MakeBeCool

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Technical lead for a brand/manufacture of personal care products, with a focus on hair loss and restoration technologies. Founded in 2015, products are sold globally.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire MakeBeCool?

We hired MBC to develop and launch our global site structure with individual sites for local markets. Makebecool developed our Shopify store from scratch. Taking into account the complex design and quantity of mandatory applications and then optimization for speed and mobile traffic. There is still an active scope of work in place. Since the launch, we have monthly support and on-going maintenance. Currently, we are launching international markets with their assistance. The regular updates and maintenance is very important to the e-commerce team and MBC helps us with this task saving us time and efforts.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to establish a professional presence in the US market, increase sales, improve UI/UX/CX, give customers options for subscriptions and bundles.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

From the start, MBC shows excellent communication and attention to detail. They were very straightforward and asked the right questions. When they presented changes and ideas, it was backed by logic and data.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We provided a design in Figma and Makebecool developed the whole store, advised optimized solutions, applications to plugins. The turnaround time and was highly important to complete the US site on time and within budget. We trust their expert opinion.

What was the team composition?

We utilized several of their teams. Initially, it was their Theme Development resources to buildout the primary store. We used their Virtual Assistants for translation services. The oversight was provided from Eliza the project manager who proved to be a huge asset. A total of 5-6 specialists in all. We also had direct contact with CEO - Andriy. All communication went smoothly, friendly and professional. solutions are taken quickly. The entire team demonstrated a high level of professionalism throughout the entire experience.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

After the launch of our new store version on Shopify conversion doubled and subscription signups customers increased 3x. Due to monthly support, we are confident the performance of our store development. MBC exceeded our expectations.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We work with our personal project manager using several sources of communication like email, WhatsApp and Asana as the main task-manager. Eliza always consults us about Shopify and development process. The job was properly planned and the project was delivered as expected. They were always available for calls. They are flexible and react after their working day taking into account our time difference.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The attention to client services and satisfaction, combined with the value they brought made it clear we made the right decision.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We’re very satisfied with their job and cooperation

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are company builder, where we build our own ventures and in collaboration with big corporations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire MakeBeCool?

We hired MakeBeCool agency to provide design and software development services based on Webflow and Shopify.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal of the project was to develop one website that describes the functionality of the platform and create a shopify store that will be multiplied in the future for different partners.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We have done a clear requirements list of what is expected, defined the structure and tools needed and did multiple online calls.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

1. They have developed the design for the platform website, that was afterwards developed on Webflow platform.
2. They have developed the design of the Shopify store, that is used as template for joining partners who sell products.

What was the team composition?

• Project manager
• Designer
• Shopify Developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

As we are building startups, development of our solutions are crucial. It is matter of doing everything on time, but also with high quality. We achieved the result, but we are still fixing a lot of issues we find after deeper testing of the deliverables.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Communication was good, but our project manager changed 2 times. We talked and discussed everything in Slack and over Google Meet.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their portfolio looks quite good and the price is very attractive, but our final product had some issues. Sales rep guaranteed that they can do everything that was on the list in our requirements google sheet.

Are there any areas for improvement?

1. Don't promise what you can't deliver.
2. Don't push the testing to the customer, when there are obvious bugs in the layouts and responsiveness.
3. Spend more time upfront to analyse all requirements.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Eve Distribution Limited specializes in sales of crowd-developed consumer electronics

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire MakeBeCool?

• Shopify e-commerce development:
• E-commerce Web design
• E-commerce Web development
• Subscription and support software integration
• Call Center Services

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We’ve found a Makebecool profile on Upwork. They showed excellent price-quality ratio and a huge amount of beautiful client feedbacks.And at the very beginning I found the strong informative support and good knowledge of the platform. And as bonus Makebecool is located in my native Mariupol.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Makebecool updated the design of the main page, created more than 15 pages for our new products, implemented integration with Zendesk and launched customer support service within last 12 months.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of:
2 front-end developers
2 back-end developers
2 Project managers
2 Virtual Assistants

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We're very satisfied with the results and have over $1 million USD sales in a first few days after launch. Customer satisfaction increased due to ongoing customer support

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Impressive project management skills. Constructive communication and all deadlines were met perfectly.What is important for us - that the results and timescale are predictable. Then we can plan our marketing campaigns and fully rely on the results.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Makebecool offers an excellent quality of service and professional skills. They are ready to work out the individual solution showing deep knowledge of Shopify platform, understanding of UI and best practices.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing in my opinion.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a premium natural skincare brand for men, focusing both on topical skincare products as well skin supplements, sold in the UK and with expansion plans across Europe. Our business model is e-commerce first with a strong focus on subscriptions. Personally, I am co-founder of the brand.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire MakeBeCool?

1. Shopify e-commerce development:

• E-commerce Web design
• E-commerce Web development
• App integrations
• Subscription software integration

2. Design: 

• Design e-commerce packaging based on brand book product packaging

What were your goals for this project?

Main goal to launch an e-commerce first natural skincare brand for men in the European market with an MVP approach towards subscription services in order to evaluate potential.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We pitched MakeBeCool together with 2 other agencies that we found on the Shopify Partner Platform. They showed strong willingness & commitment to work on our project as well as excellent price-quality ratio and some beautiful client references.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

MakeBeCool has developed the full e-commerce website for us, based on the (basic) brand book and an extensive brand presentation.

They did an amazing job translating the brand into an UX optimised, mobile-first & conversion optimised website that embrases our key values, key messages within a premium environment.

As it's a one-product website, we developed a limited set of pages, strongly focusing on conversion funnels & treating each page as a potential landing page for media campaigns. They consulted us also on subscription software integration as well as other apps (functionalities).

What was the team composition?

The project team consisted of:

• 1 Key Project Manager
• 1 Web designer
• 2 Shopify developers

There have been 2 Assistent Project Managers that have supported the Key PM as well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We're very satisfied with the results and have launched a perfectly functional website within the required timeframe. First sales and web analytics are promising.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Impressive project management skills. Deadlines were met, clear and constructive communication with a desire to develop the project as much as possible. Not just waiting to receive all input but also proactively thinking with the project & brand.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

One of the best PM's I've come across in 10Y ecommerce. They have excellent design skills. It's no easy task to combine e-commerce web design with a premium environment.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Overall I'm very excited with the work of MakeBeCool. If I should give one area of improvement, it's to state whenever a specific task needs further investigation due to no prior experience before being budgeted & implemented in order to understand the full scope (e.g. integration of a very specific app).

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Vintage Market - is a retail project which was started in 2012 as a store focused on vintage and elite wines.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire MakeBeCool?

We needed to completely rebuild the website we had and thus we've looked for a reliable partner to do this. Among our requirements was design, front-end development, data migration, SEO optimizations and marketing.

What were your goals for this project?

The old website wasn't up to date to the new trends and most of our competitors already updated the website to meet the best customer use cases.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We’ve evaluated consultation and solutions they provided on the primary step which made us sure that they know what to do. The price and deliverables terms were pretty reasonable.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Team was provide full round services for us:

• UX design
• Front-end development
• Data migration
• Content filling
• Store structure development
• SEO optimizations
• Marketing

MakeBeCool was engaged in every step of the project production.

What was the team composition?

Depends on the project step we had about 3-5 people (project manager, designer, front back-end developers, store manager). The team worked good together and workflow was super clean.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

After new project was released some indicators increased. The main goal was reached and as a result, now we have a powerful tool

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We have daily/weekly reports and calls if needed with our project manager. Also, there were arranged meetings with a team so we could discuss all directly with the designer or developer and get a transparent idea even before we could get it.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are a great team and they always could meet halfway!

Are there any areas for improvement?

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of 'My Happiness Journal', which is a guided self care book; people write in everyday to welcome joy daily. It's available online or through partnerships with holistic health professionals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire MakeBeCool?

I engaged with MakeBeCool to design and build the eCommerce website where this product is primarily sold. I wanted this to be built using the Shopify platform and were well experienced using this platform.

What were your goals for this project?

1. Beautifully designed
2. Effectively built into the Shopify platform, with the necessary integrations with apps for data capture and social media
3. Flexibility and collaborative working style and cooperative with my suggestions and feedback
4. Advice / training on how to use the Shopify platform once it goes live

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I found MakeBeCool through the Upwork website. I received 20+ applicants, but narrowed it down to 3. To help me decide, I asked the 3 vendors to create a basic landing page.

MakeBeCool's design stood out from the rest - so much thought had been put into it and they really nailed my brand and what I wanted to represent. Additionally, the communication was excellent. I instinctively knew they were caring, talented, and knowledgable hard workers.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

1. I provided a brief, which required a UX, design and recommendations around how to build in a subscription service.
2. Initial designs were provided and we went through a few rounds of amends to confirm.
3. Build of the site into the Shopify platform.

What was the team composition?

I worked directly with a project manager who managed the design and build teams. I liked having just one point of contact. The team worked really hard toward the end to get this site live and I really appreciate it!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

This website is critical to the success of this business. It's live and functioning really well. It's the central source for all of my sales, blog and email data capture.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Excellent project management - responsiveness, knowledge, turned things around quickly and very patient and accomodating with my feedback.

We mainly used the upwork messaging service. However, we also used Google slides and Google hangouts which worked well giving more detailed feedback.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Make be Cool provided excellent:

• project management. Very responsive, quick and positive.
• designs were beautiful.
• advice/suggestions to my Many questions and requests for amends!
• support in helping me update the site once it went live

Are there any areas for improvement?

Things they could work on:

• being 100% clear what is / isn't included in the initial cost.
• this could be helped by focussing on the experience / UX of the site before jumping straight into design/build.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner and founder of a UK-based web and e-commerce development firm that operates using an efficient outsourcing model. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire MakeBeCool?

After our previous developer failed us, we hired MakeBeCool to help us complete a complicated Shopify project for a client. They continue to work with us on new projects and for ongoing maintenance and support.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a highly skilled team to resume the unfinished work, transform the UX and UI, develop various other improvements, and basically rescue the project. We also hoped to gain a long-term partner for our increasing Shopify workload. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We conducted an extensive search on Clutch, filtering by requirements and location. Our previous experiences with Ukrainian development teams had been positive and first-rate, so we were keen on finding another.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The initial scope was to overhaul an existing Shopify e-commerce store with new functionalities and an improved UX/UI.  We first collaborated with the project manager to outline the plan and design solution. They then provided theme mockups of such high quality that we signed off on them with minimal changes.  The frontend theme included some complex customizations and features while integrating smoothly with the extant functionality, and they developed a bespoke companion Shopify app to handle some of the more demanding requirements. 

What was the team composition?

A project manager coordinated everything and served as our primary point of contact. The team also included a designer, a developer, and a backend developer. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Despite a terrible start with our previous developer, MakeBeCool revived the project and salvaged our client relationship. We are confident that we found a talented, capable partner with whom we can entrust our future e-commerce work.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was top-notch with outstanding communication and realistic timeline and budget estimates. They resolve all issues quickly and adapt seamlessly to any type of company or project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Not only are they friendly and pleasant to work with, but their honesty and exceptional industry acumen assure me that I can trust what they tell me. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

There is very little they need to improve.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of an e-commerce website.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire MakeBeCool?

We hired MakeBeCool to provide Shopify Plus development, design, and data migration services.  

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to grow and develop our e-commerce website. To do this, we needed a reliable partner who would use cutting-edge technology to deliver a great result and then provide ongoing support.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

My company discovered MakeBeCool on Upwork. We chose to partner with them based on their quick and detailed communication, clear cost calculation, and ability to drive strategic implementation.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

MakeBeCool completed data migration from our current platform to Shopify Plus. They also provided front- and backend development and UI design services.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a team of 6–8 designers and developers, including our project manager Diana (Shopify Consultant, MakeBeCool).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We are pleased with the final results, especially the improved UI. Conversions increased 27% two months after the launch. 

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The team provided expert solutions, addressed issues or questions thoroughly, and maintained a comprehensive understanding of our project. They adhered to our timeframe and budget. Project scheduling was efficient, and our project manager met with us as needed. We communicated via Skype.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team’s technology and business expertise were helpful at every step. Costs were reasonable given the project's complexity and the high-quality end result.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We didn't experience any major issues. A minor consideration is that the internet connection could be better for Skype calls.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of Mofy.life, a startup that lets customers create photobooks.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire MakeBeCool?

We engaged them to build our e-commerce platform.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to increase traffic and conversions via targeting.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Several vendors submitted proposals and we narrowed those down to five agencies. Response rate, competence, and ability to understand the project were our main criteria. During this process, MakeBeCool demonstrated their productivity, identified challenges, asked questions, and proposed solutions. Also, they provided transparent and detailed pricing.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

Services include design, development, and conversion rate optimization (CRO). They worked in scrum to sketch and prototype the solution before launching it. For CRO, MakeBeCool has analyzed the sales funnel, done A/B testing, and executed implementations. The team has also advised our in-house marketing team and provided their own marketing resources.

What was the team composition?

The team originally included a designer, three developers, and a project manager. We expanded the team post-launch to include a CRO specialist, one marketer, and social media marketing managers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The MVP enabled us to start earning money in the project’s early stages and cut costs. As a new business, we made mistakes with the target audience and the proposal. MakeBeCool helped us resolve these issues. Their CRO efforts increased conversions 250% compared to the solution’s first version. Surprisingly, the total number of users rose from 6,000 to 24,000 in the first year of collaboration.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project manager was immersed in the work and understand all of our specifications. We provided the list of needed functionalities and they delivered great ideas and solutions. We worked in sprints to keep the project on schedule.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team is knowledgeable, proactive, and detail-oriented. They are a great long-term partner that has made the solution reliable and cost-effective.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

We want them to be a more integrated partner. Simplified reports would also help clients understand the incoming information.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of ZINVO. We are a watch brand that is mostly e-commerce based.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MakeBeCool?

Our website wasn’t performing well. There were long loading times, we didn’t have conversion optimization, and the UX/UI experience wasn’t the best.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They immediately understood the challenges we had. They found the issues and started with the more urgent things within 10 days. They even worked on the weekend because they understood the critical situation we had.

After the immediate needs were fixed, we started working to get us exposure. They advised us on how to present our email marketing campaigns with topics that would increase our click rate for email.

They also advised us on social media posts. Our Facebook page wasn’t active, but they offered to manage it, so we’re in the process of initiating that. They reviewed all of our content and graded us from 1–10 on the engagement and analyzed our engagement on past posts.

They did a lot of research for us and then analyzed our position as well. We understand where we are in the market in terms of our user experience and how people communicate with the brand.

They launched a few new websites for us. We now have a store in Arabic, Russian, German, and French. They do the maintenance of all of those to make sure we have all of our stores under one plan. Whenever we test and make changes on our main website, we copy it over to another market to see how it adapts there. They’re also very helpful with translations.

They’re finishing up email marketing. Now, it’s a lot of marketing work and less development. They’re running A/B tests, doing more conversion optimization, and maintenance.

What is the team composition?

We work with 4–5 people from their team including a project manager.

How did you come to work with MakeBeCool?

We had a vendor in the U.S. that we weren’t satisfied with. We found 7–8 companies through an online search and had a call with each of them. MakeBeCool came through with the best approach, the best pricing, and the best flexibility. They had very good experience in UX.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2017 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They performed everything we put in their scope well. It was very helpful to get an analysis and the scope of our competition. We’re very happy with their work. Our conversion rate multiplied by three; it was .17 and now it’s .5. Loading time used to be 17 seconds and now it’s 4 seconds; that was a huge improvement. Email marketing is in place now and everything is working properly. Their UX design looks much better.

How did MakeBeCool perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a Skype call every day and we agree on what will be done. We use email for larger reporting. The CEO checked in with me once a week to give me a detailed report. He also gave me reports on the hours and estimates for the invoices.

They were flexible and even worked weekends.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very hard-working and they pay a lot of attention to their clients.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. We’re very satisfied with everything they provided.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They have a very good success rate.