FishGillz Sunglass Co. - Case Study #4

Based on the West Coast USA, FishGillz came to COL Svcs for tech/web support in Spring 2007. A new start-up, FishGillz founder Jeff Taylor was looking to capitalize on an idea to introduce 'floating polarized sunglasses' to the marketplace, with an initial focus on the Fishing and Watersports communities.

As a hands-on person, Mr. Taylor played an integral role through the early design process, with significant input into the aesthetic for the new website. The process of passing design ideas back and forth was simplified using office tools including SKYPE and remote desktop viewing. This project became a classic example of working remotely with efficiency and timeliness unimpaired.

Given that the roots of this new start-up were forming around the Internet and direct-to-consumer sales, the focus on the website was an important aspect of early business development. COL Svcs provided not just technical input but a good deal of business consultancy, helping ensure the business was built upon a sound platform.

Though the project has evolved over the years and there have been several twists in the tail, COL Svcs continue to provide ongoing support in all FishGillz web endeavors.

These include -

• Support in the form of technical and general consultancy
• Direction and future planning for all web projects
• Media design and support with the product catalog
• Joomla Web design
• Forum design and build on Joomla CMS platform
• VirtueMart Shopping Cart integration
• Search Engine Marketing

Around the Fall of 2009 a decision was made to switch from a hosted shopping cart provider (ProStores) to a self-hosted Joomla solution via VirtueMart. Escalating costs from ProStores and an uncertain support future fueled the change, which was was undertaken and completed within 4 weeks. Since completion of the cart transfer projects, COL Svcs has assisted the client with setup of an integrated desktop shipping program and Quickbooks accounting interface to drastically improve in-house efficiencies and reduce operating costs. VirtueMart's modular scalability has proven invaluable in streamlining Internet operations and it has also realized a 37% in customer conversion rates through its intuitive layout.

In March 2010, COL Svcs implemented a Joomla based article database to further capitalize on the Joomla CMS platform. In addition a Community Forum and various other Joomla components have been installed to ultimately improve the visitor experience and increase site traffic.

FishGillz is now on track to not only become the #1 retailer for floating polarized sunglasses, but also function as a valuable resource and online community for fishing and boating enthusiasts from around the Globe.

CH