Growing Shopify Brands With Agency Partner Pointer

We’re excited to launch our series of case studies to showcase the incredible Shopify agencies that we partner with at Smartrr. Beginning our partnership with Pointer in January of 2022, we’ve collaborated together on a series of projects for Shopify subscription brands — such as Lemme, Snif, and many more. We caught up with Ellie Scotland and Nicole Hutchinson, Account Strategists at Pointer, for a chat on Shopify subscription apps, partnering with Smartrr, and the success of our mutual clients. On average, brands that have launched subscriptions with Pointer and Smartrr are seeing an average order value of $79 and upwards of 17% of revenue coming from subscriptions. 

About Pointer

Pointer is an eCommerce agency specializing in creating exceptional customer experiences. The team offers services in eCommerce strategy, branding, web design, development, and more — plus, they’re one of Smartrr’s preferred agencies. Previously working with brands such as Lemme, Snif, and pH-In, Pointer’s portfolio includes an array of CPG industries from beverages and snacks to wellness supplements.

“At Pointer, we think about eCommerce holistically and focus on the customer experience. Our team is always thinking through a strategic lens — everyone from our developers to designers. We hold ourselves to a high standard, ensuring that what we deliver to clients is something we’re proud of and has an impact on them. We always seek an open, collaborative partnership with our clients.”
– Nicole Hutchinson 

Pointer’s Experience With Subscriptions

The Pointer team’s extensive portfolio of brands comes with over a decade of experience and a deep understanding of the Shopify ecosystem as well as the variety of apps that comes with it — so it's no surprise that they have profound knowledge of all things subscriptions and customer experience. Pointer has worked with several subscription app providers and has found efficiencies and enjoyment in partnering with Smartrr.

"The account portal is something I think [Smartrr] does really well because of how easy it is to customize, both on our end and for our clients. We love that Smartrr is quick, easy to use, and makes unique and branded experiences for our clients."
– Nicole Hutchinson

After conducting extensive research and receiving numerous recommendations, the Pointer team was impressed with the level of customization as well as the ease of use from Smartrr — especially combined with the level of communication offered by the Smartrr team. The two strategists described customer communication as a key component they look for in a platform, needing their clients to have seamless support even after Pointer’s project is finished.

Beyond the ease of communication, the Pointer team has leveraged Smartrr’s customizability to showcase the different levels of design flexibility in the account portal for their clients, allowing their clients’ ideas to come to life within it.

“Two things come to mind that stand out to me about Smartrr. One, the elevated analytics and reporting experience is quite different from other subscription apps out there — which has been great for us and our clients in monitoring subscription performance. Number two — which is by far the most important — is the level of communication with your team. Having that direct Slack channel where you are quick to respond to us and meeting monthly has allowed us to grow our partnership.”
– Ellie Scotland

Not only has the Pointer team leveraged Smartrr for account portal customization, but they also have experience when it comes to Smartrr’s various LTV touchpoints. Citing as favorites our seamless gifting abilities, loyalty rewards and referrals, as well as bundles, Pointer’s clients have implemented a variety of features across the board — features that most subscription apps do not offer. When clients come to them asking to do both subscriptions and a loyalty program, Ellie “recommends Smartrr for both because it just makes sense. We don’t have to worry about two different apps talking to one another.”

“[Smartrr] has a great app. At the bare bones, you guys do subscriptions and you do it well. But then there are all your other features like Loyalty, BYOB, Gifting — everything encompassed in that is a no-brainer because you don’t just do subscriptions — there are all these other elements that connect and relate and work well together. Finding an app that has multiple touchpoints of what a client is looking for is what we love.”
– Ellie Scotland

Pointer and Smartrr’s Partnership

Throughout Pointer and Smartrr’s partnership, the two companies have collaborated on numerous projects with brands — including:
‍
• Lemme
• Snif
• Partake Brewing
• pH-In Skin

Here’s a sneak peek into some of the incredible work that Pointer and Smartrr have collaborated on:

Lemme

Lemme, a vitamin and supplement brand founded by Kourtney Kardashian, came to Pointer to bring the brand to life by designing and building an innovative, unique, and high-converting DTC experience.

Because of the routine nature of vitamins and supplements, the Lemme team knew they wanted to launch with subscriptions from the start. Partnering closely with Smartrr and Pointer, Lemme’s customer account portal is beautifully branded to match their aesthetic and engage subscribers. In addition, Lemme has leveraged numerous Smartrr features, like loyalty rewards, referrals, and build-your-own bundles.

“Lemme was one of my favorite projects. For me, it was a project that had everything laid out to be powerful and genuinely was a joy to collaborate on. The Lemme team really saw our vision and let us do our thing while also advocating for the brand. That was one of my first opportunities to work closely with Smartrr, and it was such a joy and an easy experience that allowed everything to come together very harmoniously.”
– Nicole Hutchinson

“Build-your-own bundle has been a game changer. Build-a-box is usually the desired end goal for our clients, and before Smartrr, we would almost always have to build it custom. Your BYOB experience has been incredible.”
– Nicole Hutchinson

Snif

Snif, a clean ingredient fragrance and candle brand, sets a high standard when it comes to their premium formulas, genderless scents, accessible prices, and trial kits for customers to test out various scents.

Since launching subscriptions with Smartrr near the end of January this year, Snif has seen an 87% increase in active subscriptions quarter-over-quarter.

“Smartrr really is the top-tier for us in terms of subscriptions. They’re a great partner of ours. The service you get from us is the service you will get from Smartrr. And they make our lives easier. They help ease any concerns and streamline the entire process.”
– Ellie Scotland

Looking Ahead

In the past year, Ellie is especially proud of the immense growth that Pointer’s clients have seen. Looking ahead into 2023, Nicole and Ellie are equally excited to see how their team continues to navigate the ever-changing eCommerce landscape, as well as see which brands walk through the door — from the big names to smaller brands just starting out.

“It’s refreshing to see that our partnership is established and continuing to grow. It feels very seamless to work with you guys. There are rarely any hiccups and never any delays. You guys feel like an extension of us, and to me, that is the key pillar of a good partnership.”
– Nicole Hutchinson