MakeBeCool

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the COO of Mine Baseball, a baseball bat manufacturer selling baseball bats direct to consumer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We've been working with MakeBeCool for over a year on our website. The initially did a full website redesign and have since worked with us through continuous website improvements. Our main focus has been creating a site that has an effective conversion rate.

SOLUTION

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

One of the owners of the company had previously worked with MakeBeCool on a previous project and recommended them. We moved forward with MakeBeCool and have been very satisfied with their service to date.

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

We typically provide MakeBeCool a initial project concept, some examples, and the details we need. Within 1-2 weeks they provide a draft design and we go back and forth on the design until we feel it's ready for implementation on the website. Once the design has been coded onto the website, we work through it on a trial site. If the trial site works without issue, it is pushed live to our main site.

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

My main contact is Alexander. He is my account manager. I've worked with a few of their designers and a few from their website implementation team. Everyone is highly responsive and will make changes as needed until it is done to satisfaction.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our conversion rates have increased over the past year to a satisfactory level. We are constantly looking at ways to continue to tweak and improve our design and we expect to be working with MakeBeCool as long as we are in business.

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

We typically communicate over email - then we move over to figma for the design aspect, and finally the remaining progress is done through shopify.

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

Due to the time difference between Ukraine and the USA - I typically receive theirs responses overnight and try to respond first thing the morning to try and get as much done during both of our "working hours". That being said, they've done a great job and scheduling calls during convenient hours. Despite the time difference, I feel everything is done in the timeline we need it.

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

Initially we had some communication issues - but once Alex become our account manager, the communication as been outstanding.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

CEO and product manager at Calcurates, a zero-coding shipping SaaS that helps e-commerce not to lose money on shipping by setting up delivery methods and accurate rates displayed at the checkout. It integrates with top e-commerce platforms and major shipping carriers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our expertise in developing Shopify embedded apps was not enough, that's why we hired MakeBeCool to build a small app as a part of our major service. The goal was to distinguish the popular functionality of our SaaS into small embedded app and then check how it performs. The key requirement: develop the app fast, not longer than 1 month.

SOLUTION

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

We have found MakeBeCool via Google search. There was a short list of 3 agencies, but MakeBeCool was the one who replied us faster. The determining factors are:

• App portfolio
• Russian-speaking developers
• Easy communication flow
• Match our budget limit

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

MakeBeCool team has developed a custom Shopify app for us.

• We have already prepared mockups for an app, so it was very easy to communicate the app workflow during the first call;
• Then they did a frontend part;
• We have adjusted our backend a bit and then they've connected the app to our API and backend;
• We did testing and QA on our side;
• The team responded quickly and fixed the bugs we've found;
• Minor out-of-scope requests were implemented quickly. The team has fully completed the project in one month.

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

There were 2 people from the MakeBeCool team communicating with us throughout the project: a project manager and a senior developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to launch the project quickly and easily, which was a major achievement for us. At the moment we are starting to distribute our app to Shopify users.

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

The project management was great, proactive, and responsive. They fully met our deadlines, and we never had unexpected turnovers. We communicated through Slack, Google Meet, and GitHub. Special thanks for the fact that the vendor agreed to move to our Slack environment for more productive communication.

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

The MakeBeCool team is very friendly and professional, the communication style perfectly matches ours. Also, it was a great to meet MakeBeCool CEO in person as he recently moved to the city where our head office is located.

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

We didn't get into the budget for testing and QA from MakeBeCool. It would be great if they met us halfway and included it in the final price.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CTO from rissc solutions GmbH an web2print company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hire MakeBeCool for professionnel Shopify App Development based on Laravel and React. Our Goal is to help our clients to create Web2Print Shops based on Shopify. For this we need Shopify developers that integrate our Web2Print Tool and even more shop functions

SOLUTION

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

We have found them on Google and have first made a small project with them. After this successful pilot project I decide to work also bigger in projects with them

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

First they have created user stories for the projects. After that I provide them with mockups with detailed information about the app design and the api communication with the external system that imports the product into the shopify shops. After that they have created tickets and we get access to the dev shop and source code where we can check the progress.

After the first two weeks we saw the first result of the app. In the development process we use clickup as a project management tool. When we wanted to go deeper in the development process we have also can communicate with the app developers directly.

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

Project Manager, Frontend Developer, Backend Developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Currently we are working on the final steps before we start the shopify app review to go public with the app.

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

Excellent, direct and streamless communication via slack and clickup. We had a fixed deadline and everything was done according to plan.

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

They are a young and highly qualified team, and we are on the same wavelength. We have found here a partner for the future

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

currently nothing comes to mind

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the creative director at Ingarden, a company in the food business. We offer customers a device to help them grow microgreens, a version of vegetables that people can garden at home. We also supply the customers with the seeds needed. Our idea is to sell healthy food, sustainable living, and nutrition.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MakeBeCool?

We wanted to improve our website and subsequently improve sales of our device.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

MakeBeCool redesigned and is developing our website from scratch on Shopify. Our users’ ability to pause subscriptions is among the features they’ve implemented. They’ve also enabled us to bundle products and add gifts. They’ve completed most of the website and are now working with residual files.

What is the team composition?

We mainly work with a project manager and communicate with some of the developers.

How did you come to work with MakeBeCool?

Our CEO found them, and we chose them because they were Shopify experts. 

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve invested more than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

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

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our users like the new website much better because it’s more user-friendly. Thanks to MakeBeCool, we were able to introduce features that we couldn’t earlier. Before, our users couldn’t pause their subscriptions if they went on vacation, and we couldn’t include bundles and gifts in their purchases, all of which we can do now. We launched less than two weeks ago, so we don’t have metrics yet. 

How did MakeBeCool perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Slack for day-to-day communication. Meanwhile, we use ClickUp to keep track of worked hours, tasks, and milestones. They complete tasks within their estimated timeline, if not earlier.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed with MakeBeCool’s responsiveness; they’re always there to execute major and minor tasks alike. Additionally, they’re a fully dedicated team. Even though some of their teammates are based in Ukraine, they haven’t interrupted their work for a single day despite the Russian Invasion.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, our engagement has gone pretty smoothly. The only challenge has been using ClickUp because it’s new for us. However, that has nothing to do with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm an IT specialist for Giordano Shop; we're an e-commerce company structured like a marketplace.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MakeBeCool?

We built our store on Magento, and we decided to switch to the Shopify platform. We were looking for a partner to help us develop the frontend and backend and help us understand the migration process as we were not experienced in Shopify.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

MakeBeCool's main task was frontend development, including the personalization, customization, and graphic design based on our e-store. They had to customize the main Shopify theme to have it correspond to our current platform.

They also developed a couple of web applications to add personalization to the Shopify site, which has a customization menu and allows customers to have a unique experience. In addition to that, they also supervised the migration from our current store to Shopify.   

What is the team composition?

We worked with an account manager, a project manager, a business data analyst, three developers, and one graphic designer. They all analyzed our current store to give us a better project perspective.

How did you come to work with MakeBeCool?

We found them online, where they were listed as a Shopify partner. We read some reviews and contacted some of the other companies that had previously worked with them. We chose them because we had a great first impression of them; they understood our actual needs at that time, had great communication, listened to us, and gave us a lot of suggestions.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent about $18,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from August 2021–April 2022. We are still in contact with them for additional edits and things like that.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

At the end of every task, they did a QA check, and we did the same from our end. That being said, every deliverable met our expectations.

How did MakeBeCool perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management has been one of the most entertaining and greatest experiences we had in the partnership. They had a great relationship with us, and apart from always respecting the deadlines, we have never had a problem with communication. They had a strong system with daily summaries of what had been done by messages, emails, and phone calls.

Regarding other tools, we used their ClickUp, Google Meet, and WhatsApp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their technical development and graphic skills were impressive; they were great overall, but the greatest talent they showed us was the project management itself. We had never experienced such strong communication with another partner — they included us, and we felt part of the project, which was great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't think there's anything they can improve on — they were great, and their team overcame the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They managed to move to a safer place and continued working. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open with them; share what kind of company you are, your main focus, and your goals. The more you can share with them, the more they understand your needs. They will be able to help you achieve your objectives and challenges.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

CEO of a healthcare company. We produce premium disinfectant dispenders.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We planned to have our own customized shop with very special functional opportunities and a clean design we provided by an mockup.

SOLUTION

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

We loved the referenced and quality reviews!

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

- Consultant about functional possibilities - Review of our mockup (design) - Development - Feedback circles - Done

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

2-3 in total. Project manager, developers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work was quality only! We had easy communication and they managed to solve everything we had in mind. We´re more than happy and super excited about the result. Very detailed work (functional and design wise)

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

We communicated via Video-Call and upwork. 1 Project manager 1-2 Developer

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

If I provide any wish, I'm sure they'd bring it to life, just the way I've envisioned it. This is outstanding!

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

Just in 1 out of 10 steps of work, we could have been slightly more precise about the requirements we had. But thats definitely the only thing i can mention. Well well done!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the COO of an Israeli start up developing advanced scent technologies with the renowned Weizmann institute of science.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire MakeBeCool?

We hired makebecool to design our brand new website in the UK. We offer cat litter box malodor control solution through a dedicated website. We wanted to launch the activity in the UK post a successful POC in Israel and were looking for a professional company to take the chanallnage from A to Z including branding, design and development in 2 months.

SOLUTION

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

We went over a few websites offering reviews for ecommerce website designers. They received many positive reviews and post comparing to a different vendor we chose them because of the responsivity and pricing.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

The company was incharge of creating a brand book to start with. They offered 12 different themes we could choose from, all were very pretty and took our USP's under consideration. Once we chose a theme we started the design and development stage. We had weekly progress meetings and regular feedback and communication was done via a dedicated whatsapp group. They were very responsive and quick

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

In total, 3 people- 2 project managers and one talented designer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Post 2 months we had an up an running website we could actually sell with and an amazing brand book we can use for all purposes. Current website conversion is very good! loading is great as well.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was very effective. Communication via a dedicated WhatsApp group which included progress design updates on figma until the development stage (shopify)

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

What I liked the most was the design! We had to choose from 12 different branding guidelines and it was soooo difficult as they were all so good.

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

Content hierarchy on the website could be better. We played with it later, but overall given the costs I would definitely choose to work with them again

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of a niche retail company that operates on e-commerce. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MakeBeCool?

We wanted to revamp our website to make it more modern and fresh. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After we sorted our logistics, we started having a lot of video calls. After they understood what I wanted, they made wireframes and suggestions for the site's best. It’s a Shopify website. My budget wouldn’t cover a fully customized website designed by them, and they suggested that I buy a preset theme. 

Their team then designed certain pages. In April, they took a few weeks to design it. There was a lot of back and forth. For example, the landing page we fully customized and there are certain features fully customized, but they did this because they knew I had a certain budget. 

After the designs were approved, the development started. When the site was done, they did a few rounds of testing before the site went live. 

What is the team composition?

I started off with the business and sales manager who worked with me for three weeks to understand what they do. He then passed me onto the project manager that was the in-between person between me, the designers, and the developers. Finally, when they needed my feedback, I met some of the website developers and designers later on. 

How did you come to work with MakeBeCool?

I found MakeBeCool on Upwork, and I explained to them what we needed. Their team gave us a proposal, and I had a short call with them. We discussed the services they could offer and then we decided to work with them.

I chose them because of their website knowledge. They design with a consumer process in mind. What I really liked is that it wasn’t just aesthetic-based. It was what would give me the best conversions. They were very upfront about what the cost would be and were willing to work within my budget. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $4,800.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March to June 2021. 
 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It was very straightforward. They tried their best to give me the result I wanted within my budget. I wanted the site finished in mid-May, but there were a few changes. There were things I originally wanted that the design team realized would cost more because it relies on an external app.

These apps are out of the control of the design team because they’re working on Shopify. The apps changed their prices, and a few things couldn’t work. It wasn’t the design team’s fault; it was the apps themselves. 

Because of those changes, the design process went a bit longer, and our site went live in June. We did a lot of testing back and forth. If there were any small issues, they still helped me quite a bit even though the project was over.

Since we’ve just gone live, I can’t provide any data. Our buyers that have shopped at our website have commented that they’ve seen anything like this in the Singapore space for a niche perfume. Other comments were that it looks very professional. People are in awe of our website, and they haven’t seen anything like this from any of our competitors. 

How did MakeBeCool perform from a project management standpoint?

We had weekly calls to see the progress. When I needed them, they were always available. They were very fast with following up. They’d send me a summary of each meeting. Sometimes I’d forget to ask for it, but the project manager would send it anyway.

We were always in contact. There was never a point I felt I didn’t know what was going on. They kept me updated with every small detail. If I needed last-minute changes, they were always very accommodating. If I requested something that wasn’t in my budget, they worked around it. 

MakeBeCool gave more than required. Our website is better because of the input they gave. They asked about my communication preference and I told them to use email and WhatsApp. We also had some Zoom calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The way they take care of their clients is impressive. The attention and help I received in the beginning of the project was the same attention to detail I got even towards the end of my project. 

Even after all the milestones were paid and the website was launched, any question I had or issues I ran into, they were always there to help me. MakeBeCool is really there for their clients. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing I’d have them improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ask them for their suggestions. You might know what you want, but don’t be afraid to ask the team what they think would work best for your customers. Their team is very knowledgeable, having worked on many websites. They know what they’re talking about. Don’t be afraid to give them your real budget. They will do everything they can to even be under your budget. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the chief marketing officer for TBI-PRO. We develop products and sell them on Amazon in the U.S. market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MakeBeCool?

We wanted to develop a Shopify site to be able to sell on more channels.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

MakeBeCool designed and developed a Shopify site from scratch with us. The team integrated all of the software into one screen and created an automated process for registration of extended warranties for our products. They also recommended the technologies they felt best suited for the project.

What is the team composition?

The account manager is my main contact. There’s also a product designer and three programmers working with us.

How did you come to work with MakeBeCool?

I researched companies that had experience with Shopify on the U.S. market and interviewed several of them. I liked what this team had to offer, and decided to hire them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent more than $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in August 2020, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The automated process for extended warranty registration is easy for customers to understand and use. The site is live on Shopify, and we’ve had had no negative feedback. The team understands our needs and offers good solutions.

How did MakeBeCool perform from a project management standpoint?

The account manager is dedicated to the project and keeps us updated. We use Telegram for regular communication, as well as Google spreadsheets and a project management tool for larger tasks. They usually finish ahead of deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

MakeBeCool is straightforward, and they understand our needs. They always work through changes to help us achieve our goals.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to describe the project in detail, including your desires and expectations to ensure everything is fully understood.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the owners of ColorByFeliks, an art and e-commerce business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MakeBeCool?

We needed help with web development and customer experience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They redesigned and developed our website, all while implementing new features.  We first discussed what we wanted to get out of our new website. Then they outlined how the project would go and asked us if we had any specific designs in mind.

We spoke with the designer, and he gave us a rough draft. Then we provided feedback and highlighted what we liked and what we wanted to change. Once they implemented those changes, they went into development.

What is the team composition?

There were 5–6 people working on this project.

How did you come to work with MakeBeCool?

We found them through Upwork. They stood out because of their reviews, but once we spoke to them and saw examples of their work, we knew they were the best fit. We liked how they communicated and how professional they were.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $18,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in August 2020 and the project ended in February 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since they upgraded our website, we’ve increased our email subscribers significantly. Our conversion rate has grown as well. They clearly were able to reach our target audience. We also haven’t found any bugs. The site hasn’t crashed at all.

How did MakeBeCool perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly communicated via WhatsApp, and they were always available.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were communicative and professional. They genuinely cared about the project and wanted to make sure we got the outcome we were looking for.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they should have done differently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We wrote down a general idea of what we wanted to accomplish, and that was really helpful for us. To give them a clear idea of what you want, I would definitely recommend that you create a rough outline or design before you meet with them.