Why would an e-commerce agency need an extended development team?
A fast-growing Dutch e-commerce agency could not find experienced Shopify developers locally. Here is how a nearshore extended team in Moldova helped it take on more projects and ship faster.
An e-commerce agency needs an extended development team when local hiring cannot keep up with project demand. For one fast-growing Dutch agency, experienced React and Shopify developers were hard to find at home. A nearshore extended team in Moldova gave it the capacity to take on more projects and deliver faster, without lowering its standards.
The challenge: finding skilled Shopify developers
A fast-growing Dutch e-commerce agency needed experienced React developers with Shopify skills to keep up with rising project demand. Finding that talent locally was the bottleneck.
“The demand for experienced Shopify developers in the Netherlands was high, making it difficult to find the right candidates quickly.”
When the local market cannot supply the specialists you need at the pace your pipeline demands, growth stalls. That was the moment to look beyond the Netherlands.
The solution: build a strong nearshore team
In 2021, the agency partnered with Backstage IT to recruit experienced developers in Chișinău, Moldova. Within four weeks, it had its first React developer in place. The extended team now includes:
- One tech lead
- Three React and Shopify developers
Rather than outsourcing project by project, the agency built a dedicated team that works as an extension of its own, close in both distance and working culture.
How it happened
The recruitment process ran in three steps:
- Targeted search. Backstage IT looked for developers with strong React and Shopify API expertise.
- Two-step interviews. Each candidate went through both a soft-skills conversation and a technical assessment.
- Final selection by the agency. The agency’s own tech lead made the final call on who joined the team.
What the team delivered
The nearshore team shipped features that go to the heart of a modern e-commerce operation:
- A custom store availability check that synchronizes inventory across regions.
- Automated content scheduling for homepage takeovers and promotional banners.
- Daily bulk syncs that keep product data accurate across sales channels.
- Security protocols for limited-edition product drops.
- Integrations for ERP inventory, SEO, data tracking, and email marketing.
The results
The agency scaled its operations, took on more projects, and delivered high-quality solutions faster, all while protecting the reputation it had built. The extended team turned a hiring bottleneck into extra capacity.
Looking ahead
The agency plans to expand the tech team further, invest in training, and strengthen the connection between the two locations through business trips and team-building events. A dedicated team works best when it genuinely feels like one team.
Facing the same hiring bottleneck? Get in touch with Backstage IT to talk through what an extended development team in Moldova could do for your agency.
