground up. They helped us to differentiate the brand from our current products, taking what little assets we had and creating a site that was able to set the tone for what we wanted the brand to become.

What is the team composition?

We have two project managers, an account manager, and their discovery, design, and development teams. The exact makeup of the team has varied over the course of the project and will probably include a business analyst at some stage as well, but we’ve been able to settle into a really nice rhythm with them.

How did you come to work with Redstage?

Our CFO had worked with Redstage at a different company, and he recommended them for this project as well.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2019 and are continuing the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We did have a little bit of a rocky start with the project, but once things smoothed out, we were able to get four sites up and running within one year. At that point, we saw a pretty significant lift in the numbers for the sites because of the new optimization, which was exciting to see.

How did Redstage perform from a project management standpoint?

One thing that really impressed me was that despite not getting off to the best start, the company was incredibly proactive in getting involved and making changes to ensure that we were happy with the service they were delivering. It was refreshing to see that they weren’t just going to sit back once we got started but were willing to make changes that significantly enhanced the relationship.

From that point, they communicated incredibly well, setting up weekly, if not daily, check-ins with their team. A few of those were in person when we really dove into the weeds with specific features, but for the most part, we communicated via email and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One thing that stands out about Redstage as an agency is that they don’t just blindly do what you tell them. They really think things through and then either carry out the request or tell you how they think you should approach it differently and why. They’ve partnered with us to make sure that the decisions we’re making are ones that will serve the company for years to come.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Some of the areas where I thought they might be able to improve, they’ve already taken steps to make changes, which I really appreciate. It’s really nice to be able to give constructive feedback and then see those processes implemented.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I think the only thing I would suggest is to be vocal about your needs and what you want out of the relationship. Business partnerships need honest communication to work, and as long as you do that well, the collaboration is much more likely to be successful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the creative director at a brick and mortar jewelry store.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Redstage?

We engaged Redstage for web development support. Another company had set up our site, but it had a lot of issues, including extremely slow page loading times and other performance issues.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Redstage provides web development services for our site built on Magento, fixing a lot of the issues left over from a previous vendor's work. They've made changes to our home page, fixed page loading times, updated some designs, and continue to provide ongoing support as needed. They've also incorporated e-commerce features and made major updates to the site 6–7 times over the years.

What is the team composition?

We primarily work with Dave (Account Executive, Restage), as well as a designer and developer.

How did you come to work with Redstage?

I interviewed a number of developers at a Magento conference in Las Vegas, where I met their team.

How much have you invested with them?

We've probably invested around $150,000 over the years.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since around November 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Redstage fixed the major issues with our site and significantly increased our online performance. Our home page now takes seconds to load instead of 7–8 minutes. They've also helped us make better decisions to improve the site's functionality and make it more modern. Before working with them, our bounce rate was very bad, but we've seen a huge improvement since.

How did Redstage perform from a project management standpoint?

They're the best development agency we've ever worked with. They're responsive and very attentive to our needs whenever we have any questions or concerns. I meet with our project manager weekly, but we also communicate quite a bit through email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication sets them apart. They bring everything to my attention when necessary and are very attentive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Some of their timelines could move along more quickly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I'd just recommend them in general; I'm confident they can provide effective solutions and results for any business.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a mail-order business for breast pumps. We ship them across the U.S. for moms who are covered for breast pumps through insurance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Redstage?

Our business was growing, so we needed a new platform. We had a lot of low hanging fruit and needed work to be done more quickly with a new agency.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They overhauled my website and moved us over to Magento. We needed different software from which to run our shopping cart. They completely tailored the new website to our needs.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is Agbi (Senior Project Manager, Redstage).

How did you come to work with Redstage?

We found them after a lot of research. We interviewed about 10 agencies after narrowing it down from a much larger pool. We chose them because of their expertise in Magento, their pricing, and their general fit for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $200,000–$999,999 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2014 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re very responsive when there are bugs or glitches that require attention.

How did Redstage perform from a project management standpoint?

It varies from time to time. There have been moments where I needed to chase them a little more than I’d like. Overall, and more recently, they’ve been excellent. We communicate via phone and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their level of expertize and their resourcefulness when finding solutions is impressive. They really make us feel special with the level of support they provide and the contact they maintain with us. They introduce new ideas to improve our site.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m pretty happy with them right now.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re really good at owning errors and crediting a client if they’re at fault. I’d advise a client to not be shy. If Redstage is at fault, they’ll take ownership and do what they need to do to right the situation.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the sales and marketing manager at The Binding Source in Connecticut. We’re a distributor of industrial goods, specifically all types of tapes, adhesives, braces, and personal safety equipment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Redstage?

We needed our website developed. A previous developer had built it but the design needed to be improved. We were also changing our hosting arrangement for security and compliance reasons and needed help migrating to the new environment.

We’re a small business so don’t have a large IT or development staff on site. As e-commerce has become more important to the growth of our business, we needed help to keep up. That meant support with things like security standards and credit card processing but also just the design and updates to the website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

One of the first projects that Redstage helped us with was to migrate to the new hosting environment. We switched from Nexus, a shared hosting platform, to Cogeco Peer 1 with a dedicated server and closed environment. Redstage guided us through the process.

They’ve helped to upgrade the site so that its more stable and works more quickly and smoothly. They ensure that it passes all security and compliance scans. They also help us to troubleshoot on any issues that pop up. They explain whatever needs to be done, what they’re going to do, and then they get it done. They’re proactive as well as reactive. We’ve had a couple of emergencies for which they were able to fix or restore within a couple of hours.

What is the team composition?

We work with an account manager and sometimes talk directly to the developers.

How did you come to work with Redstage?

I researched online starting with lists of Magento premium developers. I worked my way down the lists and spoke to people to get more information and demos.

As a small business, we’re somewhat stuck between having the needs of a big business but not being able to financially support those needs. Redstage did a good job of bridging that gap. They’re able to give us the level of service we require, which is more than the basic level we had in the past.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $30,000–$36,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2016 and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As a whole, the website has been a large growth segment in our business. We’ve had 22% growth in e-commerce revenue over the last two years. There are a number of elements that contribute to our e-commerce success, including Redstage’s support. They’ve been instrumental in helping us achieve that. They managed the server migration, without which we wouldn’t have been able to have the e-commerce element. They’ve done critical things to keep our site live. They’ve been a great technology partner to help us compete with larger businesses out there.

How did Redstage perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate by phone and email. They’re very attentive over email, which is usually my first line of communication. We have monthly or biweekly update calls with the account manager.

We’ve had a couple of account managers along the way. One left abruptly but the new one managed the transition well. There have been some turbulence and mistakes but they’ve managed them well. I think it’s more important to know how a company handles mistakes than smooth processes. They always let us know right away and make it right.

Redstage’s project management is probably the thing they do best as compared to a lot of other developers. The stereotype is that technical developers aren’t the best people to handle business relationships and understand clients. In the past, we worked with developers that would send a very technical email and leave it to us to understand it. Being a small business, we don’t have a dedicated IT support staff to help communicate with them so Redstage’s account management has acted as an intermediary to help us understand what’s being done, why it’s being done, what needs to be done and what doesn’t right now. They provide us with a roadmap of what we need to do. They distill down the technical jargon for the business’s owners and me so that it’s easy for us to understand and make choices. That’s been indispensable.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It's their willingness to hold my hand through some of the things that we do. They help me to lay out a roadmap of things that I might not understand. They give me the pros and cons of each item and help me with the choices I make or what I present to my bosses. It saves time and increases ease of use. They’re willing to help us do things at the level of detail needed and at a price that we can afford.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They already come to us with ideas, which we appreciate. Some of the ideas I agree with and some I don’t, but I like to hear them. We’d be happy for them to come to us with more ideas. Other than that, we really can’t expect more in a developer partner.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager of operations of Nygala Corp. that trades as FLOMO. We're a wholesaler that designs, manufactures, imports, and distributes product lines that range from stationary and gift bags to seasonal decorations. We supply over 35,000 stores throughout the US and Central and Latin America.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Redstage?

We started an e-commerce business and website to sell our products, as well as other third-party products, directly to the consumer. The initial developer built a website but fell short of our standards. We then hired Redstage to rebuild the site and improve our conversion rate and SEO.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Redstage rebuilt our e-commerce site on Magento and incorporated a variety of features and add-ons. One of our most popular items is gift bags. Every bag has multiple designs, each designed by an artist and then individually licensed. Consequently, we need to capture each unique design in our inventory control system. In addition to the products, we take our community service and positive impact very seriously. We donate five percent of Glitzzie’s sales to our partner charity organizations and wanted to offer our partners special codes that they could give their followers for fundraising purposes. Redstage included all of this for us.

What is the team composition?

We worked primarily with Jignesh (Senior Project Manager, Redstage), who brought in a variety of experts and developers throughout the process. We also interacted with Matt (Account Manager, Redstage) and another contact on the development team.

How did you come to work with Redstage?

I went to a conference in New York City for e-commerce vendors and met a representative from Magento. They introduced us to Redstage, and we hired the team based on the representative’s recommendation.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $35,000–$40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2017 and the project ended in February 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our internal leadership emphasizes ROI as a method to measure success. Every month, the results showed that Redstage produced value and considerable ROI. The team maximized our SEO results from 85 percent to 97 percent. They finished the website with hours to spare, which they then used to address 11 out of the 27 suggestions they gave to improve their own work. We renewed our contract with them for maintenance and support because we were more than satisfied with their performance.

How did Redstage perform from a project management standpoint?

Jignesh was very diligent. He addressed our concerns in weekly Zoom calls and even brought on Redstage’s CEO to answer our leadership’s questions directly. Out of 52 meetings, he only had to reschedule twice, and he always let us know in advance. Jignesh gave us access to their Trello account—and taught us to use the tool—so we could monitor weekly progress. In addition, Matt was highly professional. We initially had a call every two weeks, but eventually, we agreed to discontinue the standing appointment because we knew he’d call when an issue arose.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Never have I dealt with a team that delivered as consistently as Redstage did. Their consistency and professionalism exceeded our expectations. When working with other companies, we’ve had trouble reaching teams for follow-up. Per their agreement, Redstage always got back to us within an hour via phone, email or Trello. They’re the first company I’ve seen that delivered on that promise.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we were very happy with their work. Even with 40 years of experience, I’m still learning things from Redstage.

Any advice for potential customers?

Absolutely hire them. They’re a model company and I wish more vendors would care to the extent their team does.

BACKGROUND

Could you provide a brief description of your company?

I work for a boutique music and guitar retailer.

What is your position?

I’m the chief operating officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We had a website that was designed previously by a different developer, which wasn’t working out very well at all. It wasn’t functioning properly, and we were receiving support requests far too often. We decided to terminate the relationship with our other developer and began searching for replacements. Redstage ended up being the vendor to replace the original developer. We wanted them to come in and fix and then redesign the site for us based on our specifications.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of work in greater detail?

They provided Web design, development, configuration, testing, maintenance, and support. It was all done using the Magento platform.

How did you actually select Redstage as your solution partner?

I can’t answer that question because I wasn’t a part of the company at the time of the decision.

Could you provide a general cost estimate for this particular project?

We’ve worked with them over the last several years on various projects. Our initial investment was probably right around $40,000. 

Does this remain an ongoing relationship?

To some extent, but their involvement is mostly limited to maintenance, support and ad hoc customizations. We don’t have any large-scale projects with them at the moment.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The biggest thing is that our sales conversions have greatly improved. I’d rather not give the statistics, but it’s safe to say that conversions have probably doubled, maybe even by two and a half times. They were very effective regarding their approach to project management. There are always obstacles and issues that come up with development of a site, but none that were deal breakers.

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

I would have to say no. I wouldn’t say that there’s anything that stands out as particularly unique about them. I will say that they’re clearly able to manage their client expectations and deliver high-quality work on a consistent basis. Their process is both collaborative and extremely transparent. We’ve appreciated that a lot as their client.

In retrospect, are there areas in which Redstage could improve as a service provider?

I’m sure there are ways, but serving our needs, I would say no. Based on this particular project experience, I can’t offer any real critiques. We’re pleased with their work.

BACKGROUND

Could you provide a brief description of your organization?

We’re an online retailer of telescopes, binoculars, and microscopes.

What is your position?

I’m the president of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were using a small e-commerce platform last year. They had a rogue owner that was making all kinds of changes to the platform, which created an unstable situation for us. Our growth had kind of peeked out at a certain level for the last 15 months or so on that platform, then toward the end, it became quite unstable. We knew we needed a new platform and a new company. After some internal research and discussion, we decided we wanted to transition to Magento. Then, we did an in-depth analysis and selected Redstage as our integrator.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of work in greater detail?

They built our entire site from a design and development perspective. They also took our data from the back-end of our old site and migrated it to the new site, which took some considerable effort. They also customized some modules for us that we were used to having on the pervious platform. It should have been about a five-month project, but it ended up taking about nine months. This was due to Magento having a faulty version that we were launched on, but Redstage was great throughout that process, and helped us deal with the issue.

How did you select Redstage as your solution partner?

It had to do with a combination of price, location, and expertise. They came in with a very reasonable estimate that worked for us. They’re also geographically very close to us that, in the long term, didn’t matter as much, but that was in the initial decision-making process. They had done a multitude of different things for different e-commerce companies, and they had some compelling results.

Could you provide a general cost estimate for this project?

It was about a $60,000 project.

When was the project completed?

Our new website launched on February 12, 2014, and we signed an ongoing service contract with them thereafter for maintenance and support. They also perform ad hoc customizations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since we’ve launched, sales have gone up by 40 percent, and conversion rates are up roughly 25 percent. It was the right move going with them, and the project paid for itself in the first three months. They’ve driven some serious value. We were initially pretty nervous to spend that kind of money, but the results started coming through a month after the launch, and we’ve been excelling and improving ever since.

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

They’re great, and I’ll give you an example. We launched on February 12, and we decided instead of having Redstage handle our redirects from our old URLs to the new ones, that we would do it. We had somebody internally do that, and they screwed it up. When we launched all of our links within Google were broken. We messed it up on our side because we didn’t have Redstage do it. As soon as I found out there was an issue, which was within an hour, we contacted Redstage to let them know what the issue was.

The concern was that Google could recrawl our site at any time, and if they saw those broken links we were going to be significantly penalized with our organic search engine ranking. They were aware of this and were very concerned. They stayed on the phone and online with us until three o’clock in the morning the day we launched, to help us correct the issue so that we wouldn’t be penalized. It was an extremely hectic time fraught with anxiety. Redstage move us through the fix in a matter of hours.

That one instance alone solidified beyond a reasonable doubt that these guys were the right guys to pick, because they weren’t billing us for this time, and we’d chosen originally to take care of it internally rather than use them. They cared so much about the project success that they jumped in there, and they spent the time to help us make it right. Since that time, we’ve seen performance increases, their recommendations have been correct. We built a relationship and a bond with them, and the results speak for themselves. They did an exceptional job, and they really do care.

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

It has since been corrected, but originally there was some out of scope billing issues that we called into question. One of the gentlemen that had been working on the billing side of the project didn’t communicate very well, so we had some discrepancies on our end with what we thought we should or should not have been billed for. But, that was kind of easy to look beyond, with some of the experiences we’ve had with them.

BACKGROUND

Could you please describe your organization?

We run a retail e-commerce website that sells baby gear, furniture, and car seats.

What is your position?

I’m the CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

The lack of functionality in our original shopping cart template was the primary driver. We wanted transition to Magento for our ecommerce platform, so we needed a qualified partner. Redstage happens to be local to us and have a lot of experience with Magento. We wanted them to come in and overhaul our site.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of work in greater detail?

We do conversion optimization with them on a regular basis. They do some considerable custom development and handle our A/B testing. They also provide ongoing support and perform ad hoc modifications.

How did you select Redstage as your solution partner?

We originally conducted some online research. We were considering a big one, and then we decided to back out and stay with something a little more personal. We decided we wanted to establish a partnership. We wanted to ensure we’d be receiving the service and support we needed. Redstage was willing and capable of offering that to us, which is why we selected them.

Could you provide a general cost estimate for this project?

It cost more than $40,000 in total.

When was this project completed?

It remains ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Absolutely. The deployment itself went very smoothly, both from a development and project management perspective. The new site is fantastic. It not only functions the way it should and bolsters a fluid design, it also drives sales. In fact, there was a considerable increase in our sales conversion rate post-launch: Almost 40 percent.

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

One thing that stood out was how personable they were. They’re very professional. We didn’t experience any issues with communication or workflow.