E-commerce and mobile commerce have exploded. Platforms facilitating this have seen equally rapid growth. Your business needs to be on a viable platform if you want to succeed. Instead of building your own e-commerce site, many choose to go with Magento. However, that doesn’t mean you have to have a cookie-cutter e-commerce site. A good developer can create the site you want, though the challenge for many is finding good talent. Here are five essential tips for finding the perfect Magento developer for your needs.
Understand Your Requirements before You Hunt for Talent
Before you start hunting for Magento developers, understand what you want them to do. Know whether you want a basic e-commerce site or advanced e-commerce site with features that help it stand out from the competition. Be able to describe what you want them to do. Know your “must haves” versus “want to have”.
Only Hire Experienced, Certified Magento Developers
A certified Magento developer is one with the expertise you need. An experienced and certified team of Magento developers like Magento by Bing Digital will be able to draw on that experience to tackle nearly any project you put before them. You won’t have to guide them much beyond giving them the initial project requirements because they know how to deliver what clients want. They’ll understand every technical aspect of the project and deliver the quality e-commerce site your business needs.
Vet Their Background Portfolio Well
It is easy for someone to say they have five years’ worth of experience. Verify that. They could say they’ve worked with famous clients, but that doesn’t mean it is true. Check their background portfolio, including sites they’ve built for others. Another benefit of reviewing their background portfolio is learning what their default style is; you will know if they create the minimalist and artistic sites selling services and images or fast, responsive product directories your retail store requires. Where possible, verify that the portfolio sites work without errors and respond as quickly as you want your own website to behave.
Determine Their Responsiveness
It is essential for Magento developers to take feedback from their customer so that they can make changes to the site and it becomes what the customer wants. It is a waste of everyone’s time and the client’s money if they don’t immediately respond to calls or messages. Learn how the developer communicates with clients. They should be giving clients regular status reports or briefings as well as communicating any questions, concerns or problems to the customer.
Know How Well They Estimate the Cost and Schedule
When you’re checking references for the developer, find out how well they estimate the project cost and schedule. Do they meet their deadlines? Do they consistently run over-budget, and if this happens, why? You don’t want to select the lowest bidder only to find out they tack on extra costs at the end. Developers who can’t properly assess the time required to complete the project may cut corners to meet your schedule or make the project late because their completion date is past your planned go-live date.
Conclusion
You can’t afford to make a mistake with your e-commerce site. Following these tips will help you find the right Magento developer for your particular project.