eHouse Studio

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the brand manager at a vitamin company. I oversee the strategy and execution of our product marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pointer?

Our existing website needed to be updated. We wanted to ramp up sales and engagement in that channel. Our old website lacked a lot of functionality, and we wanted to add a subscription order feature, as well as improve the design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built a new theme for us from scratch. The website is still on the same platform, so there was no migration, but they created a lot of functionality from the ground up. We sent them inspiration sheets and features we wanted to include, then they did all the wireframes and production.

What is the team composition? 

We had a project manager, a client services lead, and a designer that we interacted with directly. I assume there was a host of engineers, developers, and designers who worked behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Pointer?

I found them based on the previous work they did on a Shopify partner platform. The combination of price point and the way they organized and managed information seemed like a good option for us. Their portfolio looked nice, and they had a good understanding of our needs from the beginning.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $10,000-$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around October or November 2018. The project concluded in February 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The site is much better for us from a marketing perspective. It's a great looking site with great functionality, and it really highlights our product features and benefits. We haven't completed the launch fully, but we expect the e-commerce channel will ultimately be our best or second-best revenue stream.

How did Pointer perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very detailed and organized. They logged and summarized all our correspondence and conversations, and they sent us regular breakdowns of what needed to be completed and where they were in the process. Most of our communication was through email and phone, which was effective for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They produced really solid work. Their communication was good, and they understood our ideas. Even their mockups and drafts of layouts and formats were well made, and we never needed to increase the hours spent. They were easy to work with, and they stayed true to our expectations. We were pleased with everything they delivered, and their work was very polished.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their prices were a little higher than other agencies, but the quality they provided made their costs fair.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to give them feedback and comments within the allotted time. If you dedicate the time you need for reviews on your side, you will have a successful collaboration.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the VP of digital marketing and e-commerce for Empire Sports, a skateboard, snowboard, and streetwear store from Montreal, Quebec.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pointer?

We were moving our platform from Magento to Shopify Plus. We wanted to redesign the frontend of our e-commerce store, and we needed help to improve the UX for our customers. We interviewed a few companies and chose Pointer.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did a lot of development work for us to complete certain functionalities for us. We needed an in-store pickup option, a brick and mortar store finder, and a better internal search engine. We provided documentation to support their design work. All our logos and our visual identity were already set, but they pitched several design ideas. We really liked what they did.

What is the team composition? 

We had a team of between five and ten, led by one main point of contact. He was one of the best project managers I've worked with. Their communication was excellent, and I only interacted with one or two of their team members throughout the project.

How did you come to work with Pointer?

We found through our Shopify launch manager. They worked on similar projects in the past, so we drove to their office to meet with them. They were a perfect fit for us.

How much have you invested with them?

Our total cost for the project fell between $50,000 and $200,000 USD.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in February 2018 and the site launched in early April 2019. The first part of the project is complete and works perfectly. We're currently working on updates for the second version.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We just launched the site, but we can already see how it will help our company grow. All the aspects we wanted to work on are complete. The checkout process is optimized, and the whole UX design is completely fresh. Traffic conversion is faster, and everything is easier to find. It will take time to have clearer statistics, but the site will definitely help us.

How did Pointer perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly work by email and phone and spoke at least twice a week. Any time we had questions, we could contact our project manager and expect a clear answer that same day. We use Asana now but used another app previously to track changes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were looking for people who understood our market. They were a perfect fit for us, and they created visual assets to attract a trendy, young audience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our first language is French, which they handled well. If they work with other clients from Quebec, they should take the bilingual aspect of similar websites a little more seriously.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I don’t have any advice per se, but they took the project and guided us through the process. I think they would work well with any company similar to ours.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a beverage company that creates natural alternatives to energy drinks. I’m a co-founder, mostly sitting in the CMO role.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pointer?

We have an innovative product, so we were looking to have a way to educate people as they interact with it. The website is often the first point of contact for people, so we wanted it to get our brand message across and include educational elements.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did everything around the design and the implementation of the website. I came to them with what I was looking for and the general things I needed, then they did the rest. It was a collaborative process. We had a previous site, but this was a new build from the ground up.

What is the team composition?

I had direct contact with about four people.

How did you come to work with Pointer?

I was looking for a website upgrade for a while, looking through the Shopify Experts Directory and other websites to find freelancers. We tried several options, but then I saw a website by Pointer that I really loved on the Experts page. It was the most expensive option, but it was quite nice, so instead of wasting money on cheaper ones, we decided to go with.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I reached out to them in October 2018, but the work took place January–March 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The best metrics are the positive feedback we received and the high number of compliments. Customers regularly rediscover our webpage and are impressed by it.

How did Pointer perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very efficient when it comes to project management. We communicate through email and had 3–4 feedback calls during the design process, each referring to a particular presentation.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their thoroughness and the attention to detail are excellent. They’re very good at the little things that make your website stand out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re a bit rigid in their project management processes, so sometimes it felt like I was not in control of the process, even though theoretically I am as the client. They try to stick to a timeline for both of our benefit, but if I wanted to change something, there was a lot of resistance.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

No, I can't name anything specific.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the vice president and head of growth at Mosaic Manufacturing. Our organization manufactures 3D printing hardware that upgrades 3D printers to print in multiple colors and materials.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pointer?

We engaged Pointer to help us refresh our brand and have it coincide with the release of a new product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our first objective was to find a new logo. We felt that our existing logo was too complicated and too corporate. We didn’t like the colors or the logo’s use of space. However, we asked Pointer to maintain a specific shape from the logo, and they presented multiple designs that incorporated that figure. Pointer also guided us through the selection of a new font to pair with the logo.

Our other primary goal was to redesign our website. We contributed all of the copy, but Pointer was involved everywhere else. They made suggestions regarding where specific content should be located, and they created other assets that would be valuable on the website, as well. We operate a Shopify website, and Pointer implemented a function that upsells customers once they add items to their cart. Pointer provided other branding elements, but the logo and the website work stand out as the most prominent.

What is the team composition?

We worked primarily with Ryan (Director of Design, Pointer), Becky (Web Developer, Pointer), and Matt (Account Manager, Pointer), but there were other members of their team behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Pointer?

We learned of Pointer while scanning lists of Shopify-certified vendors. We selected them because we wanted a company with a good reputation. They were highly rated and had experience with other cool projects. We liked the quality of the assets they could produce.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from May–August 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our sales of this new product far exceeded our goals, a result I think is safe to attribute in part to this new website. We hit close to 60% of our annual target in the first week after launch. We had a wildly successful launch, and the months since then have been similarly promising.

How did Pointer perform from a project management standpoint?

It can be expected of firms of this caliber to have clear processes, and that’s what we experienced with them. They detailed an iterative design process followed by a development stage. We shared and discussed materials through emails, phone calls, and video calls with shared screens. We had a fixed date for the launch of our product, and Pointer made every effort to complete our projects before that deadline.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We have a lot of picky and design-oriented people at Mosaic Manufacturing, but we were all very impressed by Pointer’s design skills. With minimal direction, the designs Pointer created were very close to what we were looking for.

We also prioritized the ability for us to make edits to the site without their help in the future. We were grateful that Pointer made the website easily accessible for those of us that are not privy to all of the technical elements.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Pointer turned out to be a more expensive option than other firms we reviewed, but given the experience we had with them, it was all worth it. Knowing what we know now, I think we’d choose them again.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

To be successful with Pointer, future clients will have to be decisive and thoughtful when they give feedback. Pointer is wont to present a lot of ideas, but if clients do not give them proper feedback or direction, it doesn’t set Pointer up for success.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and CEO of Asutra. We offer over 50 natural health and wellness products to help active people care for themselves the way they want.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pointer?

We purchased Asutra from its founders. While they did a great job of creating a line of products that people love, they didn’t spend enough resources on the company’s branding. Therefore, we invested in consumer research and strategy to update the brand. We were looking for a creative agency who could work with us to bring that brand identity to life through a redesign and replatforming of our e-commerce website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pointer loved the idea of working with us to redesign our brand’s identity from the ground up. Their team worked with us all the way through finalizing marketing deliverables, designing the platform’s UI/UX, and translating those elements into the new site. They started by giving us three different options regarding creative direction. We chose one and worked to refine it further. They quickly understood what consumers valued about our brand. Their efforts included everything from changing our logo, implementing a new color palette, and adjusting our photography. They eventually redesigned the packaging for nearly 60 product SKUs.

Pointer worked to bring the brand to life, not just through visual cues, but also by contributing to our brand voice. To achieve that goal, they came up with new product names, a packaging design system, and copy for the site that reflects our company values. They replatformed our e-commerce site over to Shopify Plus. That process involved building out the site’s backend and implemented its UI/UX.

They highlighted the ingredients in all of our products by creating a separate ingredients page. That page includes beautiful photos of our ingredients and a pop-up window that describes the benefits of each one. There’s also a search functionality that enables customers to shop for products by scent. Now that the new website has launched, they’re working on integrating minor improvements and additional features.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with Chris (CEO, Pointer), Mack (Director of Commerce, Pointer), Ryan (Director of Design, Pointer), Samantha (Designer, Pointer), Amber (Design Lead, Pointer), and two technical resources.

How did you come to work with Pointer?

I asked an experienced colleague for references. They recommended Pointer and two other firms. We chose Pointer due to their overall excitement about the project and our brand’s potential.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2018. The website launched in November 2018, but our engagement with them is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our previous site before was terrible, so the results of the rebuild are shocking. Everyone who sees our site finds the new design gorgeous. It’s bright, bold, and precisely what we needed. In just two weeks after launch, we’ve already seen an 80% increase in our conversion rate. They’ve helped us immensely.

How did Pointer perform from a project management standpoint?

They document everything. Before Pointer submitted a proposal, I had a few in-depth conversations with their team to make sure they covered our needs. I’d then have a more detailed discussion with Mack to scope out the remaining technical aspects. They priced everything out according to the final scope document they sent to me.

They created a project plan using a platform called Monday. There, they listed the 60 or so SKUs that needed to be redesigned. We also used that platform to communicate specific copy, the UPC code, and label dimensions. That allowed us to see the status of everything. I was surprised and impressed by their efficiency.

Once we had all the assets ready to upload, their development team got everything up and running within 7–10 days. Their QA resources made sure the site functioned well shortly after launch. Since then, we’ve kept a running list of aspects that need to be adjusted or tweaked. Almost every day for the last two weeks, we’ve been going back and forth with them to check things off the list until we’re done.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I hired Pointer because they’re results-oriented. They’re problem-solvers that know their craft. They always come with actionable solutions versus relying on me to tell them exactly what to do. They’ve strived to design a beautiful site for us that works to grow our business. Whenever we threw around different ideas, they were forthright in telling us if they’ve seen it have a negative impact on other companies. From a design standpoint, they did a phenomenal job.

They’re committed to excellence and hold themselves to a high standard. Also, they’re just fun to work with. Throughout the process, even though it was a tight timeline, they always maintained a good sense of humor and a ton of integrity.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They agreed to a tight timeline and completed everything as scheduled. It might not always be a good idea to approach projects that way. It’s possible to overcommit.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a company that manufactures and sells radio-controlled airplanes and helicopters throughout the world. We have logistic centers in The U.S. and Europe, which are our two largest hubs for our products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pointer?

We were moving from BigCommerce to Shopify. We were also looking to significantly upgrade the look, feel, and usability of the website—specifically regarding mobile. The old website was graphically rich and fairly easy to use, but it lacked any kind of responsive design and was somewhat useless on mobile devices.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They were 100% responsible for transferring our old data (e.g., order history, customer history, products, reviews) into a new suite of tools. We now have the core Shopify platform as well as some of our apps that we use for things like reviews, product selection, FAQS, knowledge bases, etc. They also handled the site refresh and design for mobile and desktop.

We now have a tab set up where we can show related products to customers, including products other customers have purchased. We can integrate reviews and product Q&A. Pointer didn’t create all of these functionalities, but they did put them together in a seamless way. They made it to where there aren’t ridiculous page load times that cause Google penalizations. We’re constantly working to improve this because page speed is crucial for us.

We then entered a month-by-month maintenance agreement with them for basic site fixes and enhancements. Our company made the decision to expand to Europe in early 2017. We needed a new website to accommodate that expansion, so we contracted Pointer again.

The website design is still underway and will be released in 30–45 days. It will be available in five European languages and will have a more Eurocentric theme. It’s a major project because we can’t just copy and paste things from our U.S. site. We have to translate and modify everything in a way to align better with European countries, taxes, and languages.

We believe we’re one of the few companies they’ve done that work with. We’re stretching their resources a bit, but they’re handling everything well. We’re pushing Shopify to its absolute limits because we’re one of the first companies to implement things like instantly-adaptable tax calculations. There’s a bit of a three-way partnership between Shopify, Pointer, and our company. It’s a big project.

What is the team composition?

We work daily with a project manager and design lead. I don’t email or speak with the senior developer directly, but he is dedicated to our account. I’m not sure who else is on the team.

How did you come to work with Pointer?

They came to us through Shopify. We were looking for a company that was the right size for us because we weren’t large enough for a big-power agency. Budget was also a big factor. We interviewed about four people. It was tough because we had very good options. Pointer came in with a very competitive rate and I really liked their chemistry. We felt that they were a good fit.

They understood the technical challenges and had the creative capability. We liked their physical proximity to Shopify. We felt that they would be knowledgeable if there was something good or bad going on there.

I felt like their CEO understood us when I talked to him. He was also very excited to work with us. We want somebody to appreciate our business and see us as a good fit for them. He knew that we knew exactly what we needed. We’re all former IT people. We came from the tech space and got into e-commerce, which requires a certain partner. Some partners don’t like that because we know too much, while others love it because it makes things more efficient. We get right to the point.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $60,000–$80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since January 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Most of the functionalities they’ve enabled are astounding. We’re known in the Shopify circle as having one of the most complex websites. This isn’t due to the number of products, but more because we’ve really pushed the limits of the Shopify ecosystem.

We transitioned about three years ago and have watched our mobile traffic go from 5% to 20%. This was significant because we’d originally underestimated the mobile traffic.

We put a survey on the front page of our website asking users what they wanted to change about it. We received thousands of replies, and 98% of people said they wouldn’t change a single thing. The other 2% had some interesting input, but overall, no one said the site was difficult to navigate, ugly, etc. I couldn’t get any kind of negative feedback.

Our site has a lot of white space and big graphics. It’s easy to navigate. A lot of our competitors pack a lot of information onto their catalog-like websites, while ours is more minimalistic. We wanted to give people that space. They’ve told us that it’s easy to use and look around on. Our business was founded on customer service and we take it very seriously. Many customers comment on our fast shipping and tell us that we are awesome to do business with. It’s all been pretty positive.

How did Pointer perform from a project management standpoint?

They do fairly well. It’s dramatically different from what we’ve experienced in the past. It’s nice when you finally find a company that has internal processes around project management, as well as a tech lead and account manager.

We feel like they have the right number of people, but we do sometimes feel that they are too busy. It’s good for them, but not always good for us. I sometimes have to send a second email to get an ETA. Pointer isn’t 100% perfect, but neither is any other vendor I work with. They’re like a lot of good vendors who are highly sought after. We know we’re not their only client, but we do sometimes have to send reminders to them.

We do most things via email. We recently put them into our project management system. The project and tech leads are now integrated as contractors. All bug fixes, enhancements, and projects are now included in our project management software suite. They’re getting used to it.

We love that we can put in an enhancement request and have it sent to them via email. It will keep sending it until somebody answers. Everything is in one system now so we’re able to track it with our GanttProject charts. They didn’t have that system, so we told them to use ours. They’ve been good about it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Once you get a partner who knows the backend and knows your code, it becomes important to maintain that relationship. We’re fortunate that Pointer has been responsive. They remain competitive. They’re fair in terms of rates.

They have a good team with minimal turnover, which is nice. They’re smart and they know their platform. They will tell you when they don’t know something, which is important too.

I also like that the fact that they’ll tell me if Shopify has the information we need since we’re already paying them. Some firms will look at any opportunity to bill you. Pointer enjoys what they do and supports their customers. Everybody I’ve dealt with there has been personable, friendly, and knowledgeable. I recommend them to people all the time. When we find somebody good, we stick with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In the old system, I’d send them an email and tell them I found a glitch. They’d log it and it would take a couple weeks to get done. I needed to convey more of a sense of urgency and needed to somehow get in their line of work. That’s been resolved pretty easily with a system that tracks the tasks and provides reminders.

For anybody that doesn’t have an internal tracking and task management system, they may have to follow up with Pointer. There’s not a lot of points of improvement with them. They take on what we need them to do and support us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the COO of a mountain bike manufacturer based out of Montreal. Most of our sales are online, and we have a physical presence in about 20 retailers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pointer?

We needed to migrate our sales platform from Magento to Shopify.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

They essentially grabbed our old platform and turned it into the new one. It was an overhaul of the whole sales engine and migration to Shopify Plus, which we decided to do based on sales volume. We requested a few new features, as we also have a hotline, live chat, and FedEx tracker. Several apps are used by our service provider, and Pointer integrated the payment gateway because we were able to negotiate a mutually beneficial rate.

We are very attached to our branding so we did the design work in-house.

What is the team composition?

We worked with about four people from their team, including Chris [CEO, Pointer]. Sometimes the developer would reach out to me directly.

How did you come to work with Pointer?

We contacted Shopify and asked them for a local vendor that could handle our migration. They extensively recommended Pointer's services. We went for a submission, which came out reasonable and for less than we expected.

We'd looked at other vendors, but Pointer’s previous work was crisp and looked better. We knew we were in good hands.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent around $15,000 CDN [$12,170 USD].

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in May of 2017, and the project was completed in October of 2017.

The holdup was on our side of things. We had a few details to iron out and couldn’t be offline due to a sale.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The work has been tremendous and well done, the process went smoothly. There were a few little bugs, but we fixed them easily.

How did Pointer perform from a project management standpoint?

It was solid. We mostly communicated through phone and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were focused on all the details. They made progress easier and flagged issues I hadn't personally perceived, which was refreshing and enabled us to create a better website.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It was our first experience, so I don't have much to base this on. We did our best, and I think it came out well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of retail for a site that sells activewear and related products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pointer?   We wanted to move our site over from the Spree platform to Shopify because we wanted the ability to easily customize it to look more fashionable and add functionality that might not have been there otherwise.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Based on a variety of Shopify templates, along with some ideas that didn’t exist on the platform templates, we provided Pointer with an idea of what we wanted our site to look like, as well as the elements we’d like to be included. They took that information and made us a few concepts to review. Based on our feedback, they then began designing the site from the ground up.

Along with the functionalities we asked for, they built our site to be flexible and amicable to any functionalities we might like to add in the future. That has allowed us to redesign the site and stage out the development of new elements we want over time. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with three members of their team.

How did you come to work with Pointer?

Pointer was among the Shopify integrators and developers we researched and interviewed. They seemed like a good fit because, although there were likely a few companies that could’ve handled developing what we needed, Pointer’s design aesthetic was much better than a lot of the companies we looked at. In addition, they were within our price range.

What is the status of this engagement?

We interviewed them in December 2015. The engagement is ongoing — most recently, we finished up another round of tweaks with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Though we don’t have a lot of data on external feedback, internally, our team was thrilled with the change. Everything works the way it’s supposed to. The Shopify platform is much more stable and functional in comparison with the Spree platform, where customers sometimes had checkout or coupon problems.
 Updating and adding functionalities is also much easier. As I said, Pointer did a great job in creating a website that was easy for nontechnical people to navigate and make changes.

How did Pointer perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve been pleased with them since our initial interaction — we wouldn’t continue to work with them if that wasn’t the case. They’ve done a great job and continue to assist us in improving our site. We’ve asked for a variety of things, and they’ve been able to figure out how to deliver.

We primarily communicate with them through email, though we may have phone conversations at the beginning and end of a major project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very reliable. Despite being in-between projects with them, we can still depend on them to assist us if we find a bug or mess up an add-on. We don’t get push back about not being on contract with them — they continue to be very responsive to any issues we may run into. They stand by the work they’ve done and will fix it if it breaks down.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was a point where they struggled with timeliness, most likely as a result to growing pains within the company, but they’ve since resolved that problem because they’ve delivered subsequent requests on time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Feel Beauty is a small online beauty brand. I’m the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pointer?

We wanted to create an engaging e-commerce website with great design that could increase our visibility and get our brand across.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They redesigned and developed our website for the Shopify platform. The site itself is fairly basic, but we do have a couple special features, like calculated shipping, which allows us to ship by weight and destination instead of by flat rate. They did all the design from the ground up.

What is the team composition? 

I work with two members of their team directly.

How did you come to work with Pointer?

We looked up different agencies that work on Shopify. In total, we considered about four possibilities.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on the project in June of 2017, and finished about two months later in August.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The feedback we get is generally positive. People like the site, and it looks great.

How did Pointer perform from a project management standpoint?

They did really well. We finished the project in a short period of time, and they did a good job getting everything done.

Most of our communication was through phone and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a good team, well-organized and effective. They got things done on time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing I can think of off the top of my head.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Get them involved as early as possible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the VP of operations for Vitalere, which is a portfolio company that creates different health initiative related products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pointer?

Our main challenge as a company that deals with health initiative products is acquiring consumer trust. Our website has to be trustworthy, and we depend on its aesthetic and design to convey that our products are legitimate. We also needed to market our protein powder, Modus, which was even more of a design challenge because it is a lifestyle brand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They originally led web development for both of the websites we needed. They didn’t have a lot to work with for creating our supplement line’s site; we provided them with the bottle, label, and look of the product, but they designed all the other aesthetics for the site from scratch. Their work has actually informed our design language for other products.

We offered them more direction for Modus, but they still handled the majority of its design, and completed a broad scope of web development for us. They worked on marketing our protein powder as well.

Our requirements were fairly straightforward. We needed them to design the product pages for our site. These pages tend to be longer in addition to requiring custom designs, so that we can tell a story about each product. This was a lot of work for them, and not necessarily conventional for most e-commerce sites. We also had them help us integrate wholesale functionality into the website. They used Shopify to create both sites.

What is the team composition?

I worked with four people from their team.

How did you come to work with Pointer?

I looked through Shopify’s directory and found their portfolio, which was very strong compared to other agencies that were listed. They are based in Ottawa, Canada, which I found convenient. These factors in addition to their noticeable strength in interactive web components such as animation and design helped lead me to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $40,000-45,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2017, and we continue to work together on and off. They continue to improve the website and build out its functions, and I plan on working with them again in the future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They did a good job choosing the design and aesthetic of our Modus protein powder and getting the product out there. Overall, the design aesthetics they’ve created for our sites have received positive feedback. We’ve made considerable progress from where we were before and we’re happy with that progress. Functionally, there were a few hiccups, particularly with components left over from the old website. Yet, they fixed any errors within a day or two. I tend to be a stickler for design, so they've spent an inordinate amount of time going over the smaller details. Their work has been really great.

How did Pointer perform from a project management standpoint?

There were some problems with the timeline, but I blame ourselves for that. After we established a pace, project management ran smoothly. We checked items off of our to-do list by the day, which was refreshing.

They had a really great project manager who would update us whenever something was completed. We mainly communicated through Google Docs and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their design capability is one of their most noteworthy qualities. Ryan [Director of Design, Pointer] was really amazing, and he basically redesigned the site three times to make it better. Now, the site is quite strong.

Are there any areas they could improve?

For clients less experienced with managing web development, like myself, there could have been a bit more guidance. However, this is a reflection on our own work style and is really dependent on the client. Once everything was in place they worked well and showed excellent project management skills.