Success stories

Fast-moving and good.

Programming, hosting and support

Visit:
www.webdzinz.co.nz

Bringing the past into the future – online.

Full service

Nostalgia Boulevard’s business is in the past – selling iconic memorabilia such as Elvis, Betty Boop, Marilyn Monroe and other vintage collectables like Coke and Jack Daniels.

When business owner Kaye Brock decided to expand her successful business online, she researched several web development companies. “We chose Utopia because they were so approachable,” says Kaye.

The process started with a two-hour consultation, after which a project plan was drafted. Kaye was impressed with Utopia’s planning and implementation – every step was well organised and the site was completed on time, to an ambitious launch date.

One-to-one training was provided, helping her learn how to upload and manage site content, including product pricing and imagery. “The one-hour training session was so valuable for me,” says Kaye, who claims not to be a very technically-minded person.

Utopia’s proprietary content management system joined with an e-commerce store
allowed the business to achieve fast and efficient ordering, making closing sales quick and easy. The ability to make real-time changes to the site and manage stock has been a huge advantage over the traditional printed catalogue they were using previously.

“The system Utopia set up is so easy to use,” adds Kaye, “and our customers really enjoy using the site – we get a great deal of positive feedback.”

Utopia has helped Kaye achieve her online vision. “We had considerable input into the final look of the site,” says Kaye, who felt her many questions were always welcome. She says she is delighted with the outcome and looks forward to growing visitor numbers.

Using site management tools, Kaye discovered they receive regular visitors from overseas – from countries as far away as Singapore and Switzerland.

Nice to know Elvis lives on.

Visit:
www.nostalgiablvd.co.nz

Transforming the vision.

Development

Transformer are a boutique design agency, specialising in high-end brand communications in print and on the web.

When Transformer contacted Utopia they were looking for a good, reliable provider of web development and hosting services. Utopia was already hosting a website for one of Transformer's clients so the relationship grew from there.

Some of the work Utopia has done for Transformer involved applying design and HTML to the excellent CMS Made Simple content management system. This has meant that Transformer can deliver high-end, unique designs that are built on an affordable, quick to install and robust CMS engine. At the other end of the scale, Utopia has also worked on tailor-made solutions including some complex databases and forms.

“We recently launched a number of sites for Australian property company AVJennings” says Nigel Smith, Creative Director at Transformer. “All have a different look and feel but all are based on the same back-end engine. This meant economies of scale, ease of management and a fast development time.

Nigel explains, “Utopia were great to work with on these projects. When we first described the requirement instead of either automatically assuming an expensive custom build or being inflexible they were happy to discuss ways that we could use existing development work, customise it and implement it quickly and cost-effectively. It's this kind of practical, no-fuss problem solving that we really appreciate from Utopia.”

Utopia continues to host and provide programming services for Transformer. Says Nigel of the relationship: “They are professional, get their quotes to you in a timely fashion, are prepared to try to find solutions even when budgets are tight, deliver the work on time, they have a down to earth approach and never try to blind us with techie-speak!”

Visit:
www.transformerdesign.co.nz