Web Craftsmith

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and president of Satchel Kits, a home brewing kits manufacturer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Web Craftsmith?

We needed help with UI/UX design; we hired another design and development team first, but they did a really bad job.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Web Craftsmith did UI/UX design for us from scratch. We started the process with Zoom calls to have a complete sense of what we were looking for, and Web Craftsmith’s team gave their insight, which was completely different from what we wanted. Nonetheless, they explained the benefits of doing it their way, which was taking an existing theme within Shopify and optimizing it.

Consequently, we started the design phase with Figma mock-ups to translate them to the Shopify theme we were customizing — Web Craftsmith took the idea of what I wanted to a higher level for our brand. In addition, they created graphics, like custom banners and social media material, did copywriting, and were proactive in terms of updating things on the platform, which wasn’t in the initial project’s scope.

What was the team composition? 

I worked directly with Gabriel (Designer), but there was a team of 3–5 people from Web Craftsmith’s staff working behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Web Craftsmith?

We found them through Upwork. We asked different providers for quotes and ended up choosing another team that was within my budget. Nonetheless, that other team did a horrible job, so we decided to stretch our budget a little bit more and go back to Web Craftsmith, who sent an example of what they’d do to address my needs, and I was blown away by it.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent around $2,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from July–September 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to Web Craftsmith’s work, our conversion rate has increased to about 1%. Overall, their work enabled our platform to function smoothly with zero issues.

How did Web Craftsmith perform from a project management standpoint?

They were always helpful and in a good mood. Moreover, their team always kept me updated and was on top of my feedback. Regarding tools, we used Basecamp, Zoom, and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were the most professional agency I’ve worked with. Web Craftsmith had an impressive range of abilities to create a user-friendly product. Their team understood what we wanted and had the knowledge to make it happen.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Web Craftsmith should have a WhatsApp Business account to have quick texting communication. Other than that, I didn’t think there was anything they could improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t hold back on what you’re looking for, and be organized with communication to present what you want in an organized manner.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of InaEssentials, an organic cosmetics company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Web Craftsmith?

We needed help with website development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Web Craftsmith has helped us enhance our Shopify website, convert our team to the new platform, provide consulting to our UX department, and migrate the new site to our more than 20 domains. Moreover, they provide maintenance according to our needs — we call them, and they collaborate with our internal team to take care of it.

Regarding the process, Web Craftsmith's team started by learning about our company and our customers' journey so they could begin giving ideas and insight to scope the project.

Currently, Web Craftsmith is helping us with conversion rate optimization, product positioning, GitHub website implementation, couriers integration for checkout processes, and feature assessment so we can get the most out of our site.

What was the team composition? 

We've worked with Gabriel (Owner) and a couple of other Web Craftsmith team members.

How did you come to work with Web Craftsmith?

Someone within our industry referred them to us, and we chose them because they seemed interested in learning about our brand and working with us.

How much have you invested in them?

So far, we've spent around $10,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2022, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our conversion rates increased by at least 15%–20%, which is impressive because we have a record within our industry. Overall, we’re constantly growing our sales and revenue, so we’re delighted with our partnership.

How did Web Craftsmith perform from a project management standpoint?

They stay within deadlines and on budget and are responsive to our needs. Regarding tools and communication, we use Google Meet. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They fully focus on our needs and invest in learning about our business and brand specifics before providing suggestions. In addition, they tailor-make everything to fit our wants and needs rather than using prescripted things.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on. I’m delighted with their work, and I hope they don’t change the way they work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Let them understand your business, discuss your issues with them upfront, and be open about what you’re trying to achieve.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

BelleBox is a leading beauty subscription box in Bulgaria, shipping boxes to tens of thousands of clients every month. My name is Stoyan Dobrev and I am the founder and CEO of BelleBox.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Web Craftsmith, and what were your goals?

Our website is built on Shopify. A year ago we needed to create custom functionalities to our product pages - new sections, speed improvement. Web Craftsmith also helped us fix an issue with the integration of our Facebook pixel. 

SOLUTION

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

I was refered to Web Craftsmith by a friend of mine, who used to go to college with Gabriel from Web Craftsmith. It was very easy to schedule a video call with Gabriel for the next day directly from Web Craftsmith's website.

We had a long chat - I described what new custom sections we would like to have on our product pages and Gabriel explained to me what needed to be done in a nontechnical language. Based on the quick and easy communication and the fact that Web Craftsmith is a certified Shopify partner, I decided that we can select Web Craftsmith and work with them.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Creation of new custom sections for our product pages.

Integration of Facebook pixel.

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

I believe Gabriel worked with one of his teammates. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

All of the custom sections that we needed for our product pages have been developed, up and running within 4-5 business days. It's great how quickly Web Craftsmith completed the task. 

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

It was very easy to schedule the introductory call with Web Craftsmith through their website. I think they installed Calendly, which give all available time slots for and they sends an reminder email and text message before the call.

The video call was arranged through Google Meets. And the followup communication was through emails.Gabriel set a deadline for the custom sections and completed the tast before the deadline. 

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

I have worked with several software developers over the years. What impressed me the most about Web Craftsmith and Gabriel was their layman's terms in communication. I believe this is not too common. I don't have a technical background and this kind of quick and easy communication was the reason why I decided to work with Web Craftsmith in the first place.

On top of that, they have been extremely responsive and met their deadlines.

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

Honestly, I don't think there is anything they should change. It seams like the team is doing a fantastic job. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager of Ameissy, an online store that produces and sells innovative female underwear for their period. We produce our products in Bulgaria and sell them worldwide.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Web Craftsmith?

Before engaging with Web Craftsmith, we had created our brand but didn’t have any website or online store, so we brought them in to help us establish an online presence.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Web Craftsmith has helped us build three e-commerce websites for our products on Shopify. Initially, we provided them with documentation and information about our products. We also provided them with descriptions and pictures of those products. Then, they took our input to create our first online store from scratch.

To this day, Web Craftsmith has completed three sites for us. We continue working together on innovations and updates for our sites and frequently engage with them on new projects.

What is the team composition?

We work directly with Gabriel (Director).

How did you come to work with Web Craftsmith?

Another web designer introduced us to Web Craftsmith, recommending them as a professional Shopify development company. When we explained our project and requirements, they understood our needs and offered different solutions. They were also very open to working on certain challenges, and their communication was perfect from day one.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around £2,500 (approximately $3,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around June 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Web Craftsmith has delivered everything we’ve asked for; they always find a solution for our needs. Overall, we’re very happy with their work, and we’ve relied on them from day one.

How did Web Craftsmith perform from a project management standpoint?

Web Craftsmith’s project management is their best asset. They always provide great timelines, and oftentimes, they deliver before those deadlines. Our entire collaboration has been virtual — we communicate via Zoom and Google Meet. Additionally, we use a tool similar to Asana to manage the project, although I don’t remember its name.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Web Craftsmith excels at communicating. Their communication is very fluent and easy, and they respond quickly to our demands. Furthermore, they always strive to find solutions to our most difficult tasks and deliver better results than expected.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be great if we could meet in person someday.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re looking for someone to help you with Shopify development, Web Craftsmith is the best choice. They offer reasonable prices and fluent communication.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of a company specializing in writing financial software code. We’re located in New Haven, CT. Part of my role is to vet and hire IT professionals for other organizations, but in this case, we needed a partner for our own business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Web Craftsmith?

We hired Web Craftsmith to develop an e-commerce Shopify website for one of the startups we were spinning off. The startup is based in Guilford, CT, and has a retail location and online store. It’s a shopping site for a new athletic wear brand, and our main goal was to capitalize on instant gratification and have a click-buy feature. 

Managing the inventory between the online and retail stores was quite a complex task, so we needed help with that as well. The project was outside our expertise, so we wanted to hire like-minded professionals with the same development philosophy for financial programming.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They offered a few approaches at the beginning of the project, and we deferred to them regarding technology. One approach offered was a hybrid model, where we would host some of our own content and integrate it with the Shopify store. 

We wanted to avoid potential bottlenecks from the beginning because we expect the project to ramp up fairly quickly. As a result, Web Craftsmith recommended we primarily use Shopify to avoid inserting a log jam since it already scales. Instead of hosting portions of our own content elsewhere, we rely on a series of plug-ins to speed up development, reduce costs and allow us to scale efficiently.

We provided them with initial documentation through screenshots and images from other websites. We shared verbal feature descriptions, and they began working on cloning functionality based on our requirements. They gathered the desired look and feel from our documentation and enhanced it by adding other features we hadn’t considered. 

They simplified the site's UI portion, allowing users to complete a purchase very quickly. They helped us develop a click-buy feature by integrating Google and Apple Pay with the site, enabling users to purchase products as they see them.

Our data shows that mobile phone purchases are significantly increasing, so Web Craftsmith made this feature available via web browser and mobile. They also integrated the site into social media applications like Instagram.

They also offer maintenance, and we have engaged their services on a continued basis to enhance certain features. They will help us roll out holiday sales associated with the store and other more complex projects requiring additional resources. 

What is the team composition?

Our primary point of contact is Gabriel (Founder). 

How did you come to work with Web Craftsmith? 

There tends to be a lot of uncertainty when hiring a development partner. I was looking to engage a partner that would approximate risks and avoid making salesman-like promises. We found them through independent research. We set up an interview, and we liked how they performed. 

The startup project was a complex undertaking, and I was looking for an honest partner when it came to the process. I wanted them to give me flora and fauna of the types of obstacles we might encounter and map out how we would deal with best and worst-case scenarios, and they did. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $30,000 in the partnership.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered with Web Craftsmith in February 2022, and the product went live in July 2022. It came together fairly quickly, considering the scope of the work. The partnership will continue as special projects develop.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our goal for software development was to produce an MVP, and Web Craftsmith helped us accomplish that. They actually built the site faster than we could take pictures to catalog each product. 

We wanted to avoid shoehorning every piece of position or feature request, and Web Craftsmith understood that. Their approach was to build a functional site immediately, and iteratively enhance the features, which they’ve done well.

We measure success by how the features work during the testing phase. The key features include calculating shipping correctly, and linking the correct items together to enable SEO for each unique identifier. Everything functions as intended, and we can populate the Google search algorithms. 

We are so confident in how well the e-commerce site works that we also plan to switch our fulfillment center over to Shopify.

How did Web Craftsmith perform from a project management standpoint?

We like having a single point of contact; it makes the process very structured. We have status calls every few weeks, and Gabriel has an items checklist to ensure we stay on track. 

They meet deadlines and stay on budget and often will even make recommendations to stay under budget, which is impressive. Typically developers are looking to extract the maximum profit from a client, and we didn’t get that from Web Craftsmith. 

They are very sensible in their development approach and find creative solutions to speed up the process and reduce costs. We invested significantly in advertising for the site, so it was key to have the product ready on time. They had the e-commerce site up and running ahead of the launch date, which is a big deal. 

We initially spoke about project management tools, but they handle and digest our listed features efficiently without tools. Their turnaround time is typically only a few days. Gabriel can move quickly through checklist items. We have biweekly meetings, and he usually resolves each item before our next call. We communicate via Zoom, Google Meet, phone calls, and text messages. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed by their integrity. Web Craftsmith does a great job managing our expectations and giving us realistic timelines for features and what they cost. I’ve worked with other partners that have cost more and never received an MVP. Web Craftsmith produced a functional site we could use to start selling from day one. 

We really understand each other from an IT and architecture standpoint. We are concerned with the backend and whether the core functionality works versus the visuals. My team has enough technical experience to articulate our needs, and Web Craftsmith immediately knows what we mean. 

It’s harder to manage expectations when dealing with non-technical team members because the technical language and foundation may be lacking. Regardless, they did a good job of making the less technical people in our company comfortable.

Their ability to think ahead was impressive. Instead of just coding what you ask for, they really look at the big picture and code towards the overall goal. They would think about future enhancements and consider the overall direction of the site. Web Craftsmith did a great job helping us manage inventory as well. 

Web Craftsmith did a great job of navigating the project's complexity, making us feel comfortable with hitting certain deadlines. We have made an excellent choice.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think they could add a graphic designer to the team who can take calls with the client’s non-technical users, and explain the more technical portions of the project in a simpler way. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice would be to structure the engagement into different parts. Planning the stages of the partnership will enable you to see a functional product more quickly, and instead of paying for development hours, you’re paying for the product itself. Negotiate the MVP price, then set up iterative features as a separate engagement so that you’re on the same page.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President & CEO of McGuire Chocolate Company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Manufacture chocolate from the cacao bean

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Web Craftsmith to accomplish?

• Build a website on Shopify
• Migrate data from WordPress website

SOLUTION

How did you find Web Craftsmith?

Online Search

Why did you select Web Craftsmith over others?

• Good value for cost
• Small team ensured requirements were understood

How many teammates from Web Craftsmith were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Design a Shopify website using provided business requirements. The website was ecommerce focused built with buyer phycology and analytics in mind. Once the theme was selected, and web pages built out, we migrated data from a legacy Wordpress website, and trained on analytics. In parallel, Klaviyo was also setup for email marketing campaigns.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Site launched without issues and inhouse sustainment has been manageable

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

No notable issues. Different time zones created communication delays but this went both ways.

What was your primary form of communication with Web Craftsmith?

Virtual Meeting

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

We liked that Gabriel was the owner of the company and he was also hands on with the work. He managed a small team but very much owned the engagement was technically knowledgeable. They are personable to deal with.

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Product Consultant of Accelerator 365 by Reply

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Apps and solutions for Microsoft SharePoint

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Web Craftsmith to accomplish?

• Facilitating payments through our website
• Migrating content and the website structure from our old WordPress hosted website
• Creating a self-service knowledge repository in the form of FAQs

SOLUTION

How did you find Web Craftsmith?

Online Search

Why did you select Web Craftsmith over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Web Craftsmith were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We worked with Gabriel move our old WordPress hosted website to Shopify to offer the following benefits:

• Ease of editing
• E-commerce capabilities
• Self-service knowledge in the form of FAQs
• Integration with our existing CRM system (HubSpot)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to successfully migrate and launch our e-commerce site in 3 months. Integration to our HubSpot CRM system was easy and now allows us track and respond to contact responses received on the website through our CRM. We are also already seeing the benefits for our clients by accepting card payment through our website, and managed to make a sale on the day of our website launch, which was an instant success!

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

Gabriel was responsive to our requirements via the Kitchen messaging platform. We also had regular weekly calls to ensure our project was on track, and to identify any outstanding tasks and queries.

What was your primary form of communication with Web Craftsmith?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They showcased their expertise on Shopify and provided relevant examples from other clients to allow us to visualize certain components of Shopify.

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

We were overall happy with the service provided by Web Craftsmith. One recommendation would be to look into a unified chat and calling platform (e.g. Microsoft Teams) for future projects as conversations were happening on Kitchen, calls were taking place on Google Meet, and files were being shared via Microsoft OneDrive. All of this was sometimes difficult to coordinate and keep in constant touch throughout the project.