Spring Web Solutions

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your company?

I design and produce women’s jewelry. I have my own label, and sell also to other brands. I’m currently focused on the domestic base here in Australia, with plans to expand internationally sometime in the next couple of years.

What is your position?

I’m the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was the business challenge that you were attempting to address when you initiated the project with Spring Web Solutions?

It’s a startup business, so this was my first website. It was still quite new, and I was looking to do something that was cost effective and sort of enable me to have a Web presence without having to spend too much money. I wanted to have a cart function and allow users to buy direct from the site. Wholesale retailers are my primary distribution channels, but I wanted to offer this eCommerce site as an alternative, too.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of the project in terms of its components: did it include custom design, development, training, support, etc.?

I picked out a preexisting theme. Spring Web Solutions ran with it, and designed the aesthetic and functional components from that initial theme. There was minimal training involved, and they continue to support me on a case-by-case basis.

Did you investigate other ecommerce solutions prior to selecting Shopify?

Yes, I had conducted my own research before talking to Spring Web Solutions. I was at first going to build a site myself, but Spring Web suggested I use Shopify because of its simplicity. They demonstrated its functionality and I was basically sold.

How did you select Spring Web Solutions as your service provider?

They were recommended to me through friends.

Did you contribute to the project in-house with anything other than the strategic oversight?

The only other thing I contributed was the content to be integrated into the site.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in monetary terms?

If I recall correctly, the whole thing cost a few thousand. I believe it was between $2,000 and $4,000.

When was this project completed?

It was completed several months ago at this point, but I don’t remember the exact completion date.

How long did it take them to build and launch the new site for you?

It was quite quick. The entire thing was completed in a couple of weeks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics or metrics that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work that they’ve delivered?

I don’t have any statistics, but I’ve been very pleased. Like I said, I hadn’t had a site before, so it was my initial presence. They really just helped me get a professional site together, which I wouldn’t have been able to do by myself.

Have you been generating sales through the new website?

I have. In fact, so much so that I’m reconsidering how much time I want to focus on the Web portion of the business. I invest most of my time interfacing and developing relationships with wholesale retailers, but if it makes sense to divert some of that effort to my Web presence, then I’ll definitely make that happen.

How do you feel that Spring Web Solutions performed on the project?

I was extremely pleased with their performance. They delivered a spectacular site on time and within the estimated budget.

When working with Spring Web Solutions, is there anything that you would consider unique or special about them compared to other service providers you’ve worked with in the past?

I think the primary thing is that they’re flexible and very personable, and they’re able to tailor a unique situation. I could tell them what I wanted and they were able to devise something that would work for me.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your company?

Our company is a fashion label. We design and produce apparel for girls aged 2 to 12. We are wholesaler and also a retailer by eCommerce, but we have no brick-and-mortar distribution.  

What is your position?

I’m one of the owners of the business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenges were you attempting to address when you initiated the project with Spring Web Solutions?

We host our own Shopify platform. It’s a fairly simple system to use, but anything outside of the box requires a developer. We engaged Spring Web Solutions via the Shopify Experts directory. Because they were located in Perth, Australia, I approached them with our project requirements. We needed a custom redesign, data clean up, and blog creation & integration.

What were the long-term objectives for this redesign?

The only long-term objective, because this is our first foray into eCommerce, was to create a forward-facing presence for our wholesale clients and industry bloggers. We desperately needed a platform that interested parties could visit in order to browse and review our products.

SOLUTION

Could you explain why you selected Shopify as your preferred eCommerce solution over some of its competitors?

We initially considered Volusion, Bigcommerce, and Shopify for our project needs. After consulting a number of associates, it was clear to me that Shopify would be the most simple to implement, learn and manage. I’ve built websites before, but I’m not an engineer by training. I can’t write code, but I understand how to build a functional site. Therefore, I felt like Shopify would be the best avenue to take.  

Can you describe the scope of this project? Did it include custom design, development, training, or ongoing support?

No training was involved. It was purely UI and UX. I’d already built the site myself with the tools available in Shopify. However, there were various elements such as our lookbooks, product displays, our blog, social media outlets, and shopping cart that I was unable to alter and customize myself. Spring Web Solutions was responsible for overhauling and redesigning those elements.

Could you give me a sense of the size of this initiative in monetary terms?

The size of the project was probably around $4,000, adding up to 40 or 50 hours of project time.

When was this project completed?

It was completed around February, but we go back every now and again to tidy up a bit more work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results of this project, could you share any metrics or statistics that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work they’ve delivered to you?

Not in terms in metrics because our sales haven’t begun yet. In terms of our visual redesign, we’ve received extremely positive feedback from users. All I can tell you is that the site has been well received by the wholesalers and our agents.

In retrospect, having used Shopify as your platform, do you still believe that it was the correct eCommerce solution?

Yes, Shopify is the correct eCommerce solution for us. We will be moving away from Shopify reasonably soon because we need a platform with a global element. This is an Australian site. We’re an Australian business, but we sell to North America and Europe. We can’t have a site that doesn’t identify a customer in another country, and redirects them to a locally priced product, which can be purchased in their local currency, and shipped from a local distribution center.

At the moment, the only way you can do that with Shopify is to have silos. The U.S. and U.K. would both need their own independent sites. From a cost and SEO perspective, that’s not a sensible solution. I’d spoken to Shopify about the issue, but they’re not able to support that capability at the moment. As we continue to expand, we’ll need a more dynamic ecommerce solution.

Also in retrospect, how do you think Spring Web Solutions performed on this project?

I’ve dealt with many developers during the last few years. I felt like they had a very good grasp of what they can and can’t do. More importantly, they did not want to spend my money without telling me exactly what it is they would do and how much it would cost me. They were extremely honest and open with their pricing, and they were also excellent when it came to adhering to specified timeframes.  

When working with them, is there anything you would consider unique or special compared to other service providers that you’ve worked with in the past?

The degree of professionalism they exhibit is bar none. They were very straightforward and honest when it came to reviewing their capabilities. They’re also quite easy to collaborate with because they take the time to understand your requirements, and then devise a number of customized solutions.

Are there any areas you feel Spring Web Solutions could have improved upon or that you might do differently as the client before approaching this kind of project?

I probably would have asked them to provide some kind of manual or formalized guide. They’re quite efficient, but there were a handful of occasions during the process that I became confused and was forced to contact them directly for things I would learn were a relatively easy fix. Those few instances were of no cost to be, but it’d have been more convenient if I’d had something to refer to.