Outsource Versus In-House
All companies, big or small, must eventually decide between an in-house team or an agency for their online presence. Especially in situations where a site is being reworked, there are a lot of roles to be filled. Most teams consist of project managers, copywriters or content writers, SEO specialists, graphic designers, UI/UX designers, developers, and more.
A decision between the two avenues isn’t always the easiest, and there are a few key factors to keep in mind when choosing. What type of renovation to either your site or platform are you seeking? What team will best represent you? And most importantly, what budget do you have allotted? Analysing your budget, goals, and metrics will help define the pros and cons of agencies and in-house teams. Check out some of the best reasons to opt for an agency below.
Whilst we focus on Shopify, an e-commerce platform, the guidance below is relevant to most businesses looking to improve their online presence, whether based on Shopify or not!
If you’re an online brand, you’ll already be aware that website development agencies have a range of offerings available - here at Radiant we have four ‘core’ services:
app development (custom functionality)
ongoing support (maintenance and support to continuously improve your Shopify store’s functionality and performance)
It’s common to partner with an agency for all, some, or just one of these areas - it depends on your own in-house resources, budget, needs and project.
In this article, we’re looking at the difference between using your own in-house designer, versus hiring an agency to design your Shopify store.
Traditionally, when a client comes to us for a new Shopify website, we would expect to manage and deliver the design and development of the store - working with the client through the project to define, create, design, and then bring their visions to life.
However, some brands approach us to develop their Shopify stores, using designs they have already signed off internally.
While we can - and have - done this, it’s not the ideal way to complete a web build project. Here are a few of the reasons we prefer to design AND develop our clients’ stores.
Graphic Designer Vs UX/UI Designer
When deciding whether to hire an in-house designer or work with an agency, it’s important to understand your project’s needs. Many businesses hire graphic designers for visual elements and a developer to implement them. But website design often needs more than just static visuals. Creating a modern, user-friendly site usually requires UX/UI designers who focus on seamless, interactive user experiences. Understanding the differences between these roles can help you determine the right team for your project and whether an agency might provide the diverse skill sets you need.
Graphic designers use colours, shapes, images, and fonts to create visual content for print and digital media. These designs are often static, non-interactive layouts for things like logos, product packaging, advertisements, signage, brochures, or displays, used to communicate with customers.
UX/UI Designers - while graphic designers create static visual content, user interface (UI) designers create interactive visual content. This includes the graphical elements of apps and websites that users interact with.
Graphic designers have a focus on visual elements, but UX designers focus on the complete interaction between a user and the website, including how that experience made them feel. This type of design goes beyond the visual to include information architecture. UX designers advocate for the user, making sure the website meets user needs in a way that is accessible, intuitive, and enjoyable.
One of the biggest differences between graphic and UX design is the scope. Graphic designers focus on visual elements, while UX designers take a broader perspective by considering the interaction between a user and the website. Graphic design is often just one part of the bigger user experience.
Graphic design involves a specialised set of skills, like colour theory, typography, and computer-aided design. In contrast, UX and UI design combines these with additional skills such as user research, information architecture, wireframing, and prototyping.
UX and UI designers understand not just the visual elements but also how websites work, how users interact with them, and how to create designs for ecommerce stores that engage visitors and encourage sales.
Other Benefits of An Agency Designing and Developing Your Ecommerce Website
More Cost-Effective
The hourly rate for a freelancer, or the employment costs of a graphic designer might be lower. However, if they take longer to complete the project because they are working alone, or don’t design a website which takes into account user experience and sales, the total project cost can easily end up being more than that of an agency. In addition, the final website may not be engineered to convert sales as effectively.
Experienced Project Managers
Talking to our Project Management team, from their perspective it's easier for our designers to be involved in the project. This lets them communicate directly with developers at the design stage which ensures the feasibility of the design. It also lets them gather real-time feedback before it goes to development.
It's also easier for managing timelines, as we can keep on top of the turnarounds and ensure we have designs when we need them. It gives us more control over the process and helps improve the overall efficiency of the project.
We’re also a close-knit team and are familiar with the inter-departmental way of working, which helps keep things moving.
Faster and More Efficient
Communication is important. As a design and development agency, our teams can work together in real time, as well as liaising with clients. The result is a project completed in less time because we have the resources to meet demand, and the experience honed over dozens of projects to know how to complete the work efficiently.
The flexibility, expertise, and scalability offered by design and development Shopify agencies like Radiant means we’re a valuable resource and extension of your own ecommerce team.
Agencies’ Teams Offer Vast Resources
Agencies are made up of collaborative, pre-established teams, unlike in-house teams that are often hired in a segmented fashion. Teams are more likely to have a variety of perspectives, with people who are young and full of fresh ideas alongside those who are seasoned experts.
While an in-house team may only have one person per role, agencies are able to have multiple. For example, agencies will often have more than one developer, each complementing the others’ abilities, which avoids pitfalls in skill sets. This combination of well-rounded members is what makes agencies so successful, and that’s a great team to have on your side as you redesign or redevelop your site.
If you have a large, one-off project, such as a complete website redesign or redevelopment, an agency is a perfect fit. Their resources and experience allow them to manage intensive workloads, tight deadlines, and complex requirements efficiently. With an agency, you gain access to a comprehensive team ready to tackle every aspect of your project, making the process smoother and more successful.
Improved Design and Development Collaboration
Based on years of experience developing Shopify websites, our Lead Developer prefers to build them based on designs created by our colleagues in the design team here at Radiant. He said:
“If we manage the design and development phases, there are lots of benefits to the client and the project team here at Radiant. Firstly, it’s easier to contact and liaise with the designer quickly if there are questions. or if we need to request further assets or information.
Our design team also knows Shopify inside out so we know its strengths and limitations - with external designers we’ve had situations where the designs submitted weren’t fit for purpose, as the designer wasn't familiar with the platform.
There are also other niggles that happen when the designers aren’t part of our team - spending time sorting issues like assets with incorrect dimensions, for example sometimes external designers work with 1920x width and it throws all the font sizes off. We’ve had times when the formats are incorrect - if we receive Photoshop files they don’t convert well to Zeplin (the tool we use to ensure the design to development process is friction-free).”
Agencies Have Experts in Every Field
With an agency, you don’t need to choose which services are most important to you. There are few in-house teams that match the size and work-power of an agency. Smaller businesses may opt to use their budgets on certain creative or development aspects but not others, often leaving things like copy to be finished by non-experts. With an agency, you’ll have access to professionals in every field – UI/UX, development, SEO, branding, and more – every time.
Agencies Make Collaboration Simpler
The notion that in-house teams always make it easier to work together during design and development is flawed, and agencies actually bring the benefit of extended project management resources. They can oversee entire projects, keep track of deadlines, and be mindful of budgets – all on your behalf. While in-house teams can be helpful for in-person collaboration, most communication is more than possible using online tools and management platforms.
Agencies Have Diverse Experience
Agencies spend their entire company lifetimes marketing, designing, and developing for not only others, but also themselves. They have industry insight beyond in-house teams, with a wide variety of clients and past projects. Composing an in-house team with this level of experience can be near impossible, especially within budget constraints. Agencies offer further development of ideas, room for concepts to grow, and a new perspective. In-house teams may understand a given campaign or niche industry better, but an agency is a third party that can view your products or services from a consumer’s point of view.
Better Results
With a full team of UX/UI designers, Shopify developers and a Project Management team to keep everything on track, site builds move more smoothly when we are responsible for the design work as well. When working with Radiant, your project is in the hands of a dedicated team of people who share the load.
If you employ an in-house designer, you take on the responsibility of completing high-quality work on time and within budget. While it can seem more expensive to hire an agency in terms of initial outlay, you’re paying for the expertise of the design team who know how to create websites that not only look beautiful but convert to sales as well, which is, after all, the whole point of an ecommerce store. The extra skills, combined with the speed and efficiency of the project, means it’s worth looking at cost vs outcome rather than just what might be the cheapest initial outlay.
Finding Your Ideal Agency
After deciding to find an agency, there comes the process of finding the right one. First and foremost, always seek an agency with experience specific to your platform. This includes ensuring the skills of specialists and developers at said agency fit your project, because a position’s responsibilities may vary between larger agencies and boutique agencies. Second, you’ll want an agency that performs thorough testing during their QA process. This is vital for keeping everything running smoothly following a campaign, site, or project launch. Lastly, you’ll want an agency that’s friendly in nature, prioritises collaboration, and is quick to reply to any correspondence.
We will always work with clients who bring their own designs for the project, but the benefits of having a unified design and development team manage your project from start to finish means a better result for you, and your customers.
Radiant is proud to be an agency with the knowledge, skills, and degree of care necessary to bring your business to the next level, all while maintaining the communication and instant feedback of an in-house team. Find all you need and more for your Shopify site by getting in touch today, and watch your ecommerce presence grow through our top-notch branding, custom Shopify sites, and priority support services.
