Polar Bear Commerce

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO and overwatching all-important partnerships in our company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Polar Bear Commerce, and what were your goals?

We've hired Polar Bear Commerce in the hopes to get a Shopify partner who is reliable and can deliver projects on time. We had serious issues with Shopify Coding Freelancers and Agencies in the past.

SOLUTION

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

We've met the team during a pitch where we looked for a great shopify coding agency. We decided to go with Polar Bear cause they didn't make unrealistic estimations and asked way more in-depth questions.

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

We've sent over the SOW Document with all the design files we had and we received our estimations and we've moved on. It was a great flowing process.

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

2, project manager and the coder.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

General feedback is that every detail we requested was done on time and that's the only outcome you should care about if you are looking for a great coding partner.

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

We had quick Slack conversations if there were any questions but it was rarely the case. We always feedbacked as soon as there was a first coded version and than had quick bursts of feedback.

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

The quickness in replying to requests as well as the speed and quality how the code was delivered.

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

Well actually we rarely do any reviews for a company but for Polar Bear we do because they deserve it. So if i have one wish it would be - come to berlin to be closer to our offices.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I run an e-commerce business that buys and sells used mobile phones, tablets and accessories.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Polar Bear Commerce, and what were your goals?

Our Shopify web store was completely out of date and needed upgrading both technically and design-wise. We also wanted to remove unnecessary apps and build the functionality into the theme.

SOLUTION

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

I think it was purely a matter of me feeling confident that they could complete the project both on time and with all the requirements met. They were very clear, structured and focused on our company's objectives.

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

We managed the whole project through a combination of using Click-Up for task management, Slack and Google docs. Clearly, they were under pressure due to the Russian invasion, but not once did I feel that they were unresponsive. Quite the opposite. They always focused on the tasks at hand.

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

2-3 people worked with us. Alex took the initial lead, but then Anna took over the project management with Igor doing the majority of the development work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The goals of the project were purely technical and visual and thus any measurable outcomes are difficult to determine.

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

We had weekly meetings to provide feedback, but also use Slack and Miro to share visuals and requirement tweaks as the project progressed

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

For me the key factor was their ability to not only find and suggest solutions but the speed and accuracy of their work.

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

Not at all. I was extremely pleased with the whole team and am currently working on some new requirements for them to work on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of Inkless Ideas, a UK-based agency. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Polar Bear Commerce?

I had a customer who wanted a brand new Shopify website on a very strict deadline. I'm a developer, but I needed additional help to meet the timeline, so I brought on Polar Bear Commerce. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Polar Bear Commerce provides additional development resources to help me complete development projects. They've helped me develop a Shopify website for this project, which included stripping down the site and rebuilding it from scratch with custom components shared across site pages. They've also helped with a custom PHP development project for a booking platform for the same customer. Polar Bear Commerce is also assisting me with ongoing site and platform maintenance. 

What is the team composition?

I work with three teammates, including Alex (CEO), Nazar (CTO), and a Shopify specialist. 

How did you come to work with Polar Bear Commerce?

I found Polar Bear Commerce through Upwork. We had an initial chat, and I gave them a few test tasks to measure their competency before hiring them. 

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve invested around £30,000–£40,000 (approximately $40,000–$53,000 USD) with Polar Bear Commerce. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in August 2021, and it's ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Polar Bear Commerce has been instrumental in keeping my customers happy — they went above and beyond to help me get this project to the finish line. They helped improve my customer's website speed by nearly a third. Additionally, my customer has seen an increase in their bookings because of the platform Polar Bear Commerce helped me develop. 

How did Polar Bear Commerce perform from a project management standpoint?

Polar Bear Commerce has consistently delivered ahead of schedule. Every week, I provide them with deadlines, a project overview, and the budget to follow for the development. They very rarely miss the mark. We manage the project in Asana and use Google Meet and Skype to communicate. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Polar Bear Commerce has incredible attention to detail. Also, they're very responsive — if I message Alex about needing something done, he always has someone on hand to accommodate. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything for Polar Bear Commerce to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I'd advise customers to provide everything Polar Bear Commerce needs for the development, including designs so that they can deliver a quality final product. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Company sells Apparel and CPG with revenues above 60 million. Channels of business are DTC, Wholesale, and Amazon. My position is CIO

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Polar Bear Commerce, and what were your goals?

ERP to OMS integration for wholesale channel. Project goals were to fully integrate (2-way) the below flows between systems. The development also included a comprehensive dashboard so that business could manage any issues within any flow. Errors have direct links to the source record so that the business can quickly resolve.

SOLUTION

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

Skillset, work ethic, and communications.

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

The below develop is 100% custom and developed in python. ERP to OMS integration for wholesale channel

• Order management (Phase I)
• Contact management (Phase II)
• Product management (Phase III)
• Inventory management (Phase IV)

The requirements and logic of each flow are very detailed and confidential as the project was to precisely customize to meet the needs of the business and eliminate resources.

Dashboard: Evolved throughout the phases. The development also included a comprehensive dashboard so that business could manage any issues within any flow. Errors have direct links to the source record so that the business can quickly resolve.

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

Three resources from the vendor team worked with the business and roles are listed below:

• Project Management
• Integration Development
• Front-end Development

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project resulted in a reduction of resources and savings on manual errors. The projected savings is 250,000 per year while allowing resources to focus more on Sales which is projected to increase overall channel revenue.

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

Project management style is very organized and adapted to the communication tools of the business (Slack, Google Apps). The timeliness of deliverables were impeccable. Their persistence to keep up with numerous deliverables along with changes was very impressive.

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

Skillsets, speed of development, quality, and sound support.

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

No complaints and is why we treat this vendor like an extended team with ongoing development and system/application support.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the director of a fashion brand, which produces clothes in house.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Polar Bear Commerce, and what were your goals?

My website was created by myself, with very little experience and figuring it out as I went along. However, I changed my vision and wanted something specific, with so much to do and very little time Alex was incredibly helpful and allowed my vision to come to light.

SOLUTION

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

I looked at experience and previous portfolios.

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

Key deliverables included, revamping the homepage including images throughout. Adding additional pages, and linking social media on the website and various other long list of tasks.

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

One developer who project managed the whole task.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After launching my website there was a large amount of traffic throughout. My website was much easier to navigate since the update.

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

We had daily catch up's via email and communicated as and when required or necessary.

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

Alex was incredibly experienced and always able to provide a solution.

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

Communication issues at the beginning but I believe that may have been because of different timezones, nothing thereafter. Alex was super prompt and met all deadlines.