Unless you’re a developer with extensive Magento 2 customization experience (and the resources to dedicate to website projects), you’re likely to experience three major hurdles when you attempt to build a custom module:
- Problem #1: Getting the right design. When considering a custom module for the Magento platform, you may know the end results you want to achieve, but designing a module to give you those results can be a complex and lengthy process. Even if you can find an extension that satisfies what you’re looking for, it can be hard (or impossible) to audit the extension’s code and decide if it’s a high-quality solution.
- Problem #2: Complications with developing a custom module. Building out custom modules on Magento 2 demands a high level of expertise. It needs to function properly without negatively impacting your site. If you’re not highly experienced in Magento development services, you may spend more time than anticipated on the project and make costly errors.
- Problem #3: Problems maintaining it. Any time a customization is made on a Magento 2 site, your maintenance needs increase. Custom modules need to be tested with each site update or security patch to ensure they’re working — and if modules aren’t coded well, it will be even more time-intensive to fix them.
We provide a full-service approach for each of our clients by:
- Learning about your site and deciding which features and functionalities will best support your eCommerce goals.
- Providing ongoing maintenance for your site’s security and stability.
- Designing and developing custom Magento modules for enhanced eCommerce experience.
In this post, we will explain how each phase of our process leads to effective customizations. We become your strategic partner, understanding your business on a deep level, so we know exactly how to enhance your site. With a large team of mid- to senior-level Magento developers, and 10+ years of experience with the platform, our custom module work has helped many businesses improve their UX, conversions, average order value, and more.
Contact our team for a free consultation to talk about your goals for your Magento 2 site and how IronPlane can help achieve them.
Business Discovery, Audit, and Module Planning
We kick off every client engagement with a consultation call, where we discuss what your website is currently “missing” and the custom functionalities you want to add.
If you’ve already found a custom module that you want us to add to your site, we can check the module’s quality and help you decide whether to move forward with the extension you’ve found or have IronPlane build a version of the module on your site.
Throughout the call, we explain our process and talk about how we can (and can’t) customize your site, so you have an idea of what the end result could look like. Once we have a high-level understanding of your goals, we move on to a more in-depth review of your website.
Site Audit & Business Discovery
Before we start working on customization, we audit your site code to gauge your website health and performance:
- Free Audit: A brief analysis of core files, folder structure, theming structure, core modules, security, and customizations.
- Code Audit: A customized review of the frontend and backend code of your site including your Magento theme, third-party extensions and custom modules.
- Comprehensive Site Audit: Our recommended audit includes the Code Audit, as well as user interface, site accessibility, site security, hosting infrastructure, and overall site speed.
During the Business Discovery stage, we explore your operations and determine what custom modules can improve your website experience, reduce employee workload, and help you achieve business goals. Our systematic approach covers every detail of your company, including:
- Goals. We speak with company stakeholders to learn about your goals for your eCommerce site — in the short and long term. We ask questions like: How can your site best support your business? How can your site be improved to enhance the user experience.
- Internal operations. By gaining a clear understanding of your business rules and internal processes, like order management, shipping, subscriptions, taxes, promotions, and pricing, we will know what custom modules could support operational flows.
- User experience. Customers who find it easy to use your site will be more likely to browse and purchase. We look at the user experience and determine if implementing custom modules could improve conversions.
The results from this process will help us determine how new customizations will fit into your site, and if we need to conduct code edits before we start.
Brainstorming & Module Planning
We use our learnings from the Business Discovery and Code Audit to inform our next steps: IronPlane develops a personalized plan before we begin our work, which includes a step-by-step process, timeline, and budget for your custom module development. Once we finalize the details, our team can get started.
Custom Module Development
All custom module projects are managed by one of our Solution Specialists. Your Solution Specialist is your point of contact throughout our work together. They:
- Provide updates on our progress.
- Monitor the results of projects so you can report on the effectiveness of customizations.
- Provide guidance on future projects and customizations so you can continually optimize your site to support your business goals.
Thanks to the strategic partnership between our Solution Specialists and talented development team, we've helped both B2B and B2C companies develop custom modules that enhance their site and showcase products in effective ways.
Below, we’ll review three different case studies and discuss how our customizations accomplished their goals.
Gat Creek: 3D Product Display
Gat Creek is a handmade furniture retailer selling to B2B and B2C consumers. They came to IronPlane with the goal of building an eCommerce store that could effectively display custom product variations and allow users to preview orders before making a purchase.
IronPlane implemented an interactive 3D product visualizer with real-time AR — this custom module allowed visitors to:
- Preview their furniture with their chosen wood type, paint color, finish, and hardware.
- Rotate the furniture model 360 degrees and change the view angle.
- Use the camera app to see the furniture in their own space.
After the product visualizer was launched, Gat Creek started receiving more applications from interior designers, and saw a 23% increase in conversion rates and 21% increase in average order value.
You can read the full Gat Creek case study here.
Russell Marine Products: Custom Boat Builder
Premier fishing technology retailer, Russell Marine Products, wanted to migrate their site to Magento from Volusion and create interactive landing pages that could represent their products and enable visitors to build and preview orders online.
We successfully executed the migration to Magento by:
- Using IronPlane’s Colibri Foundation, a Magento theme with a lightweight code profile.
- Redesigning and optimizing complex integrations with their partners.
- Automating the shipment process so orders pass over to fraud detection.
- Transferring data from their Volusion platform to Magento.
After the site was complete, we commenced working on a major project called the “Boat Builder,” a custom module that takes customers through each step of the boat building process. They are able to see what the boat looks like and add or remove features before getting in touch with RMP’s sales team to place an order.
You can read the full Russell Marine Products case study here.
Custom Picture Frames: Customizable Frame Builder
Custom Picture Frames is an eCommerce company selling high quality picture and artwork frames. Customers can choose the exact size and features they want for their frames, including the material type, glass type, mat options, backing color, and hanging hardware.
When Custom Picture Frames came to IronPlane, they wanted a way to demonstrate frame options to customers and enable users to preview products as they customize them.
We built a custom module on product pages that allows users to choose their frame’s specific dimensions, backing color, mat type, and hanging hardware. After customizing their frame, users can see what their order will look like along with pricing information — before they proceed to checkout.
After creating these interactive product pages, Custom Picture Frames saw:
- 108% increase in conversion rates
- 26% increase in average order value
You can read the full Custom Picture Frames case study here.
Magento Maintenance Program and Long-Term Partnership
We partner with our clients to manage Magento updates, make sure you’re running current module versions, and perform maintenance to keep your website secure and running smoothly. We plan development projects around your schedule so we implement updates when it’s least disruptive to your business.
Your Solution Specialist keeps you informed about the work we’re doing (and are planning) and monitors the outcome of projects so you can develop strategies to continually refine site features, optimize conversion rates, and improve the user experience.
Learn How IronPlane Can Customize Your Website
Customizations are a powerful way to engage customers, support online sales, and increase revenue, but effectively implementing them requires experience and knowledge of the Magento platform.
Attempting to build your own custom module can result in an unexpectedly complex project that may or may not satisfy your end goals. Having a Magento 2 developer with experience customizing Magento sites reduces your risk for slow site speeds, page errors, and security breaches.
IronPlane has an extensive track record of custom module work, so we know how to carry these projects out in a timely manner, without cutting corners. We tailor our approach to your unique business needs, developing customizations that support business goals and facilitate revenue growth. Our process consistently improves UX and drives conversions.
Get in touch with us to schedule a free consultation.
Related read: IronPlane Magento 2 Development Services | 2023 Guide
