Shopsys

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company runs 3 online stores with adult toys, lifestyle clothing and related products. I’m a co-owner of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Shopsys?

We needed to change our outdated e-commerce platform for a more robust solution that is customizable to our needs, better integrated with our systems, running on modern technologies, and with a good level of support from the supplier. We also needed to redesign our online shops and refresh our visual communication.

What were your goals for this project?

Launch a new platform providing a solid foundation for three multi-language and multi-domain online shops easy to manage from a single administration. The platform should be easily customizable and scalable, ready for further growth and development. Redesigned websites should provide our customers with a great shopping experience on all kinds of devices.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had been choosing a solution provider for more than 1 year. Shopsys has proven to be a stable and very experienced supplier with its own open-source e-commerce platform framework. It is considered a leading e-commerce developer company in the Czech Republic.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They analyzed our needs, designed and developed our new online shops using their e-commerce platform including integrations with our systems, our carriers and other third-party services. They also provided SEO consulting.

What was the team composition?

We worked with their design/UX and marketing team, then with the technical analysts and finally with the team of 3–5 experienced developers. The project manager was our main point of contact, always available to answer questions and solve problems that arose during development. The team of developers was stable with good knowledge of the whole project in its complexity.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was launched a month and a half ago, and we are already seeing an increase in orders and website traffic, better conversion rate and much more efficient order processing. We also have very positive feedback from customers.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project manager was open to our special requirements and allowed us to communicate directly with the developers, which led to great development efficiency. We used Slack and Skype for communication, and Google Docs for project preparation and organization.

At the end of the development phase, we switched to Jira. All agreed deadlines were met.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were excited by their approach to the client and everyone’s interest in solving any problems to our satisfaction. The project manager was always available and helpful. The cooperation was very friendly, but at the same time professional.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It took a while to find the ideal way to communicate and organize the project, but in the end, we succeeded, and the development went very smoothly. There could be a little better cooperation between their design and developer teams.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a home and garden company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Shopsys?

We needed someone to develop an e-commerce site for our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed our entire e-commerce site. They used a Shopsys platform. We were specific about what we wanted. We needed a lot of special functions that needed to communicate with transport companies.  They also do all of our marketing.

What is the team composition?

There are eight people working for us including a project manager and marketing manager.

How did you come to work with Shopsys?

They’re one of the best companies that make e-shops and websites. A friend recommended them.

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we've spent about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2019 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything works well. We’re satisfied with their work. We’ve gotten feedback from our partners and friends and everyone has said it’s a very nice site.

How did Shopsys perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is good. They communicate through Google Docs and standups. We communicate often. Communication is good. They’re all very kind.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Everything worked very well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’re satisfied in every case of our project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Cooperate with them. It’s a really good idea because they’re a team of professionals and the process they've established works incredibly well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and sole owner of Pavlinek s.r.o. We’ve gone through a generation change, with my father having been the owner and CEO for 22 years, and now it’s my third year in the function. We’re a specialized company with a narrow field of interest, namely lifting equipment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Shopsys?

We’ve had a very long collaboration with Shopsys, since long before I joined the company. We started with them from nothing and we’re at the third generation of our platform now that they’ve helped us with.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a very simple HTML website in the very beginning, dating from 2002–2004. The first project with Shopsys was converting an online catalog into an online shop. As time went by and innovation in e-commerce continued, we identified new needs for our company, and Shopsys transformed our digital space. They then built our e-commerce site in their own core Shopsys Framework.

Our digital marketing work with them is mainly based on PPC. We’re using tools specific to the Czech market, along with worldwide ones like Google Search Assist. They work with us using Google Shopping and other price comparison sites.

What is the team composition?

Their project manager is my main point of contact. We discuss the platform development itself, and she distributes tasks to the developers and designers. 

How did you come to work with Shopsys?

We started working with Shopsys before I joined the company. 

How much have you invested with them?

Excluding our PPC budget, the cost of their services is around $40,000 per year.  

What is the status of this engagement?

Although we’ve been working with Shopsys for at least 10 years, I’ve been actively collaborating with them since around July 2015 and we’re starting a new project with them now. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We used to spend a lot of time consulting with smaller customers on which product to select, but now we have tools to help them make their decision. After launching the third generation of the site, we went from having around 3% of our orders go through it to over 25% now, as our bigger clients are still handled by our salespeople. 

How did Shopsys perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re definitely satisfied. We’re a relatively small company, and it would be completely unmanageable for us to communicate with programmers, designers, and so on directly. It’s very satisfying to have a single contact person take care of the communication. We’ve adjusted communication over time, since it was actually too frequent for me in the beginning.

We also have a big meeting every few months for the PPC part, to discuss our budget and other items. As the customer, having a single point of contact for everything is the easiest approach.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We have a complex digital marketing service on our side, and Shopsys is providing excellent digital marketing services. I always call them when there’s a new opportunity to get promoted somewhere. We’d worked with two other companies, and we threw them out the door after a month because the results were quite terrible — Shopsys is the first company that I’m really satisfied with. They’ve given me insights on how digital marketing can be seen as an investment and not just an expense.

They’ve helped me establish a vision for the company and help us differentiate ourselves online. It’s pretty difficult to find a solution within our specialized field of interest, but Shopsys has helped us find one. We’re really pushing the limits of our field, which is very specific and difficult to grasp for developers and designers, even though it’s still e-commerce. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing to improve. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

It’s important to communicate as much as possible. Shopsys will give clients all the answers they need, but sometimes you’ll have to ask. They’re definitely professionals in the e-commerce field, and I’m a professional in mine, so points of view can be different. I was too shy in the beginning to ask for something more complicated because it might be more costly, but Shopsys can always find a perfect solution for a reasonable price. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the E-Business Manager at B2B Partner s.r.o., a distant-selling company offering office and workshop furniture, shelving, office chairs, and other equipment. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Shopsys?

We had a Digital Vantage Point e-commerce platform that was connected to our Navision ERP. The platform had been made by a Canadian company but they were unable to provide us with the customizations that we needed for the local market, such as payment gateway integrations. We started looking for a new solution that wasn’t as dependent on the ERP system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Before we began working, Shopsys’ analyst prepared a specification document for us. Creating the wireframes in Photoshop, they then designed and developed the platform using PHP with a MySQL database.

In addition to drawing up a project analysis, they communicated with our ERP supplier. There were some necessary connections between the ERP and the webshop so Shopsys handled everything from the analysis and UI definitions to the final customizations of the platform.

Shopsys had some modules in their package that create feeds for Google Merchants and different product comparators in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland. They implemented these modules into the standard platform.

What is the team composition?

We worked with five people altogether, including an analyst, but our main point of contact was the project manager. I’m not sure who else was working behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Shopsys?

The main reason we chose them was that they were in the same city as us. We wanted a partner with whom we could communicate more flexibly. We had worked with a company from another city and it was difficult to solve our problems over the phone. It was better to sit in one room, define our needs, and explain what we wanted.

Additionally, we had three other offers and Shopsys had the best price. The other companies weren’t as customer-oriented; they were bigger, well-known companies in the Czech Republic. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $100,000–$250,000

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement lasted from August 2014–July 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The modules they implemented into the platform helped us maintain a business in those markets. The platform we had before didn’t have these modules, so we couldn’t work with those product comparators. Using the comparators resulted in additional orders.

How did Shopsys perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a number of development hours allocated each month, and we worked with the project manager to prioritize tasks, changes, and bug fixes. We communicated with the project manager mainly via phone, email, and their helpdesk application.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Shopsys was quite flexible. They reacted quickly when we encountered a problem, even if it was outside of their standard scope. Compared to the company we used for the ERP system, they were very fast, fixing bugs within 10 minutes.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This is a problem with many companies, Sometimes, their specialists are limited in their capabilities, which is often a problem. New development tasks can take some time to get done, which isn't just a problem with Shopsys. A lot of technology companies have limited resources to handle customer requests.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

It’s important to prepare very good specifications in the beginning because it will take much more time to change something after it’s been developed. Shopsys has limited resources, so you may have to wait a few days to make changes. If the client communicates very well, the project will go smoothly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an e-commerce manager for PAVLIK CZ.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Shopsys?

We were looking to upgrade our previous e-commerce system, which was also designed by them. We wanted to develop a new webshop that was scalable to several devices and mobile-friendly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team at Shopsys developed a new e-commerce platform, handling design, development, and deployment.

What is the team composition?

I believe we worked with four programmers, a project manager, several testers, and several analytics experts.

How did you come to work with Shopsys?

I started working at the company a year after Shopsys was hired.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $200,000–$500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

While our engagement with Shopsys started eight years ago, this project ran from February–May 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our orders have increased by 20–30%. A lot of traffic is coming from mobile devices.

How did Shopsys perform from a project management standpoint?

It was an awesome experience working with Shopsys. Their responsible team meets deadlines, and we have open communication about everything. It’s like I was part of their team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

When I was lost, their team was able to point me in the right direction. We changed around 40% of the project specifications during development, and they were extremely agile about it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think so.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Shopsys is the best e-commerce developer in the Czech Republic. If a client doesn’t know about an aspect of their business, Shopsys can provide support from their analytics team. From what I know, they’re able to work on behalf of the customer thoroughly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Demos is the largest supplier of materials for furniture production in the Czech Republic with more than 25 years of presence on the market and yearly revenue of over 150 million €. The company also operates in Poland, Hungary, Slovak Republic, Romania, and Lithuania.

The product offering includes board materials, edges, fittings and other prefabricated products used in furniture production. Demos sells these through stationery stores and through an increasingly popular online B2B portal. Demos is known for its warehousing and logistics capacity and flexibility, allowing complementary services for clients of any size.

Those range from interior designers and small distribution partners to large wholesalers and value-added resellers with a wide and comprehensive array of services. Tens of thousands of customers all across the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary benefit from Demos’ offer. Services include the support of experienced business managers, certified resellers and product specialists.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Shopsys?

• Ecommerce consulting
• Ecommerce custom development

What were your goals for this project?

• Increase the number of customers using the portal
• Improve user experience
• Improve product information
• Add key B2B ecommerce features
• Improve user awareness of the ordering process
• Enable customers to keep and manage all important documents in one place
• Create a technologically advanced solution on which the company can rely for many years to come

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were not satisfied with the cooperation with the previous software provider, so we started looking for a new one that could meet our expectations. Shopsys is the biggest e-shop developer in Czech Republic. It was natural that we asked them to provide a quote for the new B2B portal.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The project analysis was followed by the implementation phase where Shopsys step by step implemented a wide range of functionalities by agile approach in 14 day sprints (wireframing and web designing was delivered by another company).

The original portal was not responsive, what makes it difficult to work with. Based on pre-implementation research Shopsys programmed and coded the portal so that it works responsively on all types of devices (desktop, tablet, smartphones). The original solution did not have filtering with parameters.

In the new one, Shopsys implemented it basing on AJAX technology. After consultation with customers and employees of Démos, important B2B features were designed and implemented to improve level of user experience.

Shopsys also created a sophisticated cart with many advanced features after consulting it with UX experts, customers and employees of Démos. What’s more, they mapped all documents ( and records of the portal’s users and make them available in one place.

The Shopsys Framework ecommerce platform was used as the basis for the development of a new portal. Thanks to its modern architecture, it ensures long-term maintainability and scalability.

What was the team composition?

Up to 8 programmers, Project Manager and Product Owner from Shopsys took part in the project. On the part of Démos, 3 employees were involved - Consultant IS, Project Manager and Marketing Specialist. The communication between both sides was smooth. We met in person every week and had weekly status call. Every 14 days, Shopsys held a demo presentation for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Turnover made by customers via portal for the period of January - April 2019, who didn’t make any profit in 2018, was recounted as a whole year and was indexed to 115% (portal growth + seasonality).

New customers revenues were calculated from the given turnover in the amount of 15 056 000 CZK in total. Taking the expected lifespan of the new platform into account, the total ROI of the project will probably exceed 1000%.

The new portal is 100% responsive, and can be used on all devices, from a desktop computer (up to 1920 px resolution) to a smartphone. Customers can filter goods according to all available product parameters.

Examples of implemented B2B features:

• Price list configurator — enables easy creation of price lists according to required parameters (assortment group, brand, and availability)
• Setting employee access — the business owner (portal customer) can adjust the permission of other employees to give them access to relevant parts of the portal
• Advanced cart management is implemented on the portal, where different users of one company have the possibility to put products into more carts (based on defined rights).

Then they can order each cart separately or all the created carts together. During the order, the content of the basket can be further broken up to 3 separate orders according to the way of delivery by which the ordered products can be delivered.

The user has all the necessary documents on the portal (delivery notes and track and trace, invoices, credit notes, claims, etc.). During the implementation, the portal was already prepared for future growth. Since its launch, the Démos24Plus portal has been running without any downtime.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

After a thorough analysis of the project requirements and many in person meetings, we started work on the programming that lasted 13 months. The project was developed in an agile way. We always started with developing some first parts of a big feature, which was being further developed and improved in the following sprints.

This allowed us to provide Shopsys with continuous feedback, and thanks to that fine-tune other aspects of that feature in order to make it as beneficial as possible. The release of the portal took place in accordance with the planned schedule and as of January 1st, 2019 Démos’ customers can now use the new version. Allocation of the programming fee for the following months ensures the continuous development of the portal.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Shopsys run projects in Agile methodology. They can provide us with the source code at any time, so there is no vendor lock-in. They provide great customer care from the beginning of the cooperation and after implementation.

Are there any areas for improvement?

More automatic tests.