Agency Partnerships – Enhancing Build, Delivery and Support

Regardless of which region of the world you operate in, it’s becoming more and more difficult to recruit and retain skilled developers. In particular, the growing popularity of Episerver’s Commerce platform means demand for experienced developers with specific knowledge of Episerver is strong. So if you are an Episerver partner looking to grow your Commerce practice, what can you do? 

Follow the lead of the UK’s ‘Enterprise eCommerce Experts’, Maginus who have partnered with fellow Episerver’s Premium Partner, Niteco.  

For the past year, Manchester-based Maginus has collaborated closely with Niteco to deliver Episerver commerce builds for their multiple B2C and B2B clients. The arrangement has produced favourable results, including condensed delivery times, thanks to the six to seven hour time difference between the UK and Vietnam, where Niteco is headquartered. 

Tom Williams, head of eCommerce at Maginus explains, “Because Niteco’s developers are working in Vietnam, we benefit from more hours in the day. For example, the Niteco team effectively starts working at 3am UK time and so by the time we close for business that day, we’ve had a very productive day and a much greater chance of hitting our targets.” 

But it’s not just the extra hours in the day that’s proving to be valuable, the access to world-class Episerver expertise is too. Tom continues, “Our collaboration has given us access to expertise that complements our own to deliver a robust solution for Maginus’ clients. Niteco’s developers have a good understanding of the product and they also have the ability to work in different teams and on different projects.” And because Niteco’s developers can dip in and dip out of projects in both wholesale and retail markets, the fluid arrangement means Maginus can better manage the peaks and troughs typically experienced in eCommerce project delivery.  

Making it work 

Tom added that the new business relationship has challenged his team  to adopt new ways of working. He said, “There has been a learning curve to integrate the Niteco team into our operation, but we’ve overcome these obstacles by working closely with Niteco to evaluate our mutual processes and make our collaboration more of an integrated team. We treat Niteco as part of the team now and that works well. We also plan to have consultants and developers from Maginus travel to Vietnam on a regular basis as part of our long-term business strategy.” 

The partnership, Tom says, has enhanced Maginus’ ability to deliver.  

Kurt Dressel, Managing Director of Niteco Europe Ltd, is pleased with how the two agencies are collaborating, an example, he says, of “Niteco’s focus on adapting to our partners’ unique requirements. The world of eCommerce is fiercely competitive and companies are looking to their agencies to provide, not just a platform, but consultancy to help drive customer loyalty and increase conversions. Episerver Partners like Maginus can rely on Niteco for technical expertise, which enables them to budget for more eCommerce domain expertise needed and valued by clients.”

Interested in improving your Maginus platfrom? Learn more here.