Pixel Kicks

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of marketing for Steroplast Healthcare, a medical products manufacturer and wholesaler. We also have a subbrand called Sterosport, focused on the sports health sector.

What challenge were you trying to address with Pixel Kicks?

We launched our subbrand a couple of years ago, and it had a very basic website. Thus, we wanted to create a brand new, bespoke-designed website that enabled us to compete effectively against our competitors within our sector.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pixel Kicks has built a new website for us on WordPress. Before engaging with them, we worked with our internal SEO consultants and talked with a lot of people within our industry to create a detailed project brief.

Given that we wanted to do things differently, we wanted to implement functionalities on our website that our competitors didn’t have. For example, we requested bespoke price lists tailored to every customer so that they could log in and see our products at a special price for them only. Additionally, we requested a very clear website so that our customers from different sports sectors could easily target the subcategory of products they were looking for.

Thus, after briefing Pixel Kicks, we spent some time working with them on understanding how to make our complex site work in a very easy and clear way for our users. Then, they came back to us with a design and a layout for our website. After we approved it, they built it.

We have a program called Injury Rehab Network, which is a monthly networking event that we host. Thus, in addition to the requested features, Pixel Kicks has helped us build a part of our website dedicated to this program. It includes the calendar, the upcoming events, and all of the content related to the program. Additionally, they’ve helped us create a blog as part of our content strategy.

Pixel Kicks has already delivered the website, but we now have them on a retainer contract, and they’re responsible for hosting our website.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with Dan (Junior Web Developer), Fred (Project Coordinator), Chris (Founder), Turhan (Web Team Manager), and Dominic (Technical Support & Web Developer).

How did you come to work with Pixel Kicks?

We found Pixel Kicks by searching for web designers in Manchester; they came in second place in the Google search results. We shopped around for a few other agencies, but Pixel Kicks stood out from the rest because they seemed very enthusiastic, up to the challenge, and capable of achieving our goals.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around £28,000 (approximately $35,000 USD) on the website development. Our retainer contract costs around £450 (approximately $560 USD) per month, and it includes 3 hours of development work.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around June 2021. The development project lasted about four months, but our engagement is ongoing.

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

Since our new website has gone live, we’ve seen an increase in our traffic. Additionally, we’ve developed a much better relationship with some of our partners, meeting our purpose of providing our B2B clients with a platform where they can get their bespoke prices by simply logging in. This feature is unique in the industry, allowing us to differentiate ourselves from competitors in the eyes of our partners and potential clients.

In addition to that, the Injury Rehab Network part of our site has helped us grow our networking events. Furthermore, the flexibility of our website allows our internal team of designers and content marketers to add pages, change the content, build landing pages, and more.

The website that we had before was extremely cluttered and confusing because it was very challenging to target all the different sports we focused on. However, we now have a very clear product section on our site where users can search by product but also by sport. Additionally, it is now very clear how we serve each individual segment, and our website’s layout helps us target the right people and send the right message — we’re extremely happy about that.

How did Pixel Kicks perform from a project management standpoint?

Pixel Kicks is very friendly, hardworking, and flexible; overall, they’re a pleasure to work with. We initially came to them with a very challenging brief, and they told us that they liked challenges. Eventually, they proved that to be true by achieving our objectives.

Whenever we have any issues related to the services they now provide us with the retainer agreement, they solve them within hours. We use Basecamp to manage the project and communicate. They keep everything well-organized there, with tasks categorized into different to-do lists and priority levels. Still, if we need to discuss something in detail, we hop onto a Zoom meeting.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive aspect of working with Pixel Kicks has been their ability to take a very complicated and confusing brief and find a way to translate it into a well-organized and user-friendly website. They’ve delivered a product much better than we could have ever imagined.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. Any issues we’ve seen throughout the project, Pixel Kicks has solved them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Pixel Kicks is up for a challenge, so be creative and try to think of the best product you want as a result. If you only think about having a very basic website, you’ll be missing an opportunity.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Kenny Refresh is a CV writing and job interview coaching company, I am the Senior Associate responsible for the launch of the brand.

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

SEO and PPC. Help us on the road to breaking even within the first year.

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

I reached out for a conversation. Pixel Kicks provided a professional and indepth presentation outlining how they would approach our needs. They added a personal touch which gave a really positive impression.

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

The team at pixel kicks laid out clearly what the 6 month project plan consisted of, initially beginning with a moderate redesign of the website, followed by tweaks to enhance the performance. They helped write and publish blogs/content for the website. The ad campaigns were reactive to the market trends we were seeing and informed by realtime data.

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

3, Head of digital marketing, PPC specialist, A creative content writer.

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

Business grew steadily over the course of the project, and our expectations were managed throughout. Although we fell short of our initial targets, the work conducted by Pixel Kicks was top notch.

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

They use basecamp, a project management app which allowed us to manage various tasks simply and efficiently. Communication was excellent and quick.

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

They provided a personal touch to the project, understanding what exactly we need and the challenges posed. I felt I could go to them with anything, big or small.

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

The only thing I would mention would be the struggle to innovate in the face of unexpected set backs. When the figures weren't quite as expected we struggled as a team to think of any alternative solutions, but this was understandable.