Currys - Custom Magento Extension Case Study

The Magento Auction Platform Project

Currys approached us needing to migrate their outdated Magento 1 based auction platform for improved security and functional enhancements. We reviewed available third-party auction extensions for Magento and with nothing being suitable for the project, we set about building our own custom platform to ensure code quality, security and extensibility.

The requirements outlined by the client included minimising the time required to create listings, removing the need for manual reporting, improving the overall user experience and simplifying the onboarding of new customers.

What we did

After a detailed analysis and functional specification of the project, we designed wireframes and prototypes to fine-tune the user journey, improve the onboarding and registration process of new customers along with modernising the look, feel and accessibility of the portal based on their new brand guidelines.

We built a feature-rich auction bidding platform complete with; outbid notifications, auction extended periods, minimum bidding, automated or manual winner assignment and new popcorn auction-style bidding allowing the business to get more value from their listing. 

Some of the custom modules we developed include; product and category restrictions per user, bespoke asset management system, custom emails and email logging, registration approval system, admin-based user roles and permissions, and secure admin login via active directory.

The reporting was an integral part of the project so replacing their manual process with a new automated system was essential. We implemented a custom reporting dashboard, allowing the admin to view all key metrics at a glance and the system to send auto-generated email reports. The advanced reporting module allows the admin to configure and extract key information about buyers, auctions and KPIs - the key insight needed to direct future business decisions.

The Results

We have delivered a fully-bespoke Magento Auction platform system, with the precise features needed by the business to meet their requirements - this has reduced all manual tasks and decreased the possibility of manual errors moving forward. 

The solution was well tested including a full PHPUnit test, Functional test suite, and Custom Stress/load testing script created for the platform which tests everything from logging in, creating a bid, searching, and viewing auctions as a customer. Full penetration testing was completed on the platform and all custom code.

The site is now supported by our 24/7 365 enterprise-level support package.

Note: This site is behind a private bidding platform