Best 6 MVP Development Companies for eCommerce Startups
A minimum viable product (MVP) helps an eCommerce startup test market demand for its product prior to building a complete platform. By using an MVP, entrepreneurs will be able to launch necessary features, receive feedback from customers, and test their business models without high starting costs.
Selection of a good development company plays a vital role in this matter. An experienced developer can assist in determining the MVP scope and developing stable payment and order management systems.
In this article, six MVP development companies are compared according to their expertise, offered services, client reviews, and applicability for eCommerce startups.
Best 6 MVP Development Companies for eCommerce Startups
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The list of companies that have technical competence in MVP and eCommerce application development includes the following:
- Cleveroad: Suitable for eCommerce MVP development.
- Vention: Fits perfectly for scalable engineering teams.
- Brainhub: Perfect solution for developing complicated web applications.
- Saritasa: An ideal choice to customize business solutions.
- Goji Labs: Ideal solution to formulate product strategy and UX design.
- Lounge Lizard: Suitable for branded eCommerce solutions.
How We Selected These MVP Development Companies
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Public information related to these six companies was considered including their Clutch profiles, portfolio, services and reviews.
Below is what we have considered in our analysis:
- E-commerce experience: Collaboration with marketplaces, websites, and payment systems.
- MVP development: Discover, design, develop and launch assistance.
- Background about technology: Its development and cloud computing.
- Reputation among clients: Independent rating and reviews.
- Price: Publicly stated price per hour and projects for the agency.
This comparison is based on publicly available data and not personal interviews.
Top 6 MVP Development Companies for eCommerce Startups
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1. Cleveroad
Founded in: 2011
Headquarters: New York, USA
Hourly Rate: 49
Industry Expertise: eCommerce, Retail, FinTech, Healthcare, Logistics
Reviews: 4.9/5 on Clutch, 81 reviews
Certifications: ISO 9001, ISO 27001
Cleveroad is a company specializing in creating custom software that enables startup companies to create digital products. The MVP development service offered by the company include product discovery, UI/UX design, website and app development, testing, and post launch services. The company assists founders in determining the most important features and developing a realistic launch plan.
The experience in e-commerce includes developing B2C marketplaces with product catalogs, merchant dashboards, stock management, and payments integration. The company created for one of its US clients an e-commerce marketplace including web and mobile apps, admin panel, and payments.
Cleveroad is ideal for startups that require comprehensive custom MVP development. It also holds the ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certificates.
2. Vention
Founded in: 2002
Headquarters: New York, USA
Hourly Rate: 99
Industry Expertise: eCommerce, FinTech, Healthcare, SaaS
Reviews: 4.9/5 on Clutch, 103 reviews
Custom software development and bespoke engineering services are among the offerings of Vention. The firm specializes in web/mobile app development, cloud solutions, and back-end engineering services.
Vention can cater to eCommerce start-ups that require the development of customer portals, commerce platform, and other applications that integrate with third party tools.
The flexible approach of Vention makes it an ideal choice for startups that need to scale up their technical team due to changing project requirements.
3. Brainhub
Founded in: 2015
Headquarters: Gliwice, Poland
Hourly Rate: 99
Industry Expertise: SaaS, FinTech, eCommerce, Business Software
Reviews: 4.9/5 on Clutch, 53 reviews
Brainhub creates custom web applications that pay special attention to technologies based on JavaScript. The range of services provided by the company includes product development, technical consulting, and application modernization.
The company may be of great use to eCommerce startups that need to create their platforms with custom business logic, user accounts, dashboards, and third-party integration.
Brainhub is an appropriate choice for those who value performance and maintainability.
4. Saritasa
Founded in: 2005
Headquarters: Irvine, California, USA
Hourly Rate: 149
Industry Expertise: eCommerce, Retail, Healthcare, Logistics, Manufacturing
Reviews: 4.8/5 on Clutch, 108 reviews
Saritasa offers custom development for software, web applications, and mobile applications. It also creates custom integration for companies with complicated processes.
Saritasa can be of help to eCommerce startups for connecting the storefront with the inventory system and other applications for ordering. Such expertise is beneficial when it is not possible to use common commerce software to accomplish specific processes.
Saritasa should be considered by startups in need of special software solutions.
5. Goji Labs
Founded in: 2014
Headquarters: Los Angeles, California, USA
Hourly Rate: 199
Industry Expertise: eCommerce, Consumer Products, Healthcare, Education
Reviews: 5.0/5 on Clutch, 91 reviews
Goji Labs integrates product strategy, UX/UI design, and software development. Goji Labs’ services allow startups to formulate product requirements and develop user-centric apps.
Goji Labs can be a good choice for e-commerce businesses where product discovery, storefront design, checkout processes, and mobile apps can be developed. Goji Labs’ methods help entrepreneurs identify the product’s direction prior to its development.
Goji Labs is suitable for startups that value customer experience and require comprehensive product design.
6. Lounge Lizard
Founded in: 1998
Headquarters: New York, USA
Hourly Rate: Not publicly disclosed on Clutch
Industry Expertise: eCommerce, Retail, Consumer Brands, Digital Marketing
Reviews: 4.8/5 on Clutch, 43 reviews
Web development, e-commerce, branding and digital marketing solutions are provided by Lounge Lizard. Its specialization is customer-oriented websites and eCommerce sites.
It can help startups develop responsive eCommerce sites complete with products catalogs and convenient navigation. The marketing services offered by the company may assist with the first customers’ acquisition.
Lounge Lizard is recommended for brands that care about their website appearance and customer experience.
What Features Should an eCommerce MVP Include?
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| Feature | Purpose |
| Product catalog | Displays products, prices, and descriptions |
| Search and filters | Helps customers find products |
| Shopping cart | Stores selected items before checkout |
| Payment integration | Enables online transactions |
| Customer accounts | Manages profiles and order history |
| Order management | Tracks purchases and their status |
| Admin panel | Controls products, users, and orders |
| Basic analytics | Tracks customer activity and sales |
The minimum viable product for e-commerce should include all necessary stages of customer journey from product discovery to successful purchase. Multi-vendor marketplaces will have to include functionalities like merchant account registration, merchant dashboard, and commission management too.
Functionalities like personalized recommendations and loyalty program can be included later, after successful launch of MVP. The initial product version should focus on functionalities that will help with sales and feedback collection.
How to Choose an MVP Development Company for Your eCommerce Startup
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An ideal development partner should definitely have knowledge on how to work with your company.
Verify your eCommerce experience
Review the already accomplished projects of similar functionality. This is particularly helpful if you have any experience in such areas as online payments, catalogs, inventory management, and marketplaces.
Learn more about the challenges the vendors have met in their projects.
Evaluate product discovery
A good partner will be involved in the determination of core features, technical needs, and project scope before actual development.
A well-defined discovery process eliminates uncertainties and aids in cost estimation.
Comparison of Development Costs
Hourly rates represent just one part of the total development project cost. There is also the complexity of the functionality, integration, teams and the time required for development.
Separately request design, development, testing and deployment costs.
Assess communication
Regular updates and proper responsibilities will enable the entrepreneurs to maintain control over the projects.
Explain the channels of communication, project management methods, and scope changes before you sign any contract.
Ensure post-launch assistance
After launch, your MVP would need an upgrade. This process should include maintenance, debugging, and assistance for improvements from your development team.
Another important thing to confirm is whether the source code and documentation are yours.
What Mistakes Should eCommerce Startups Avoid During MVP Development?
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The following are the most common mistakes that often make MVP launching of an eCommerce site more expensive and time-consuming.
Too many features. Not all advanced features are required to validate the concept but consume additional time and effort. Begin with basic ones such as buying and ordering.
Undefined technical requirements. Absence of clarity in terms of workflows causes numerous iterations. Explain customer interactions, payment process and administration system before writing the code.
Testing problem. Problems related to checkout process, incorrect data about inventory and users affect the level of their trust. Test important functions before the website is launched.
No analytics. It is impossible to understand the effectiveness of MVP without information about the users’ behavior. Evaluate metrics like number of views, added to cart, checkouts, and transactions.
Final Thoughts
Selecting an MVP development firm will be based on the idea of the product, budget, and technical specifications.
Cleveroad has experience with the development of eCommerce platforms and marketplaces. The companies Vention and Brainhub have high engineering skills; Saritasa is known for its complex integrations. Goji Labs is specialized in product strategy and UX/UI, and Lounge Lizard is good at branded eCommerce stores.
Look through similar projects, receive detailed proposals and consider the scope of work in order to choose an appropriate partner and release a product.
