Magento is a very popular ecommerce platform known for the range of features and functionalities it brings to the table, which guarantee a highly profitable ecommerce site. Magento ecommerce development is big business these days, on account of the platform’s popularity. Just about every company offering web development services calls itself a Magento expert but there is a huge difference between a claims being made and delivering services that come good on this claim. Suffice to say, not every Magento development company is an expert at it. So, if you are somebody who is searching for a company that is an ace at developing Magento websites, you really have your work cut out for you.
This task is challenging but definitely not impossible. Just keep these 7 factors in mind while choosing a particular company for your Magento development needs and you will more often than not make the right choose. So, let’s take a look at them:
1. Prepare a detailed project brief
Begin by thoroughly listing out what you need from your Magento website. What are your ecommerce goals that you want to achieve through your site? What are the shopping features that you want it to have and what is the scope and scale of your website? By answering questions like these, you get a very clear idea about your needs and expectations.
2. Tap Social Media and Discussion Forums
Once you know what you want, you can get started on the process that will help you identify the perfect Magento ecommerce development firm that can satisfy all your requirements. One of the best ways of doing this is by getting references from people who have already worked with such companies. So, you will need to get in touch with these people and a great way of doing this is by tapping into your social media network and asking your friends and follower for references.
There is something else that you can do and that is join discussion forums that center on Magento. Track the people participating actively in the various discussions taking place on such forums and check whether they are a part of a company offering Magento development services. This will help you create a list of those companies who you know are experts in offering such development services courtesy the expertise of those developers working for them.
3. Getting in touch and Asking the Right Questions
Now that you have a list of companies who you believe fit the bill, you must get in touch with them. Do this personally, by either visiting their physical address of if this isn’t possible, through the phone. Once you initiate first contact, you must start asking the right questions. There are some people who start off by asking the rates a company charges for Magento custom development, and while this isn’t a wrong question, what you must be far more interested in knowing about first up, is the company’s expertise and experience. So, ask them questions regarding these two important aspects. After this ask them questionsabout their approach towards development and see if they are willing to take you through how they have successfully worked on a client project, right from conceptualization to deployment.
Some of the better companies offering web development services already have project case studies on their site, but what you are interested in is the actual development methodology followed by them and not a textual retelling of the approach in the form of a case study.
4. Ask focused questions about developers’ capabilities
If you have zeroed in on a reputed company, they will have no problems in you talking to their Magento developers or at least their team lead. This is necessary so that you are able to ask them pointed questions about their Magento experience and the kind of projects they have worked on. It will be a good idea to make sure these questions are asked by somebody who has knowledge of Magento, so that you can evaluate the developer’s proficiency in this platform, properly.
Of course, you must talk with the management of the company, who will be handling your project for you, but what is also important is that you talk with the people who will actually be working on your project, that is the developers and know what they are all about.
5. Discussing project brief
Trim down your list substantially by keeping in mind your opinion of the company, and the expertise of developers that you have formed till now. Once done, discuss the project brief with the companies who are still on your list. Now, you might have your opinion about the way the project needs to be handled and which one of the three versions of Magento (Community, Enterprise, Go) that you want to be used to build your ecommerce website, but it’s important to listen to what the companies on your list have to say and hear out their inputs and suggestions to better your project brief and implement it. After you do this, evaluate all the companies on the basis of this discussion, and trim down your list further to just one or two.
6. Passion play
Now that you just have few companies on your list, you will need to evaluate which was the company that was the most passionate about handling your project. Which was the company that made the most pertinent suggestions regarding the shopping features that you must have on your ecommerce website so that it is able to deliver on your expectations? By answering these questions you get to zero in on the company that is the perfect fit for your Magento website development needs.
7. Selection and a Watertight Contract
Pick a company but only if it is willing to sign on the dotted line of a watertight contract that has all the information about the pricing, copyright, delivery time and everything and anything else that has a bearing on your project.
Wrapping it up
Keep in mind these 7 factors that guarantee you are able to select the right Magento development company that meets your needs and requirements. No doubt, keeping them in mind will require a lot of effort, but it will be well worth the effort.
