The first mistake someone might make is viewing the development team as simply “website designers”. With accessible platforms like Wordpress and Tumblr allowing you to create a customised blog, you might look at the prospect of building your own website and think, “I can do that!”

 

Software development is much more than choosing the colours and layout of your website, however. From plugins to patches, from security risks to site maintenance, true web development requires many advanced technical skills. Most developers know multiple coding languages like HTML, Python and PHP. They are both designers and engineers, creative yet highly pragmatic.

 

E-commerce is now an essential part of any business with products to sell. But who manages the IT side of the company, inhouse staff or an external agency? Answering that question often comes down to issues of time and cost. 

 

So should I hire inhouse staff?

 

An obvious benefit to hiring inhouse workers is that you will have specialists on the payroll. However, it can be costly for small businesses and startups who will need to pay them a monthly wage and front the costs for any extra training they might need. You may also have to hire the whole IT team one by one (Frontend Developer, Backend Developer, Quality Insurance, Manager, Designer, Business Analytic etc), massively delaying your project and increasing it’s cost.

 

Consider also that new businesses will be developing their own corporate culture and workflow processes. With an inhouse team there may be some teething problems as your staff learn to work effectively with each other.

 

However, hiring inhouse means your developers should eventually acquire greater product knowledge and overall understanding of the business. If you treat your IT team well and keep them motivated, the skills and expertise your company accrue will be invaluable. 

 

What are the advantages of hiring an external development team? 

 

While hiring an inhouse developer means you must provide a salary, you only have to pay an external development team for the hours they spend on your project. Most will use work management programs like Jira to log tasks, priorities and hours spent – so you can see exactly where your money is going.

 

A development team will have worked on countless projects before and will know what to do in most situations. They will have a deep pool of talent, usually assigning specialists who can begin work immediately. If someone from your inhouse team is taken ill or quits suddenly, finding competent replacements at short notice can be difficult. An external development team can find competent replacements relatively quickly, minimising disruption and keeping the project on track.

 

There can be drawbacks, of course. Outsourcing your e-commerce solutions means controlling the project remotely and checking in with an external team. Clear communication is key, as is trusting the developers to understand your aims and business vision.

 

The Luxinten Offer

 

You will have many things to consider as you grow your business, and it's important to make a decision that enables a sustainable yet scalable e-commerce model. If you are relying on an external company for all your software development needs or utilising their skills and expertise in an interim capacity while assembling your own team of experts, there are many benefits to working closely with companies like Luxinten.

We have worked with many businesses, from long established concerns to new startup companies. With  10 years of development experience, we understand what challenges start-ups face against the background of an ever-evolving e-commerce landscape. Find out more about how we can help you develop your e-commerce business here.

Some Key Luxinten Statistics:

• 30+ projects with annual support
• 25+ successful full Magento 2 migrations
• 250+ solutions implemented on Magento
• 99% customer retention rate
• Adobe Certified Experts

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