PartyLite upgrades ecommerce platform with dedicated Team

Project overview

PartyLite wanted to continue the digitalisation of their global candle retail and ecommerce businesses and increase control over their development operations. They transitioned from a third-party outsourcing provider to dedicated teams with The Scalers, leading to massive cost savings and greater transformation.

12-person team of expert engineers established in Bangalore.

2X increase in development productivity.

$700,000 per year saved by ceasing reliance on a large external vendor.

Challenge

PartyLite had relied on a series of third-party outsourcing providers to develop and maintain it’s ecommerce platform. While this had provided satisfactory results in the past, they were now seeking to advance their digitisation further and wanted greater control and oversight of their development to do so. Scaling in the US was out of the question due to the ongoing talent shortages and high cost of engineers. While searching for alternative offshoring models, they discovered The Scalers.

Solution

After an unsatisfying history with project-based outsourcing, PartyLite’s CDIO, Patrick, discovered The Scalers’ unique model for building integrated offshore teams. The initial plan was to hire a team of five or six Magento engineers, assess their quality, and then discuss scaling further. After sourcing over 500 candidates, The Scalers successfully onboarded a lead developer first, and then assembled the full team of expert developers. As this was during COVID-19 lockdowns, the full onboarding process was conducted remotely by The Scalers, providing PartyLite-branded welcome packs and top-class, secure IT equipment.

As the team proved its value, PartyLite expanded the team by hiring additional JDE developers. The Scalers’ model, which manages all operational aspects, from payroll to continued engagement and IT security, allowed PartyLite’s leadership to focus entirely on product delivery and strategy. The new Bangalore team was quickly able to take over from the third-party integrator, ensuring a seamless transition of all knowledge and technical skills to the in-house setup

Results

Building a fully integrated team with The Scalers has given PartyLite significantly more control and autonomy over their development lifecycle. The knowledge and expertise, which had previously resided with external vendors, are now 100% in-house. This has resulted in the business moving faster, achieving development milestones sooner.

As the new team is fully aligned with the business and its goals, it has given them a sense of ownership over their work. Thanks to moving to their own motivated and committed team, Partylite has saved over $700,000 per year on external costs. PartyLite Bangalore continues to grow, consistently proving its value, with the team looking set to play a key role in the company’s future success with new platform features and functionalities.