The Problem: Delays in Delivering Business Value
In eCommerce, time directly affects revenue. While many companies struggle to release new functionalities quickly, we at Magebit have managed to cut our delivery time significantly - and it’s paying off for our clients.
Why Cycle Time Matters
Cycle time measures how long it takes to develop a feature from the moment work starts until it’s live for users.
Shorter cycle time means:
- Faster feedback from users
- Quicker improvements and iterations
- Greater responsiveness to business needs
Where We Stand: Magebit vs. Industry Benchmarks
Industry benchmarks paint a slow picture. According to Statista study and State of Continuous Delivery Report 2024:
- Average cycle time: 14 days
- Many teams deploy monthly or less
Our internal review told a different story:
- In 88% of Magebit projects, key deliverables are completed in 10 days or less (up from 73% last year)
- 6% fall in the 10–15 day range (down from 20%)
- 6% exceed 15 days
Even more striking:
- One team shifted from 25% to 75% of work delivered in under 10 days
- Another jumped from 20% to 80% in that range
These results are a competitive advantage - our clients benefit from quicker delivery and faster iterations.
What Made the Difference
We didn’t rely on luck or buzzwords. We focused on doing the basics well, measuring outcomes, and staying close to client needs. Here's a closer look at how.
Smarter Collaboration
Working closely with our clients’ teams – whether it’s a Product Owner, eCommerce manager, or even the business owner - we support them in reacting quickly, making decisions faster, and closing feedback loops efficiently.
Testing and Validation Early
We don’t wait until the code is done to test it. We challenge ourselves by asking:
- Does this really solve the problem the client described?
- Is this what the business actually needs right now?
This helped catch misalignments early - saving days or even weeks.
Continuous Process Reviews
Each team at Magebit regularly reviews its methods. We rely on actual delivery data to continuously improve, not assumptions.
Real World Example: Packaging Case Study
Cycle time isn’t just about writing code.
One of our clients - a small local brand - shared a pain point during a meeting: they needed 10 employees to manually package around 200 orders a day. It was expensive and inefficient.
This was shared casually, not expecting we could help - but we did.
Our Approach
The issue seemed to be about packaging materials, but we asked to dig deeper. We suggested the business owner take half a day to walk through the process themselves and check a few simple things:
- Where does the process really start - is it when printing invoices, sorting orders, or preparing boxes?
- Are all materials physically easy to access?
- Do you ever need to wait for something or someone before moving to the next step?
What They Discovered
A few weeks later, they came back with amazing results.
The same work now requires only 2 people instead of 10.
Together, we identified key blockers and helped them rethink the process from start to finish.
Here’s what changed:
- Packaging and courier logic was automated - the system now suggests the correct box size and courier based on the order.
- Orders are grouped by size/type, so packing stations can specialize and work faster.
- Tracking codes now load automatically from courier systems - no more manual copy-pasting.
- Label printing became one-click, with no need to select a printer every time.
- Courier selection is automatic, based on location, cost, and weight.
- Invoice lists were replaced with clear packing lists, reducing picking mistakes.
- Workstations were physically improved - monitors were added, tables rearranged, and tasks like label prep and box folding are done in advance.
They realized the issue wasn’t just packaging - it was the entire flow. Even saving 1 minute here, 10 seconds there added up to hours saved every day.
This wasn’t about big investments - just a smarter view of the process.
That’s also cycle time. And it shows how reducing waste and increasing speed doesn’t just help end-users - it transforms business operations.
Chart Explanation:
- Time per Order shows the average minutes needed to package one order.
- Orders per Employee indicates daily productivity per person.
- Waiting Time reflects time lost fetching tools/materials or waiting for packaging steps to be ready.
- Labor Expenses include salary-related costs in % for the packaging process.
Red bars = before improvements. Green bars = after.
The shift highlights how simple process changes led to faster work, reduced waste, and lower costs.
Final Thoughts
At Magebit, we’ve been on the market for over 10 years. And yes, experience matters. Studies show that more experienced teams deploy more often and understand business needs better.
But it’s not only about years. It’s about:
- Improving collaboration (clients are part of the process)
- Being aligned on outcomes (does this solve a real problem?)
- Looking beyond code (operations, process, packaging - it all counts)
At Magebit, we’re proud of how far we’ve come - and we’re just getting started.
Want to move faster with your eCommerce development? Let’s talk.
