The problem

For years, the development team at Codup has been building custom solutions for e-commerce businesses, with a particular focus on B2B solutions across both Shopify and BigCommerce platforms. With a portfolio split of roughly 70% Shopify and 30% BigCommerce, they've established themselves as experts in building public apps for these platforms.

However, like many agencies in the e-commerce space, Codup found themselves struggling with the time-intensive nature of app development. Even building the most basic apps required an extensive amount of work.

"Most of our public MVPs within e-commerce and Shopify have taken around two to three months on average," explained Fahad Sheikh, Head of Growth and Product at Codup. Rather than building out apps with features that could differentiate them in a competitive space, the team was spending valuable development time on repetitive tasks like OAuth, managing databases, and maintaining infrastructure.

The complexity of building and maintaining apps was also affecting their ability to take on new projects, as custom development work was becoming prohibitively costly and time consuming. With each new app requiring weeks of backend setup and ongoing maintenance, the team had to be selective about which projects they took on. Despite plenty of opportunities to improve existing apps, they couldn't justify the development resources required.

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A week into using Gadget, we were fully confident that one hundred percent it was going to save us a lot of time and a lot of headache.

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Fahad Sheikh
Head of Growth and Product

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The solution

When Codup's CEO saw a demo of Gadget at a conference in Austin, he was intrigued. Although initially skeptical of another development platform promising faster build times, he was tired of company growth being limited by developer hours. So, they began to evaluate Gadget's capabilities. They assembled a team of developers to assess the platform, and while they were hesitant about using infrastructure they couldn't fully control, the advantages outweighed the risks. 

"A week into using Gadget, we were fully confident that one hundred percent it was going to save us a lot of time and a lot of headache," Fahad recalled. The team quickly discovered that Gadget's built-in Shopify connection eliminated the need for complex setup processes that had previously taken weeks to complete.

Muhammad Hasham Khalid, one of Codup's developers, noted how Gadget's framework transformed their development process: "We don't have to write much of the code for the backend and handling the databases. Even if another developer has been working on it and I go to that product, I can immediately get to the point. The APIs are already built - I don't even have to think about it."

The platform's comprehensive documentation and support through Discord helped the team overcome any initial learning curves. By giving them a standardized framework for their code, Gadget's support team provided guidance that helped them work better together.

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The results

When they started building with Gadget, the team saw an immediate impact. Projects that took two to three months could be completed in just four to six weeks. This dramatic reduction in development time and maintenance has minimized the cost to build apps, which has allowed Codup to take on more projects and expand its service offerings.

The first app they built with Gadget, Quick Order B2B and Wholesale, was completed and deployed in just a few days. Despite the impossibly short turnaround time, it launched with significantly fewer bugs and maintenance issues compared to the previous version.

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"We haven't really touched the app since publishing the update," Fahad noted. Because they built on Gadget, they've been able to trust that the app is stable and reliable without any interventions. This reduced maintenance burden has freed the team to focus on innovation and new features rather than troubleshooting infrastructure issues.

The cost savings have been substantial as well. By reducing the burden on the backend developers and minimizing the scope of new projects, Codup has been able to slash development costs by 30%. They're able to extend savings to their clients, so custom app development is now more accessible to them.

The team's confidence in Gadget has grown so much that they now actively recommend it to their clients. When they recently received a lead through Gadget's Discord channel for a custom app project, they immediately suggested building it on Gadget's platform, knowing it would result in a better product with faster delivery times.

Looking ahead, Codup is expanding their app development initiatives, including plans to build more BigCommerce apps using Gadget's newly available BigCommerce connection. Their experience with Gadget has transformed their approach to app development, allowing them to focus on creating innovative solutions rather than managing infrastructure.

"If someone asks about building a Shopify app, we'll always recommend Gadget," Muhammad shared. “Gadget makes us unbelievably efficient, which is a win for us and our clients." He says now, the platform is integral to their development process. With Gadget handling the complex backend tasks and infrastructure management, Codup can continue to grow their portfolio of apps while maintaining the high quality their clients expect.