Realm

BACKGROUND

Could you describe your company?

We're a consumer products wholesaler with operations based primarily in North America and Europe. 

What is your position?

I'm the Director of IT.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What were your company's business challenge(s) for initiating the project with Realm Web Design?

We needed an eCommerce solution to augment our online product catelog and facilitate direct-to-consumer sales, which is something we'd never attempted before.

SOLUTION

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

We use Shopify. This is kind of the Lego block approach to implementing e-commerce since the site really wasn’t designed on any kind of e-commerce platform. We use Shopify for our shopping cart and basically constructed a link from our primary site to Shopify, and then brought up a web services interface back to our ERP system. Realm did all of the work within Shopify platform for us. That included training, development, design, and support.

Is there any particular reason why chose Shopify as your preferred solution over some of its counterparts?

Yes, absolutely. The target launch date was June 1, so that gave us six months. Implementation speed was the number one priority. So we did a survey of several check-out, shopping cart alternatives – Shopify, Bigcommerce, Amazon, and there’s one other but I don’t remember off hand. Essentially, Shopify was the least flexible but the fastest to implement, so we ended up selecting it because of that.

How did you select Realm Web Design as your solution partner?

Once we decided on Shopify we reached out to too many, as far as I’m concerned, probably a half a dozen different Shopify design firms. Most of them like Realm are very small, and determining their viability and capabilities was challenging, but Realm by far was the most responsive and refreshingly honest as far as their capabilities and recommendations.

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

The overall budget for the project was probably mid- to high-five figures, but I couldn’t tell you what the exact portion was.

When was this project completed?

The entire site went live on June 12 of this year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This project was not launched per se. We are a wholesale distributor. That is our core business. We are not aggressively attempting to disrupt our existing distribution channels. Many of our customers already sell online, so there is no thought in our head that we are going to displace them. We are selling at full retail price. Because we are a wholesale distributor we have never done direct consumer sales and so the idea was to start developing our capabilities and begin getting our feet wet with direct-to-consumer sales. I can tell you the number of units sold to date is probably around 500. That’s not super impressive, but we were not after high volume. That figure actually represents probably about twice what we were expecting.

How do you feel Realm Web Design performed on this project?

They’ve really been the least of my concerns. I had to juggle four other suppliers in order to get this all Lego blocked together. As I've mentioned, the reason we selected Realm was that they were very responsive and we felt very comfortable discussing the requirements and asking questions. The advice and recommendations they’ve provided have been vital.

In retrospect, are there any areas that you feel Realm could have improved upon or that you might do differently as the client before approaching this type of project?

Not really. The schedule was extremely aggressive and Realm was able to provide us with mock-up designs in order to support our design schedule, which was extremely compressed. They were also very responsive when changes came along. Honestly, the Shopify implementation was one of the smoothest, most fluid components of our entire initiative.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your company?

We are a merchandizing and apparel printing company.

What is your position in the company?

I’m the Business Development Manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenge(s) that you were trying to address when you initiated the project Realm Web Design?

It was basically about distribution. We were able to produce more shirts than we could sell in a single day. We were running well below capacity and we wanted to utilize our full potential. That’s when we decided to go the way of ecommerce in order to enhance our sales and thus realize our full production capabilities.

SOLUTION

Why did you select Shopify as your preferred ecommerce solution?

Realm Web Design recommended Shopify to us based on our business needs. To me, they’re all sort of the same. I’d done some initial online research, but until you begin to use it for yourself, it’s very difficult to weigh the pros and cons of each system. So they recommended Shopify, because it was going to be the easiest to use and manage. That was going to be important because I didn’t want to spend a lot of time troubleshooting bugs and issues each day. I wanted a solution that could be installed, configured and deployed, without much overhead or oversight.

Could you share any statistics or metrics that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work that they delivered to you?

We don’t really. We’re not really a direct-to-consumer business; we really focus on corporate clients. If anything, our process efficiency has been greatly increased. Our old system required even our repeat customers to submit custom order forms with our sales and support staff, which was tedious, prone to error, and remarkably time consuming. Shopify has basically automated that entire process for us. I wouldn’t say it’s been responsible for a large increase in sales volume, but rather the speed in which we can process our orders for customers and provide a valued service with greater efficiency.

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

It included six custom designs based off of premade templates. Once we selected the interface we preferred, it was integrated with our website and inventory database. They also trained us in backend maintenance and administration.

How did you select Realm Web Design as your solution partner?

It was based off of a recommendation.

Could you provide a sense of the size of the initiative either in monetary terms or in the number of personnel dedicated to the project?

The project cost us approximately $10,000, which I thought was quite reasonable considering the amount of work provided.

When was this project competed?

The project remains ongoing because we’re in the process of making some updates and modifications, but the launch was complete about one month ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you think your selection of Shopify was the right decision?

I don’t have any complaints with the system thus far. It’s worked well and it’s been meeting our expectations and goals.

Is there anything you would consider unique or special about Realm Web Design as compared to other companies you might have worked with in the past?

I'm impressed with the level of accountability demonstrated by Realm Web Design. They’re not a terribly large firm, so their clients get a lot of quality contact time on- and off-site. I’ve never had to hound them to give me an update or complete a task. Everything is very organized, and when unanticipated issues arise, they’re the first to mention it and/or begin troubleshooting.

In retrospect, are there any areas that you feel they could improve upon or that you might do differently as a client before approaching this kind of project?

That same thing that’s a positive can also be a negative, because if anything happens, you’re relying on one, two, three, a couple of people to fix it. That hasn’t really been a problem yet, but it is one of the largest risks linked to collaborating with a smaller firm.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of FullFlight Racing.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a manufacturer of ATV & UTV suspension products and retail.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Realm to accomplish?

• Increase sales
• Run Efficient and effective ads
• Set up our platform for scaling

SOLUTION

How did you find Realm?

Online Search
Why did you select Realm over others?

• High ratings
• Company values aligned
• Shopify expert

How many teammates from Realm were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

A complete rebuild of our Shopify platform with a new theme and more effective ads. Jay added so much more to our platform also automating things and setting up stuff we did not know about.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We had a huge increase in sales, and our platform is structured correctly for conversions as well and looks a lot more professional. Jay is a true expert in his class and was awesome to work with.
Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Jay's project management skills were second to none. They've planned everything in detail, stuck to that plan, and stayed on schedule. Very organized and detailed
What was your primary form of communication with Realm?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

• Attention to detail
• making everything correct
• Teaching and explaining the process to maintain

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

Was super happy with the process and look forward to more projects with Jay.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Digital Marketing and Customer Service Specialist of a consumer products company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Online E-commerce pet store that sells various goods such as food, toys, and other supplies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Realm to accomplish?

• Completing our brand by creating a logo for our company
• Collaborating with us to tell the story of our dog Jasmine, and helping to incorporate it into the website
• Development and launch of our website, including all technical aspects

SOLUTION

How did you find Realm?

• Online Search

Why did you select Realm over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Realm were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

From start to finish, Jay/Realm made sure we were informed and updated on all things pertaining to the completion of our website, and was always available to answer any of our questions. Great communication, attention to detail, and lots of helpful creative brainstorming.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We only just went live, but are very pleased and happy with the traction our site has picked up already.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Everything was delivered and answered on time, there were no issues in getting our needs met.

What was your primary form of communication with Realm?

• Virtual Meeting

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

How easy/efficient (and fun) it was to work with them.

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

Don't think so

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder and CFO of a new skin care brand focusing on environmental irritants.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Realm Web Design?

We hired them to design a Shopify store and develop an app for the website.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to have the look and feel of an established beauty brand.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We researched and interviewed a range of vendors from Shopify's referral pages.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Realm Web Design is developing a custom e-commerce template that would create a state-of-the-art brand experience. They advise us on everything, from site structure and flow to a suite of apps for optimizing performance.

What was the team composition?

Jay (Founder, Realm Web Design) has been our exclusive contact.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project is ongoing, so we don’t have results yet.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They’ve managed the project well with respect to communication, scheduling, and milestones.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We feel like we are in capable hands with Realm Web Design. That level of trust has been critical to the relationship.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, nothing comes to mind.