3five - Out of Business

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your company?

My wife and I started a sports nutrition product company called Tao Nutrition in Australia. Our vision for the company is to share and inspire health in the community. We chose online distribution as our main channel to put our product out there into the market most effectively. Having an online store was a major part of our business, and having that store the best quality possible was our intention. We’re in Australia now, selling domestically, but we will be launching internationally as well, so it was really important that we had an online presence that was flexible yet effective.

What is your position?

I’m the owner and founder of Tao Nutrition.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were trying to address when you began the project?

From a technical perspective, we didn’t have a functional website at all. From the skills perspective, we hadn’t built a website before. The challenges were trying to overcome this in order to convey our company vision and our unique value proposition. We’re essentially trying to sell the same thing with the same buzzwords, which is a daunting challenge. We had to overcome these barriers so to be perceived as an expert in the space rather than just another health and vitamin shop.  

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of the project? Did it include custom design, development, training, or support?

Our site was a little bit different in the fact that the frontend of it was all custom, and we wanted very specific things in terms of the technical aspect of the site that most other people couldn’t offer. 3five’s website was the first thing that resonated with us. I suppose in the introductory phase, they gave us a framework, which they needed to adhere to. That was in the preliminary work. We communicated to them what it was we were looking for, and how we wanted the final product to look like. Then, there was a bit of back and forth during the development phase as we moved through the iterative process. After they began implementing the functionality, we spent time testing the site on various browsers, trying to break the site. At that point, they held a Shopify seminar in which we learned about the backend functionality, how to make basic and more complex modifications, and so on.

Is there any particular reason why you selected Shopify as your eCommerce solution compared to some of their competitors?

We were deciding between Bigcommerce and Shopify. We did a lot of research online on forums, and talking to different people. The feeling of everyone that we talked to was that Shopify really gave the best customer experience from start to finish. In the end, it was that part that convinced us that even though Shopify was slightly more expensive to get up and running, it would provide the most value to our customers. We wanted great customer experience and we placed that as a high priority for our business compared to how much it’s going to cost ongoing.

How did you select 3five as your solution partner?

We were actively searching for developers. We sourced them from the Shopify Experts directory and introduced ourselves. We evaluated the work they’d done in the past, and then laid out our requirements, goals, and constraints. We were thoroughly impressed with their approach and capabilities, so we just took it from there.  

In terms of the project itself, what did you end up contributing to its completion with your in-house expertise?

I think we’re probably a little more involved than other people may be. We came up with several of the initial mockups, and had them enhance those basic templates. We also provided all of the content. I’d say the framework design was probably 90 to 95 percent us. They gave us some great feedback in terms of, “I think we should put that in the header because people are going to want to see that more.” In terms of the operation of the site, they gave us some really good feedback, and they modified little bits of it as we went through. I think with Shopify there were some things we wanted to do from the backend like checkout that you just can’t do with Shopify. They just locked that section down. But, everything in the frontend, 3five was able to do.

Could you give a sense of the size of this initiative in monetary terms?

I think when we initially went in, the quote was approximately $4,000. With additions we wanted to make, the final cost was around $5,000.

When was this project completed?

It was completed in August of this year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any metrics or statistics that would demonstrate the effectiveness of their work?

Traffic to the site isn’t really high at this point. We’ve only got about 20 or 30 unique visitors to the site per day. But, the conversion rate of those is unusually high. We’re operating at about a 5 to 10 percent conversion rate, which is pretty good. That would be a quantitative measurement. We also get a lot of feedback from people coming on to the site and saying, “Wow this is a fantastic site.” So, I think those two in combination are really important. The difference between a pretty site, and one that converts as well. Ultimately, having both was our goal and we do have that positive feedback and that good conversion rate to back it up.

How do you think that 3five has performed?

On a scale of one to 10, they’d be upwards of a nine out of 10. They are really professional. Any questions that we had, they were fine to answer them. We’re pretty nitpicky in terms of how we wanted things, like almost to the perfectionist point, where we wanted it exactly as we imagined. They were very accommodating without getting frustrated. The outcome of the site speaks for itself. It’s a really well run site. Aesthetically, it’s really good and operates quite well. I think the final product is the conversion rate. That’s what tells you that it’s effective.

In retrospect, are there any areas that you feel 3five could have improved upon, or things you’d do differently as the client?

That’s a funny question because now we’ve learned so much going through this whole process that we would know how to refine and put down on paper what we want and give that to a development company. At the time, I think they did a great job of getting the information out of us that they needed to produce what they did. The only thing that I would probably make a suggestion in that, Bianca and I, my wife and I, were working full time. So, that one-week testing period along with the time zone difference between Australia and America made it quite hectic for that week to test. By the time we looked at something, put it down on paper, and then got it back to them, that was a two-day turnaround. By the time they made the changes, then had a look at it, and then got back to them, we were almost at the end of that testing period. So, there were a few things that we had to get rectified after that testing period. I would just suggest perhaps negotiating larger testing period, or delegating the work in a different fashion to maximize effectiveness.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your company?

Our company is in the information publishing business, information specifically for professionals.  In this particular case, our company is publishing valuable information for organizations in the legal industry. In the area I work, we deliver specialized education to professionals working in various industries.

What is your position?

I’m the Director of Product and New Business Development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What were your company’s business goals for initiating the project with 3five?

We were looking at developing a go-to-market product that was delivered online specifically to provide online training to legal professionals. In addition to the platform for delivering the online learning programs, we also needed a new social media strategy around that from a blogging perspective. 

SOLUTION

How did select 3five as your solution partner?

3five had done some additional work for our company. During my due diligence searching for external vendors, I ended up speaking to colleagues within my organization and learned more about 3five. After learning more about their staff, the services they provide and their track record, I decided that they’d likely be a great fit.

Could you describe the scope of the project in terms of components: did it include custom design, development, training, support, etc.?

Our project went through four stages. The first was more about needs analysis and sitting down with 3five to talk about the scope of the project, what we are trying to achieve from a business perspective. Then step two was based upon that needs analysis. They went forward and did a custom design for our web interface. After the platform was designed and the scope of the project outlined, it was approved then they went through the implementation process based upon our project plan. Once it was released or completed, they did a considerable amount of testing as well as providing training our team.  We went through the stage of the need analysis, customs design of the platform, implementation and creation of that platform, which included testing phases as well as in wrapping it up with trainings. They now provide ongoing support on a case-by-case basis.

Could you provide a sense of the size of the initiative in either monetary terms or the number of personnel that 3five dedicated to the project?

I can’t disclose anything from a financial perspective, but I can tell you that from a staffing perspective, I believe that we have primarily two individuals in support of the project from the initial design all the way through the implementation. I do believe that there are additional personnel on the 3five side in supporting roles, but I can’t be sure how many there are.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics or metrics that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work they’ve delivered?

I’m sorry but I can’t disclose that kind of specific information.

Anecdotally, have you seen an effective change from prior to the project completion?

Yes, anecdotally, from a customer service standpoint, we have seen very few inquiries, which is good.  Customer service inquiries are an indicator of design issues and a challenging user interface. We have not seen a lot of that. We’ve witnessed the platform essentially meeting the goals and objectives that we set forth on.

How do you feel that 3five performed during this project?

My opinion on the performance of 3five is that I would give them high marks. They’re extremely responsive. They ask the right questions. If they run in to a challenge on their end, they are quick to bring it to the forefront and give – at least in this particular case – myself as a stakeholder, an opportunity to have a dialogue about it. I’ve always been very impressed with the service and the quality of the work that has come out of 3five. They’ve also done some additional work for us. Overall, I would give 3five extremely high marks on performance, on service, and on responsiveness.

In retrospect, are there any areas that you feel 3five could improve upon or that you might do differently as a client when approaching this type of project?

Not that I can think of. I think with any project, you set out on a course based upon specific goals and objectives, but as you continue through that project, there is the need to make adjustments, to be agile during that process, and we had to make some adjustments as we continued through the process. Their approach is extremely agile and they’re very creative in looking for new solutions as issues arise. They were open and honest when it came to some of the challenges that we encountered. Their assessment of the situations and the recommendations for modifications, new courses or solutions, was impeccable and very much appreciated. I think as a result, we had a very collaborative effort in not only creation but also delivery of the project.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your company?

We started out as a legal publisher, publishing law books; basically case books that attorneys could use to do legal research. As the Internet emerged, the information that was contained in the books was repurposed to an online database. More recently we’ve merged business groups, which has brought our service offering into many other verticals such as healthcare, taxes, accounting and so forth.

What is your position?

I’m a Marketing Manager with the corporate counsel segment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What were your initial business goals for initiating the project with 3five?

We needed a blog to be redesigned, basically given a new look and feel. We also needed new functionality to accommodate our evolving business goals as well as the different goals of our internal partners with the blog.

How did select 3five as your solution partner?

They were a referral from someone in a separate internal department. They had done work on a similar blog, including redesign and modification.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of the project in terms of components: did it include design, development, support, training, etc.?

We had a blog that had been built three or four years prior. We needed to clean up a lot of the tagging and categories that had been created for that blog. It had been through several different hands of management. There was virtually no consistency in the way things were tagged and organized.

We also needed to accommodate a web design structure that would allow a tabular way of organizing the content so that we could have different market segments here. We have law firm customers, corporate customers, government customers, etc. We have blog content that is relevant to one segment and not to others. We needed an elegant solution for our content distribution so that our readers would be directed to the information that was relevant to them. That’s a crucial mechanism for our blog.  

What parts of the project were you involved with in-house? Did you have experts in-house collaborating closely with 3five?

I would say very little collaboration occurred as far as the web design components and things like that. We collaborated closely in terms of the user experience of our customers, and we had an internal creative department that had the oversight on how the branding would display on the site.

Could you give me a sense of the size of this initiative in either monetary terms or the personnel dedicated to the project from 3five side?

It’s been a few years, but I think it was probably between $40,000 or $50,000. I’m not quite sure how many folks behind the scenes they had working on the project. I interacted with probably five or six people, but they could have had more people working on it.

When was this project completed?

It was completed in April or May of 2011.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How do you feel that 3five performed?

I think they did great. We had an initial conversation that lasted a couple of hours where they came in and we talked about our business, which is fairly complex. We tried to synthesize the information and make it relevant to what would need to go into the blog design, which was no small task. I think they did a great job of both catching on to what we were trying to communicate to them and then delivering a platform that addressed the needs that we expressed. It’s been a smooth transition.

When working with 3five, is there anything you would consider unique or special about them compared to some of their competitors?

I don’t have a lot of experience with other competitors. Compared to the agency that built the original blog, 3five is probably a lot more professional, a lot more knowledgeable in web design, blog design, WordPress technology, and so on.

As far as response times and things like creative design, they have rapid turnaround and low overhead. And they’re also very customer-centric. One of the things I experienced with other agencies in that area is personnel may churn. That constantly requires reeducating people on what our business is and what the goals are and what the market schemes are.  With 3five, we haven’t had to do that at all. They’ve got enough retained talent that the folks that we’ve been working with from the get-go are still there.

In retrospect, are there any areas that you feel 3five could improve upon or that you might do differently as a client when approaching this type of project?

I think the places where we had a few hiccups were working with our IT department. I’m sure it’s in both areas where there’s room for improvement. But that was the place where things got hung up. But I, being the face of the client, am not involved. It’s a big organization. I don’t know the lingo of some of the data security issues and related issues. We probably could have interfaced with our IT department earlier on, perhaps while we were in the strategy phase. That might have mitigated the couple of problems we ran into.  

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your company?

We make granola bars. We’re essentially a charity. For every granola bar we sell, we donate a life-saving packet of food to a child in need.

What is your position?

I’m one of the co-founders.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What were your business goals for initiating the project with 3five?

We initially launched most of our business direct to customer online. We needed a really fantastic website, just a great presence for the brand, but also the ability to sell products in a cool way.  We started from scratch. We didn’t have anything. They came highly rated and recommended through Shopify, which is the platform that we used. I sourced quotes from them and a few other designers and developers and ended up going with 3five.

SOLUTION

How did you selecting Shopify as your preferred e-commerce platform?

We originally looked into Shopify and Magento. We consulted some associates, experts, and other people that we trusted. We ultimately determined that Shopify would be the better fit for us considering the budget that we had. We also didn’t need something quite as robust as Magento.

Could you describe the scope of the project in terms of components: did it include design, development, training, support, etc.?

They did everything for us. It was all from scratch. We started with them and came up with wireframes and discussions on what we really needed. Then they went all the way up to building different versions and implementing the final product. They helped us set up our system for inventory and make it work with our fulfillment company. They then continued providing ongoing support. It’s very easy to make changes ourselves, so we didn’t have to pay them for minor updates and modifications.

Could you give me a sense of the size of this initiative in monetary terms or the number of personnel dedicated to the project?

We had a project manager. She was awesome. We also had a designer and a programmer. I think when it was all said and done, it ended up being within the $10,000 range, maybe a little bit more, maybe $12,000 or something like that first go around. It was a few months. Some of that timeline was on us, because we were trying to get our products and images together.

When was this initial implementation of Shopify completed?

It was completed, I believe, in late May. We ended up launching in June, very early June. They had it done for us before we launched. We launched the site live and actually started selling products around June 4th or something like that.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of the results, could you share any statistics or metrics that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work they delivered?  

I’ll tell you one thing is that we were immediately nominated for a website award, it’s a company called Awwwards. I think it’s A-W-W-W-A-R-D-S. And we were nominated among a few other sites. I think we’re the only site from 3five. But there were a bunch of other sites on there. They give monthly awards. Our site was recognized for its clean design and functionality. Business has been really good. We haven’t had any issues with orders. We’ve had really incredible feedback from customers.

It’s hard to tell kind of like metric-wise. I have no idea how many page guests we’ve had or visits of anything like that. The response has been very positive from customers, just experientially and in the amount of orders that we’ve had coming in.

When working with 3five, is there anything that you would consider unique or special about them compared to other companies that you may have worked with in the past?

I don’t have much experience in this, to tell you the truth. Their system of working with clients is very well thought out and very clean. The interfaces that they use, it’s not like you’re just bouncing emails back and forth. They have this whole client interface. They’ve got some portal where you’re able to post comments and all the departments see it immediately and it goes to the right people. Just the way that they interacted, I mean, I never met these people face-to-face. They’re in Minnesota and we’re in California. Again, I don’t really know how other companies do these things, but they’re very collaborative.

In retrospect, are there any areas that you feel 3five could have improved upon or that you might do differently as the hiring client before approaching this type of project?

I think we could have gotten it done faster if I just had my stuff together a little bit sooner. They were very tight with their timeline. I think they’re a very popular company. I ended up, because we didn’t have all of our creative assets together, pushing back the timeline a little bit, and they had other projects lined up. We ended up hitting a point where I think that they were starting to feel the pinch of other projects coming on, because I was delaying us.

I don’t’ think that’s anything on them, except that it probably would have been done faster if I been a little bit more prepared. They were flexible with us. We were running up against timeline issues and cost issues. We ended up getting everything together and launching only slightly behind schedule.

How do you feel that 3five performed on this project?

Very well, we’re really, really happy with them. It took a lot of creative oversight from us. My partners and I were creative already, so we were very hands-on in the creative process. And they were great about taking our notes, about suggesting things and if we didn’t want to go with the thing they suggested, they would just let us basically draw it out and send it to them as a file and they will implement it.