Choosing an ecommerce development agency can be a daunting task. There are many agencies out there, and they all claim to offer, for example, expert knowledge on things like Magento website development services. However, not all of them are created equal.
When you choose an ecommerce agency for your project, it is important to consider their expertise in eCommerce development, as well as how much experience they have with this type of project. In this article, we will explore 15 tips on how to find the right one for you using Magento as a relevant case study.
What is an ecommerce development agency?
An ecommerce development agency is a company that provides services related to the development of ecommerce websites and applications, such as a Magento web development company. They usually have a team of Magento developers, designers, and project managers.
Why can you benefit from an ecommerce development agency?
The world is becoming increasingly digital, with more people shopping online than ever before. If your business has not yet jumped on the bandwagon but wants to capture this growing market share, it’s time to build an online store using the help of a Magento ecommerce development company.
If your business is planning on venturing into the world of online sales, it will be very helpful for you to have one or more developers in-house who can help create this new channel with minimal costs.
However, if no developer works within your team, then hiring an external consultancy might be necessary. In this way, they are able to provide their expertise faster and easier, while also reducing costs by sharing resources and equipment.
Tips on how to choose an ecommerce development agency
There are many things which should influence your decision when choosing between different companies offering similar services. Here are the most important things to consider:
1. Does the ecommerce development agency understand your business goals?
First of all, if you want a successful ecommerce store, then it is important that they fully comprehend your corporate objectives. This will provide them with a better understanding of what types of features and other characteristics should be included in the end result. When taking this step forward, make sure that their knowledge of online sales matches yours, as well as any possible future changes which might occur within your industry or organization itself.
2. Is the Magento development company promising you everything?
When you are looking to hire an ecommerce development agency, it is normal that they have many attractive offers. However, this does not necessarily mean that everything should be included in the final price tag! As a matter of fact, there are several items that might sound interesting but, in reality, will bring no value to your customers or even damage your brand if implemented without care and attention.
Make sure to check their online portfolio before giving them the green light, as well as pick only those agencies that focus on specific niches that match what you need. It’s pretty common nowadays for companies to offer multiple services under one roof, so make sure all the extra tools are actually useful to ensure a higher quality end result at lower prices! Also, remember that cheaper doesn’t always mean better!
3. The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
TCO refers to the total cost of a product or service over its lifetime. It takes into account the price paid for it, as well as any other expenses associated with it, such as repairs and maintenance costs.
When you put all these pieces together, make sure to get an accurate estimation from your development agency so that there are no unpleasant surprises after the work is done! In addition, always ask about their updated pricing since developers tend to charge more when deadlines are tight, and they have less time on hand.
There’s nothing worse than hiring someone based on one main skill only to find out later that this person doesn’t understand what you need or provide services according to project requirements at all! Choose an ecommerce development company that has enough experience in the niche you’re targeting to know which technologies and tools are best suited for your business.
Additionally, it is important that they have experience working with ecommerce platforms similar to yours since you don’t want any compatibility or integration issues when launching the site. You can also check this by looking at the company’s portfolio section on their website. If there isn’t one, then move on!
Make sure you’re clear about what kind of support they offer in addition to the development service itself since most often, clients only consider built-in CMS features but forget about stuff like security updates or plugins/module bug fixing in the future. If something goes wrong after the launch, do you think the agency will be able to handle it? This means not just coding errors but things like server downtime, spam filter issues, etc.
4. Is it a proactive or reactive ecommerce development agency?
The ecommerce development agency you choose should be a proactive one. Check what kind of technologies they use and if those are the newest ones on the market. When you’re checking portfolios, try to distinguish between their basic work (usually a simple HTML template) and something more complex that shows how well they know the latest tools and techniques in this sphere, as it is very important for web development nowadays.
5. How experienced is the agency?
Without a doubt, an agency’s experience is a very important factor to consider. When you’re looking for an ecommerce development agency, try to hire one that has at least three years of experience and whose employees have been with the company at least a year or two.
What if your project requires something more complex? In such a case, ask the agency whether they know any other agencies with high-level skills, because it’s better for them to help each other than to do everything by themselves, which will result in a lower quality web solution as both teams won’t be focused solely on your business goals and requirements anymore.
A good sign could be an extensive list of satisfied customers or even testimonials from those customers, so don’t forget about checking those lists too!
6. Examine the portfolio of the agency
A good ecommerce development agency always has a portfolio where you can find some of the examples of their work.
However, if your project is unique and requires something new that hasn’t been done before, asking for references from previous customers could be an excellent idea as well, so don’t forget about this at all!
If it’s not there, then you should ask what kind of projects they worked on in the past and whether any similar to yours was among them. If we’re talking specifically about web design agencies here, just check out Dribble or Behance, while developers will prefer GitHub more often than not. In general, though, make sure that they have relevant experience in creating ecommerce software solutions related to your business goals.
7. Look through their blog section.
If you really want to set yourself up for success in the future and make sure that your choice of an ecommerce development agency is well-rounded, then there’s nothing better than checking their blog section. There, they might share some valuable insights on how they do things at this company or what kind of experience we can expect from working with them, etc.
8. What is their development process?
The development process refers to a set of steps that the agency takes when working on a project. If you want to learn more about how they work and what their development process looks like, then this is an important question for you.
This question will help you in figuring out the agency’s development process and whether or not it fits your business.
9. Does the development agency have a large enough team?
Having a larger team with various expertise levels ensures that there is someone you can talk to about any issue. For example, if your ecommerce company needs an iOS developer, then the development agency should have this person on their team. This makes it easier for them to solve problems quickly without having to wait long periods of time, which delays project delivery.
The right size depends on what qualities are needed, but generally speaking, bigger is better when looking for an ecommerce development agency.
This question will help you figure out whether or not the agency has enough people in order to cover all the bases and functions required by your business model.
10. Is the agency behaving like a partner?
A true partnership between the agency and your company is what will produce the best results.
If you can see that there is good communication between everyone working on the project, then there should be no problems at all. When it comes to shopping carts, for example, this means the development team has a deep understanding of how people make purchases online and why certain features are important or not so important depending on goals. You need an ecommerce business partner who supports everything from experience, creative concepts & delivery. We think that a Magento agency could be just the thing!
An ecommerce development agency with employees using up-to-date technologies such as Agile methodologies makes sure they have ample resources available, which increases their speed tremendously compared to those agencies stuck in old ways of doing things.
11. What makes them different?
What is the unique selling point of the ecommerce development agency you want to choose? Finding out what their unique selling point is will help you differentiate them from the rest of the companies.
12. Do they have core values?
Core Values are exactly what they sound like: how an ecommerce development agency operates, their brand, and their relationships with staff, customers, partners, and so on. These can be very different across agencies, so make sure that they match yours for a long-term relationship.
13. Is the location of an ecommerce agency important?
If you’re looking to work in a specific region, state, or country, you may want to consider going along with that area’s agencies, especially if this is where the bulk of your team members will be located. This can also help reduce time zones between teams, which can increase productivity when it comes down to crunch time projects such as working on a project launch date or deadline together, etc.
14. Your perception of the agency’s ability to execute your goals
When it comes to the execution of the goals you provide the ecommerce development agency, it is important for the agency to understand your goals. This will make it easier for them to execute your goals as they can give their perspective, insight, etc.
15. What about the time frame?
If you’re looking at a tight deadline or launch date set by yourself, then this may be something that could be helpful if the company has had success in similar circumstances – especially when there’s not much room left within a certain timeframe/deadline.
In conclusion
When it comes to choosing the right ecommerce company, you want a team that will be helpful and responsive. You also want one who can provide expertise in all aspects of your project, from development to marketing. Of course, price is a consideration as well since most companies have different rates for their services based on factors like how many years they’ve been around or the size of the agency. We hope these 15 tips help you stay on track to finding an excellent ecommerce partner in growth!
