Sleepless Media

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re Breeo LLC. We manufacture and sell outdoor wood-burning fire pits and grills and ship them throughout the states. We also have an e-commerce network. I’m a co-founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sleepless Media?

We needed a website designed and optimized for e-commerce and a good customer journey. We had an existing Shopify website that was converting okay in 2019 and we knew we needed something new and fresh going into 2020.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We brought them on specifically to help with the design side of the new site. They took all of our brand assets — we just launched a new brand — including our style guide, logos, sponsors, creative, and photography. Then, we went deep with us about who we were trying to communicate with and what type of site we wanted. They also had us look at other successful sites and what they’d done.

They came to us with a few different design concepts for the home page and other pages. Once we approved a direction they were able to design all the pages and build a sitemap. This made it really easy for our development team to follow exactly how they wanted things to scroll.

What is the team composition?

Our in-house project manager communicated with John (CEO) and Adon (Project Manager).

How did you come to work with Sleepless Media?

We found them on Google looking for highly reviewed e-commerce design agencies. They also serve a lot of clients in the outdoor space selling similar products and targeting similar demographics to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $15,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since January 2020. The e-commerce project has been complete since May 1 but we’re still in communication with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen a significant increase in conversions since the site launched on May 1st. We sell expensive products; our old site was converting at 0.5% and the new one is converting at .65%. Overall e-commerce is way up since last year, and that’s due to a lot of things beyond the website, but we definitely saw conversions jump.

Internally, it’s much easier for our customer service team to work with customers. The site is much easier to navigate for both sides.

How did Sleepless Media perform from a project management standpoint?

It was our first time working with a truly professional design agency on the website, and the difference between them and a freelancer was pretty extreme when it came to project management.

They did a really good job. They took initiative in mapping out the different phases. We told them what we needed from the timeline and they told us exactly when we’d see first looks. As soon as we gave them feedback, they jumped into the next phase.

What did you find most impressive about them?

There are two things. First, they understand how design connects with conversions. Their work isn’t just pretty; they have the buttons in the right place to increase conversions. Second, from a tactical standpoint, the way they submit the final design shows exactly how things should move. It’s basically an already-done mockup. The development team can see exactly how it integrates into a real-life site.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really, no. They hit their deadlines. The budget was more than we’d ever spent before but it was in-line with what they were delivering. If we did it again, we may have kept them on for the development work as well instead of opting to keep it with our current team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them as much information as possible. We recorded a video with our in-house project manager as we onboarded them that went through in great detail what we needed from a new site conceptually.

Also, give them as many touchpoints as possible so they can really capture the vision of the project. They can’t execute if they don’t receive the vision.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Eye Q is a boutique optometry practice. We have five optometrists that offer medical services and optometric services. I’m the practice manager and partial owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sleepless Media?

Initially, we wanted the website to know how long we’d been here and what services we offered. As it grew, it became more brand management and advertising.

We’d never used a professional web developer, and we were looking for web development help at first. Then, we ended up retaining Sleepless for web development, brand management, graphic design. It spiraled, in a good way, into a multi-faceted thing.

It started as a mom-and-pop business, and the concepts weren’t too cohesive, whether that was social media, web presence, or print presence. We wanted a more refined brand theme and feel.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They completely redesigned our website. We had three owners with all different concepts, and they did a great job offering us options to consider. We have to be HIPPA compliant with the little patient data we do capture, including demographic information, so they helped us set up an integration with our electronic health records which allows us to download patient information and exchange it properly.

Outside of the web development, they’ve helped with several print items. They took a look at our existing stuff and took them up a notch. We have business cards and letterhead already designed, but we wanted stationary and recyclable paper bags. They took our overall vibe for color schemes and being environmentally friendly and created a fairly comprehensive print package. We’ve relied heavily on stationary, pieces of paper we send to patients, and different bags for particular products.

All our inventory is handmade, ethically sourced, and very unique, so they helped us to brand communication with our patients over shows that we do. We invite patients quarterly to certain events to promote products, and they do invitations and post-cards. The graphic layout and wording are all them as well.

They’ve also rolled out to advertising in print and digital formats. They’ve helped create ads with the same sort of look and feel like our business for local universities, lifestyle magazines, and newspapers. A lot of print companies will make crappy ads that don’t have your vibe. But Sleepless looked at our vibe and who our target audience is for each publication, and then tailor the ad.

What is the team composition?

When we started, the biggest project was the website. We sat down with their senior team: the Jon (CEO, Sleepless Media), the project admin, and then two other designers. They worked through the basic ideas and talked about their services. After we established a general concept, we worked primarily through the project admin. They did have one turnover in that role but it was pretty seamless for us.

How did you come to work with Sleepless Media?

Our original website was done by one of our original owner’s family members. We then had it redone for a cheap price. We then decided to bite the bullet and get a professional website.

After researching online, we decided it was important to have someone who would deliver non-sterile, non-corporate work. We wanted someone to be consultative with what we were looking for. After Google searching, I talked to someone do graphic design for us (he’s retiring) and he recommended Sleepless. I checked out the different websites they’d designed and saw a lot of their clients were local. I was familiar with their clientele and thought they hit those sites pretty well. They took the concept of those companies and created public spaces for them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $55,000–$80,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since October 2014. The heaviest workload was in that first year, but we’ve definitely had an ongoing relationship the whole time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We track how new patients learn about us, and, before the website was rebuilt, the form was a standalone component. Now, the form is used at a much higher rate. Sleepless was giving us Google Analytics and statistics from our previous site and our current site so we could see our immediate impact, and it was substantial. We don’t do as much of that anymore.

They did a lot of SEO for us, in particular, tagging a lot of our very unique products. We were getting people coming from a lot farther away. People would be willing to travel for us and our unique products.

They’ve also given us a great platform for attracting more students. Students want things that are fairly current and modern, and Sleepless was able to figure out how to engage them much more. We’ve seen a huge uptick in business from our student base. Our web traffic has also seen a huge increase.

How did Sleepless Media perform from a project management standpoint?

I only had one glitch with them, and it was probably more our fault than theirs. I was trying to pass off the reigns of management on our site internally and there was a miscommunication. I’ve handled 99.9% of the communication with them over our five-year period and had no issue with them.

They’re super-fast in responding, which is something I look forward to. If they couldn’t get something done in two weeks, they were great at letting me know. My previous web person would tell me after two weeks that they couldn’t get something done. Sleepless always communicates the timeline and helps sets expectations. We work over the phone, text, and email, as well as in-person.

What did you find most impressive about them?

A big thing for me was that they were consultative. All of the others I interviewed wanted me to tell them everything to do and let them go off and do it. Sleepless, on the other hand, gave us a lot of different options and mockups. They listened to our story and used that, which is great because none of us were web designers. They translated us properly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. The only thing we might have fallen a bit short on was, initially, we thought about looking into social media management. It’s not really their cup of tea, I don’t think, and we ended up hiring someone else. It would have been nice to have one company handle all of our stuff, but it wasn’t high on their list when I brought it up five years ago.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing director at Mountain Feed & Farm Supply. We provide products ranging from animal feed to food preservation housewares to farm supply goods.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sleepless Media?

We didn’t have a web presence at all, so our first challenge was to get a website up and running. In that process, we built out an e-commerce website typically for our housewares. From there, we saw a large following for our blog and newsletter. We wanted to integrate that with e-commerce to increase online sales. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sleepless Media redesigned our e-commerce website and blog and then moved it to Shopify. 

The first part of the process was the design. Sleepless Media did a custom design with us, and we were really involved in that. We had lots of face-to-face time to talk about little aspects of the design. We were looking for a minimalist look and feel so it was important to showcase our photography.

After that, Sleepless Media integrated e-commerce with our blog. The blog is made up of how-to articles and recipes that feature things we sell. The big challenge was to create a UI that integrates products and posts seamlessly and is easy to manage on our end. We’re not the most technologically savvy, so it was difficult to make it easy for us. However, Sleepless Media accomplished it. At the time, there were no plugins available for what we wanted to do, so their team did a lot of custom work. We haven’t upgraded since.

What is the team composition?

We worked with the main designer and the owner on the design. After that, we had a project manager to write specs for the functionality and for the rest of the process.

How did you come to work with Sleepless Media?

One important factor for choosing them was the fact that they were local to us. That allows us to have lots of face-to-face meetings as needed. Second, Sleepless Media is well-known for e-commerce. We didn’t want someone winging it on our first website ever, especially since an e-commerce site is a big undertaking. That’s why we went with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership started in May 2015 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since we didn’t have a website before, we don’t have a gauge on what improvements we saw there. However, the visual change and switch to e-commerce were pretty significant. Our sales increased by 100% because of our refreshed site. We did a lot of AB testing to ensure that we were making shopping easy as possible for our customers, who tend to be less tech-savvy. The checkout process is a lot less cumbersome. Plus, even though our audience tends to do less mobile browsing than average, getting a mobile responsive site was a big deal for us. 

How did Sleepless Media perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s been fairly painless. Their team has a good system setup. We send in requests, and they responded with time estimates and quotes. Most of our requests are small projects, so we’ve seen no significant delays or timeline issues. As far as communication goes, we have the occasional in-person meeting because it’s easy, but we mostly keep in touch via email

What did you find most impressive about them?

Sleepless Media has been doing e-commerce for a long time, so they have a lot of experience to speak from. They can explain why our ideas might not work based on their experience, giving legitimate reasons rather dismissing us outright. In turn, they’ve also made a lot of suggestions. I don’t think another web dev firm can do that without a similar level of experience. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, the process hasn’t really easy. There’s been no spot where we got stuck or that should’ve gone differently.

Any advice for potential customers?

I highly recommend being organized upfront and having a good idea of what you want. For the first project, we didn’t have as clear an idea, and it was a much longer process. The second time, we had a more vivid concept and were way more organized. Sleepless Media offers scoping and planning services, but in both cases, that wasn’t in our budget. So, planning ahead of time will save you both money and time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of marketing for a water filtration company called Clearly Filtered. We make residential tap water filters, including pitchers, under the sink, and showerhead varieties.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sleepless Media?

Over the course of a few years, we had created a sort of Frankenstein of a website by ourselves using various outside resources. We hired their team to combine all of those components into a single, cohesive, easy to navigate website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The original website was all under one URL, but the pages weren’t built off the same theme, so everything looked fairly piecemealed together. They handled full-stack design and development of the site, which is built on Shopify Plus and utilizes a third-party app called Recharge which facilitates recurring business through our replacement filters.

We came to Sleepless Media and explained our business model and goals with the new website. From there, they took a strategic approach to the design and layout, including how everything was featured on the site through colors and iconography, and their team created a custom theme out of that.

What is the team composition?

I worked hand-in-hand with John (Owner, Sleepless Media) and a project manager, as well as communicating directly with a few designers and a few developers. About 5­–6 people were continuously involved in the conversations about the projects that we were working on.

How did you come to work with Sleepless Media?

Our first introduction to them was at a Shopify conference about 3–4 years ago where I just happened to sit next to their team. We continued casual conversation over the next few years, and when we decided to take the step of actually rebuilding our website from scratch, we asked them to be part of the conversation. There were other development houses in play, but in the end, they seemed to be the best option for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $70,000 with them on the project in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from July–November 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had no plans to commit to an ongoing relationship after the initial development phase, but the relationship was such that we decided to sign on with them as a retainer client for the future as well. We developed a really strong business relationship with them.

On top of that our sales were astronomically higher than we expected. That jump speaks volumes about how much more intuitive the customer experience of the new site is and how much it allows people to understand the new site.

How did Sleepless Media perform from a project management standpoint?

I actually have a background on the agency side, doing just about the same things that Sleepless Media does, so I had a decent understanding of how I wanted the project to be managed. That said, they brought a very unique approach to the process that really streamlined a lot of things and which I found really effective.

They primarily utilized a single email address for all of the people in their office so that everybody was aware of what was happening across the entire project. The communication between myself and the developers always included everyone who needed to be there so that they could chime in if needed, which avoided an incredible amount of unnecessary communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The ability to have a real conversation with the members of their team is one of the biggest advantages of working with them. They are completely honest, no matter how much you might want to hear a specific answer.

Sleepless Media has the knowledge to make a decision on the spot rather than having to figure out whether they have the capability for something or not, so you never have to deal with the over-promise, under-deliver aspect that you often find with outsourcing agencies.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only difficulty we had in the entire project was when our project manager left in the middle of the project and we had to try to keep making progress while we scrambled to put something in place. That was obviously completely unforeseeable, so we don’t blame them in any way for it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The best advice I could give anyone is just to be s real as possible. Understand that the work being done is going to be excellent at the end, but you still have to go through all of the paces to get there. There’s a ton of work to be done on both sides, but they challenged us to work even harder, and that’s what makes it a good partnership.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Zpacks is a manufacturer of ultralight hiking equipment. I am the company's Director of Marketing and Brand Management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Sleepless Media?

We needed a totally revamped ecommerce website that not only looked good but also provided a quality customer experience when checking out with complicated orders.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to have Sleepless build us a quality website that was easy to use and navigate while simplifying the complexities of our orders.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We scoured the web and took recommendations and interviewed a ton of companies. Sleepless seemed to be the perfect fit in terms of ability, personality and applicable experience.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The project involved starting a square one to great a Shopify ecommerece site. From the creation of templates and custom scripts they were able to dial in the perfect buying experience for our customers.

What was the team composition?

The team mainly revolved around the owner of Sleepless and a primary contact. We had three people on our end involved in the review process.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Instantly, customers remarked our beautiful and easy to use the site was. We saw an increase in accessory sales due to the way they were presented as well.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project was managed view airtable, emails and phone calls. We were effectively able to express concerns, review work in progress and brainstorm on ideas.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

While it's impressive the Jon created an environment where he can skateboard around the shop. I think the biggest thing that impressed us was the quality of the work and the abilities of the team.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I believe Sleepless has everything locked in!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CTO of Chillshark

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a wellness tech company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Sleepless Media to accomplish?

• Designing a premium website that conveyed our product's value proposition

SOLUTION

How did you find Sleepless Media?

Online Search

Why did you select Sleepless Media over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget

How many teammates from Sleepless Media were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

They provided an incredible wireframe for a website that our developer was able to easily leverage in order to create our now live site. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

They hit all timelines that were agreed to at the onset of the project, within scope, and delivered precisely on the aesthetic we were looking for. 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Everything was delivered on time. They were incredibly responsive over email and receptive to any suggestions that we had. They were a pleasure to work with, and we 100% will be going back to them in the future as we expand our site. 

What was your primary form of communication with Sleepless Media?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They were incredibly flexible in structuring the project and getting us exactly what we were looking for. 

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

I don't think so. Everything was handled in a very professional manner. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of D2C of Lifestraw

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Water filters and purifiers

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Sleepless Media to accomplish?

• Comprehensive Shopify Plus Redesign

SOLUTION

How did you find Sleepless Media?

Online Search

Why did you select Sleepless Media over others?

Great culture fit

How many teammates from Sleepless Media were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Full website redesign / UX and backend for ecom optimization

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Increased conversions, improved customer experience and significant increase in upsells

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The work was delivered on time and they were very responsive and flexible with last minute demands. Great experience!

What was your primary form of communication with Sleepless Media?

Email or Messaging App

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

Their technical expertise in Shopify was impressive.

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

None that I can think of

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of (a/an) Automotive

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Ecommerce - Automotive

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Sleepless Media to accomplish?

• Redesign our website

SOLUTION

How did you find Sleepless Media?

• Online Search

Why did you select Sleepless Media over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

What was the size of Sleepless Media’s team?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

• HTML, CSS & Javascript coding
• production of the approved designs on the Shopify Platform. 
• Mobile optimization 
• Social media integration features

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Our new website has seen an increase in traffic and conversion

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Communication is key, and Sleepless Media is masterful in communicating effectively. They made the design process a breeze. We will definitely work with them in the future!

What was your primary form of communication with Sleepless Media?

• Virtual Meeting

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

Ability to perform and communicate effectively

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

The entire process was seamless - we had a great experience.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of Om Gallery. We are a retail and wholesale firm specializing in gifts, decor, lighting and crafts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Sleepless Media?

Sleepless Media has built multiple sites for us over the years. We have worked with them for almost 20 years. They built our first website in 2004 and helped us to upgrade and develop a new site in 2018.

What were your goals for this project?

They gave us a professional look and feel with good functionality. We wanted our web site to be representative of our look and feel inside our store.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Sleepless media has been our web developer, ecommerce company for almost 20 years.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They have custom designed multiple websites with different shopping systems over the years.

What was the team composition?

They have a good team to handle our inquiries.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We recieve a lot of feedback that is positive regarding our site. customers are impressed with the look and feel. Our sales have increased since we had our site rebuilt and redesigned by Sleepless.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Good

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Design ability

Are there any areas for improvement?

Some development quirks