Choose the Right Certified Magento Agency for Your Business

When looking for a certified Magento agency, you can start by checking the list of accredited Adobe partners — but you shouldn’t choose a Magento partner simply by looking at names in a directory or checking certification titles. This is where the research begins.

Once you read the agency profiles from Adobe’s list of partners and find some agencies you’re interested in, it’s time to narrow your research to a few key areas. Here are three important questions to ask:

• What type of development services do they specialize in?
• What eCommerce businesses have they worked with in the past? 
• What do previous clients say about them?

Doing this research upfront gives you a better chance of finding the best Magento development services provider that’s compatible with your eCommerce goals.

In this post, we talk about: 

• Best practices for finding the right certified Magento agency for your business 
• Our agency, IronPlane, and three case studies that highlight past projects
• FAQs on researching and hiring certified Magento developers

Best Practices for Researching Magento Agencies

There are many certified Magento agencies on Adobe's partner directory, and although you can start your search by looking at the specific certifications they have, it can still be tough to identify the agency that best fits your needs. 

Here are a few ways you can research certified Magento agencies:

First, read online reviews of the Magento agencies that look promising to you. There are sometimes reviews and ratings published on Adobe's directory, but you can also vet third-party review sites and Magento communities to find feedback on popular agencies. 

Some agencies will not have any reviews, while others will have a ton. These reviews are only a starting point for your research and should not put too much stock in what you find at this point. Reviews are helpful to help you understand each agency’s skills and validate their expertise. You can assess the services each agency offers (e.g., Magento migration, custom module development, integrations with CRM/ERP, etc.) and identify the ones that meet your requirements. 

Next, look into case studies. Visit each agency’s website and check for testimonials and customer success stories. Specifically, look for case studies that are similar to the website projects you have in mind for your eCommerce business. Consider the following: 

• Have they completed similar work in the past (and had success)? 
• What are the challenges they helped other brands overcome? 
• Do they have experience with B2B and B2C businesses? 

The right Magento agency partner will have a proven track record of successful partnerships with other businesses. Some agencies won’t have all of their projects listed on their website, so be sure to ask follow up questions when you connect with the agency to get the latest information about their work.

Once you’ve narrowed down your options, start scheduling consultation calls with the Magento agencies you’re most interested in. At this stage, you can ask more nuanced questions about their services and process — it’s important here to gauge the responsiveness and helpfulness of an agency.

Getting a feel for the agency is important, but you should also ask direct questions about their approach to the work they do for their clients. Here are the six most important questions to ask:

1. Who, on the agency team will you be working with on a day-to-day basis? And will this person change at any point during the client relationship?
2. How are communications managed between client and agency? In particular, is there a ticketing system in place and what type of access does the client have to this tool?
3. What type of code repository management is used by the agency?
4. Do all projects have development, staging, and QA environments in addition to the live site?
5. What are their escalation procedures for addressing client concerns? What happens if there's an emergency?
6. In a typical project, what percentage of the effort is spent doing coding, versus testing, versus project management?

After you’ve had a chance to meet with each agency and get all of your questions answered, the last step is to ask for referrals from past clients. A reliable agency should be able to connect you with past (or current) clients to get a different perspective on what it’s like to work with this agency. This is an opportunity to ask more detailed questions about what it’s like to work with the agency and feel confident you’re receiving honest answers.

Read more: B2B Magento Developer: IronPlane’s Approach

IronPlane is a Certified Adobe Partner

As a Magento development agency, we have worked with a variety of businesses — both B2B and B2C — to build out, customize, optimize, and manage their Magento websites. We’re a Certified Gold Adobe Solutions Partner and have experience with Magento 1 and 2, as well as Adobe Commerce Cloud. 

Our team includes 30+ Magento architects, front-end developers, back-end developers, and Solution Specialists who work hands-on with clients to become experts in their business and Magento sites — we can help you make strategic decisions to improve your site now, and continually optimize your site as we work together.

Magento Agency Case Studies

You can read about our agency in Adobe’s directory, but we’re also going to review three different project types so you can learn more about our past work — including our process, projects, and results.

Building Magento 2 Customizations and Integrations

Barbeques Galore, the largest retailer of grills and outdoor living products in the U.S., has a strong offline and online presence. With a rich catalog of products, Barbeques Galore helps customers discover and buy the right equipment for their outdoor setup. 

When Barbeques Galore reached out to us, they had several goals in mind to improve their Magento 2 site. They wanted to:

• Streamline ordering and fulfillment process
• Integrate their Magento 2 website across multiple selling channels
• Create custom catalog displays
• Display purchasing and financing options for website visitors
• Integrate with affiliate programs
• Integrate with Oracle ERP

Our development team built a Magento 2 website with added customizations tailored to meet Barbeques Galore's needs. It’s a lightweight build that enhances code quality, performance, and scalability, and it helps lower the total cost of ownership. Plus, the modules installed are based on open-source components, making it easier and faster to customize their Magento site as their needs evolve.

Given Barbeques Galore’s large inventory, we used the M2E Pro integration to automatically update stock and seamlessly synchronize other product-related changes between Amazon, Walmart, and their Magento eCommerce store. In addition, we built an affiliate integration so Barbeques Galore could run multiple programs through Magento 2, and created custom catalogs to display multiple purchasing methods (including financing options) for customers. The final step was Oracle ERP integration with Magento 2 — and we saw an immediate uptick across their key metrics.

Here are the results:

• +325% increase in revenue 
• +25% page download time improvement
• +111% average order value 
• +102% number of transactions

Read the full Barbeques Galore Case Study here.

Designing a Custom Magento eCommerce Theme

JANUS et Cie is a premium, design-driven home furnishing brand that offers an extensive collection of custom indoor and outdoor furniture. But their eCommerce platform was built on Magento 1, which was not only hard for their team to manage, but posed limitations (they couldn’t offer exclusive pricing and promos for specific end-user groups, or allow customers to view custom products on the site).  Plus, JANUS et Cie wanted to switch to the more modern Magento 2 to mitigate challenges later on down the line. 

In addition to migrating their site and adding more custom functionality, JANUS et Cie also wanted to upgrade their site’s design and user experience so it was easier to navigate, more visually appealing, and a better representation of the brand’s quality craftsmanship. Then, they needed a solution partner that could help them upgrade their site to adhere to the most current GDPR compliance requirements. 

Our Magento experts worked with the brand’s team closely to understand their website vision, back-end operations, and product offerings. We built a custom Magento theme and product pages that allowed visitors to get personalized product recommendations, preview custom products, and receive exclusive quotes before making a purchase. 

We also helped them install new cookie policies and navigate conflicts between cookie classifications and Google Analytics to ensure their online store adheres to the latest GDPR compliance. Along with this, our project managers also collaborated with the JANUS team and developed a new DevOps process to make site changes with minimal internal and external disruption. 

As a result, JANUS et Cie has a newly-designed, refreshed site that is GDPR compliant, checks all of the boxes to support their customers’ purchasing journey, and is easy to update in the future. 

Read the full JANUS et Cie Case Study here.

Migrating from Magento 1 to 2 and Optimizing UI Functionality

Premiere manufacturer and distributor of laboratory products, Omni International Inc., needed to migrate their online store from Magento 1 to Magento 2 to solve UI issues and streamline the buying process for customers. 

The brand’s old site lacked cart and quoting options, shipping and bundling features, personalization options, and integrations. Moreover, with a global audience, it was important for them to tailor their online store for different demographics. 

Aligning with their goals, we designed a custom, sleek look for their new Magento 2 site that elevates their entire online offering. Visitors are first greeted with the brand’s hand-picked products and the immediate focus on the homepage centers on the product bundles, accessories, and other important areas, like requesting quotes. 

We also implemented Magento's B2B commerce edition to support both add-to-cart and add-to-quote functionality. This added functionality is simple yet effective, making it more convenient for customers to explore, select, and purchase products. Next, we helped:

• Configure a distributor locator feature.
• Streamline checkout and back-end operations. 
• Implement ShipperHQ. 
• Conduct a complete site theme overhaul. 
• Add Magento Commerce implementation for advanced quoting features. 
• Revamp related products and publications. 

In addition, IronPlane implemented Pardot, a customer tracking tool to collect and analyze data; this provides the brand’s sales reps the necessary intelligence to deliver more accurate quotes and drive conversions. 

Plus, we built USA, UK, Ireland, EU, and Canada-specific sites and a global store to cater to their audiences worldwide. With all of these solutions in place, Omni customers could seamlessly place orders online, enjoy a linear checkout flow, and easily track their shipment status with an estimated timeline. 

After rolling out all the changes on Omni International’s site, we saw:

• +107.4% increase in revenue. 
• +67.5% increase in transactions. 
• +48.8% increase in average order value (AOV). 

Read the full Omni International, Inc. Case Study here.

Magento Agency FAQs

What is the best way to find a Magento agency? 

The best place to start your research is Adobe’s website because they provide a list of recognized agency partners. Any agency you see on Adobe’s site should have recent Magento certifications and experience with the platform. But, as we mentioned above, this is only where you start your research. 

The best way to find the right Magento agency (from Adobe’s long list of partners) is to research an agency’s past projects, case studies, and client testimonials to make sure their experience aligns with your goals. You should also schedule a consultation call with any agency you’re considering to ask specific questions about their services and processes before you sign on to work with them.  

How much does a Magento agency cost?

The common hourly rate for a certified Magento agency ranges anywhere from $160 - $220/hour. This rate is from agencies with a strong portfolio of clients, skilled Magento developers, and the ability to support advanced eCommerce development needs. 

However, quotes can vary, and it’s best to contact the agency you’re interested in to ask more about how pricing works. 

Be careful! Many agencies use inexperienced and inexpensive developers for their development work. While their hourly rates might be attractive ($75 - $125) the responsiveness, efficiency, and code quality will put your online business at risk of technical debt, extended project duration, or even site down time.

What is a better value: a freelance Magento developer or a Magento Certified Agency?

A freelance Magento developer can charge anywhere from $60 per hour to $125 per hour depending on their skills, expertise, and certifications. 

While working with a freelance certified Magento developer might save some costs, we recommend working with a certified Magento agency since they have a structure in place to accommodate more advanced project needs, a team to support complex projects, and flexibility to scale as needed. Plus, working with a development “partner” makes future projects easier, since you don’t have to continually rope in new developers and hope they can work off of each other.

It is also worth mentioning that the majority of clients who come to us with a Magento Rescue previously worked with freelance developers.

Related reading: 

Freelance Developer vs Magento Development Agency

How to Choose a Dedicated Magento Developer | Best Practices

How to Tell if You Need a Magento Consultant for Your Online Store