Look into ocean

Thought Leadership

Expert insights, in-depth guides, and proven strategies to help you navigate digital transformation and grow with confidence.

We love to document our knowledge and share it. As such, this is a collection of both our "geek-out" moments (technical) in addition to less technical aspects, such as store management, conference recaps and even discussion of core values.

We believe that if we learn something amazing, or have a lightbulb moment, we need to share it. Maybe it will inspire someone, help them solve a problem, or provide the needed information at the right time.

Books

Explore our full-length books covering eCommerce, digital strategy, and growth.

Articles

Read our musings about unique aspects of ecommerce development.

5 AI Questions Every eCommerce CEO Should Ask Their Agency in 2025

Discover the 5 AI questions top eCommerce CEOs use to evaluate their agency’s expertise, measure ROI, and protect data in 2025.

Best B2B Buyer Portals for 2025: OroCommerce vs BigCommerce vs SparkLayer

Compare OroCommerce, BigCommerce B2B Edition, and SparkLayer in this in-depth guide. Learn which buyer portal fits your B2B sales process, w…

AI Product Description Optimization: Fix Vague eCommerce Copy and Boost Conversions

Vague product descriptions are killing your conversions. Learn how to fix them with AI-powered techniques that improve SEO, clarity, and buy…

The Ultimate Multi-Brand eCommerce Platform Comparison

Running multiple brands? We compare Shopify, BigCommerce, and Adobe Commerce for multi-store eCommerce—including inventory sync, admin tools…

5 Reasons Hyvä Might Not Be Right for Your Magento Store in 2025

Hyvä is a popular Magento theme for a reason—but it isn’t always the right fit. Learn five key situations where merchants should pause befor…

Hyvä and Magento in 2025: Why It’s Still the Smartest Frontend Move You Can Make

Considering Hyvä for your Magento store? Here are five major reasons it remains the smartest frontend investment in 2025—faster, cleaner, an…

Stop Asking This ERP Integration Question When Vetting eCommerce Agencies

Most brands start their agency search with one big question: “Have you integrated our ERP before?” But this surface-level filter often leads…

Broken homepage due to a website outage
What To Do When Your Website Goes Down | SwiftOtter Outage Response Guide

Is your website down? Here’s what to do next. Follow our expert guide to diagnose the problem, communicate effectively, and recover fast—plu…

Does Hyva Actually Improve Magento Site Performance?

We analyzed nearly 9,000 Magento websites—including hundreds using Hyva—to find out if switching themes actually improves Core Web Vitals an…

Adobe Commerce Live Search: Pros, Cons & the Hidden Advantage Most Merchants Miss

Learn what’s new in Adobe Commerce 2.4.8, including PHP 8.4 support, security updates, B2B features, and upgrade timing advice for merchants…

Adobe Commerce as a Service Demo
Adobe Commerce as a Service: Full Demo and Walkthrough | SwiftOtter

See Adobe Commerce as a Service in action. This walkthrough explores the new architecture, frontend performance, admin updates, and the Comp…

Fixing Magento Attribute Decimals Without Breaking Your Data

A common Magento issue leads devs to truncate decimal values in the database—causing broken tax calculations and data loss. Here’s a safer, …

Diagnosing Your eCommerce Platform Struggles: Is It Magento, Your Agency, or Something Else?

Determine whether your eCommerce platform challenges stem from Magento's complexity, your agency partner, or your own internal processes.

Five Problems Adobe Commerce Optimizer Solves

Learn what’s new in Adobe Commerce 2.4.8, including PHP 8.4 support, security updates, B2B features, and upgrade timing advice for merchants…

BigCommerce B2B Edition: Managing Company Hierarchies

BigCommerce now supports company hierarchies in B2B Edition. Learn how to set them up, what to expect, and how to optimize them for complex …

Adobe Commerce 2.4.8: What Merchants Need to Know

Learn what’s new in Adobe Commerce 2.4.8, including PHP 8.4 support, security updates, B2B features, and upgrade timing advice for merchants…

The Adobe Experience Platform Product Map

Here's how the pieces fit together (with a downloadable map), describing Adobe Commerce, Experience Optimizer, Experience Manager and more.

What is Adobe Commerce as a Service

Adobe Commerce as a Service is essentially Magento 2 in a "black box". Customizations happen in a different way. Learn how this affects you.

What is Adobe Commerce Optimizer: rapid eCommerce facelifts

Curious about Adobe Commerce Optimizer? Learn how this powerful tool improves site speed, stability, and conversion rates for Magento, Sales…

What is Adobe Edge Delivery Services (EDS)?

Edge Delivery Services (Helix, AEM Franklin, Next Gen Composibility) is Adobe's toolset for delivering content to visitors. This article pro…

Adobe Commerce Storefront Demo

There's a new "theme", or website, in town—the official Luma-killer. See the new Adobe Commerce Storefront experience for yourself!

A merchant's guide to Adobe Commerce 2.4.7-p4

Adobe Commerce 2.4.7-p4 is a seemingly benign patch, but the devil is in the details. We discuss everything you need to know to pull of a sm…

Change themes or replatform? Four options for modernizing your Adobe Commerce website.

We leverage our deep Magento 2 experience to present the pros and cons of how you can modernize your website.

foggy mountain summit
The Outdoor Sporting Goods Competitive Analysis: 2024 Q2

We watch the industry like a hawk to understand what is changing. We review the statistics and our five favorite website migrations.

How Much Does a Shopify Website Cost? (2024 Price Estimates)

Discover the true cost of a Shopify website in 2024. Learn about recurring charges, design and development fees, and marketing expenses to p…

Reviewed: Top 6 Shopify Product Configurators [2024]

See the winners from our in-depth research of 3D Product Configuration tools on Shopify. Our best-overall pick is ShapeDiver, a customizable…

7 Best BigCommerce Development Agencies in 2024

Learn what to consider when evaluating different BigCommerce agencies and discover the best BigCommerce development agencies by niche and sp…

6 Best Shopify Development Agencies in 2024

Learn what to consider when evaluating different Shopify agencies and discover the best Shopify development agencies by niche and specialty.

20 eCommerce Product Configurator Examples [2024]

See how others in the eCommerce industry are utilizing product configurators to increase customer confidence and sales.

The Outdoor Sporting Goods Competitive Analysis: 2024 Q1

We watch the industry like a hawk to understand what is changing. Here are the four websites that changed platforms in early 2024.

8 Best eCommerce Platforms for Firearms and Gun Stores

SwiftOtter reviews the top 8 eCommerce platforms for firearm and gun stores, along with a free download, to help identify what platform will…

A Peek Into Adobe Commerce Page Builder

Adobe Commerce’s built-in Page Builder drag-and-drop content types provide powerful authoring tools, but you can also extend them or create …

Potential UPS Strike: here's how merchants on BigCommerce and Adobe Commerce should prepare.

We detail a bulletproof 3-step plan to ensure your customers are well-informed about the potential delays associated with the strike.

Starting BigCommerce Development: Introduction to APIs

We dive a bit deeper into the true backbone of the “open SaaS” platform, and a toolset with which you’ll become well familiar in your develo…

Managing Enabled Modules in Magento

Make sure you have a good handle on the mechanics of enabling/disabling modules in Adobe Commerce, and the implications.

Virtual Types in Adobe Commerce

Virtual types in Adobe Commerce can seem intimidating at first, particular if your first exposure to them occurs when desperately trying to …

Magento Environment Refreshes: More Than a git pull

Syncing code and data between multiple environments is a fact of dev life. Adobe Commerce has a lot of moving pieces that create side effect…

Starting BigCommerce Development: The Main Pillars

Let's zoom in a to survey the major tools and concepts you’ll need to familiarize yourself with for your BigCommerce journey!

Using the @var Annotation in Adobe Commerce

I hope you're making consistent use of PHP type-hints in your Magento code. But don't throw the habit of variable annotations out the window…

Does WooCommerce Support Firearms Merchants?

We look at everyday needs in the outdoor sporting goods industry, WooCommerce's features, platform and philosophy. Based on this assessment,…

URLs and Layout Handles in Adobe Commerce

In Adobe Commerce, layout XML files control the content on a given page. It’s often fairly easy to sleuth out which layout filename controls…

Starting BigCommerce Development: Thinking in SaaS

So you’ve decided to take the first steps toward learning how to “do BigCommerce development.” You may need to start with a mindset shift.

The magento2-base Package

The magento/magento2-base Composer package is an important one for the main codebase of Adobe Commerce - one that typically does its job beh…

Generated Classes: Extensions

In this last entry in a series looking at generated classes in Adobe Commerce, we’re examining extension classes.

Generated Classes: Proxies

We’re continuing our look into generated classes in Adobe Commerce, and this time we’re going to examine the neglected and oft forgotten sib…

Eight Steps to Ace Your Magento 2 or Adobe Commerce Interview

Interviews can be terrifying. They don't have to be. Joseph walks you through the eight steps to leapfrog to the front of the pack.

Generated Classes: Factories

We’re continuing our look at generated classes in Adobe Commerce, and in this segment we’re examining factories.

Generated Classes: Interceptors

In this short series, we’re going to look at the different kinds of auto-generated PHP classes in Adobe Commerce. First up: interceptors!

SwiftOtter's Guided Study Group

Prepare for certification success with SwiftOtter's live study group program

Using View Models

Are you making proper use of view models in your Adobe Commerce presentation layer, or do you continue to give in to the temptation to creat…

The ultimate guide to getting your Adobe Commerce / Magento 2 certification. [updated 2023]

Here is everything you need to know to get Magento certified. We have been intimately familiar with the exam development process.

How to renew your Adobe Commerce Magento certification

Joseph has done it, you can do it, too. Here's everything you need to know about ensuring your Magento 2 or Adobe Commerce certification rem…

What you need to know to pass the Magento Solution Specialist Exam [2023]

The Magento Solution Specialist exam is tough to crack. Joseph walks you through what it takes—he helped write the exam.

Constants in Magento XML

You should be well familiar with using class constants instead of hard-coded strings in your PHP code, but did you know you can do this in y…

Quick Tips

Harness the power of Adobe Commerce (Magento 2) and BigCommerce through these actionable ideas

Articles for Online Retailers
The Top 6 Magento 2 Training Recommendations

Getting started on Magento 2 is not easy: we will point you in the right direction.

The top four resources for learning BigCommerce [Aug, 2023]

Learn how to effectively use and develop on BigCommerce

Getting the most out of view.xml

You probably mostly use view.xml in Adobe Commerce when you have to. But give some thought to defining your own vars to give presentational …

The 2023 SwiftOtter Challenge to Achieve Adobe Commerce Certification

Are you ready to level up your career? We can help you. Join our certification challenge to get this kicked off!

Pulling Upstream Changes with Synchronize in Adobe Commerce Cloud

If you're using Adobe Commerce Cloud, make your life simpler with the Synchronize action when you have code and data changes that should mak…

Magento to Adobe Certification Updates (February 2023)

SwiftOtter has tracked all Magento to Adobe Commerce certification updates very closely. Here are our updates.

My perspective on a better Magento 2 frontend
Adding Styles to the Magento 2 WYSIWYG Editor
Magento 2 Template Paths
A reflection on working with an SVG icon system
Easily increase the auto increment for a MySQL table
Knockout JS Concepts - Magento 2 Javascript for Magento 1 Developers
Using Magento 2 Configuration Test Annotations
How Much Does a Magento 2 Website Cost? (Now Adobe Commerce)

The answer may surprise you. Avoid critical mistakes that could exponentially increase the project cost.

Toggles and switches
Feature Toggles

Make feature toggles part of your development mindset. It should always be possible to disable the effects of your code without reverting it…

Easily Add Custom JavaScript to Magento 2
Why we review Magento modules before installation—and why you should, too.

We've seen all the horror stories of unvetted modules. Don't let this happen to you. Here's why this is important.

Using CSS Grid in Magento Stores
Diagnose a revenue drop after an Adobe Commerce migration

Stories and analysis of how to pull through a revenue disaster on Magento 2.

Which Magento Test Should I Take?
Ecommerce Developer Ninja Training
Upgrading Adobe Commerce from 2.3 to 2.4
SwiftOtter + LifeWater: Otters love Water

We give at least 10% of our net profit to LifeWater, providing sustainable water to people across the world.

Collection Processors

Magento collection processors might initially scare you away from implementing a service layer. But they're really just a good example of go…

How to assess a Adobe Commerce (Magento 2) development partner.

Read the key ways to ensure you are working with a quality ecommerce integrator.

Generating a Schema Whitelist File

When using Magento declarative schema, it’s easy to forget generating a "whitelist" file with setup:db-declaration:generate-whitelist. But t…

GraphQL Resolver Flexibility

GraphQL resolvers in Magento can be used in a flexible way, but if you’re used to more traditional API schemes, there’s un-learning to do. I…

GraphQL Response Caching

Don’t overlook how GraphQL caching can enhance performance for headless Adobe Commerce! To get the full benefit of caching, you need to unde…

Sensitive and Environment-Specific Configs

When creating a new Magento config setting, always ask yourself whether it is sensitive or env-specific and take the extra, easy step of dec…

The Right LESS File for the Right Purpose

When styling a Magento module, make sure you know the difference between _module.less and _extend.less and avoid introducing compile errors …

Recertify Like an Ecommerce Ninja

Learn about Adobe's recent changes to certification tests and titles. Two new titles and two new addendums.

Join Our Exclusive Slack Channel
How to rescue an Adobe Commerce / Magento 2 website

Let "Magento do it's magic" doesn't always work. Here's how to get your website back on track.

Ecommerce Developer Ninja Training

Solving problems in an e-commerce environment is tough and demanding. Your manager, project manager and merchants are all staring at you say…

2021 Developer Report

We developers often write code in isolation. COVID has only exasperated this. Just because we are using a tool doesn't mean it's the best or…

2022 Developer Report

This sheds light on what your colleagues use to write code.

Is Hyva the right choice for Adobe Commerce & Magento 2 websites?

Learn the good and bad of Hyva in this unbiased review by SwiftOtter. We compare Hyva, Luma, Porto and PWA.

Magento 2 (Adobe Commerce) Audit: Improve Site Performance and Results

Through our audit process, we can identify which aspects of your site are keeping your business from achieving the desired results. Audits c…

How Colorado's Retail Delivery Fee Affects Magento
Stay ahead of an ADA/website-related lawsuit
Flowers in a field
The Case for Personalization

eCom Buzz

Get quick tips and tricks from the eCommerce veterans here at SwiftOtter. You can join the club to have these dropped directly into your inbox every other week.

Customer Discovery AI: Upgrade Your Site Search and Drive More Conversions

Tired of outdated site search? SwiftOtter’s Customer Discovery AI uses conversational intelligence to transform how customers find products,…

AI is Changing How Customers Discover eCommerce Brands

AI is reshaping how customers find products online—and most eCommerce brands aren’t ready. In this episode of eCom Buzz, we unpack the shift…

AI in eCommerce: What Works, What Doesn’t, and How to Actually Use It

Understand how to use AI in eCommerce the right way. This guide breaks down generative AI, machine learning, and automation—what each one do…

eCommerce Performance Optimization: When to Invest, What to Fix, and What to Ignore

Learn how website speed affects sales, SEO, and user experience in 2025. Understand the ROI of performance optimization with expert insight,…

How to Custom Build an eCommerce Feature Without Wasting Time or Money

A practical, step-by-step guide for eCommerce managers on how to successfully custom build features—without overspending, overbuilding, or m…

Build or Buy? How to Scope Smarter eCommerce Features

Covering Adobe Commerce (Magento 2), Shopify, BigCommerce and WooCommerce

Five Impactful eCommerce DIY Tune-up Tips

Covering Adobe Commerce (Magento 2), Shopify, BigCommerce and WooCommerce

The Maturity Assessment: a baseline for the present; a vision for the future.

Here's our expert opinion on "what's next" for your website. Use this guide to help you better achieve your goals for 2025.

Is Your Website Driving Away Valuable, Technical Users?

Technical users aren't just browsing—they're building your success. Learn how to meet their exact needs and make their job (and yours) easie…

The Category Drilldown: Help Customers Find Products

Help Customers Find products

eCom Buzz Ep 17: Black Friday Promotions

Boost your Black Friday sales and average order value with three essential promotion types, complete with video tutorials for Shopify, BigCo…

eCom Buzz Ep 16: Branded product lines are a graveyard fixture for eCommerce

Confusing product lines are frustrating your customers—learn how categorizing by application can improve their experience and boost your sal…

Ep 15: Playing Spot-It on your website?

Learn how to improve product discoverability, boost user experience, and reduce bounce rates with three practical solutions for eCommerce we…

Ep 14: 3 + 2 = 5 ways to use or avoid AI to improve your eCommerce productivity.

Discover 3 ways AI can enhance eCommerce productivity, plus 2 common traps to avoid. Learn about AI-powered tools, drone delivery issues, an…

Ep 13: Can’t find your conversion rate in GA4

Learn how to track your website's conversion rate in Google Analytics 4 and navigate the new "Key Events" system for better insights.

Ep 12: Master problem-solving to get a raise on your next evaluation

Learn how to solve eCommerce problems faster, boost your performance, and stay updated on the latest industry news from BigCommerce and more…

Ep. 11: Is your user experience slow or clunky?

Explore three strategies to upgrade your ecommerce website and break free from outdated technology.

Ep. 10: Google’s Antitrust Lawsuit & Lessons from a New Website Launch

Explore the implications of Google’s antitrust lawsuit for merchants and gain insights from a recent eCommerce website launch.

Ep. 9: How long until I receive your product?

Get ahead of the holiday rush by securing your eCommerce site, optimizing customer experience, and ensuring accurate delivery times to boost…

Ep. 8: Unlocking Sales with a Clear Value Proposition

Discover the latest ecommerce news and learn how a clear value proposition can boost your online sales.

Ep. 7: What's your Interaction to Next Pain(t)?

Discover how optimizing the Interaction to Next Paint (INP) metric can enhance your eCommerce website's user experience and boost search ran…

Ep. 6: Optimize Your Website's Image Sizes to Boost Performance

Discover how optimizing your website's image sizes can dramatically boost your site's speed and performance, and catch up on the latest eCom…

Ep. 5: Google Tag Manager May Be Killing Your SEO

Discover how an overloaded Google Tag Manager could be tanking your SEO and learn the steps to streamline your tags for optimal search engin…

Ep. 4: Why is a clear value proposition crucial?

Unlock the secret to standing out in ecommerce with a clear value proposition that sets you apart from the competition.

Ep. 3: Why Is Adobe Commerce Expensive?

Discover why Adobe Commerce is expensive to maintain and learn strategies to manage these costs.

Ep. 2: Is Your Homepage Irrelevant?

Discover why your homepage might be less important than you think.

Ep. 1: Who Uses Your B2B Website?

Discover the key needs of end users, architects, engineers, and dealers to optimize your B2B website and boost your sales!

Blog Posts

Get quick tips and tricks from the eCommerce veterans here at SwiftOtter. You can join the club to have these dropped directly into your inbox every other week.

Quick Tips by Chris Nanninga

A Peek Into Adobe Commerce Page Builder

Adobe Commerce’s built-in Page Builder drag-and-drop content types provide powerful authoring tools, but you can also extend them or create …

Managing Enabled Modules in Magento

Make sure you have a good handle on the mechanics of enabling/disabling modules in Adobe Commerce, and the implications.

Virtual Types in Adobe Commerce

Virtual types in Adobe Commerce can seem intimidating at first, particular if your first exposure to them occurs when desperately trying to …

Magento Environment Refreshes: More Than a git pull

Syncing code and data between multiple environments is a fact of dev life. Adobe Commerce has a lot of moving pieces that create side effect…

Using the @var Annotation in Adobe Commerce

I hope you're making consistent use of PHP type-hints in your Magento code. But don't throw the habit of variable annotations out the window…

URLs and Layout Handles in Adobe Commerce

In Adobe Commerce, layout XML files control the content on a given page. It’s often fairly easy to sleuth out which layout filename controls…

The magento2-base Package

The magento/magento2-base Composer package is an important one for the main codebase of Adobe Commerce - one that typically does its job beh…

Generated Classes: Extensions

In this last entry in a series looking at generated classes in Adobe Commerce, we’re examining extension classes.

Generated Classes: Proxies

We’re continuing our look into generated classes in Adobe Commerce, and this time we’re going to examine the neglected and oft forgotten sib…

Generated Classes: Factories

We’re continuing our look at generated classes in Adobe Commerce, and in this segment we’re examining factories.

Generated Classes: Interceptors

In this short series, we’re going to look at the different kinds of auto-generated PHP classes in Adobe Commerce. First up: interceptors!

Using View Models

Are you making proper use of view models in your Adobe Commerce presentation layer, or do you continue to give in to the temptation to creat…

Constants in Magento XML

You should be well familiar with using class constants instead of hard-coded strings in your PHP code, but did you know you can do this in y…

Getting the most out of view.xml

You probably mostly use view.xml in Adobe Commerce when you have to. But give some thought to defining your own vars to give presentational …

Pulling Upstream Changes with Synchronize in Adobe Commerce Cloud

If you're using Adobe Commerce Cloud, make your life simpler with the Synchronize action when you have code and data changes that should mak…

Toggles and switches
Feature Toggles

Make feature toggles part of your development mindset. It should always be possible to disable the effects of your code without reverting it…

Collection Processors

Magento collection processors might initially scare you away from implementing a service layer. But they're really just a good example of go…

Generating a Schema Whitelist File

When using Magento declarative schema, it’s easy to forget generating a "whitelist" file with setup:db-declaration:generate-whitelist. But t…

GraphQL Resolver Flexibility

GraphQL resolvers in Magento can be used in a flexible way, but if you’re used to more traditional API schemes, there’s un-learning to do. I…

GraphQL Response Caching

Don’t overlook how GraphQL caching can enhance performance for headless Adobe Commerce! To get the full benefit of caching, you need to unde…

Sensitive and Environment-Specific Configs

When creating a new Magento config setting, always ask yourself whether it is sensitive or env-specific and take the extra, easy step of dec…

The Right LESS File for the Right Purpose

When styling a Magento module, make sure you know the difference between _module.less and _extend.less and avoid introducing compile errors …

Smash the Bug Podcast

Smash the Bug is Joseph's opportunity to interview talented developers in this industry. Our focus is primarily these difficult tasks that may seem insurmountable at the time. Yet, we break through and achieve success. This is the life of the developer and we hope to shine a spotlight on the heroes who make a genuine difference in our field.

Episode 54: Get the Most Out of Your Code Reviews

Listen in to this episode to hear James Cowie's recommendations for getting the most out of your code reviews, how to stay fresh with the kn…

Episode 53: Preventing Security Breaches

Security is one of those topics like taxes where we have to just do it. Talking to someone like Talesh Seeparsan about security on our Magen…

Episode 52: Tenacity of a Junior Developer

Junior developers are a category of people we haven’t explored much on this podcast yet. In this episode of Smash the Bug, we’re changing th…

Episode 51: Part 2: Modularity & Related Complexities

This episode of Smash the Bug is part 2 of the conversation with Joseph and Igor Miniailo! In this part, Igor delves further into the backst…

Episode 50: Tuning Into Burnout

On this episode, we talk with Łukasz Bajsarowicz about Imposter Syndrome and burnout; two very common feelings that most, if not all of us c…

Episode 49: Strategies for Navigating Hyvä

In this episode Alexander Galdin, Frontend Developer with ITdelight joined us to talk about customizing Hyvä for merchants. His in the trenc…

Episode 48: Part 1: Temporary Tables & Hidden Solutions

Igor Miniailo joins us for this return of Smash The Bug! He and Joseph share similar experiences on the difficulties of replicating issues, …

Episode 47: News, Challenges, and Keys to Communication

On this episode, Joseph and Jesse discuss the latest news, real-life challenges they face as an agency at SwiftOtter, and the importance of …

Episode 46: Commerce Cloud: What You Need to Know with Yarik Voronyi, Russell Albin, Shane Herman

Today’s topic is on sticking points with Commerce Cloud, the challenges people bring upon themselves when they are deploying solutions out t…

Episode 45: Three Magentos Into One?

Peter Jaap Blaakmeer has been a developer for over 15 years. He recently jumped into a pretty interesting project, and he was very kind to g…

Episode 44: Peter's Modules Make Life Easy

When Peter Rusin comes across a monstrous challenge, he creates a tool to beat it, and shares it openly with the community. On this episode,…

Episode 43: From Spaghetti Code to Technical Poetry

On this episode, we hear from Michal Biarda on his passion for helping developers to get away from writing “spaghetti code”, and how he and …

Episode 42: Spotting Changes & Tracking Down Bugs - Joseph & Jesse

January was a big month for SwiftOtter’s digital agency, meaning lots of difficult problems to solve and lessons to learn! Join Joseph and J…

Episode 41: Using Automation to Keep Bugs Out of Production

On this episode, Leon Helmus shares a few of the crazy circumstances he has worked through and the challenges he’s overcome in the recent pa…

Episode 40: Refactoring Code (Christmas Special)

Grab a seat and let’s talk about what’s in the near future for us developers, going into 2022, and the “how”, “why” and “when” behind code r…

Episode 39: Part 2 - Saving Magento Open Source

After getting hung up on the wonderful world of Hyvä themes and the amazing future in store for the Magento frontend, we’re finally back to …

Episode 38: Becoming an Architect

Matt Sherer joins us on this episode to share his experience and show us what it really looks like to transition from a senior developer int…

Episode 37: Part 1 - The Hyvä Revolution

Willem Wigman's disdain for Luma is what brought us Hyvä, a Magento front-end that makes sense. Why does it make sense? Let’s dive in and se…

Episode-36: 6 Steps to Incredible Performance

Eric Allatt is an 8-time certified Magento developer (kind of a lot, right?) who is kind of obsessed with website performance. On this episo…

Episode 35: Boosting Magento Performance

Ivan has been around since the beginning, and he has some very valuable tips to share from his experience that might just help you fix whate…

Episode 34: M2 Product Overload & Integration Testing

Join us on this episode as we discuss developers mental health, integration testing, debugging, and some challenging experiences with Łukasz…

Episode 33: Mage-OS & Adobe's Response to the Open Letter

In this episode we get to hear from Eric Erway, Group Project Manager at Adobe Commerce, regarding the future of Magento/Adobe Commerce Open…

Episode 32: Code Review Craze: Why & How?

In a world where billable hours and quick turnaround times are supreme, we must remember that quality is the only option, before profits or …

Episode 31: Flying to Tokyo to Solve a Massive Problem

How far have YOU gone to smash a bug? Listen in to hear how Shawn Abramson worked on a bug that took him to a place he'd never been before.

Episode 30: Store Configuration Traps & Some Critical Advice

When working with a legacy/inherited project, how do we jump in and assume the project without pulling the rug out from under the merchant, …

Episode 29: 30-Year Developer Gives His Advice

Barny Shergold has been developing software for over 30 years. Join us on this episode to get his advice on how to reach your full potential…

Episode 28: Magento Evolutions & Architectural Insights

Join us on this episode to hear Ray Bogman's insider perspective on where Magento is headed and why he's excited about it's future

Episode 27: When the Quick Fix is the Right Fix

Join us on this episode as we discuss some new features, a big problem we recently faced on one of our client's sites, and a reminder to joi…

Episode 26: How Can Shopware & Magento Live in Harmony?

Listen in for Ben Marks take on Magento vs. Shopware, and advice on what you should be learning. You might be surprised!

Episode 25: Preparing for Projects & Prioritizing Security

In this episode, Ryan Keelaghan talks about his approach to large-scale upgrades, shares some advice on keeping your site secure, and gives …

Episode 24: How Magento Just Got Much Better

Join us on this episode for an exciting Magento improvement, developer tips, and another crazy bug story from Jesse!

Episode 23: Getting the Job You Want

What is YOUR dream job? Are you prepared for that next interview? Are you being paid what you’re worth? Do you feel valued and appreciated b…

Episode 22: New Horizons in Magento

Join Joseph and Jesse as they discuss some exciting, new features in the Magento 2.4.3 release, as well as an interesting problem Jesse rece…

Episode 21: Mountaintop Debugging

In this podcast, Eduard Zuiev, shares his daily habits and his methods of growing as a developer. He also tells his mountaintop story!

Episode 20: The Great Repository Debate

In this explosive episode of Smash the Bug, Joseph and Jisse explore the conversation of product repositories, efficiency enhancements and w…

Episode 19: The Developer's Greatest Enemy

Do you feel like you’ve had a lot of bad days recently? Tech workers are constantly dealing with new problems to solve that require a sense …

Episode 18: The Ultimate Technical Interview

On this episode of Smash the Bug, Joseph and Jesse play out an interview to inspire you and help you to prepare for the next big move in you…

Episode 17: Debugging Your Future

Join us on this podcast as Max Chadwick shares advice on debugging, and how to improve your skillset.

Episode 16: Making a Master Developer

On this episode of Smash the Bug, the one and only Phillip Jackson, is here to discuss the process of going from Junior to Master Developer.…

Episode 15: Identifying & Battling Burnout

Sometimes the problems we face aren't with the code, but with ourselves, and we need to be open up about these challenges so that we can hel…

Episode 14: The Marks of an Irreplaceable Developer

In this episode, we discuss with TJ Gamble what makes a developer irreplaceable and how to think about your journey as an Ecommerce professi…

Episode 13: PHP Pro Tools

Do you want to be a PHP Pro? Oscar Merida, is here to give us the "PHP pro tools" and remind us of some very useful resources we should be u…

Episode 12: The Most Underestimated Feature in Magento?

Chris Anderson, Tech Lead at BORN Group talks about a difficult integration project and how developers really should be learning how to use …

Episode 11: Steps for Debugging

On this episode, Simon Frost gives us a sneak peek at his upcoming book, outlines his debugging process and explains what it takes to become…

Episode 10: Over the Lake

Join Joseph and Jesse as they talk about the importance of resetting even before a problem is solved, a deep Xdebug stack trace, and the imp…

Episode 9: The Current State of The Magento Ecosystem & Communication Tips

On this podcast, Robert Rand discusses the current state of the Magento ecosystem after the Adobe Summit, and gives some helpful tips on age…

Episode 8: Hyva, New Stack Overflow & Creative Magento Debugging

Listen in to hear Joseph and Jesse talk about Hyva, BugUFO.com, and helpful strategies for debugging!

Episode 7: Product Configuration Overload & Getting Creative

On this podcast, Dan Andrei talks about his experience dealing with a massive eCommerce store that wasn't functioning well on Magento 2.3.6!

Episode 6: Adobe Summit & Common Production Problems

Listen in as Joseph and Jesse talk about news from the Adobe Summit and discuss the many common production challenges that agencies experien…

Episode 5: MSI Module Customizations

Sarvagya Pandey talks about his experience with MSI and the difficult hurdles he has crossed in his career.

Episode 4: Big Magento News & Efficiency Hacks

Join Joseph and Jesse as they talk about some big Magento/Adobe news, developer efficiency hacks and how to become a better problem solver.

Episode 3: Building a Magento 2 website in 20 days

On this episode of Smash the Bug, Ruggero Landolina shares his story about having to completely rebuild a Magento 2 website for a merchant w…

Episode 2: Custom Product Options and uiComponents

Listen in as Joris Hart, CTO at ATI4 GROUP explains a major issue he had to work through with uiComponents and custom product options in Mag…

Episode 1: Checkout and Redirection

Wahid Nory, an experienced developer out of The Netherlands explains a difficult challenge he faced with a merchant's shopping cart redirect…