Over the last few years, I’ve worked with lots of Magento agencies, at all levels of the spectrum. If you’re looking for a partner and you are looking for advice, feel free to email me ([email protected]). I also run eCommerce and Magento RfPs pretty regularly – so happy to help on that front too. Here is an overview of the partners that I generally recommend for projects.
VAIMO – Magento Global Elite Partner
I’ve worked with Vaimo on a fairly big Magento Enterprise project and I was really impressed with every aspect of the build process. Their Project Managers and customer-facing developers were very strong, which I think really helped the project. The client was also very impressed with them and the project went really well (it was delivered on-time and on-budget). I’d definitely recommend Vaimo for larger projects.
Vaimo are Europe’s largest Magento partner with offices in various locations including London, Helsinki and Stockholm – they’re also one of five Global Elite partners. Vaimo specialise in Magento development and have worked on some of the biggest Magento 1 and Magento 2 projects in Europe Some of their recent launches include Osprey London (Magento 2 Enterprise) and Helly Hansen (Magento 2 Enterprise Cloud Edition). Vaimo have a team of around 300 people and have worked on lots of well-known Magento 1 stores too, including Bjorn Borg, Gant and Jack Daniels. Vaimo mainly work with Magento Enterprise and Enterprise Cloud Edition.
I’ve recently been working a lot closer with Vaimo and I would say that some of the solutions they’ve built internally also given them an advantage over other partners. Vaimo aren’t the cheapest Magento partner, but they’re definitely one of the best.
Services: Magento Development, Magento consultancy
Level: Enterprise
Location(s): UK (London), Sweden, South Africa, Japan, Finland, Denmark
Website: www.vaimo.co.uk
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The Pixel – Magento Enterprise Solutions Partner
The Pixel are a very experienced Magento partner, based in Bristol, UK. I’ve worked with a couple of different merchants who have spoken very highly of The Pixel’s work and from what I’ve seen of the Magento 1 and Magento 2 stores they’ve released, they seem very good – although I’ve not worked directly with them.
Examples of Magento merchants they work with include Cycle Republic (fairly large Magento 2 Enterprise store), David Linley, The Consortium, Bulk Powders and various others.
Services: Magento Development
Level: Mid-level / Enterprise
Location(s): UK (Bristol)
Website: Thepixel.com
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Gene Commerce – Magento Professional Solution Partner
I’ve worked with a number of eCommerce professionals who have used or worked with Gene over the last few months and they’ve always been very positive about the quality of their work. Gene have also developed a lot of market-leading modules and integrations – as well as Bluefoot, a CMS solution that was recently acquired by Magento and is due to be developed into the core in the 2.2 release.
I’ve recently worked a lot closer with Gene and I would definitely recommend them based on the Magento work that I’ve seen and the quality of their team.
Examples of merchants that Gene work with include Gro, Protein World and Hornby.
Services: Magento Development
Level: Mid-level
Location(s): Brighton, UK
Website: www.gene.co.uk
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Space48 – Magento Enterprise Solutions Partner
Although I’ve not worked with them directly on a project, I’ve heard (and seen when consulting with merchants) very good things about Space48 from their clients and various other people. I also know a few members of their team and would definitely recommend Space48 based on them – again, I’ve included Space48 in a number of Magento RfPs.
Space 48 are a Magento Enterprise solution partner and have offices in Manchester and London. They specialise in larger Magento development projects and work with merchants such as Silent Night, Gro, Taps.co.uk, Better Bathrooms, Charlotte Tilbury and Naylors.
Services: Magento Development
Level: Mid-level & enterprise
Location(s): UK (Manchester)
Website: www.space48.com
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Inviqa (previously Session Digital) – Magento Enterprise Solution Partner
I also used to work for Inviqa and have known the owners for a long time – over the last few years, they’ve probably been considered the market leader in the UK for Magento and they’ve worked with some really big merchants over this time , including Missguided, Radley, PZ Cussons, Dreams, Graze.com and many more! I’d definitely recommend Inviqa for large, enterprise-level Magento builds.
Inviqa are one of Europe’s largest Magento partners and are headquartered in London with offices in the UK and Germany. Inviqa works mostly with Magento Enterprise Edition and they have delivered a number of Magento 2 stores, including the first in the UK (Byredo).
Services: Magento Development, Magento consultancy
Level: Enterprise
Location(s): UK (various) and Germany
Website: inviqa.com/magento-ecommerce
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JH – Magento Enterprise Solutions Partner
JH are an experienced Magento agency who have worked with some great brands. I’ve spoken to a few of JH’s clients in the past and they’ve always recommended them very highly.
Based in Nottingham, JH are probably best known for launching the Swoon Editions store, but they’ve also worked with Selco Builder’s Warehouse, Sunspel, Grenade and many more. They also recently won an award at the Magento Imagine 2017 event in Las Vegas.
Services: Magento Development
Level: Mid-level
Location(s): UK (Nottingham)
Website: wearejh.co.uk
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Pinpoint – Magento Registered Partner
I’ve done lots of work with Pinpoint over the last few years and have been involved in a host of builds and consulting projects for their clients. I would definitely recommend Pinpoint as one of the best agencies in the mid-level bracket and would say their support offering is one of their key strengths.
Pinpoint, who are also recently became a Magento partner, are based in Harrogate and specialise in Magento (enterprise and community) development and support. Pinpoint have worked with Magento merchants of all sizes, such as Regis Salons, Supercuts, PrettyLittleThing, The Discovery Store, Iconic Watches and The Tattoo Shop.
Services: Magento Development
Level: Mid-level
Location(s): UK (Harrogate)
Website: www.pinpointdesigns.co.uk
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Redbox Digital – Magento Global Elite Partner
I’ve worked with Redbox on a couple of projects and would definitely recommend them for larger Magento build projects. Redbox are in the same bracket as Inviqa and Vaimo and have one of the best client lists globally, which includes Screwfix, Paperchase, Sephora and Heals. Redbox have also delivered some of the biggest Magento stores that I’m aware of, generally for large Middle East-based merchants.
Redbox are a Global Elite partner and have offices in London, Dubai, Mauritius, Sydney and Aukland.
Redbox are the only UK-headquartered agency to be awarded The Magento “Partner of Excellence” award and they also launched the first Magento2 Enterprise Cloud Edition store in Oliver Sweeney.
Services: Magento Development
Level: Enterprise
Location(s): UK (London), UAE, Australia, New Zealand
Website: www.redboxdigital.com
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Corra – Magento Global Elite Partner
Corra are one of the world’s best known partners and they recently opened a UK office. I know a couple of people who work at Corra and from what I’ve heard from their clients and the people I know there, they seem like a very strong partner. I would suggest that Corra are in the same bracket as Inviqa, Vaimo and Redbox, in terms of project costs and the level of merchants they work with.
Examples of clients that Corra work with include Jomeshop, EGO Shoes, Alcatel, Milly and Faith Connexion. Corra have a lot of experience with Magento 2 Enterprise Cloud projects, which gives them a good advantage in this area (again, similarly to the likes of Redbox and Vaimo).
Services: Magento Development
Level: Enterprise
Location(s):UK (London) & US (New York)
Website: corra.com
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Limesharp
Limesharp are a lesser-known Magento partner who have designed and built some very impressive Magento stores, for brands such as Jo Malone, Sous Chef, Aquascutum and lots of others. I only recently came across Limesharp (they’re not overly promotional, but have been working with Magento for a long time) and was really impressed with the quality of their work.
Limesharp are a small agency but their way of working is very merchant-centric and they’re very agile with on-going support and development work.
Services: Magento Development
Level: Mid-level
Location(s):UK (London)/p>
Website: Limesharp.net
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GPMD
I used to co-own GPMD so I have a good understanding of how they approach projects – I’d definitely recommend them based on this. Mark, their Managing Director, is also great with clients and plays a big part in the discovery phases of projects.
GPMD are a small, London-based eCommerce agency, specialising in Magento development and support. GPMD have worked on a host of high-performing Magento stores, including The Watch Gallery, Cowshed.com, Cheeky, Neville, Gear4 (also my client), Urbanista and various others. GPMD work with both Magento Community and Enterprise and they’ve got a lot of experience with Magento 2 Community and Enterprise Edition.
Services: Magento Development, Magento consultancy
Level: Mid-level
Location(s): UK (London)
Website: www.gpmd.co.uk
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Ampersand Commerce – Magento Enterprise Solutions Partner
I’ve never worked with Ampersand, however I’ve always rated the work they’ve done – particularly on the Harvey Nichols store.
Ampersand Commerce are a leading Manchester-based Magento partner who have worked on a number of complex, enterprise-level Magento build projects. Ampersand work with a host of household names and have delivered Magento stores for Harvey Nichols, Harveys, Poundland, Made.com, Bench and more.
Services: Magento Development
Level: Enterprise
Location(s): UK (Manchester)
Website: ampersandcommerce.com
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iWeb – Magento Professional Solutions Partner
iWeb are a very experienced Magento partner who have a lot of experience working on small and mid-level builds in the B2C and B2B markets. iWeb do also work on larger builds, but my experiences have been more at the lower end, where they’ve always come across very well and also come in very cost-effective.
Examples of iWeb clients include JCB, Raleigh Bikes, MyMemory, Scruffs and British Heart Foundation.
Services: Magento Development
Level: SME, Mid-level
Location(s): Stafford (UK)
Website: https://www.iweb.co.uk/
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Shero – Magento Enterprise Solutions Partner
Shero are a long-serving Magento partner based in New York. I’ve worked with Shero on lots of projects with their clients, often working on the discovery side of things and supporting the client in selecting their eCommerce platform. Josh also consults for a couple of Shero’s clients too.
Shero tend to work on mid-level Magento eCommerce builds and do a lot of work in the B2B space. Some of Shero’s larger clients include Painful Pleasures, Primitives by Cathy, Guggenheim, Simone Perelle and lots of others. I can definitely recommend Shero and their team.
Services: Magento Development
Level: Mid-level
Location(s): New York (US)
Website: Sherocommerce.com
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PushOn – Magento Professional Solutions Partner
PushON are a leading Manchester-based Magento partner who have worked on various large Magento builds and re-platforming projects. PushOn have a team of around 30 and have worked with Magento stores like DOMU, Nottingham Forest, Ryman and Little Greene.
Services: Development
Level: SME, Mid-level
Location(s): UK (Manchester)
Website: www.pushon.co.uk
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Superb
Superb are a UK, Ukraine and Spain-based eCommerce agency, with over 100 people and a strong focus on support / on-going development. Superb work primarily with Magento, but also support Salesforce Commerce Cloud and a few other platforms. We’ve worked with Superb on Sunspel’s eCommerce store and have been really impressed with their on-going support and general client management. I’ve also heard good things from another very large retailer.
Superb have worked with some really nice brands, including Defected Records, Le Creuset, Portmeirion, Missy Empire, Couverture & the Garbstore, Royal Worcester, Sunuva, Maidenhead Aquatics, Spode.
Services: Magento Development, Magento Integrations, PIM
Level: Mid-level
Locations: UK (London, Exeter, Paignton, Nottingham), Spain (Barcelona), Ukraine (Kharkov)
Website: wearesuperb.com
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Dilligent Commerce
Diligent are one of the strongest Magento agencies around for creative and have designed some of the nicest stores on the platform. Diligent are based in the heart of Shoreditch and creative is definitely at the forefront of their eCommerce offering.
Diligent have worked with lots of luxury / high-end retailers such as, Always Riding, Theo Fennell, Chester Barrie and Evisu.
Services: Development
Level: Mid-level
Location(s): UK (London)
Website: www.diligentcommerce.com
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CTI Digital – Magento Professional Partner
CTI Digital are a long-serving Magento agency who work with merchants primarily at the mid-level and enterprise-level end of the market. CTI work with lots of well-known brands, including Bodybuilding Warehouse, McGraw Hill, High Street TV, The Protein Works and various others and they’ve delivered stores of varying sizes using Magento 1 and Magento 2.
I’ve always had a good opinion of CTI and they come across as a very professional, well-structured agency. They also do a lot of large Drupal projects.
Services: Magento Development
Project Level: Mid-level
Location(s):UK (Manchester)
Website: ctidigital.com
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LogicSpot – Magento Business Partner
Based in Richmond, London, LogicSpot has a team of more than 20 experienced and have a good background in the Magento space. LogicSpot is a Magento Business partner and the majority of their developers are Magento certified and based in their London office.
Examples of Magento merchants LogicSpot has worked with include The Conran Shop, Tom Dixon, Chinti & Parker, Chaplins, Faber & Faber and Osprey Europe.
Services: Magento Development
Level: Mid-level
Location(s): UK (Richmond, London)
Website: LogicSpot.com
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Tom & Co
Tom & Co have a team of around 30 and they have been operating in the Magento space for around 8 years. Tom & Co are well-known for focusing on headless builds, which they’ve been doing for a number of years (way before it became a mainstream approach). Tom & Co also have their own front-end framework they work with, which is built on Angular.js.
Examples of Magento merchants that Tom & Co has worked with include Oliver Bonas, Biscuiteers, Millie’s Cookies, Plush Sofas, Turnstyle Designs, and Daisy London.
Services: Magento Development
Level: Mid-level
Location(s): UK (London)
Website: Tomandco.co.uk
Considerations around selecting a Magento agency / partner
Magento is the world’s number one eCommerce platform and is currently used by countless high profile brands, including Missguided, Helly Hansen, Agent Provocateur, Ferrari, Graze.com, Radley, Paul Smith, Hermes, Charlotte Tilbury, Nike and many, many more. Magento 2.x is the latest version of the platform which is still relatively new, although there are now a lot of active and stable Magento 2 stores live now, including Osprey, Micro Scooters, Helly Hansen, Oliver Sweeney, Graze.com and various others.
When you’re looking for a new partner, I wouldn’t always say that selecting an official Magento solutions partner is the best option – although they’re generally all very good, there are plenty of other partners who have equal or more experience with the platform and better credentials that aren’t a partner, such as Meanbee, Limesharp, GPMD, SixbySix, Lewis Commerce, CTI Digital until recently and various others. Some of the eCommerce brands that work with these non-partner agencies include Soho House, Smythson, Jo Malone, The Watch Gallery, Trespass, Jaeger and lots of others. So, although it can be a good starting point, it’s certainly not a pre-requisite.
If you’re looking to select a Magento agency, here are some of the key considerations I would suggest you should be looking at:
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- What level of experience do they have with projects of our size (have they successfully delivered projects this big before?)
- What level of experience do they have with Magento (and also, more importantly Magento 2.x)
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- Who’s on the project team (do you have experienced, certified Magento developers, does the Project Manager have experience of working on large builds, do they have QAs etc)
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- How many Magento developers do they have (are they able to complete the project if two developers were to leave tomorrow)
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- What project management methodologies do they use (Are they using agile, waterfall etc, or your preferred option?)
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- Are they a development house or an eCommerce partner (if you’re looking for someone to guide your online offering, you might want to look for more of a ‘parter’, rather than a development house)
- Where are their development teams based – if this is something that’s important to you, it’s definitely worth asking about
These are just a few considerations around choosing a Magento partner – another consideration should be around their experience with Enterprise or Community and whether that fits your requirements. In places, I’d look whether they’re a Magento partner, but this isn’t the end of the world as Magento haven’t been accepting new partners in the UK for a number of years.
One thing to bear in mind as that their level of Magento partnership certainly isn’t everything! There are a number of non-partner Magento agencies who are far stronger than some of the Magento partners – although it’s a good measure, it’s largely based on license sales and there isn’t very much vetting of actual projects and delivery. Again, it’s a good way of finding reputable agencies, but agencies like the ones I mentioned above are examples of very experienced, highly regarded Magento agencies that aren’t official partners.
If you need any help in this area, please feel free to get in touch.