Olibro Design

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the director of marketing at a consumer electronics company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Olibro Design?

We hired them to build out our full website and make it e-commerce capable.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Olibro Design designed and developed all four of our sites. They've integrated different functionalities and other vendors that we've asked them to involve. For example, they programmed credit card processors and different security features like Norton. The site is built on a WordPress platform. It uses WooCommerce to organize our products, and they also programmed and integrated a third-party shopping cart.

We've both contributed wireframes and sketches over the course of working on the sites. We've redone each of them a few times over the years. One, in particular, was redesigned several times at the request of our brand manager so we didn't need to provide as much direction. In each case, they did the coding and optimized the site aesthetically. They used heat maps and other technical studies to assess our traffic and how our visitors interact with different pages.

What is the team composition?

They have a bigger team, but we've typically had 2-3 points of contact.

How did you come to work with Olibro Design?

I inherited this partnership when I took over my position. They’d already been working with our company for a number of years. I interviewed them when I first came on to decide if I wanted to keep them or hire somebody else. They gave me a good sense of customer service and seemed technically competent. I have a strong development background, so I can speak to the developers’ language and understand what they’re talking about. They’ve been great for the last two years.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent in the $50,000 ballpark during the past year and a half I've personally worked with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership has been going on for 5-6 years. They currently provide maintenance and support and are also offering new development. One of our recent calls was about completely revamping one of our brand websites.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We got positive feedback from our customers for both redesigns they’ve done in the past year. A couple people commented that the new site looks nice. Since it’s not one of our higher traffic sites, it doesn't get a lot of traction. From my own background as a developer and graphic artist, I think our new designs are much more streamlined and the UI is way friendlier.

How did Olibro Design perform from a project management standpoint?

Excellent. We gave them five weeks to do this last redesign before the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, and they came through. They use TeamWork as a project management tool, Skype for daily messages, and Zoom for weekly video calls. We also talk via email, phone calls, and text messages.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I've dealt with a lot of developers. Olibro Design is not only very professional, but also relaxed, friendly, and easy to work with. They're very sharp, and their lead developer is quite skilled.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wasn't always 100 percent thrilled with their copywriter. I have a writing background, so I'm kind of particular about that. If there's any place for improvement, that's it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about what you want. We redesigned one of our sites twice and it had nothing to do with their work. After giving them one set of directions we totally changed tactics three months later. If we’d given them clearer instructions to begin with, we may not have had to do the second redesign.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We have four different brands under one company, Sound Storm Labs. Three of the brands make car audio products. The fourth company makes Bluetooth home audio products, which is now about two years old.

What are your role and responsibilities?

I’m a founding partner for one of our audio brands. In addition, I take care of the required programming and website development our site may need.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Olibro Design?

Our goals for partnership with Olibro has evolved in time. At the beginning of our partnership, we utilized Olibro strictly for Web design. In August of 2014, we brought on Olibro to help us add a shopping cart to our website, and now we are working with them to help us achieve more visits to our site. Olibro is now helping us to implement best practice SEO [search engine optimization] strategies and other digital marketing techniques.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Olibro has provided many services to us including e-commerce, SEO, website design, and maintenance. We now have a dynamic site with more than 1,200 SKUs [stock keeping units], and the Olibro team keeps all of that information updated efficiently.

What was your process for selecting Olibro Design with which to work?

After a couple interviews with other firms we felt that Olibro was the best fit for us. It was a gut feeling and, fortunately, it worked really well.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

We’ve worked with Olibro Design for three or four years so our annual spend has varied through the years. In addition to the annual maintenance fee, Olibro works on various small projects for us throughout the year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

Recently Olibro began to improve our site to conform to best practice SEO and due to that on main brand received 12 to 13 percent more visits a month. Our organic traffic is up as well as overall user experience. The website updates have helped to keep customers on our site longer and, hopefully, we will shortly see an increase in buyer conversion rates.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

Olibro is very knowledgeable. I can’t think of anything that we’ve asked for that they did not have a solution for. I wouldn’t trade the business relationship we have with Olibro to any other service provider.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

There wasn’t a time that I needed something done that they couldn’t do, so I cannot think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

I’m a professor at Yale University, and I had the need for a personal Web page to be designed.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Olibro Design?

We professors have the need to have websites to provide information on what we do. Sometimes, our university or department will hire a student to come up with a departmental website. We have one of those in our department, and I’m listed in a variety of internal university Web profiles, but they’re kind of brief and not adequate. When I saw what Olibro had done in terms of academic website construction, I thought at this point in my career this is what I need. I’ve been a professor for 25 years now and I’m publishing my 14th book, I have more than a 100 published articles and book chapters, and I have news and information that I decided I wanted to have accessible. I had Olibro do this because they proved to me that they had already done this successfully for a number of other academics in my area.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Website development, design, and maintenance for my personal website. In addition to creating the site, they organized my Amazon page, and my Wikipedia. They did other things related to the website, and made it much more publicly accessible.

Also, I had been the editor of a journal at Yale since 2004, and we never had an official website for the journal. We had Olibro make that site, and again, it was a great architectural project. They created an online submission process for all the articles, and for uploading information. They created a beautiful website for our journal.

What was your process for selecting Olibro Design with which to work?

I wasn’t really considering any other firm. Most people in the academic world either try it themselves or hire a student. I probably went a more professional route than most of the academics that I know. I actually met the owner of Olibro Design at a professional meeting a few years back, he showed me example websites of other colleagues that I know well, and I was so impressed.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

Initially, I paid $5,000 for the website. Today, the maintenance fee is around $500 a year.

What were the results of the project?

Our partnership started late 2009, and the website was constructed by early 2010. I still have an ongoing relationship with Olibro because they post updates for me all the time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

In terms of metrics, they send me quarterly reports on who’s visiting my website and where they’re coming from. I can see what parts of the world people are accessing my site from. My research is on the Middle East, so I can see if people in Europe or the Middle East are accessing the site. For me, personally, it’s been a great repository for me, I have all my articles and chapters archived there. I have all of the books in order from latest to oldest, any news or awards I earn have their own section. In relation to keeping my 25-plus-year career organized, it’s been great and really helpful. Other academic colleagues who visit my site are very impressed with the site.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

The owner of Olibro, Touraj [Rahimi], is a pleasure to work with. He’s so responsive, so kind, so nice, just really a wonderful person to work with. You can send Olibro something to upload or put on the website, and they quickly take care of it for you. I have nothing but the best regard for them.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

There’s only one little pet peeve. In academia, we have certain kind of styles that we use for listing articles, book chapters, and so forth. Occasionally, when I have new information to be uploaded to my site Olibro doesn’t format it exactly the same way as they did the previous upload, so at times the style doesn’t conform. It’s a very perfectionist kind of thing, but since I can’t go in there and correct it, I have to contact them to make the change.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I’m Alexis Sones, an independent artist. I specialize in oil paints and make a living selling and contracting my work. I am based in the Los Angeles area. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Olibro Design?

Olibro Design created a website that I can now direct potential clients to when they ask to see my work and portfolio. At first, I used the website for marketing purposes because I was working on a commission basis. I now use it as a place to put everything together, and share upcoming art events with previous clients. The website also helps me to build a future contact list for those interested in my work. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Olibro built me a portfolio to show all of my work. The website begins with my biography, and then moves into other images, events, and contacts, so it’s pretty simple.

What was your process for selecting Olibro Design with which to work?

Actually, one of my previous clients is a filmmaker and he had Olibro do his website. I really liked the work they did so I asked him to connect me with his contact at Olibro. 

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative in dollar terms or a personnel work-hour figure?

I don’t have the specific dollar amount for you, but I know they put a lot of hours into building the exact website that I wanted. They pretty much nailed it the first time, it didn’t take many reiterations after initially revealing the site to me.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

I haven’t been keeping track of the numbers but they definitely exceeded my expectations because of the level of detail and thought put into the site. I got everything I wanted and they even added animations that made it look much better at no extra cost.

Are you satisfied with their performance?

I really liked working with Olibro. I think they did a great job and did everything that I asked them to do. At the beginning, they gave me a packet to fill out about what I wanted to do and how I wanted the layout. They were able to execute it based on that information. When they had to put more time into it they didn’t add extra charges. Overall, it was great working with them.

Is there anything unique or special about Olibro Design that really makes them stand out compared to other online marketing companies?

I loved that they consistently checked in throughout the entire process. When they did have new ideas, they always checked with me. We had a special page where I could constantly interact and give feedback. They always had plenty of details and explained in layman’s terms to me what was going on. They still check in and send me potential update ideas. If I need help with something, I can always email them and they’ll fix it for me.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

Not really. I got everything I needed.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of Kavella.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Olibro Design?

Moved our website from WooCommerce to Shopify. Put our b2b and b2c on one website instead of 2.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I interviewed 5 companies to see who could combine my 2 WooCommerce sites into one Shopify site at a reasonable price, and who understood the functionalities I needed.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Discovery calls Launch sequence created Calls to finalize details Launch Troubleshoot

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

2, the owner and a designer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We were able to duplicate all the functionalities I needed with Shopify Apps.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Easy to communicate and quick to resolve issues.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I was never out of the loop, and I could always get ahold of someone quickly. All the kinks were resolved quickly. The website runs smoothly and looks great.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

No