Uncap - Shopify Platinum Partner

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a company called Hard Core Waterfowl. We’re a provider of hunting supplies for the waterfowl industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pivofy?

We needed to re-platform the company website because we pivoted to a direct to consumer model. Historically, we serviced national retail. We were on WooCommerce but wanted to move to Shopify.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pivofy team moved our WooCommerce website to Shopify. While they redeployed some elements of our WooCommerce product, their UX and optimization efforts primarily propelled our business. Their team developed a tech stack to market our products to consumers directly. We told them how we wanted our customer journey to be and then, they analyzed the gap between our current and goal customer journeys. Their team suggested the technologies to get us to where we wanted to be. From there, they optimized the site to convert traffic and drive revenue. Their team selected and integrated third-party apps to drive consumers to our website. We’re discussing a new project with Pivofy now.

What is the team composition?

We interfaced with 2–3 people consistently.

How did you come to work with Pivofy?

I researched our business and knew that we needed to re-platform. I went through Shopify’s partner network and filled out the form on one Sunday. A local vendor was important, so I sent the form to probably 10 different companies. Pivofy was the only company that responded the same day. I was on the phone with them at 8 a.m. the next day. It was a good sign that their team was hungry for the business.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $25,000–$30,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We signed the contract in June 2019 and launched the website in October 2019. Their team completed the original scope of work per the agreement, but we continue to work with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

From Black Friday to Cyber Monday, we did $450,000 in sales. Prior to this project, the best month the company had was between $10,000–$20,000 in direct to consumer sales. The tech stack that Pivofy implemented drove that volume effectively. Since then, we haven’t had a month below $100,000 in sales, which is good for our business. That’s a small part of the total opportunity. The real benefit of their work was around the customer journey. Their team implemented technologies that add around 25,000 new direct users to the platform. They used technology to better serve customers with systems in place to capture data and fix inevitable challenges.

How did Pivofy perform from a project management standpoint?

Mostly, we use Basecamp. If I need to escalate a task, I text. Their team calls or texts back right away. They’re responsive and did a wonderful job.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their innovation was impressive. While there was a level of customization, they deploy technology that exists. However, their product knowledge and ability to deploy their understanding of our business distinguish them. We’re probably the only waterfall company that they support but they bridged that gap with knowledge of prior projects to support us effectively.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This is because we changed the game plan, but there’s an opportunity for them to build a structure around onboarding. We got excited about different features and changed the project’s direction. While they had a process, their team has an opportunity to handle deviations from the original scope better. It could be that’s because Pivofy’s a smaller firm.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Maximize the partnership and engagement. Identify your aspirations for the platform. Make sure that you’re specific with your needs so that you don’t have project creep like us. They didn’t charge us additional costs but there’s only so much that you can do in a certain period of time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the brand and marketing manager at Kalorik. We manufacture small kitchen electronics and home appliances.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pivofy?

We needed support with our migration from Magento to Shopify, and with the design of a new custom-tailored website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pivofy developed our new website using mock-ups we collaborated on together. After the building and design phases, they uploaded all of our content.

The team also provided a lot of guidance on SEO best practices to more efficiently market our work.

What is the team composition?

Denis (Founder & CEO, Pivofy) was our primary contact. Though he had a team supporting him, he streamlined all our communication.

How did you come to work with Pivofy?

One of our digital marketing associates came across Pivofy when searching for Shopify vendors and reached out to develop our partnership.

We received quite a few proposals, but Pivofy’s timeline, attitude, and experience greatly influenced our decision.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $25,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from September 2019-January 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Pivofy’s work was very high-quality, and they were able to implement all the features we requested on the website. Their turnaround time was faster than we expected.

The team went above and beyond, even accommodating requests we hadn’t clarified at the inception of the project. We’re really happy with the work Pivofy delivered.

How did Pivofy perform from a project management standpoint?

They used Basecamp, which we also use internally, which eliminated a lot of the disorganization I’ve seen in the past when launching a site. The team was able to structure their tasks extremely well and tackle duties one at a time, which kept us on track in our timeline. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their services and their responsiveness make Pivofy stand out. Denis was always able to provide me with a helpful answer within minutes of my reaching out, which is something I’ve never experienced. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was nothing negative on my end.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You’ll achieve the best results and save a lot of time if you come into a site launch with a clear idea of what you want.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the brand manager of Cubii. We’re an e-commerce startup that sells compact ellipticals. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pivofy?

We launched a rebrand of our company, and a huge part of that was updating our antiquated website. We brought in Pivofy to handle our web development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pivofy redesigned our website in Shopify but rebuilt several elements from scratch. I gave Denis (CEO, Pivofy) very rough mockups of the content blocks, names, and inspiration from screenshots. He then took those and ran with it, coming up with something that was exactly what I envisioned. I created the content that Pivofy implemented in the designs. I directed photoshoots and wrote copy to place in content blocks so that they could code out the plans.

In terms of functionalities, the Pivofy team streamlined the buyer journey to reduce the number of clicks and pages that a buyer would have to navigate to get to the checkout. They also customized our Zendesk platform, cart functionality, and dropdown menus. The dropdown menus used transparent images of our product to help users navigate. Lastly, Denis optimized the site so that it can better manage animations and movement. 

What is the team composition?

Everyone on the Pivofy worked on the project, but Denis was my main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Pivofy?

We were looking for a vendor who was dependable and passionate. We considered about a dozen vendors in the Chicago area using our CEO’s network for recommendations.

Denis came as a personal recommendation from our CEO—they had never worked together, but they were friends from a coworking space. He was local, which made him reliable, and radiated passion for our product. In fact, he had a very similar story to many of our customers, so our business resonated with him. It showed in his work.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $22,000–$25,000 on the website and $15,000–$20,000 on the content.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from June until September 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our traffic and sales have doubled from the previous month, which is more than we usually see around this time of year. Our bounce rate is also down. We can attribute these trends to a mix of things, but the new website has definitely made an impact.

How did Pivofy perform from a project management standpoint?

Like I said previously, Denis was my main point of contact. We communicated primarily through texts, email, and Basecamp. He managed his team and our project exceptionally well. Whenever he came to visit our offices, he was easy to share ideas and brainstorm with. Denis’s dedication to our project also showed. 

After a family emergency called him out for a few weeks, any delays that happened were filled. About a week before the site’s launch, he responded to my messages at all hours. His diligence, work ethic, and openness to feedback made him a strong leader and project manager.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Pivofy’s ability to turn around what’s normally a 12–18-week project in just 6–8 impressed me the most. They even put our project first over their other clients, being transparent with everyone about our tight deadlines and priorities. Their open communication made them great at managing all of their projects.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s always challenging to work with a freelancer that’s not in the office, but that’s a general complaint, not one specific to Pivofy. We communicated with Denis digitally, and he was always very responsive, making it a seamless process. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Limit the stakeholders on your side to 2–3 people—otherwise, the number of conflicting opinions in the brainstorming process will lose you time. You should also be knowledgeable about the platform you want to use and the ideas you have. By meeting Pivofy halfway, you’ll help ensure that they deliver exactly what you want quickly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We distribute welding & industrial supplies for manufacturers, fabricators, construction, & all other industries that deal in metal work. I am the Director of Operations including managing all marketing efforts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Pivofy?

To design an eCommerce platform for us to expand our business onto, large enough to handle between 3000-6000 unique SKUs.

What were your goals for this project?

To develop a platform that was simple to use from a sales point of view, that also integrated into our digital marketing strategy and provided a new revenue stream for our business.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Reading reviews on Clutch, and reaching out to a few that fit my price range. It was important to me that the developer I worked with was from the same city as my business. Pivofy responded immediately and was very prompt and professional in providing a quote, a realistic timeline for the project and explaining everything in straight forward language.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They designed, developed, and implemented our new eCommerce storefront for our business. They also provided invaluable advice and instructions every day helping us work towards our launch date.

What was the team composition?

Denis was our project manager. He and a team of two or three developers were in charge of our site and worked/communicated extremely efficiently and promptly. Night or day if I had any questions, they were all quick to respond and fix any problems.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It has opened up a new revenue stream for us and expanded our business beyond the local distributor model, providing us new flexibility to expand our business elsewhere. It is everything I hoped it would be and more. Exceeded our goals in every aspect.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We communicated through Basecamp as the main tool to layout tasks, what the project team needed from my end, while providing an easy environment for me to ask stupid questions, or make comments about aspects of the design that I wanted changed or tweaked.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The attention to detail and the transparency about how realistic my goals were or weren't. What I enjoyed most about working with Pivofy was the ease of communication. They laid out the steps of each phase of development with a clear view of how we would achieve each step and get closer to launch. I never felt overwhelmed.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Very little to improve. If you're looking for a personal touch on a project, Pivofy is the answer. No teams of 20-50 people who you'll never meet/talk to, working on a project they don't care about. Rather, Pivofy provides small teams who all communicate with you on each step of design and development, making your goals and needs come first.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We specialize in warehousing and industrial floor tapes, signs, markings, and custom signage and printing. I am the marketing director, and I deal with our social media accounts and make sure all our print materials are ready for market. I also handle our industry tradeshows, sales, and lead generation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pivofy?

We needed a new e-commerce website that was mobile- and user-friendly to better serve our clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built a new Shopify store and website from scratch and installed new review and email marketing systems. They also created a new logo for us. Our key goal was to simplify the site, and we removed a few items from the old version.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a team of about four. I worked directly with their owner, who devoted a lot of time to make sure the site came out right.

How did you come to work with Pivofy?

They were highly recommended through a marketing friend of mine. We reached out to two or three other agencies to get competitive quotes, but Pivofy had the best understanding of what we were trying to do. Of all the quotes we received, I felt most at ease with them. They were interested in helping us, even though we're in a small, niche industry.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in early July 2019, and the site will launch in October 2019. They completed everything within about eight weeks, but we've done a lot of work on our end to organize the products. The bulk of their involvement wrapped up in August 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're just about to launch, so we don't have any metrics yet. The new site looks great and is much more mobile- and user-friendly. We hope that it will generate much more revenue than the previous site. They estimated that they'd be finished within about ten weeks, but they delivered everything two weeks early.

How did Pivofy perform from a project management standpoint?

They're great project managers. They set me up in Basecamp, and they communicated with me whenever they needed something or when a task was completed. They kept good records, and they updated me regularly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communicativeness is great. They were very accessible, and they often wrote me back within a few minutes. We had weekly calls during the development process, and they were always very open and transparent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything that they should improve. The whole operation was seamless.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Stay in contact with them. They will communicate with you, and it's important to keep that two-way interaction open.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

BluMaan is an eCommerce business selling and creating hair styling products with a focus on men's hair. I have been working at BluMaan doing content marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Pivofy?

We hired Pivofy to help optimize and revamp our website - for design UI/UX and speed optimizations.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal for this project was to create a better user experience for our customers, make it easier to check out and have better branding across all of our pages on the website.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I found Pivofy through a recommended list of Shopify experts. After the initial discovery and meeting, it was great working with Pivofy. They are hasty and get things done in a timely manner. They were very upfront and knowledgeable about what we wanted to achieve which made us feel confident in knowing that they were experienced.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They completely redesigned our old website. They incorporated helpful additions but at the same time helped remove the junk that was slowing down our website. We definitely gave them a lot of examples and they were always helpful in agreeing or finding us other alternatives.

What was the team composition?

Pivofy had developers working on our website but Denis was the main point of contact. He was both professional and attentive throughout this whole project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since Pivofy optimized and redesigned our website, we've been seeing a lot more conversions and we've been getting tons of feedback from customers and in our internal team really enjoying the feel of the results. It's really easy and fast for a customer to check out now and all of our product pages are consistent and very user-friendly.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Pivofy was responsive and easy to work with. We mainly communicated through email and basecamp. Deadlines were met in a timely manner and even if there was a delay, it was completed shortly after.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We found the responsiveness and availability of Pivofy to be an impressive aspect of the company. They not only care but will sometimes even go out of their way to help you. We were also impressed that they never said they couldn't do it and instead, they were always willing to find a solution or alternative.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None to list. Pivofy was great to work with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The Fabric Fairy is an online retail store selling fabric by the yard. I have been the owner of The Fabric Fairy for 7 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Pivofy?

I hired Pivofy to migrate my site from another shopping cart platform and also redesign my site in the process.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to create a more user-friendly experience for my customers while moving the site from an outdated shopping cart to a more updated and secure cart system.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I found Pivofy on a list of recommended Shopify Experts and after interviewing them on the phone decided to hire them. I found them to be very upfront about timelines/pricing and very knowledgeable in both Magento and Shopify platforms which were essential to my project.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They designed, developed, configured, and then migrated and launched our site within the time frame they proposed. We collaborated on what features we wanted and Pivofy made it happen. 

What was the team composition?

Denis at Pivofy was the lead and my go-to team person then he also had a group working with him.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since Pivofy migrated and redesigned our site, our sales have increased noticeably. We have had positive comments on the user-friendliness of the site and the ease in which checkout is now streamlined. As for the backend/business part of the site, I have been extremely happy with the way the backend works, reporting, and analytics.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Pivofy was easy to work with, available, and responsive to our questions and concerns. Project goals were put in place and we had weekly phone calls to talk through all that had been accomplished that week and any concerns we might have. We had a Basecamp set up so I could see the progress being made daily.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

What I found most impressive about Pivofy is their willingness to be so available and responsive. My emails/messages were always responded back in an extremely timely fashion. Secondly, I was impressed with their overall knowledge of both shopping cart systems we were dealing with in our situation. That was crucial for me as a customer.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I don't have any concerns or areas I would recommend for improvement. Pivofy was professional and competent.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the finance manager at a pharmaceutical e-commerce company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pivofy?

We needed to migrate our e-commerce platform from Magento to Shopify.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided their team with all of the assets they needed, and Pivofy migrated our website from Magento to Shopify. They also redesigned the site using a custom template from scratch, updating other elements of the site in the process. 

What is the team composition? 

Denis (Founder and CEO, Pivofy) was our main point of contact, but he probably coordinated with 5–10 others on his team at any given time throughout the engagement.

How did you come to work with Pivofy?

We conducted a thorough search for an e-commerce development company that specialized in Shopify and, out of five or so proposals we considered, Pivofy had the most impressive approach. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $25,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from around February–March 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Pivofy helped improve our online presence, which has already led to more business in a short timeframe. In the first few weeks of launching the new site, sales increased about 20%. They created a much more user-friendly, clean site; the fact that we hardly receive any calls from customers as they checkout is a good sign it's working well.

How did Pivofy perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great to work with, finishing ahead of schedule and on budget. They drove the whole process and maintained open lines of communication throughout, using Basecamp to chat with us about six days out of the week. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their vision sets them apart. They had a plan from the start and their proposal was very clear. We never felt that they were moving in the wrong direction at any point in the process. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I was happy with the entire experience. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them a shot. Their proposal will stand out from their competitors from the get-go. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the director of e-commerce for a luxury chocolate brand.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Pivofy?

We engaged Pivofy to re-platform our e-commerce website on to Shopify.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to launch the new Shopify site.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found Pivofy through the Shopify Preferred Vendor list. The team was extremely knowledgeable about the platform and all its capabilities. We interviewed several other potential agencies, but Pivofy turned out to be the best fit from a cost and level of expertise standpoint.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Pivofy launched our new website on Shopify. The team transferred data over from our old site and showed us new features and ways to work with Shopify. Denis (CEO, Pivofy) helped us through the setup and created mini how-to videos for us to have on reference.

What was the team composition?

Denis ran the project and did much of the development himself. He assigned other tasks to developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our new site is beautiful. Pivofy executed our vision so well and worked extremely hard to get it ready for launch. They were extremely quick to respond to questions and tasks. We were able to launch within our timeline and make great progress.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

With Denis managing the project, we were able to move quicker and be nimbler because of the direct communication with him.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their work ethic, responsiveness, and Shopify expertise stood out. The team worked all hours of the day and never left anything undone or unanswered. I rarely had to follow up; they responded promptly about everything even just to let us know they were working on it and would get back to us. Communication was so clear the entire time. Their Shopify expertise is a huge asset, not only in how the platform works but also making suggestions in how we could take advantage of all the features or suggesting apps that would solve challenges. We felt confident the entire time of their ability to work on the platform and find a solution if there wasn't an obvious one.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the vice president of Ryobi Press Parts. We’re an e-commerce distribution company that services the printing industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pivofy?

Our primary focus was the redesign and rebranding of our current Shopify site. We wanted to provide a better customer experience and drive more traffic to our online store.

First and foremost, we wanted the site’s UX to be facile. We’re a B2B provider, and our customers are industrial manufacturing companies in the printing space. We needed a simplified UI/UX that would allow more of our customers to buy what they wanted online, versus having to call us or answer questions. Ease of use was a critical component, and so was photography. Most of our products have hi-res photos and multiple angles, and incorporating those product pages was instrumental to what we wanted. Our team needed to highlight products and for things to be simple, and we also wanted them to look at competitor sites. They explored our competitors’ sites and made sure we had a better experience. We wanted to make sure that the “Contact Us” and “About Us” pages had a cohesive theme to them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We went through a complete redesign and rebrand with Pivofy. We had a face-to-face meeting in Chicago, where our team from Indianapolis met with Denis (Founder and CEO, Pivofy) to review the project, outline its goals and objectives, and to give them some starting points and ideas. Denis and his team went to work.

They made our logo and branding, primarily for the site. We built our print and electronic marketing campaigns off of the designs Denis provided us. Once we settled on a final design, we used it as a springboard for all our print and electronic marketing. Pivofy provided imagery, layouts, and ideas. We had 2–3 revisions throughout the process before settling on the final selection.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly and only with Denis. He led his team and allocated the resources necessary behind-the-scenes. There were up to six different individuals who played a part in the project, mostly on the development side.

How did you come to work with Pivofy?

One key thing in selecting Denis for this project was his experience with the Shopify platform. We went through an extensive selection process in choosing a design firm to work with, and Pivofy won out primarily because of their experience with the Shopify platform, which we’ve used for the last eight years.

We initially reached out to our contact at Shopify and asked them for some recommendations. They provided us a handful of folks who were approved or experienced with the platform.

Another reason for choosing Pivofy was their proximity to our location. We knew there’d be a need for some face-to-face collaborations, and Denis being in Chicago person made working on the project more comfortable. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in April 2018 and the engagement lasted approximately 90 days. The team continues to provide support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our online sales have gone up by 40% since launching the new site. We’ve also doubled the number of conversions from phone calls, email contacts, and site visits.

How did Pivofy perform from a project management standpoint?

The team was attentive, interactive, and detail-oriented. Denis was available via text and email on both nights and weekends. The UI/UX was Denis’s brainchild. He had a lot of knowledge of the frontend, he was able to explain what its role would be, and he was the main person who came up with that part of the work. We used Basecamp, which made the partnership seamless.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They went above and beyond our expectations. Denis was always available and knew the industry. His Shopify experience was a key asset.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve had zero complaints. Denis has been there for us anytime we needed to make a change on the site, even when he was out of the country.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients have to take the time to develop a relationship with Pivofy. Doing this was critical to our success and to shortening the timeframe. We could’ve done some things through videoconference, but face-to-face meetings helped develop our impactful rapport.