eHouse Studio

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a company called Snif, we’re a direct to consumer fragrance brand that sells limited fragrances online via Shopify.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pointer?

We hired Pointer to do our web design and development for a site that we’re launching. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Together, we developed an entire website from concept to deployed assets. They created site maps, mockups, and wireframes for each of our individual pages. The Pointer team also developed our codes, animations, effects, and integrations with third-party apps. They also ensured the adjustments and enhancements of making those apps work smoothly. 

Lastly, to make sure that the development was working well, they conducted rounds of testing to check that all functionalities ultimately achieve the goal of the website that we envisioned. 

What is the team composition?

The team consists of a project manager, creative team lead, development team lead, and backup resources for each team. For each group, there are about five people who assisted in the delivery design and development of assets.

There was also an individual who helped at the beginning of the scoping and discovery work required to help formalize the engagement tool. 

How did you come to work with Pointer?

They were referred to us and we’d seen their examples and references about the work they had done. After that, we decided to partner with them because we knew we trusted them from the onset.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve already invested around $50,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in March 2020 and the engagement is still ongoing. Our platform was launched last October 2020, which was the first phase of our engagement. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The initial feedback that we’ve gotten from customers that have interacted with our website has been extremely positive — a testament to the design and development process that we have undertaken together.

For people that haven’t been involved with Pointer but interact with their work, the reviews have been glowing. 

How did Pointer perform from a project management standpoint?

In terms of working styles, their project manager is doing fantastic work. She is on top of everything and rarely misses anything. Moreover, she is always extremely polite, forthcoming, and is just a pleasure to work with. 

They strive to achieve a high degree of accuracy in terms of the overall timeline. They are almost to a fault constricted or constrained by the number of hours agreed to and anything outside of that ends up having to be a separate discussion. I don’t necessarily fault them for it, but there was a part of me that wished that they would just let their guard down a little bit, especially after we’ve been together for over six months.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are extremely organized and always on top of things. The team always drives timelines and deliverables. Additionally, for the general design and aesthetic of the site, their performance has been extremely high. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

My general feedback is that they lack flexibility, whether that’s with requirements or hours. For many of us, this was the first time that many of us had actually gone through and designed a website. I thought we really did a good job of providing them all of the details proactively ahead of time. 

However, there was a point in the engagement where I felt like they didn’t give us the goodwill that we actually needed. Nonetheless, I understand that they also need to protect themselves. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

At the beginning of the engagement, I think it would be smart for future clients to clarify or see examples of what a functional requirement document (FRD) looks like.

It’s a comprehensive listing of all of the details, characteristics, and aspects that are needed for the website to be delivered according to their preferred aesthetic and functionality. As a result, it could help to drive home in their design sessions. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-founder and CEO of Judy, an emergency preparedness brand.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pointer?

Pointer developed our website and helped to maximize our creative assets.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We already had a website in place, so they focused on optimizing our website from a development perspective, streamlining the customer experience and maximizing the value proposition being presented to users by our brand. They also helped to filter and utilize our existing creative materials to put our best foot forward.

What is the team composition?

I worked with about 5 people on their team, but we did have one main project manager.

How did you come to work with Pointer?

In the process of looking for a partner agency, we spoke to several different agencies, but Pointer had the best attitude by far. They were very positive, quick, and reactive, so we knew they were the right fit for us from there.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from January–February 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When you launch a new business, you change an unbelievable number of things on your website in order to try to optimize it based on customer feedback. Pointer’s team has been incredibly reactive to that feedback, making changes in real-time and helping us grow our community and our brand mission in a way that no other agency could.

How did Pointer perform from a project management standpoint?

They handle the project management completely on their own, which has been a huge help for us. Their team presents us with calendars and action items looking forward, as well as monthly, weekly, and occasionally daily progress reports.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The speed of their reactions to user feedback was definitely the highlight of the project for me. The ability to react that quickly in a time when the business needs are changing faster than we can keep up with on our own was utterly invaluable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I really loved everything about their services.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s really important for a brand, especially a startup, to know exactly what they’re looking for. Pointer has so many different skill sets that the challenge actually becomes narrowing down the key deliverables to what you really need in order to get your business up and running as efficiently as possible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of technology at a parent company of an auto parts manufacturing platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pointer?

We hired Pointer to help us with the migration of our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We met with the team from Pointer a couple of times a week to create a plan for the project. We collaborated to define the requirements and complete the project. Then, their team helped us to migrate our company’s website from a custom .NET site to Shopify Plus. Their team also implemented a custom builder, recreating a tool on the frontend of the Shopify site for users to select options. It’s a visualization tool for users’ designs, which we then manufacture.

Their team also created a series of private apps that allow us to manage the frontend of our website. Instead of diving into the code, we add options to the builder. We also have a fabricator directory for our customers to use to find local service providers. We maintain a relationship with their team to help us with continued development because we’ll always want to update and improve the platform with new features.

What is the team composition?

For this project, Pointer provided two developers and an account manager.

How did you come to work Pointer?

We found Pointer through the Shopify partner network. We reached out to a bunch of different partners and looked at different agencies’ work. We had a good conversation with a teammate from Pointer and went from there.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent more than $20,000 with Pointer.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in June 2019 and completed it in January 2020. We had a good experience with them, so we’ve maintained our relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

For the most part, we recreated existing functionalities. It was a migration of existing features from the previous site, so we didn’t look for specific metrics. We wanted the platform to be stable through the translation and it was. That was the most critical standard for us.

How did Pointer perform from a project management standpoint?

During the project, we had one team meeting once a week when we went over updates. We communicated via Asana, which is also where we kept all of our tasks. Their team was responsive. As we found new features to add, the project changed. Pointer was flexible and helpful with that aspect of the project. Their team reorganized and prioritized tasks as they popped up.

What did you find most impressive about them?

This was a different project for Shopify. We wanted functionalities that tested the limits of the platform. We complicated the project because the SKUs weren’t simple. We had requirements on the backend for the custom manufacturing site. Pointer worked with us to fit complicated technologies into the platform.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think so.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as prepared as possible from the start so that requirements don’t change much throughout the development. Define and stick to your idea of an end product.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an e-commerce business that sells audio upgrades for BMWs. Our website is very important to our business, and I’m a project manager. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pointer?

We had just moved our website from a custom-built platform to Shopify. With another vendor, we didn’t see much success. So, we were looking for a partner to optimize the solution and complete the project, correcting the errors of our previous developers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

With a straightforward approach, they started designing and developing portions of the solution from scratch. Because they took over from our previous vendor, they also had to clean both the design and code to create a suitable product. The initial project is complete, and we just signed a retainer for continued maintenance. 

What is the team composition?

So far, I’ve spoken with four people.

How did you come to work with Pointer?

We found them on Clutch and reached out to their team and about four other candidates. They asked the right questions and were aware of our situation. Their team was familiar with the development firm that we were using prior, so they had the best grasp on the issues. It also seemed like they had the best solutions, so we hired them. 

How much have you invested with them?

At this point, we’ve spent about $10,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November 2019, and they’re on retainer with us now.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Internally, our customer support team is confident that customers can use the website to find the product information needed to make intelligent choices. There was a lot of distress with our past vendor because the data wasn’t correctly displayed on the website.  

How did Pointer perform from a project management standpoint?

It took our previous vendor two years to complete the work they did for us. With Pointer, they’d corrected all of their mistakes in two weeks, including design time. There’s a time difference of a few hours, but they always communicate very clear to me.

Now that we have a signed retainer agreement, we work in Asana. Everything is clearly laid out on that platform. We can use it to submit requests for work. That allows us to have a central database of requests.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were reliable, following through on their promises. The team strives to provide quality work for their clients. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything because everything has been handled very well so far.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They know what they’re doing, so leverage that expertise. If you’re prepared well, you’ll be able to get the most out of working with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an e-commerce growth marketer at O2 Natural Recovery. We sell sports recovery drinks in major grocery stores, gyms, and online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pointer?

We were looking to completely overhaul our brand and update our digital presence. We also needed a website built and designed to match our new visual identity.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We presented Pointer with a collection of materials that represented the direction we wanted to go in aesthetically. Their team came back with a few separate options and we selected one, which the brand was then built off of. 

Pointer also provided all of the necessary coding and design for our website, which was built on Shopify. The site features a blog, updated product pages, and a new store locator function, as well as other custom features.

What is the team composition?

Our team worked with about five people from Pointer. My main point of contact was Sam (Account Manager, Pointer), and our lead director was Ryan (Director of Design, Pointer). Mack (Director of Commerce, Pointer) was also involved, as was a lead coder. Our CEO and their CEO worked in collaboration as well.

How did you come to work with Pointer?

They were referred to our CEO.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested just over $50,000 during this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

The particular engagement took place from August-October 2019. However, we have plans to work with them again on upcoming projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We reached out to a few industry professionals after we launched the brand and website, and the feedback we’ve received has been positive across the board. The functionality of the website and our visual identity in general has improved greatly.

We haven’t consulted a lot of data, but our conversion rates have been above where they were before we began our work with Pointer. Now, even though the website is built and the rebrand has been launched, we’re still pursuing a partnership with Pointer. 

How did Pointer perform from a project management standpoint?

Throughout the project, I worked with one main contact which was very helpful in terms of streamlining workflow. 

We were in contact almost daily for updates and reviews, and we tracked the team’s progress on Asana. They were also diligent about providing links to relevant documents and information throughout our correspondence, so I never had to waste time searching through emails.

Pointer made every aspect of the project easily manageable and provided exceptional communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed by how much the design elements Pointer implemented elevated our brand. The motion and animation the team incorporates into their graphics really sets them apart.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind. The timelines and budget were both met, and there were no surprises along the way.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do your best to understand what you want to accomplish as a business before you engage with Pointer. One of the reasons our project was so successful is that we didn’t come to them with a blank canvas, so they were able to work off our ideas from the outset.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a consumer retail brand, and we are a digital commerce company as well as a wholesaler of hydration products and coolers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pointer?

We hired Pointer to help us relaunch our website and build the backend so that we would be able to manage it more easily.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their work for us was pretty full service. We originally wanted to hire someone because our backend was so complicated that we needed a developer to do anything. The goal was to rebuild that part of the site to work really easily with Shopify so that a business user could update anything they wanted to. Beyond that, we wanted them to optimize the site for mobile and build out the frontend experience as well.

What is the team composition?

Depending on the phase of the process we were in, we worked with anywhere from five designers and a project manager to just the business representative while their development team worked behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Pointer?

We had a Shopify account manager and were really hoping that whoever we worked with would be able to integrate our site with Shopify as seamlessly as possible. Pointer is a Shopify preferred partner, so she recommended them, and after looking at their work we decided they would be a good partner for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000–$100,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from August–October 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re still doing some analysis on the consumer journey and analyzing the sources of our conversions, so we don’t have completely accurate metrics yet. That said, we have seen an increase in our overall conversion rate, which is definitely good.

The mobile navigation experience is really easy now and has received really great feedback from people outside the company who love it, and we definitely have a more consistent representation on the online front, so we are pleased with the results we’ve seen so far.

How did Pointer perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a pretty tight timeline for a full, complete redesign, and they did a great job of keeping us on track in order to be able to achieve that. It was clear they were working really hard on it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Honestly, the frontend looks beautiful, but the backend is night and day compared to what we had before. We couldn’t even use the previous system. Now we can operate everything completely independently, which is a huge improvement for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve been pretty successful, so I don’t think we have any desire for improvements on our end.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

When you have teams from both sides of the partnership working together, like we did with our internal designers, it’s helpful to really establish check points where both teams know what kind of feedback they need to give so that you aren’t slowing down the process with unnecessary back and forth.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I’m a consultant for Cha Cha Matcha.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pointer?

My responsibility is to build out Cha Cha Matcha’s direct to consumer platform. I needed to get them to a point where they have an actual B2C business, and the biggest piece of that was building out a new website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Pointer did all the design and development work for the new website. Cha Cha Matcha had an existing site but the founders wanted to go in a completely new direction. Pointer’s team came up with design concepts and pitched them to us. 

Once we selected the designs that we liked, they developed a Shopify site. Pointer custom built the checkout function because Cha Cha Matcha is also launching a texting platform. They built the custom checkout with ReCharge. They used Yotpo for reviews, referrals, and the loyalty program. They also used Shopify's new augmented reality toolkit and its 3D models. 

What is the team composition? 

We worked with a total of 6–7 people. We had two main points of contact who we talked to on a daily basis. If they were presenting designs, then their Head of Design became the project leader during that period of time. 

How did you come to work with Pointer? 

I asked one of my contacts for a referral. He suggested Pointer could do it for our price range I was looking at. We did an RFP of 7–10 web agencies though and found that Pointer was the best option. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $80,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

The project took place from June–August 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've had insanely positive feedback. Customers love how different the site is. Quantitatively, it's doing phenomenally in terms of conversion rate since launch. Anecdotally, the founders in my network have all asked for an introduction to Pointer after seeing the new site. 

How did Pointer perform from a project management standpoint?

I’d give Pointer the highest rating for project management. I was always up to date because they were really good communicators. They used Notion as the main project management platform and Figma to preview designs. We also used email, phone, and text. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

The talent level of Pointer’s engineers is much higher than other agencies. They’re able to so much more on their Shopify sites. Whether it's a unique design squiggle in the middle of the page or the custom checkout, they do what other agencies can't. 

In addition, their employees are so invested in the brands they work with. That plays a huge role in their success. Most agencies have 4–5 clients per employee. Pointer has less, so their employees are more engaged.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, the only thing I would say is I wish they flew down here from Canada for in-person meetings. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Have everything ready before you go to Pointer. They work extremely fast. You have to be willing to work just as fast, otherwise you're wasting their time and yours. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I own a consultancy that produces e-courses for in-house PR training.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pointer?

My and my partner recently published a best-selling Amazon book, and we hired Pointer to create a website for it.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I provided Pointer with the cover of the book, as well as a couple of photographs of myself and the co-author. While I would normally be more involved in the design process, I was able to take a hands-off approach because Pointer really optimized best practices. After creating wireframes, the team built the static Shopify site from scratch.

What is the team composition?

There was a team of 3—I worked directly with Chris (Founder & CEO, Pointer) who managed a designer and a developer.

How did you come to work with Pointer?

Pointer came recommended by Shopify. The COO of Shopify had told me about Pointer because both businesses are based in Ottawa.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent a total of $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in November of 2018, and we went live in January of the next year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everybody loved the site because it was on-brand, functional, and user-friendly. We’ve heard that it’s one of the better—or best—book sites out there. While book sites tend to be more bland, our site came out super polished.

The team especially excelled at filling in all the gaps without having to be micromanaged. Even though we didn’t give them many materials, they took the few pictures we had and expanded upon them to create a unique look and feel. Overall, they did a fantastic job.

How did Pointer perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management was seamless. Everything came out perfect, and I didn’t notice anything going wrong. Pointer really handled the burden of detail and made smart design decisions. While we touched base here and there, they truly did all the heavy lifting.

I really appreciated how many channels they were accessible through. We communicated on Slack, text, and e-mail. They were very accommodating about that.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was blown away by their ability to create sites that are on-brand, functional, and technically flawless, all at once. Often times, you’ll see shops that are great in only one aspect. In terms of their comprehensive capabilities, Pointer is phenomenal.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They should expand their team so that they can deliver their excellent services to even more clients. Other than that, I really can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Although this goes for working with any agency, come to them prepared. Be ready to answer their questions, and to help them understand your target market and persona. They can only do as good a job as the information you provide them with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior e-commerce manager for Southern Tide. We’re a lifestyle brand selling men’s, women’s and kid’s clothing along with home products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pointer?

When we initially hired Pointer to help fix a search and filter program that wasn’t functioning properly. From there, we’ve taken them on for support with more projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pointer has done a variety of projects for us. First, they fixed the search and filter program, working in Nextopia. Once they finished, we were impressed with their work and started extending more projects to them. Throughout the tasks, they’ve done a lot of design work for us and backend fixes. Their team has implemented new pages on our site, created promotions, cleaned up h1 and h2 tags, and solved 404 errors. 

What is the team composition?

We work with Mack (Director of E-Commerce, Pointer) and Samantha (Account Manager, Pointer), who we now send all the work to and serves as our main point of contact. 

How did you come to work with Pointer?

Pointer came recommended along with another company, but I chose them for a number of reasons. They were the most efficient in explaining their process and the different changes they’d need to make. Their team also communicated well and set up a call beforehand to fully understand our needs. We had a very fruitful conversation and I felt comfortable moving forward with them. Additionally, their pricing is phenomenal and they gave us realistic estimates for how long a job would take to complete. 

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent between $15,000–$20,000, but we anticipate spending over $25,000 by the end of the year. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve had an ongoing relationship since March 2019. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve had a definite impact on our company. Our site is now easier to find and read on Google thanks to the improved backend functionality. One of the big problems we were experiencing was our site was automatically switching the colors or sizes of customer’s orders, but Pointer was able to alleviate this issue. Users can now check-out and their order reflects what they wanted. Additionally, the site is now more visually appealing, which users have commented on. 

How did Pointer perform from a project management standpoint?

Pointer has managed the project very well. For each project, I typically fill out a statement of work (SoW), email it to Samantha, and then we have a call if it needs to be further explained. From there, it’s placed in Asana and we can give feedback back and forth. 

I like it because we can communicate clearly, know exactly what we need, and everyone can access it. We get notifications when there are questions and everything is easy to solve on the spot. I’m able to email and they respond quickly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The clarity they bring to every project is impressive and their response time is phenomenal. They’re also honest about the work they can complete, letting us know if they can squeeze it in or if it’s not possible. I really enjoy that they set my expectations accurately and clearly communicate. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, there is nothing I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just be clear in communicating what you’re looking for and the process will go quickly. As long as they know what you’re expecting, more often than not they’ll deliver that. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a non-profit organization working in international development. My role is direct response marketing/fundraising.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Pointer?

We were looking to migrate and re-platform an existing e-commerce site onto Shopify.

What were your goals for this project?

Our existing site was custom-built back in the mid-2000s with no revamps since. Our main priority was modernization, creating a beautiful user-friendly site that left customers with a good experience. We also wanted a turn-key product that was easy to use internally and required little coding skill for small edits to the shop.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I had seen them listed as a Shopify partner and locally in Ottawa they are well known in the Shopify/digital marketing community. Because of the complexity of functionalities we required - from custom apps to CRM integration, we needed an agency that had a proven track record. We had reviewed three other agencies however lacked the experience we were looking for.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They migrated in an existing site mock-up onto Shopify and built a custom app for a functionality we required.

What was the team composition?

The main contact was with an account manager, but the lead designed looped in every once in a while.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

While we are still in the soft-launch phase of our e-commerce shop, I anticipate it will decrease operating costs, decrease cart abandonment rate and lower customer troubleshoot inquires.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

I can't speak to their project management processes now, but at the time, it was all done via email on the client-side which made it hard to keep track of any pending updates or tasks that had yet to be completed. However, they were quick to follow up to any outstanding tasks.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are incredibly well-versed in the world of Shopify. The account manager we had worked with was super responsive and the turnaround time for completing tasks was very quick. The whole process was painless and no major setbacks had occurred. While we did go over the anticipated project timeline, they were accommodating and completed what needed to get done in the project scope. Their pricing is also reasonable for the quality of work they deliver and their management of client relationships. The project costs had also exceeded the amount we had budgeted for this project but they had decided to take on the project. It was great to see an agency get involved in a charitable cause and that cared about having a positive impact in their own company’s mission and values.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I think the discovery phase could have been conducted more thoroughly as there were a couple of key pieces we realized we had miscommunicated on and came up halfway through the project. A better method of project management to compile all the feedback and stay on track and organized would have been great as well. I think internally they also need to do more testing before presenting the product back to the client.  All that to say, incredibly satisfied overall. Working with Pointer has been an amazing experience and would have done nothing differently!