Fuel Made

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Live Bearded, a company that sells grooming products, apparel, and accessories.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fuel Made?

I hired them to rebuild our Shopify Plus website and help us optimize our on-page experience and conversion rate. Ultimately, we wanted Fuel Made to make our site more user-friendly, shoppable, and better-performing. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fuel Made has rebuilt our Shopify Plus website from top to bottom. From there, we've hired the team on retainer to work on conversion rate optimization, customer experience, and customer management. Fuel Made has managed our web property for the last four years. The team runs split tests, does data analysis, and looks at ways to improve the buyers' experience and the customer journey on the website. 

What is the team composition?

We work with two Fuel Made account representatives, Erin (Strategy) and Jordan (Project Manager).

How much have you invested with them?

We pay them $5,000 a month.

How did you come to work with Fuel Made?

I found them through different recommendations online. We hired Fuel Made because they seemed to be the best.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first hired them in October 2019, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The biggest way for us to measure Fuel Made's success is our overall website performance. Over the time we've worked with the team, our conversion rate has gone from about 3% to about 5.5%–6%. The overall UX and site functionality are much better performing than before. 

How did Fuel Made perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is great in terms of delivering on time, responding to our needs, and meeting the budget. Fuel Made has been fantastic to work with — that's why I've worked with them for four years.

Our primary form of communication is through Asana, where we connect about our project management. We also have a biweekly Zoom call. 

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Erin and Jordan are both great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Fuel Made is a product expert who specializes in Shopify Plus. Therefore, their breadth and depth of knowledge specific to my business platform is extraordinary and world-class. Moreover, they have incredible designers and understand my experience as a business owner. As a result, they help me ensure that my customers' web experience is as good as possible. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't have anything that I would have them change. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

You have to direct the relationship to ensure you know what you want to have done. Fuel MAde is fantastic at executing and making recommendations and suggestions. However, you must still be the relationship director and lead the strategy, determining what you want to do and why. Fuel Made will figure out how to make that strategy possible.  

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Growth Manager of Jonas Paul Eyewear

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a childrens eyewear manufacturer that sells glasses (with prescriptions) online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Fuel Made to accomplish?

• Design and build a rebranded Jonas Paul Online experience for customers.
• Drive growth on our ecommerce platform with new features, development and continuous A/B testing
• Support and assist in online technological growth

SOLUTION

How did you find Fuel Made?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select Fuel Made over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Fuel Made were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Fuel Made was tasked with from design to development delivering us a re-branded and modern custom shopify experience that can support growth objectives with conversion rate optimization, key growth projects around business specific needs, and drive revenue growth by supporting various non-standard offerings.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Signifigant leaps in customer experience (our CX team has noted incredible gains with customer responses). Key revenue growth with product positioning and landing page optimizations, new software paths and key business developments (with our Home Try-On Kit Program, and other speciality projects that would have been untainable that they were able to support).

Overall, key business growth that was totally justifiable compared to the investment.

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

Timely delivery, consistent check ins, and use of Asana that was great for team collaboration. 

What was your primary form of communication with Fuel Made?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I'm impressed by Fuel Made's ability to deliver and execute to drive outcomes that are successful for the business.

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

Expand services into other areas and offer more - good team and wish they could tackle other requests - such as Data/BI and/or custom software asks.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and director of an export B2B and direct-to-consumer (DTC) business that sells field hockey equipment worldwide in 27 countries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fuel Made?

We built our website 12 years ago and needed to develop our DTC marketing using Klaviyo.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fuel Made has handled web requirements from start to finish. They’ve built the Shopify website from scoping out the project to full development, implementation, ongoing maintenance, and every aspect of the site.

The same is true with Klaviyo and our DTC marketing. Fuel Made has reviewed our requirements, assessed the market, and prepared what they thought we’d need. We’ve also reviewed it together and formulated a plan of attack. Since then, they’ve created a series of automations. 

One of the most important things for us is ensuring we can handle multi-currency and multi-locations. We’re a small-to-medium business, but we operate globally, so it’s vital to build the site and the corresponding marketing to work across different regions.

We haven’t done any SEO or PPC with Fuel Made. We’ve done that externally, but it hasn’t been successful because our industry is niche. The ROI isn’t there, and people find us anyway, so we’re just converting regular customers into paid search customers.

What is the team composition?

The team is divided into two parts. The web project usually comprises 4–5 people, and the same goes for the email marketing team. The Klaviyo automations team consists of about 4–5 people, from the account manager to the design and tech people.

How did you come to work with Fuel Made?

We started working with them 11–12 years ago. The primary reason was Carson (Founder & CEO). His skill set, work portfolio, approach, and knowledge in the market were some of the best we could find for our price point that suited our niche market, so we started working with him.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent above $120,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We specifically started the email marketing services 12 months ago, in May 2023. We did some work a few years ago, which was excellent. We then thought to take it in-house. We moved platforms to ActiveCampaign and tried to do it ourselves for several years. The results were nowhere near successful, so we moved back to Fuel Made and redid the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don’t know what metrics we can show for Fuel Made’s work quality other than we’re a premium brand. We’re right in the top three brands on the planet for field hockey, and the work they’ve done suits our brand and has been well-received by our customer base.

We’ve also had significant conversions, especially on abandoned carts. The various flows that we run for signups through Klaviyo work really well. Fuel Made produces 5–6 monthly emails as campaigns, and we always see a bump when they happen. Overall, it’s worked.

How did Fuel Made perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is excellent; to be honest, they’re always waiting on us. We primarily use Asana to manage the project. About 90% of the communication is through Asana, and 10% through email. If there’s something significant or strategic, we schedule a meeting to discuss it.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

I’d like to shout out our two main points of contact. For Klaviyo, it’s Morgan (Senior Email Marketer); she’s excellent. On the other hand, Ashley (Director of Web Operations) is our account manager for web development. They’re both great at managing our account and keeping things up-to-date and on track.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their knowledge of the product, Klaviyo, Shopify, and industry is excellent. Also, their attention to detail is impressive; they get everything done without mistakes or delays. We pay a premium price but get a premium service.

Are there any areas they could improve?

From my knowledge, there’s nothing to improve. I’m not an expert in the field, but I’m constantly challenged by what they present and come up with. They probably push us more than the reverse.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

In general, consider what you want to achieve before starting any project. Ask in-depth questions before they begin to work. They have a pretty thorough, exploratory process, so you should know what you want to achieve.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I'm an executive at Max Effort Muscle

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a supplement company created by real athletes for real athletes, dedicated to producing the highest quality, best-tasting supplements to enhance performance and recovery for athletes, lifters, and fitness enthusiasts at all levels.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Fuel Made to accomplish?

• Improve our user experience flow from start to finish with building a custom stack
• Get up to speed with our codebase and create documentation to help us
• Create a subscription program for new and existing customers

SOLUTION

How did you find Fuel Made?

Referral

Why did you select Fuel Made over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Fuel Made were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

• Phase 1: Fuel Made onboarded us into their ecosystem. They familiarized themselves with our codebase, uploaded it to their Github, and created documentation. 
• Phase 2: Rebuild our custom bundle builder, add subscription, and improve the user experience.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Fuel Made provided preview links, screen shots, screencasts, etc. throughout the duration of the project. We never felt like we were in the dark or flying blind.

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

Lights out. They've been outstanding when it comes to communication. Timely responses, they delivered when they said they would (this was new to us in the dev world), and they took the time to explain things in simple, easy-to-understand terms and concepts when we asked. Super helpful and has always been willing to work with us.

What was your primary form of communication with Fuel Made?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I was impressed with their communication, processes, systems, and the professional manner in which they operated. Everyone we've worked with up to this point has been friendly, professional, and actually knows what they're talking about.

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

Nothing yet that I can see.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Marketing Communications Director of a consumer products company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We craft and market premium, clean supplements to help people and families on their health and wellness journeys.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Fuel Made to accomplish?

• Increase awareness
• Sell products from two brands
• Help with sales events and build wholesale program

SOLUTION

How did you find Fuel Made?

• Online Search
• We found a blog post by founder Carson McComas.

Why did you select Fuel Made over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned
• They had expertise and high technology to support our needs.

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

• Build brand awareness for two brands (Rosita USA and Smidge Small Batch Supplements) 
• Help plan and excute sales events like Black Friday, etc. 
• Strategize and create email flows such as post-purchase and targeting 
• Create product campaigns 
• Write and design campaigns that are.education-based and detailed to differentiate our products 
• Understand two brands
• Email program including all of the above for the wholesale/resellers program 
• Update look and feel of emails during rebrand in 2020 - both brands 
• Share ROI and conversion metrics

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Fuel Made email team regularly shares data and metrics on our ROI per campaign, flows, specific sales, as well as conversion info. We also strategize during our online meetings when more information is needed for even more success.

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

• Online project management is via Asana. 
• Items are always delivered on time. 
• Responsiveness is always timely and kind. 
• Extra tasks, requests and sales are always accommodated with ease and detail.

What was your primary form of communication with Fuel Made?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

In 2015, as we prepared for a comprehensive redesign of our website, we recognized the opportunity to reassess our choice of ecommerce platforms to ensure we were positioned for optimal growth and success. After careful consideration, we concluded that Shopify was the ideal platform to support our future objectives. 
To facilitate a smooth transition from Magento to Shopify, we sought a web development partner with expertise in both platforms. Our search led us to Carson, the founder of FuelMade, who we discovered through his insightful analysis in a blog post comparing Shopify and Magento. This choice underscored our commitment to leveraging expert guidance and state-of-the-art technology to enhance our ecommerce capabilities. 
In terms of the years of experience with the email team, the entire team, including the strategists, writers, designers, managers, etc., is incredibly detailed, supportive, thoughtful, thorough, caring, and experienced. They take the time to understand our products, which involves a lot of learning and nuance, and that helps differentiate them in a competitive market to drive sales, increase brand awareness and ultimately support our customers on their wellness journeys. 
The Fuel Made email team has been integral to our growth and success.

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

No. They're evolving with the email marketing industry and ahead of the curve in terms of strategy, design and supporting our needs as we grow as a company.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO/Co-founder of LOOV Organic OU

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

LOOV is an organic superfoods and supplements provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Fuel Made to accomplish?

• Increase sales and conversion rate
• Elevate/uplift the design and make our brand shine and stand out
• Shopify store development and migration from WooCommerce to Shopify

SOLUTION

How did you find Fuel Made?

Referral

Why did you select Fuel Made over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Other

How many teammates from Fuel Made were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

1. Design uplift Fuelmade created a smart and beautiful website design. They first created a site map, a brand style guide, a dev style guide, and then created a design system for our site, this included designing all the pages for desktop and mobile, and includes all interaction states, typography guide, color guide, and annotated, dev ready Figma files.The deliverables were designs for conversion funnel, support pages, Search results page, Blog landing page, Blog article, Recipes landing page, Recipe page, FAQ page Navigation.
2. Building new Shopify store: A fully functioning Shopify website which implements all of the designs completed during the design project.
3. Migration from WooCommerce to Shopify store (Migration of customers, orders, products, pages, blog posts and compatible apps).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

1. During the first weeks conversion rate has increased from 0,5% to 2%. 
2. We are now able to change 95 % of the thing ourselves in our Shopify store which was not possible with WooCommerce. 
3. We have seen lift in sales comparing to previous months. During a few weeks we already have quite many "subscribe and save" customers.

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

Yes, absolutely. Fuelmade has been one of the most professional partners I have been working with. Since the start of the project, they wanted very clearly understand what are our needs and goals and they delivered totally what they promises. They exceeded our expectations in any way.

What was your primary form of communication with Fuel Made?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Usually it's the owner/founder who carries the best attitude in the company. Working with Fuelmade, I was really impressed that every team member had an owner mindset and really cared. They were super professional, friendly, easy to work with and communicate.

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

The only small thing that could be improved, is to guide in more detailed the sequence of app migrations and final steps sequence moving from one platform (WooCommerce) to another (Shopify).

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder and CEO of a bedding brand

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Direct to consumer bedding brand specializing in weighted blankets.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Fuel Made to accomplish?

• Revise branding
• website design & Build

SOLUTION

How did you find Fuel Made?

Referral

Why did you select Fuel Made over others?

• High ratings
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

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

• Phase 1: 
  • Discovery included: 
    • Strategy workshop 
    • Data analysis and competitor outlook 
    • App audit
    • Technical scoping of roadmap 
    • Site Map 
    • Project Brief 
• Phase 2: 
  • Design included: 
    • UX brand guidelines incorporating existing brand style adapted for web 
    • Global header/footer and nav 
    • Key conversion funnel pages, home, collection, product, cart 
    • Supporting page template 
    • About us page 
    • For desktop and mobile 
• Phase 3: 
  • Build Deliverable: 
    • A fully functioning Shopify website which incorporates all of the requirements outlined in the previous steps 
• Phase 4: 
  • QA & Launch: 
    • Deliverables are A tested, launched and functional website at your domain.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Timelines were always met. 
• Deliverables were clearly defined at each step of the process 
• Communication was clear, concise and organized 
• Look and feel and speed of the site are highly improved.

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

Yes, each milestone was delivered on time. During the QC process, we uploaded our content and discovered questions, additional features to add, and in many cases the dev team was able to add the feature updates without cost, or in the case that there was added cost, the estimate was provided quickly, and in most cases was fair and within budget so that we could add it. 

We lost our internal resource in the middle of the project meaning on our side we caused some delays in the final QC, but the team met with me for multiple calls to hand-hold and explain what was needed inorder to complete population of the site, and without that we would not have been able to go live by our deadline, and we would have missed Q4. 

We continue to work with Fuel Made for ongoing site maintenance, and truly appreciate how streamlined, clear, organized, and efficient our communication is withthem. For each project we request, the site updates are integrated so that we are empowered to manage our own content without relying on a dev to make updates. The user friendly theme updates are a welcome change from our former site, which had been managed by multiple devs adding custom code that we clunkly and hard to work around.

What was your primary form of communication with Fuel Made?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

• Their organization and professionalism at each step of the project were impressive. 
• The ease of communication. 
• The transparency and responsiveness regarding requests. 
• The thoughtfulness with which they prioritized potential aspects of the project.

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

A bonus would be a checklist at the end of the project with potential conversion tests to run, as a result of discussions throughout the project lifecycle. Certainly not something to be expected, but a nice-to-have. Apart from that, we were extremely pleased with our experience and no areas of improvement to mention.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-founder of a wholesale online jewelry store. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fuel Made?

I hired Fuel Made to help me with email marketing. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fuel Made runs our email marketing campaigns in Klaviyo. Fuel Made handles everything, from copywriting and design to email concepts and automations. They’re building on the success we’ve seen from existing content and mapping out a marketing plan. As part of that, Fuel Made has also led a rebranding process and rewritten our customer-facing email templates. They make insightful suggestions about our copywriting, email campaigns, and automated flows. 

What is the team composition?

I am in constant communication with two teammates from Fuel Made, including a project manager, and another two teammates join the project on an as-need basis. 

How did you come to work with Fuel Made?

I found Fuel Made through a Google search — I knew what I wanted and determined that they’d be a good fit after looking at their website. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invest $10,000 a month with Fuel Made. 

What is the status of this engagement?

My engagement with Fuel Made began in May 2021, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The automated email campaigns Fuel Made has set up have increased my sales metrics. Our average email open rate is also improving. Fuel Made offers everything I need and executes them well, from copywriting to graphic design. 

How did Fuel Made perform from a project management standpoint?

Fuel Made’s team is very efficient and uses Asana to manage each project — I have complete access to our previous communications, project files, and email metrics. Most of our communication is through email, Asana, and biweekly Zoom meetings. Their team never lets anything fall through the cracks — their internal and external communication is excellent. 

Fuel Made also records Klaviyo demos whenever I have usage questions. Fuel Made is responsive to my feedback and rectifies edits quickly; I review automated emails every quarter. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Fuel Made is a true partner — we’re growing and learning together. Their team is quick to offer new ideas because they’re knowledgeable; they use experiences from other client projects to improve my marketing. I’ve found Fuel Made to be very efficient and knowledgeable; I love the ideas they bring to the table. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Fuel Made should increase their reporting frequency, highlighting successes, project timelines, and places for improvement. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d advise future customers to rely on the experts from Fuel Made to deliver for them — their team has experience and knowledge in Klaviyo that many customers may not have. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Braxley Bands, and we sell elastic Apple watch bands. We’re located in Austin, Texas.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fuel Made?

We hired Fuel Made to help us with email marketing and website optimization.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fuel Made has designed our website from scratch. For email marketing, they take our ideas and based on that they create emails for us. We tell them what looks good and they do it.

What is the team composition?

We’re working with five people.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing collaboration began in February 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen increased traffic and sales because of Fuel Made’s work.

How did Fuel Made perform from a project management standpoint?

They have great communication skills. We communicate through Zoom, email, and Asana.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their creativity allows them to create remarkable designs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I’m very happy with Fuel Made.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know what you’re looking for in your project. In addition, be honest with them because their team takes criticisms well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of e-commerce of a consumer packaged goods company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fuel Made?

We wanted to redesign our website to help improve our conversion rates and our brand’s overall look and feel.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fuel Made revamped our website; they started with an initial site audit and dove deep into its purpose, branding, and UI/UX. After a couple of weeks, they came back with a prototype made in Figma, which was helpful for us to have a preview of the look before moving onto the coding phase.

What is the team composition?

I worked with around four members of their team, including a project manager, a couple of developers, and a graphic designer.

How did you come to work with Fuel Made?

I found them through one of the websites they designed previously. They had their contact at the bottom of the site, so I reached out to them after seeing their great work. Consequently, I had initial talks with Carson (CEO), and I could tell that they were right for the task.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent $30,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from May–October 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our conversion rates doubled thanks to their work, and our site’s load speed improved massively.

How did Fuel Made perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management exceeded our expectations; everything was organized, we had regular communication, I was on the loop all the time, and they were on top of everything, going back and forth with both teams. Overall, I felt comfortable with them, and it was a hands-off process for us, which was great because they did all the heavy lifting. In terms of tools, we used Asana.

What did you find most impressive about them?

There were many women on their team, which I thought was important from the brand perspective. Web development is a heavily man-dominated area, and I liked working with a more diverse agency. Also, their technical ability to look at a brand and seamlessly adapt its voice and style was outstanding.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They should look into having cheaper options for people who can’t invest this much. Other than that, I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know precisely what you’re goals are so they can help you steer the process.