pb+j

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of Tea Runners, an industry-leading loose leaf tea e-commerce company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire pb+j?

The challenge was to create a UI/UX for the sign up flow and account management of our new custom built platform. It was a very detailed project with a lot of complicated moving parts, and we had already failed to get a successful UI from 2 companies prior to PB&J.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I believe I first found PB&J in Shopify Experts. I had researched and considered over a dozen companies for this project.

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

The project was to create a UI for our new custom app. Sounds simple, but there was a lot to it. We reviewed some concepts, decided on the one we liked, then reviewed ~20 screens that were sent and did a couple rounds of revisions.

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

We worked primarily with the head of design.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were very pleased with the outcome. The concept we ended up going with was quite different that what we had imagined at the beginning, but we are very happy with the end result.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was very easy to work with PB&J. Their communication was clear, the project was managed well, and they stuck to their deadlines.

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

I was very impressed with the talented lead designer that did our new UI.

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

Nothing comes to mind. It went smoothly and we got exactly what we were after.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an e-commerce children's hard goods company that is solely D2C. I am the co-founder and CRO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire pb+j, and what were your goals?

We were looking to leverage two concepts we had that would function as top-of-funnel tools for our website. With these new pages, we would be able to drive more awareness about our brand in a low-cost way.

SOLUTION

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

The main deciding factors were personability and astuteness. We discovered pb+j through a platform, and after some conversations with Tom, it felt like a great working relationship.

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

We had a kick-off meeting to discuss our two concepts and what we wanted to get out of it. From there, we were given wireframes to approve then eventually completed designs before it went to development. Once it was developed, we had the chance to test run it and request any changes. Shopify and the metafields app were used as technologies.

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

We worked four people total: a developer, UX/UI specialist, designer, and a projector coordinator.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have unfortunately not spent too much time utilizing these just yet, so we do not have any measurable outcomes.

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

PB+J was great with their communication and timeliness as well as their patience with delayed responses from me and my team. They largely used gmail and google calendar, which was perfectly sufficient. No other project management tools were necessary as that would have been overkill.

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

Communication and efficiency. Things were always clear and completed quickly.

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

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Lil Helper, and we manufacture baby and family products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with pb+j?

We had a WooCommerce website, and we hired pb+j to help us move to Shopify.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

pb+j developed our website from scratch, and they built a robust backend because we were operating in multiple countries. They helped us manage our operations better, and one of the things they did was to set up an inventory system. They also helped us have an authentic look.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Katy (UX Lead), Justin (Lead Frontend Developer), and Julio (Head of Design).

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $80,000 CAD (approximately $63,000 USD), including taxes.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership ran from October 2020–July 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

pb+j finished the project more or less to our requirement. There were a few things that could've been better. Despite that, we felt that they tried whatever they could to deliver what we needed while working with the restrictions they faced.

How did pb+j perform from a project management standpoint?

They showed excellent communication skills. We used Asana as our project management tool. We also used email to communicate and had weekly meetings on Zoom for 30 minutes to talk about project updates.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were extremely hardworking, and they tried hard to give us everything. If they couldn’t figure out some things, they didn’t give up right away. For example, when the UI design we wanted didn’t go according to plan, they went back and forth with us until we were happy with what they produced.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could’ve set our expectations straight at the beginning of the project. Other than that, they were pretty good.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know that pb+j will try their best to deliver what they promise.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a B2B food packaging manufacturer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with pb+j?

We started the business on a shoestring budget because we’re self-funded. We needed to redo our brand and transition from a startup to a more defined company. We also had a poorly functioning website, and we needed help to make our e-commerce platform grow.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

pb+j created our branding, icons, and logos — they gave us a new visual identity and tone of voice. Additionally, they developed a fully functional e-commerce website using Shopify that allows our customers to order food packaging online. 

pb+j has already completed the website, and it’s currently covered by their 30-day guarantee period. 

What is the team composition?

We work with Tom (Co-Founder) and a project manager, and they’ve deployed both their branding and development team for our account.

How did you come to work with pb+j?

We found them through Clutch. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $105,000 CAD (approximately $84,000 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2021, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

pb+j’s work is outstanding; we’re already seeing a major uplift because of it, and the results have been impeccable. They’ve transformed our brand into something that’s well-defined and people can understand.

pb+j has tried to understand our business and our end customers, which many other agencies don’t even do. They also took the effort to understand the packaging industry — it’s a boring industry, but they’ve helped us modernize our brand.

For the website, pb+j did exactly what we’ve asked for.   

How did pb+j perform from a project management standpoint?

pb+j is good at project management — it’s one of our favorite things about them. We have bi-weekly project management calls, and whenever we need something, we can email them. We communicate through Zoom and a project management tool. 

Initially, I thought our time zone difference would become a big problem. There’s a 6–7 hour difference between us, but it has worked out well in the end. pb+j schedules calls at 1 p.m.here and 8 a.m. on their side. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I have a background in venture capital, and I’ve worked with a lot of branding and web development agencies. Many of them won’t understand what the business is and what the project goals are — they just want to get everything done quickly and rush out of the door. pb+j is not like that.

pb+j really understands our business. They took the time to look at our competitors and understand what our consumers want, and they based their development on that. They didn’t just develop an identity that didn’t have a purpose. 

pb+j’s work has been great. Anytime we have problems, it’s sorted very quickly. Their whole package is just impressive. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m normally critical of the vendors I work with, but I’ve had such a good process with pb+j. I can’t think of anything that they can improve.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of CappyBug, LLC who manufactures teh Romp & Roost brand of baby gear.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire pb+j, and what were your goals?

Our website was dated was dated and busy. We do not have an on-site team to develop a website, so we hired PB+J to give us an updated, clean website to give our customer the ultimate shopping experience.

SOLUTION

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

We were referred by a highly respected business associate.

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

PB+J walked me through every step from start to finish in our website design. We had weekly calls, and I always felt updated on the project. In addition, any questions I had were immediately responded to. In addition, they walked me through the Shopify site and how to use it.

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

I worked with 4 total people from the vendor's team. The project manager was always involved and the designer was present on most calls as well once we were in the design phase.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website is clean and simple and delivers a very well laid out shopping experience for our target customer! Just what we were looking for!

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

PB+J walked me through every step from start to finish in our website design via email and zoom calls. We had weekly calls, and I always felt updated on the project. In addition, any questions I had were immediately responded to. In addition, they walked me through the Shopify site and how to use it.

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

I love the laidback, creative feel of everyone I worked with. They were super fun and always respectful of my time. Also, made me feel like no question I had was a silly one and answered everything completely helping me understand the process.

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

No. I loved working with pb+j and would work with them again.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and VP of sales and marketing for a company that is just being built. Our goal is to sell living spaces, but we will start by selling modular motorcycle garages. We will make our designs in France, but we will produce and assemble them in Canada.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with pb+j?

I needed someone to build my website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

pb+j is building my website on Shopify. I requested pages on the site describing my products, their details, and how to order them.

What is the team composition?

I'm working with a project manager and a developer focused on UI/UX. I’ll be working with two other people, so I’ll have a team of four people in total.

How did you come to work with pb+j?

pb+j was recommended to us by a freelance digital marketeer. I checked their website and saw that they had been awarded as one of the best 10 agencies in Canada a few years in a row by Clutch.

Additionally, I looked at their work and thought that they were very creative. Their work was unique compared to other agencies, so I contacted them.

How much have you invested with them?

Our site is going to cost us around $25,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2021, and the project is ongoing. We’re still building the site, and I estimate that it will be finished around October 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

pb+j is very well-organized, professional, structured, and knowledgeable, and the person that is developing the site has been amazing.

How did pb+j perform from a project management standpoint?

pb+j always meets the deadlines on time. Additionally, they’re very good at nurturing these types of projects.

What did you find most impressive about them?

pb+j is very creative, and they’ve built a very special relationship with us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

pb+j is very professional and technical, making small companies like mine lost when we don’t understand the language around website building. They should be aware of that and try to communicate better to make things easier for their customers.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Your project has to be very well-defined, and everything has to be done upfront, so it is easier for pb+j to develop a solution that fits your needs. Additionally, make sure that you explain your knowledge limitations upfront.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're Three Bears Brewery and Restaurant. It's a brewery and restaurant in BANFF National Park.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with pb+j?

The opportunity was to create a branded website for our brewery. We needed a great website specifically built using Squarespace.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

pb+j communicated what their team needed to know for the project and then collected the data. We basically followed their lead, giving them the requested information. As we had a strong sense of the brand and concept for the brewery, we designed its website together. We’re about to develop three more websites with them.

What is the team composition?

I’m primarily in contact with Tom (Co-Founder) who creates quotes and timelines for projects. He then turns the project over to this management team. We work with probably 5–6 members of their development team too.

How did you come to work with pb+j?

We specifically searched for Squarespace developers and then contacted them through their website.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent close to $90,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We brought them on board around 2017, and we’re still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Google Analytics proves that our website has high visitation and rankings. If we developed the platform in-house, there would’ve been a hefty price tag. Their team created our website and then handed it to us. We have 100% control of our website's assets, which is wonderful.

How did pb+j perform from a project management standpoint?

Depending on the project, we’ll communicate every week or have only two major meetings. They use Asana for project management and another tool for visual presentations. Their team's extraordinary.

pb+j brings all the right people to the table during projects. During development projects, agencies will only have a designer or middleman working with you. We had meetings with coders, designers, and project managers with pb+j. Their project managers kept the project on track. Their designer brought our vision to life. And their developer advised us on what was and wasn't possible. They also spoke intelligently to the website's functionalities.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have highly creative minds on their team, including their founding members. It didn't take pb+j long to understand our goals because their team had an amazing ability to absorb our brand vision. Their team also led with visual presentations, so we were part of that decision-making process. pb+j also ensured we sat down with the right people, so we were never disconnected from parts of the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our team had challenges with timelines. Rather than being punitive or allowing the project to suffer, they introduced a pause mechanism that allowed us to manage the schedule based on our needs. Their team was quick to fix those challenges.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be super organized during the intake process. Understand your brand and concept but also be open to their ideas.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a partner at Hearing Assist, one of the largest direct-to-consumer (D2C) hearing aid companies in the country. We distribute directly to consumers, but we also work with retailers such as Wal-Mart, and we’re poised for growth in this new market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with pb&j?

A web developer built a good and standard D2C response website for us. However, it didn’t have the premium medical look and feel that could benefit us, so we hired pb&j to redesign the website. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially went through an interview session, where pb&j asked us interesting and in-depth questions for them to understand the look and feel that we wanted to convey on the site. Then, they introduced us to more site functionalities and features. 

Afterward, pb&j started working on the site’s aesthetics and built a solution that worked with our backend CRM system. They built the website using Shopify and educated us on all the apps, plugins, and analytics we could use, which were far above and beyond what we were operating on prior to their involvement. 

What is the team composition?

I first spoke to a salesperson, but I was quickly turned over to a team of three main players. Now, we’re working with Katherine (Lead Producer), Katy (Lead UX Designer), and Justin (Lead Developer). 

Katherine serves as our overall account representative who guides us on everything. Katie is an in-depth guru who knows how to explain everything and solves all of the questions that we have. Meanwhile, Justin is a high-level programmer who makes our requests work well within the website.

How did you come to work with pb&j?

Our outsourced digital marketing team referred pb&j to us. The marketing team was doing well in terms of SEO and Google Ads, but they pointed out that they could be doing so much more if we operated on a better platform — we’d have better insights into everything, and we wouldn’t be leaving money on the table. We listened to them, and they forwarded us to pb&j, who they had worked with before. We’ve built a high level of trust with the marketing team, so their referral stood out. 

After talking to pb&j, we gained confidence that they’d build a website that had the premium look and feel that we wanted. Everything looked good, and the pricing was reasonable, too. As a result, we didn’t have any reason to shop elsewhere. Outsourcing a web development team referred by the digital marketing team — two groups that knew one another and worked well together —  was a win for us, so we went on with the engagement. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $80,000 on this engagement. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership began in October 2020, and the engagement is ongoing. We had a 30-day deadline after the site launched to tighten things up, but that recently expired. At this point, they’re only doing maintenance for us.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website is launched, and everything is functional. From an aesthetic point of view, the partners we work with and the people who are familiar with our business love the site — it’s getting good reviews. 

Meanwhile, in the D2C world, results are found in the money. In other words, we should be getting better ROI. However, it’s too early to see anything in relation to that since we’re driven by huge national TV advertising. We’re also in a down cycle now since we’re launching new products, getting new spots, and reconfiguring things on the market. Overall, it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison until the media goes up, which should happen in the coming month or so. 

To sum that up, I won’t know how this project will shake out until another few months. That being said, I’m confident that we’ll see good results based on how the business is viewed by the public. 

How did pb&j perform from a project management standpoint?

Their intuition has been excellent; they’ve quickly realized that we aren’t receptive to using apps for management functions. We’re four people in our company, and our partners have to work within our confines. When we’re ready to provide data, they should be ready to take it; when we’re ready to sit down and review what they do, they should also ready. As a result, we don’t need apps and allow ourselves to be managed by third-party tools. 

The project manager is Katherine, and she schedules our calls. Usually, the calls happen, but sometimes they don’t, which is often our fault. We may be locked on something else at the moment. However, these things never derail them. pb&j knows how to keep the project moving forward, and they communicate with us effectively — they’re very good at this. 

We’ve done a lot of Zoom calls, emails, and phone calls. To manage the project, pb&j uses a tool similar to Basecamp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

pb&j is extremely competent and easy to work with, and they’re a technologically adept team. That’s the key to the success of this partnership; they understand our vision and keep us on track. I appreciate our direct communication, and the members are all impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If something can’t be done, they need to make me understand and repeat it endlessly until it’s truly clear. 

At one point, our backend system didn’t function properly as it formerly did because of a payment card industry (PCI) compliance issue between Shopify and our website. As a result, we had to modify our customer service procedures. 

They brought this to my attention on multiple occasions, but I was still surprised that we couldn’t figure it out easily. I wouldn’t attribute blame to anyone for that issue, but I wish they had ensured that I understood it. In the end, however, it all worked out. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you tell them all your needs in terms of your website. Have all your images, content, and assets together, and they’ll do a good job at developing your website. You can’t outsource everything — this is true with anything — and you have to dedicate your time to give the team what they need in order to be successful. 

This has been a part of our team's challenges during our engagement with pb&j. We’ve been strapped for time and resources, but we ensure we’re giving them everything they need. A lot of businesses think that everything’s going to be done by an outsourced team. That’s not true; such a partnership still involves a lot of hands-on management no matter what. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Respondent 1: I’m the general manager of an online store.

Respondent 2: I’m the owner.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with pb+j?

R1: We wanted to rebrand and redesign our online store.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

R1: First, we went through an identity exercise and they delivered a style guide and branding components. They were also supposed to enhance our Shopify Plus website and add new features. They designed the UI/UX, wrote copy, conducted user testing, and led QA.

What is the team composition?

R1: We were in touch with eight people in total.  

R2: We dealt primarily with a producer.

How did you come to work with pb+j?

R1: We searched online and ended up contacting a number of agencies. I contacted pb+j specifically because of their Clutch reviews, and they ended up being our pick.

How much have you invested with them?

R2: We spent about $100,000 CAD (approximately $79,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

R1: The project lasted from August 2020–January 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

R1: We just launched and are still fixing some things. Overall, the look and feel of the website is nice, but to this day, our wish list hasn’t been completed. There were a few items that we discussed initially, but they eventually came back to us and told us they couldn’t do them.  

They also were supposed to develop a French site, but they never delivered it.  

R2: Overall, we were somewhat satisfied. However, I still think the site is worse than before. We’ve had to hire another person to finish up the project, which has increased our project cost.

How did pb+j perform from a project management standpoint?

R2: Communication was a bit of an issue. Towards the end of the project, they weren’t as responsive as we would have liked. Our project manager still hasn’t responded to an email I sent weeks ago.

R1: Our partnership started off quite strong, but little by little, it became difficult to get in touch with them. There were a lot of things we had to do on our own due to a lack of feedback and guidance from them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

R1: I really liked our branding experience. They visualized our thoughts well and I’m quite pleased with how our branding turned out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

R1: They could improve their communication skills both internally and externally.

R2: For example, if we needed them to fix something, we had to contact our project manager who then had to talk to her team. IT would have been easier if we had access to whoever was doing the work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

R2: New clients should find a way to work with the person in charge of each aspect of the project. For example, if they’re working on branding, they should speak directly with the branding lead.  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a nutrition company. We manufacture, market, and distribute our own line of vitamins and dietary supplements.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with pb+j?

We hired pb+j to do a review of our digital platform and then redevelop the functions of our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The pb+j team did a UX/UI review of our entire site and looked at best practices, then installed a new theme that was more responsive. They also help us with some of our copywriting, and they’ve given us some ideas for concepts in terms of design. 

The team has also provided us with more general ideas around function and given us advice around general CRM management of our customers.

What is the team composition?

We work with five or six people, including Tom (Co-Founder), Kyle (Co-Founder), Katherin (Lead Producer), Katy (Lead Designer, UX), Katie (Designer), and a copywriter.

We mostly work with Katherin, who’s our project manager and arranges most of the conversations with the rest of the team.

How did you come to work with pb+j?

We found pb+j through a referral from someone we were working with. We were considering three different companies, but we decided to work with them because we felt they really understood e-commerce, and we liked some of their previous case studies. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $45,000 CAD (approximately $35,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since September 2020. We finished most of our work, but we’re still ongoing in the final stages.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Metrics-wise, the project was more so about design concepts — understanding and hitting timelines in terms of their development stages. We haven’t really tested the updated site to see if it’s more efficient and a better experience than our previous one. However, we’re happy with the overall product as of now.

How did pb+j perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re quite good. Even though we’re halfway around the world, they’ve been able to stick to timelines. The pb+j team were very accommodating and helped us quite a bit. There were some delays, but they were few and nothing we didn’t expect or understand on our side.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was most impressed with pb+j’s project management skills. They also have a great understanding of some of the technical data and other aspects. Their knowledge, patience, and communication made this one of the better experiences we’ve had with a vendor.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I think they’re doing a great job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do a little bit of homework on what kind of website you want to build, and be really clear about what your goals are for the site. From there, pb+j can help you take your initial thinking to the next level.