Uncap - Shopify Platinum Partner

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner of Gift-O-Roboto, we are an online e-commerce store.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pivofy?

We're a new company and we wanted to have a really nice, user-friendly website for our customers to see and purchase our products online. I don't have any background in website development, but I knew we wanted to build on the Shopify platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did all the design and the development from scratch. I worked directly with Pivofy on the design, and they were really great about providing options and asking my opinion.  

The site is built on a Shopify platform and I wanted something that was built to grow with me, I did not want a generic theme that anyone could download. I wanted the platform to be built for my online store as a unique site that fit with our vibe and feel.

For one feature, in particular, I wanted to be able to make certain products stand out. There are apps that you can download to integrate with your website that will give you product banners signifying  “out-of-stock”, “new product” or “coming soon”. Pivofy coded that functionality into our system. This way we didn't have to worry about purchasing a separate app and paying a separate fee from a different subscriber.

There are additional features I want to add to my website as we grow, like a subscription service. I want it to be a very customized subscription service so people can buy gift boxes that would actually dropship to a third party.

What is the team dynamic?

Dennis [Founding Partner, Pivofy] was the lead, but there were about seven people involved total. I interacted with four.  

How did you come to work with Pivofy?

I originally found Pivofy online on Shopify as we reviewed a list of experts for e-commerce development. Pivofy really stood out to me, so I called and spoke with Dennis. One of the things that was important to me was to have a meeting with the company. I wanted to know that they weren't outsourcing everything and ensure we would receive good communication and feedback.

I actually drove to Chicago and met with Dennis one-on-one and discussed exactly what I wanted for my website. The meeting went so well, he was very friendly and everything that I was looking for. That's why I decided to hire them.

In addition, I wanted somebody who was familiar with Shopfiy. When I met with Dennis, he had just gotten back from the annual Shopify conference. He really knows the Shopify platform, he’s very knowledgeable. I had read a lot of articles on Shopify and everything he was talking about was what the articles had said your design expert needs to be aware of.

How much have you invested with them?

This is confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in March of 2017 and the project was completed in August of 2017.

I'm still in my first 30 days of opening, and part of your contract with Pivofy is that they are available to you for that first 30 days after launch. This is something I really like about them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Two of my customers said on online reviews that the website was very easy to use, and looks great. It was really nice to see that feedback from our customers.

How did Pivofy perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well. Pivofy uses Basecamp, and from a project management standpoint, it made it really easy to work with everybody on the team. We had good communication going back and forth and we were able to know exactly what we were working on and what needed to be done. That was all really great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

That one-on-one interaction and the fact that Dennis was willing to meet with me in person was most impressive. It wasn't just a business partnership, it was more about an ongoing relationship and developing that relationship. Your website is like a living, breathing thing and as your business grows and changes, your website has to be adaptable to change with that.

I wanted someone that I can have a relationship with. This wasn’t a one time, we pay and then are done. We're working together. They needed to care as much about my business and my growth as I do, and I really felt like I got that from Pivofy.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The one area I saw for improvement, and I mentioned this to them, was more tutorials and direction on how they designed and developed everything. I didn't necessarily know how to work the site from the backend, and I wanted to be able to manage everything myself. However, as soon as I let them know that, Dennis sent me videos of him making certain changes so that I could go through learning how to do it myself. He was very responsive to that feedback. When you don't have any web or code experience it is a little challenging, but the videos made that easier, showing me step by step how to do things myself.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO for Gensavis Pharmaceuticals. We primarily manufacture products that address iron deficiency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pivofy?

We needed to convert our WordPress informational website into an e-commerce site. We were frustrated with being codependent on resellers to move our product. We wanted to have greater control over the quality assurance and inventory of our product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It was a two-part process. First, we wanted to keep the feel of our previous site, but expand it into an e-commerce site. We also wanted to provide a platform for wholesalers and resellers to purchase our product. So, we needed to provide a consumer-facing retail site as well as providing wholesale acquisition costs for resellers. Pivofy used Shopify to build the site.

As a pharmaceutical company, we have to be careful with the text and images we use on the site. There are certain FDA requirements in the wording we use for consumers, medical professionals, and resellers. Pivofy started from scratch and came with a lot of ideas to construct what we wanted. They engineered the platform to be more attractive from an SEO standpoint, but we didn’t have them create AdWords or anything. 

How did you come to work with Pivofy?

We had previously contracted with someone else, but he didn’t get the site done. I then looked for developers through Shopify and saw Pivofy’s website. They replied to me immediately, so I decided to hire them.

How much have you invested with Pivofy?

It was between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I first contracted with them in January of 2017, and the site was finished in February. It took exactly five weeks for them to build our site, even with the additional changes I requested. We’re going to pay a monthly retainer so they can continue overseeing our e-commerce site.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I’ve had negative experiences with developers in the past, so they had to earn my trust. They gave us a price that was well worth our investment and met the timeline they set. It was very refreshing to work with them.

When the site launched, we immediately had customers ordering from us.

How did Pivofy perform from a project management standpoint?

They kept me apprised of the work they were doing and asked for feedback. If I sent an email at 12:30 or 1:00 in the morning, I always got a reply. They were focused on taking care of me.

We used Basecamp and email to communicate, which worked very well. I give them an A++ for project management.

What did you find most impressive about Pivofy?

They did what they said they would do. Other developers I’ve worked with have fallen short, but the team at Pivofy went above and beyond. The design features they incorporated into our site are wonderful. They were great at meeting timelines, and we had constant communication.

Are there any areas Pivofy could improve?

No. They’ve superseded our expectations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Streamline is a manufacturer and wholesaler of home decors and gifts. The company was established in 1991 and has around 15 employees.

I am the director of digital media for the company. As a wholesaler, most of our marketing work had been offline and through trade shows. I was hired to bring the company into the next century by giving it an online presence. This includes online marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pivofy?

We needed to build an e-commerce website which catered to businesses, rather than end-customers. In the past, we had a catalog site which didn't fit our products in terms of look-and-feel or functionality. The design needed to be renovated, making it more current and brand-oriented. We also wanted to allow current and future customers to purchase directly from the site, rather than through email or fax.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pivofy handled our entire re-platforming, including the website design and development. I managed the project together with their project manager. We created a product requirements document which included all specifications and functionalities desired. We also started with a design requirements document, which included what we had in mind and examples of website concepts that we liked and didn't like. Pivofy took our requests and interpreted them, giving us a few designs, out of which we chose one. The relationship was 100% collaborative.

We initially chose the Magento 2 platform for the project. When the website was close to being live, we discussed some issues with Pivofy and realized that Magento 2 was not mature enough to handle everything we wanted. Magento 1.9 websites couldn't be updated to the 2.0 version, so our choice was to either stick to 1.9, or try Magento 2 for additional scalability. When we reached the conclusion that the platform wasn't stable enough, Pivofy offered to rebuild the whole site on a new platform for a much lower rate, just to make us happy. We're currently using the Shopify platform, and are very happy with it.

How did you come to work with Pivofy?

I am a member of an e-commerce forum which features recommendations from other users. I saw a post about Pivofy, and contacted the company, along with other service providers. I immediately clicked with their principal, who was very personable, flexible and responsive, so we started working with Pivofy.

How much have you invested with Pivofy?

This information is confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Pivofy in November 2015. The project ended in July 2016. While the project has been closed out according to our agreement, if we need additional development, Pivofy will be our first choice.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The site's visitors are strictly our customers; even though they care about the design, the main concern is being able to buy products from us in an easy fashion. The results were well-accepted by all partner companies. One of the managers of our company is a designer; she was involved in the site development and has been very happy with the site's design and functionality.

Results-wise, compared to 2015, our revenue was 12 times higher. Regardless of what the feedback might be, this figure speaks for itself.

How did Pivofy perform from a project management standpoint?

Pivofy was very responsive, listened to everything we wanted, and was accepting of our requirements, even when we changed them drastically. Pivofy never disengaged with us while working on the project, which is something I experienced with many other developers. Usually, a company working on multiple projects will only be able to provide a limited number of hours per customer. Even though Pivofy was working on other projects, we never felt that this was the case with them.

We used Basecamp and Google Docs for our collaboration.

What did you find most impressive about Pivofy?

Besides the personality of Pivofy's principal (who knows how to communicate, how to be responsive, as well as how to design and develop, I've found that the agency is able to provide design, development and consulting for which platform would be best. This is very important for future customers.

Are there any areas Pivofy could improve?

There is nothing I could think of right now. I was very happy with Pivofy.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a beekeeper based in North Carolina producing artisanal honey for public consumption. We strictly have an e-commerce outlet. I am the owner and president of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pivofy?

As with wine or olive oil, in recent years, honey is becoming the “in” food. I was right on the cusp of this, and I wanted to capture it. If it wasn't for Pivofy, I wouldn't have been able to do this.

Even though I've been completely successful in other ventures, I had never worked on an e-commerce site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pivofy completely designed the company site and set it up. We will be handling online advertising ourselves, through our CTO [chief technology officer]. Pivofy can work in both Magento and Shopify, but they urged us to use the latter. I'm not a technical person, so I listened to their expertise.

I have not met Pivofy's team in person, but I've dealt with their principal almost daily over email, and at least 1-2 times a week over the phone.

How did you come to work with Pivofy?

We were a startup at the time, so I couldn't drop large sums of money on a website. Our budget was set at under $20,000. I had a very specific vision for the site, namely to feature a 1940s pinup of a killer bee, similar to what can be seen on the fuselage of a B-29 bomber. It's a unique logo, on which I wanted to base the whole website and brand. I've worked for the government for close to 30 years in various aspects of law enforcement and defense, so I'm not a particularly peace-loving and understanding person. I wanted to express that voice in the website design. I'm also an NRA [National Rifle Association] life member, so my intention was to sell artisanal honey to other shooters. Pivofy caught that immediately, and they were spot-on.

Our CTO is a member of a large advertising company; she helped us through the request for proposal process. Pivofy was the only company to respond with a proposal that was not the typical boilerplate, fill-in-the-blank approach. This gave me trust in them. My wife was in Chicago at the time, so she visited Pivofy's office. We came to choose them over all other options.

How much have you invested with Pivofy?

The cost of Pivofy's services was under $15,000, which we could pay in 3 installments.

What is the status of this engagement?

The site was completed 2 weeks ago, but Pivofy stayed in touch with me for additional changes on the site.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We hard-launched the site 2 weeks ago, and I already can't keep up with our orders. I've got a stock of about 1,200 pounds of honey, as well as other merchandise, and I don't know if it will last until March of next year. Instead of making a generic bee-themed site, Pivofy was able to capture my vision, including hexagonal pictures (which I understand is a pain to implement).

I've been spotlighted with links from the people buying our products. The site features images of empowered, beautiful women holding guns. My wife is a progressive liberal, so she had her doubts about this look. Even so, I've gotten comments from her friends (including a leading democratic strategist), telling me how good the site looked. They even bought our t-shirts and honey with AK-47s printed on the label.

My father was a Fortune 500 CEO [chief executive officer]. He is 95 years old now, so he doesn't understand the whole e-commerce concept. Still, after looking at my site, he told me that I am presenting an image which mirrors my vision. This came from a person who was responsible for tens of thousands of employees all over the world. Like any successful CEO, he is one of the most critical people that could look at a business plan.

I've received comments from Special Forces guys and operators whom I truly admire. All of them liked the site. My friend is one of the founders of an early cars website. He had some suggestions for me based on his experience, but he liked the overall design of the site. I've gotten zero negative comments about the site. It does have some bugs and responsiveness issues, but we're working through them.

How did Pivofy perform from a project management standpoint?

I live in the Eastern Standard zone and get up early every morning. I always find 3-4 emails from Pivofy early on. Pivofy fulfilled my contract in a timely manner, producing a successful site.

What did you find most impressive about Pivofy?

We haven't done any advertising or SEO [search engine optimization] for the site yet, but I'm watching the orders come in. Pivofy is pivotal in getting us started, so I'm going to make them our go-to developer. I have absolute faith in their ability to solve problems.

Are there any areas Pivofy could improve?

Pivofy's principal is Albanian, so there were some communication issues. Even so, we were able to work through them. I liken building a site to building a home. There was some tension, but we worked through it in order to accomplish the same goal.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Projects Contemporary Furniture is an interior design studio as well as a dealer for more than 50 contemporary European furniture lines. We also do interior design, and on our e-commerce site, we have an online interior design part of that as well. We're located in Des Moines, Iowa.

What is your position?        

I am an interior designer, and I run most of the e-commerce site as well.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Pivofy?

We wanted to be able to work directly with a developer and have our input in the design of our e-commerce site. We have worked with developers in the past, and you work more with the project manager than you do getting to give your direct input. I just had much more say with Denis [Dyli, founder at Pivofy] because he was the developer as well as the one I spoke to all the time. I wanted somebody who was a smaller firm where I could have much more input and talk directly with the developer and somebody who had a good design eye as well in creating the site – and the technical capabilities. He's a designer and a developer. To be able to create a new e-commerce site with the design and for a decent price, Denis is very fair when it came to pricing.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

It was just from scratch a new e-commerce site with Shopify. Pivofy was very knowledgeable in the Shopify platform, and they were able to direct us to which platform works best for our size of business and what we sell. We chose Shopify with their expertise on that. They started doing the rough design of the site. We signed a contract based on that. We did the design phase where we were able to work back and forth, and I had a lot of input on the design and all the directions we wanted to go with it.

Also, there was implementing the Consult a Designer portion of the e-commerce site, which was a custom development. That's the online interior design service that we offer. They were able to develop that based on what I told him I needed. Then, the development phase, he was able to develop a nice product that was in line with the design we agreed on. It looks very nice, and I was able to give a lot of feedback. He was always prompt in responding to my changes in that phase as well.

It was just e-commerce development. He offered some advice on that and gave me some SEO [search engine optimization] and marketing people that he's worked with before, but I don't think he specializes in that.

How did you come to work with Pivofy?

We were originally looking just in Des Moines, then I opened up my search to surrounding cities, and Chicago is one of the closer ones. I think I was reading reviews online; I might even have been on Clutch at one point too. I just read from reviews and sent out a few email requests, and he was the first at getting back to me and was very eager to talk more about the project. I went with him because he gave me a rough design of the site to start, and it seemed like he did his research on our brand and what we're about. He just seemed like the most eager and the most on top of things out of who I was looking at.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It was slightly more than $10,000. I want to say $11,000 or $12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

It's completed. We started in May and launched in mid-July. We've paid and everything, but he has a 30-day post-launch where he'll still make edits when I request them. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Many of our old customers have been coming and saying how much they love the new site. We've gained a lot of traffic from people that didn't know we were in Des Moines and found us in surrounding areas like Omaha or just throughout the Midwest. I know it's our e-commerce site, but it's brought people into our brick-and-mortar site as well just having that online presence.

How did Pivofy perform from a project management standpoint?

Pivofy did very well. They had a nice platform that we used to be able to discuss things back and forth. It was all very organized. It was a very quick response back. I think it sent us both emails when either of us was to reply to a comment. It was mostly all online. We had a couple in-person visits. He was very prompt, organized, and all good things.

What distinguishes Pivofy from other providers?

We've actually worked with developers in the past and, sometimes, there's good promises and just not as great of results. Pivofy brought the results, gave us a great product and did it in a timely manner as well, which we appreciated.

For me, what I liked was I had a vision going into it, and Denis was open to my ideas. I felt like we accomplished a lot because I was able to share my vision with him, and we were on the same page with that. Know what you want going into it, but then again, from the other side, he might be just as good as at just coming up with the ideas from scratch, too. I would say reach out and give him a shot and see what his mockup is like and see if you guys are on the same page and see what he has to offer. 

Is there anything Pivofy could have improved or done differently?

No, not really. We've had a wonderful experience with them. Especially compared to other experiences, we've enjoyed the process. It was very smooth, so no negatives.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Pawstruck.com is an online retailer of healthy, natural pet products, specifically dog treats and dog chews. We sell directly to consumer online through our website and a couple other channels.

What is your position?

I am the owner of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Pivofy?

We had an old Magento website that we used. We were having many technical issues that were above my head. Loading time on the pages was slow and was affecting our business. We were looking to do a redesign to update the website and make it responsive.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Pivofy completely redesigned the site from the ground up. We used many of the same creative elements in terms of branding and logo, but everything else was redesigned. From product page to home page to status pages – from a technical standpoint – that was 100 percent their responsibility. We were creating the artwork internally and creating the design behind it. They were giving feedback along the way. It was a collaborative process to revamp the website to look better and be more user-friendly.

How did you come to work with Pivofy?

I had worked with the owner [Denis Dyli] previously. I've worked professionally with him the last couple of years. I contacted with the hopes they could help us with the redesign. It made sense financially, and the fact that I already trusted him was why I went with them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It cost less than $10,000

What is the status of this engagement?

The project is completed. From the time we signed the contract to launch date was two to three months. I would say that was a quick turnaround, and some of the delay was on our end.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The new website is now responsive, much faster, and easier to maintain. It increased our conversion rate and traffic just because it's easier and faster to use. It was extremely slow before. We're lowering our bounce rate. It's keeping people on the website for longer periods of time, which has increased our conversion rate. The back-end is much easier to manage. It's easier to import new products, easier to edit them, put them on sale, and take them off sale. Before we used a mobile theme and now it's responsive, so it looks good on any tablet or device.

How did Pivofy perform from a project management standpoint?

The project went very smoothly. I've worked with other agencies in the past and sometimes communication is the hard part. Communication with Pivofy was easy and transparent. We used BaseCamp to communicate, so we could see what was being done and who was doing it. There were sometimes delays, but they were good at communicating why there were delays. Sometimes in the past, deadlines weren't met and you didn't know why. It's not a big deal if we know why. Communication was a strong point with them.

Is there anything Pivofy could have improved or done differently?

Nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am a Sales and Marketing Manager at Kooks Custom Headers

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Kooks makes headers and exhaust systems for high performance cars

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Uncap to accomplish?

• Website design
• improve website functionality
• provide us with more knowledge

SOLUTION

How did you find Uncap?

Referral

Why did you select Uncap over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Uncap were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

-Design 
-New Development 
-References 
-Documentation 
-Guidance 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Status updates throughout the project and utlizing click up to keep track of everything

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

Response at the beginning was better and towards the end it slowed down (just because i think more projects got thrown on to the team we were working with) but questions were still answered weekly. 

What was your primary form of communication with Uncap?

Virtual Meeting

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

Denis was incredible and very honest and transparent with us when we voiced our needs and concerns. 

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

No 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of RespShop.com

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We sell sleep apnea supplies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Uncap to accomplish?

• Shopify Migration
• Website Design

SOLUTION

How did you find Uncap?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select Uncap over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Uncap were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We used in a customized shopping cart for over 15 years. Too many features so we were not brave enough to migrate to Shopify. Finally our company hit a tipping point so we decided to use Uncap's help to move to Shopify.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The deadlines were hit without delays. Uncap staff were responsive and willing to make changes based on our feedbacks. The final migration was surprisingly smooth which was completely unexpected. We thought we would see a sales drop for 1-2 months but it turned our the sales had no changes at all.

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

Yes. Everything was clearly planned and communicated. 

What was your primary form of communication with Uncap?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

1) Communication was responsive.

2) Uncap staff made extra design changes after the "final" version was confirmed.

3) The final migration day was very quiet and no surprises at all.

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

NA.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Project Manager of E3 Spark Plugs

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Sell car parts

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Uncap Commerce to accomplish?

• Migrate website on Shopify Plus platform and increase e commerce sale

SOLUTION

How did you find Uncap Commerce?

Referral

Why did you select Uncap Commerce over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Uncap Commerce were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Uncap were to:

• Move our e-comm store to Shopify plus platform.
• Give us a new look.
• Enhance functionality.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Uncap was able to deliver the result in the timeframe promised.
• Our sales are good after launching the site.

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

• They delivered items on time.
• They are always on top of our needs and feedback.

What was your primary form of communication with Uncap Commerce?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Uncap Commerce is extremely efficient and does great work. They also provide great feedback and best practice advice!

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

They are wonderful!