How we revamped Pricemania for enhanced user experience.
Pricemania is an ecommerce platform that aggregates information on prices and quality of online stores, empowering consumers to make smarter purchasing decisions. Founded in 2007 by Michal Král, the idea was born during his work and study stays in the U.S. from 2002 to 2004, where he utilized similar price comparison systems. As the Slovak ecommerce market began to grow, the need for easy price and store quality comparisons led to the creation of Pricemania.
The platform updates millions of products daily from over 10,000 Slovak and hundreds of Czech online shops, featuring nearly all major sellers on the market. For customers, Pricemania saves time and money by helping them choose not only the cheapest option but also the most reliable retailer.
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In 2019, founder Michal Král made a bold decision—to completely rebuild the application from the ground up. Over 14 years of continuous operation, technological debt had accumulated within the system, limiting the platform’s ability to innovate and compete in the fast-paced ecommerce market. The outdated system was also hindering the development of new features and slowing down expansion.
We systematically rebuilt the API along with key modules and services, creating a more agile and sustainable system. With a newly re-engineered core, Pricemania can now introduce new features at a much faster pace, while providing administrators with enhanced control over the platform. This technical upgrade allows Pricemania to respond swiftly to market shifts and offer users more sophisticated, modern tools.
We also implemented an innovative system called Pricemania Content Network, which fundamentally changed how customers are targeted in the early stages of their shopping journey. This system allows online stores to reach potential customers when they are still considering a product.
Pricemania Content Network integrates widgets directly into articles on partner websites, allowing customers to compare product prices from leading online stores. Customers can click directly through to the specific online store, saving them time and simplifying the shopping process. For online stores, this solution significantly increases the visibility of their campaigns by targeting customers right when they are making purchasing decisions.
The transition to a new generation of API and the complete rebuild of the system core enabled faster and more efficient development of new features. As a result, the entire system became more sustainable and flexible in adapting to changing market demands. Pricemania can now respond quickly to demand, improve services for online stores, and gain better control over the platform’s management processes.
Today, Pricemania Content Network operates with more than 3,000 widgets integrated on 20 major Slovak publishers’ websites and media groups. Thanks to this extensive integration, online stores effectively reach thousands of customers daily, right at the moment they are making critical buying decisions. Pricemania has significantly expanded its business model and increased the visibility of its platform.
The success and innovation of Pricemania have been covered by Slovak media outlets, which highlighted that the technological overhaul and the launch of the new advertising network helped merchants reach a larger customer base and boost the impact of their campaigns.
The most important incorporated modules
Technologies used
In 2018, we faced a tough decision about the future of our application, as the accumulated technological debt had severely limited our growth potential. The app wasn’t allowing us to expand or innovate quickly—it was holding us back. After a comprehensive audit by bart, we strategically decided to rebuild the entire application step-by-step, replacing individual modules as we went.
Though the process is still ongoing, we already know that it was the right decision. It’s enabled us to develop new features much faster and with higher quality, resulting in a year-on-year growth of over 80%. We’ve launched a new business line, the Pricemania Content Network, and we are starting to expand internationally. I appreciate that bart was able to design and execute the entire project while maintaining excellent communication and a flexible approach throughout the process.
