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BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of Soul CBD, a growing CBD company that’s grown from 2 to 12 employees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pivofy?

We had outgrown our original WordPress website. We decided to move to Shopify, primarily to overcome the payment processing issues we were facing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’d already gone through a rebrand and corresponding web redesign in February of 2020. So, the redesigned WordPress platform already had the look, feel, and functionality that we wanted.

Consequently, Pivofy was responsible for migrating our website — pretty much exactly as is — to Shopify including all of our customer information, data subscriptions, and related filed. The first phase was website duplication on Shopify, which was followed by the data transfer phase.

What is the team composition?

I worked primarily with Denis. I also worked heavily with Jim for the second half of the project.

How did you come to work with Pivofy?

They were recommended by a colleague of mine who also runs a different brand. I reached out to Dennis, and it’s been smooth sailing ever since.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in late April 2020. Dennis and his team finished the first phase — the platform development — by May. They then executed the data migration, allowing us to launch our website in August.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work has helped us scale. Moving to Shopify was an absolute goal of ours, and they helped us attain it. Much of our marketing software wasn’t compatible with the WordPress platform we were using, so things were breaking left and right. Shopify has proved to be a more scalable, stable solution for a growing, direct-to-consumer brand like ours.

How did Pivofy perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent. Their turnaround was very fast; if I sent a request to Dennis or Jim in the evening, it would be implemented by the next morning. I don’t have anything bad to say about their process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The scope of their knowledge is most noteworthy. Their technical expertise really blew me away. While I’m already slightly familiar with out-of-box web development, Dennis was exceptional at filling in the gaps.

There was one instance where, only a day after site launch, we faced a problem in processing subscription payments. I was working with the support team of a particular third-party vendor and waiting for them to get back to me. After talking to Dennis about it, he utilized his connections within that third-party company to escalate my issue for a quick resolution. That was amazingly helpful and impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d recommend for them to create a client-facing Slack channel for an even quicker response rate. While they were already responsive, that element would’ve allayed some of my anxieties regarding the most time-sensitive items at the end of the project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you have your goals and requirements ready from the get-go.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a managing partner at My Spice Sage. We sell spices and seasonings to consumers and for wholesale.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pivofy?

We hired them to help us migrate an e-commerce platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They migrated us from Magento to Shopify. They mostly provided design and development services. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with four teammates.

How did you come to work with Pivofy?

We’re on Shopify Plus, which is Shopify’s top-tier service. So our salesperson for Shopify plus referred us to a few different agencies who they work with and vouch for in terms of migrations. We talked to a couple of agencies, but Pivofy was the right fit because they gave us a quote and said they would stick to it. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in May 2020, and the project is set to finish in July 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Pivofy was very fast, and they got the job done in the half the time they promised. They said it was going to take three months, but they ended up finishing in six weeks. The new website looks and performs great, and it’s an overall improvement from our old website.

How did Pivofy perform from a project management standpoint?

They stuck to the quote. We had a weekly phone call, and the team set up Basecamp which we used to communicate and for project management. Anything I sent them in Basecamp or any email I sent them, they typically responded to in less than 10 minutes. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Providing the total cost and a flat rate for the project set them apart. We felt that our incentives were aligned because we both wanted to get the project done as quickly as possible, and they did that. 

Whereas with our last service provider, they billed us hourly, and it took much longer than they said it would and it ended up costing more, too. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, it was a great experience. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you’re willing to take their advice. There were some situations where I had a certain idea in my head about what I wanted to do, but they gave me good advice because they’re very familiar with Shopify. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of an industrial supply company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pivofy?

We needed help with e-commerce development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built our Shopify platform from scratch. I was able to send them some websites I liked, from a functionality standpoint, and they were able to replicate that for our industry.

What is the team composition?

Denis (Founder & CEO) was my main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Pivofy?

I did some research and discovered Shopify would be the platform to fit my needs. I found several developers and checked if they had done a site similar to what I wanted.

There were only two developers that understood what I actually wanted and made it seem like it was simple to achieve; a lot of developers I reached out to made it more complicated than it needs to be and suggested overpriced custom systems. Pivofy’s process, on the other hand, gave me a lot of confidence.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We kicked off in October 2019, and it lasted eight weeks. From there, we finalized everything by January 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve only been live for 6–8 weeks, but we’re fairly good traffic, and it’s really easy to use. My colleagues have given positive feedback, and everyone enjoys the functionality.

How did Pivofy perform from a project management standpoint?

It was really easy to assign them tasks. We followed through a checklist and I could even see what Denis was assigning from a development side. It was really useful.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In the interview process and throughout our whole engagement, whether it made sense or not, they made it seem doable and simple to accomplish. There were very few things they were unable to do for me, if any. The team was really good at responding on time. I even got the chance to speak with Denis in person in Chicago, and we had lunch together. It was nice to meet in person after working together so much.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. I’ve been pretty happy with every service they’ve provided.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be communicative, whether that’s in-person or on the phone. Having that open dialogue is really helpful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an e-commerce company that sells vehicle accessories.        

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pivofy?

We had built out our website on Magento, but it became impossible to manage. The website would freeze up, so we knew we needed to migrate everything over to somewhere else.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We ended up choosing Shopify. Dennis helped us understand our business needs and make sure our website was more of an evolution. They made the site more modern and up to date. They set up the merchant system and the content management platform. Their team helped us prepare data and upload the products.

We have a portfolio of websites. They’re trying to find creative ways to solve the problem.

What is the team composition?

They have a couple of people working on their end. Dennis was the go-to person any time we had an issue.

How did you come to work with Pivofy?

Shopify actually recommended them to us. They’re one of the top e-commerce Shopify developers in Chicago. We reached out to Shopify and found two or three people. After interviewing and going through the proposals, we went with Dennis because of his attention to detail. He understood the uniqueness of the business.

What is the status of this engagement?

The work started in August of 2019 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

He really cares about the customer. They were able to think of creative and cost-effective ways to solve the problem. The business has nearly doubled. Because the previous developer had custom code, it was unstable and the traffic wasn’t getting converted. They stabilized the website and managed to funnel traffic properly.

How did Pivofy perform from a project management standpoint?

We had Basecamp set up. They were always available. The tasks were set up in an organizable way. They didn’t charge extra and put extra time as needed on the weekends. They had good communication and really kept the project on track.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really care about the project. They’ll scale and grow the project; it won’t just be a project management system built to handle many projects at once. They focus on the results-driven model: it’s all about getting conversions. Based on my experience with other developers, Dennis has been the best.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t know what feedback I’d be able to give him.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We sat down and let him know exactly what we were trying to accomplish.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of Shirley's Gourmet Popcorn Co.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pivofy?

Historically, we’ve had an in-store POS system that is completely separate from our online POS system. This meant our rewards systems were different online and in-store, same with processing gift cards. Customers could essentially have two accounts because of this. We hired Pivofy to completely redo our website and POS systems. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built us a new website using Shopify, acting as our consultant and programmer for the site. For the creative design, we left that completely up to them. They performed a complete overhaul of our POS system. They’ve organized our products by things like size, flavor, price so we can run numerous reports.

In light of COVID-19, it’s also really important to us that they used the Shopify system that enables customers to order online and pick up in-store. Most importantly for us, they combined the reward system so it’s now the same in-store and online. 

What is the team composition?

I work with Dennis (Founder & CEO), but he’s had 3–4 other people jump in and help with the project. 

How did you come to work with Pivofy?

We sent out an RFP to numerous firms. Pivofy was very upfront and honest about what they could do. Other firms promised me everything, which felt unrealistic. This team let me know what they could and couldn’t do 

How much have you invested with them?

The upfront project was $50,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2020. We’re mostly wrapped up but they’re continuing on as our consultants. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve done absolutely everything I've wanted them to do. They’ve under-promised and over-delivered. We’ve been in the top 15–20% of new Shopify stores that launched the same week that we did. Given our small size and the number of Shopify stores that are opening, I am ecstatic that we’re ranking there. 

How did Pivofy perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve handled project management very impressively. They ended up having to do more work than I think they anticipated, but they came in right at our budget and delivered everything two months early. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They don’t stop until they get it right and exceed expectations. If there’s a problem, they’re like a dog on a bone. I’ve honestly never worked with a firm like them before; they’re absolutely outstanding. Dennis is the only person I know who works harder than I do— he’s incredible. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I truly have no criticism of them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Recognize that they are experts. If you know exactly what you want, you might miss out. They are very innovative and know the space they are working in. It makes sense to hire professionals and listen to them. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I-Blason was founded as an Amazon seller of mobile accessories. We’ve continued to grow on the Amazon marketplace, and we’ve expanded our exposure globally. We’re selling to the Middle East, European countries, Australia, and Japan. We’re also trying to get into the Walmart marketplace. 

We’re an e-commerce business, without a physical store, and we’re very lean. We strive to provide affordable products to the customer.

I’m the senior director of e-commerce and marketing. I started working for the company around 2012, and I was a contractor for the first two years. Marketing has become my team’s major focus because we’re selling globally.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pivofy?

We moved from Magento to Shopify not only because we wanted to grow but because Magento 1 had expired and we had to pick another shop platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pivofy helped us move our store from Magento to Shopify. I worked with the technical team throughout the project. We had an internal designer.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Denis (Founder and CEO) and one of their developers.

How did you come to work with Pivofy?

I don’t remember how we found them. I talked to at least four providers before deciding on them.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost so far has been around $16,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Pivofy in late-2018 and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I wish we’d made the decision to switch to Shopify a lot sooner. Our revenue nearly tripled, our conversion rate went up, and our bounce rate went down. Shopify in general gave us flexibility to add new functions without a lot of trouble, as opposed to Magento.

Denis made a video step-by-step guide on how to use the site, which was super helpful for knowledge transfers.

How did Pivofy perform from a project management standpoint?

I felt very comfortable working with Denis because he’s very honest. We could be very blunt with each other without getting our feelings hurt. We cannot change facts, so I prefer not to twist them to make the story sound better. 

The whole process was very thorough, and he’s a great listener. They grasped our ideas very fast and helped us make judgment calls. We used Basecamp to log all tickets.

The website launch was delayed, but that was because of our side.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Denis is very honest and right to the point. We’re both technical people, so our discussions are very smooth. A lot of development companies start collaborations with a business development person, who has minimal knowledge about technology, so they always have to bring on someone else to be the backup. That wasn’t the case with Pivofy. 

Another thing about Pivofy is that they’re very cost-efficient. Other companies were asking for 30–50% more. One company actually doubled the price of what Pivofy quoted us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Pivofy probably has some offshore employees. We often talk to Denis, who talks to the team members, so there’s a gap in communication that could be filled up better. 

Our designer is super particular, and there were a lot of design elements that were neglected when Pivofy transferred the design to the actual site. We identified a lot of small things that could’ve been done better when we did an audit of the site before launch.

We had some hiccups communicating with their team members because of the time difference, but I don’t think it was avoidable. It happens with our in-house team members as well.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They should log everything in Basecamp and be as detailed as possible, especially if there’s a time difference.

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.