Under The Hood of Andy Crathorne

Posted by: Alana Twelmeyer Tuesday, September 8th, 2015

Andy CrathorneAndy Crathorne (@andycrathorne) is Magento Project Manager at Media Lounge (@Media_Lounge), a Magento eCommerce website design, development and optimisation agency. Media Lounge is dedicated to helping their clients stand out by providing a total online solution, which has led them to be an award winning agency.

Within our interview with Andy, we were able to get a better understanding of what a Magento Project Manager at Media Lounge does. We also got a sense of what Andy’s personal life is like. He shares how he spends his free time engaging in activities that help him to stay healthy mentally and physically, along with many other details on his life in and out of work.

Can you describe what you really do at work?

My main role at Media Lounge is managing Magento projects from inception to launch, working with in-house design and development teams as well as third-party developers, such as WebShopApps. This covers scoping technical and functional requirements, wire framing, managing the design process, putting together technical instructions for the development teams, testing, amends, and of course client training and support at the end.

If money was no object, what would you spend your days doing?

Working with designers and developers, I would spend my day oozing out every last bit of conversion, trying different things (no matter how small) to see if I can get the most out of the traffic you already get. That, and plenty of exercise with a healthy mix of food and drink!

I’m a firm believer that a healthy body = healthy mind. I have a very healthy diet and make sure what goes in my body is natural and organic as best as possible. This certainly helps to keep me going and focused.

In your spare time what do you get up to, and how do you balance this with your workload?

I run an eCommerce store myself in my spare time (also on Magento) so apart from working in the ‘eCommercesphere’ I try to keep as fit and healthy as possible. Playing squash, football, cycling and running are my favourites and I snowboard each year.

How do you see the future evolving for Magento and the eCommerce space in general?

I’m looking forward to Magento 2 to see how that changes things. Mobile is clearly taking over but I’ve yet to see a real boost in mobile conversion. In my experience people are browsing and researching on their mobiles but actually purchasing on their tablet or desktop. I’m looking forward to seeing a really slick mobile payment method built into devices become mainstream.

The subscription model is exciting but I think it needs work to become the norm. To be really successful I think we need to address the delivery side of the process. If you’re not in at the time of delivery and you have to collect it from the depot or arrange a re-delivery you may as well just pop to the shops yourself.

What is usually your last thought before falling asleep?

As soon as I hit the pillow I’m gone so it’s hard to say! My last thoughts usually revolve around what I’m up to in the morning and the next day.

Who is your role model, and why?

There are a few people I follow and look up to for their achievements and ideas. To name a few, Michael Dubin, Elon Musk, and Timothy Ferriss.

What motivates you?

Working with clients that have the drive and skills to really take their business forward, with support from me along the way. These are the clients that I learn from the most and are usually the most fun to work with.

What is the most played song on your MP3 player or phone?

We’ve started listening to classical music in the office after a convincing study on the effect on concentration when listening to classical music. So far it seems to work!

Would you like to plug anything?

Media Lounge (www.medialounge.co.uk) is a specialist Magento agency in Bournemouth, UK. We’ve been working with Magento for 7 years and have built some really nice sites in that time. In my spare time, I also run a Magento store for Car Camera Shop (www.carcamerashop.co.uk).

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