Since 2004

Development you can put your agency’s name on.

You bring the client, the brand, and the creative. We add senior engineers, build the software, and keep it running.

Your clients stay your clients. Source code included. No lock-in. Managed hosting, so you don’t manage servers. Senior people, start to finish.
22
Years building and running custom software
37
Live integrations built and maintained across our systems
1
Z9 Engine, our rapid development framework behind everything we build
How agencies work with us

Three services, one partner.

Most relationships start with one client project. From there the work grows: we build it, we host it, and when your clients need branded merch, we have that covered too.

Z9 Development

We build your apps

A small, senior, AI-assisted team that scopes, architects, and builds custom applications for your agency’s clients. We use AI to ship faster. Senior engineers make sure it holds up.

See Z9 Development
Z9 Platform

We host your apps

Managed hosting for your apps. No need for an in-house server team. Servers, sites, backups, monitoring, SSL, SMTP, operating system updates, scaling, and resizing, all handled. Your code is yours, you can relocate at any time.

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Z9 Promo

Merch for your clients

A turn-key way for your agency to offer branded merchandise to clients. You handle sales, creative, and the relationship. We handle orders, suppliers, fulfillment, and the platform.

Visit Z9 Promo →
What we’ve built

Every build starts with understanding the client’s business.

Multi-channel integration

SprocketExpress

We architected and maintained an order-fulfillment platform for nine years, until the business was sold. Every hour it pulled orders from hundreds of online stores, pushed shipment status back to each one, and kept warehouse inventory synchronized across every channel.

19 e-commerce channels integrated · Synced hourly · 9 years in production Amazon, eBay, Shopify, BigCommerce, cXML, Magento, WooCommerce, Stitch Labs, ShopSite, ezCom, Chargify, Groupon, UltraCart, VirtueMart, Mail Order Manager, Acctivate, Grommet, LimeLight, and flat-file / sFTP feeds
Bridges toCRM and marketing-technology integration.
Compliance and event management

WIT

We architected a custom learning-management and event system for fifteen years for a web development agency. Training compliance for 79K staff across 171 health-care provider organizations was tracked to meet the end-client’s State of Michigan compliance charter.

171 organizations · 79,000+ staff · 3.6M trainings · 2,100 events · 15 years Integrated with SCORM Cloud, VideoLINQ, Microsoft Maps, Microsoft Translator, PowerBI, Qualtrics, and SurveyMonkey
Bridges toClient portals, compliance systems, and platforms that pull many organizations under one roof.
A platform we built and operate

Z9 Promo

Z9 Promo is a branded-merchandise platform we have built and operated since 2012. It has generated 4.4M product SKUs across 199 sites. The system is a turn-key way for agencies to quote orders and set up brand stores and pop-up shops.

199 brand store sites · 4.4M product SKUs · 11 integrations · $30.7M processed · Since 2012 Authorize.Net, Tax Cloud, SanMar, S&S Activewear, Supplier Pricing/Inventory, Promo Standards, Apparel Decorator, USPS, FedEx, UPS, and Order Desk
Bridges toSaaS replacements, payments, and e-commerce sites.
What our partners say
Allan is one of the most technically sound individual I know. He has the ability to quickly solve complex problems. He is extremely good in what he does. He has a passion for technology and its ability to improve productivity and eventually bottom line of a company. He gets things done. He is one of the best in the field.
Quaid Saifee
Owner, WIT
I’ve worked with Allan at Z9 for 9 years now and depend on him to keep critical aspects of our business running. I can depend on his excellent technical knowledge and skills, his ability to understand our requirements and to recommend useful improvements to our systems. Allan does quality IT work that has great stability and reliability.
Dan Cence
Owner, SprocketExpress
Who we are

A small senior team.

Z9 is a small, senior, highly-effective team. The people who scope your project are the ones who design it, build it, and keep it running.

Allan Vest

Allan Vest

Owner / Digital Architect
Zeeshan Elahi

Zeeshan Elahi

Senior Developer
About us
Why now

An AI-assisted senior developer is the new development team.

That changes the math on custom software. AI has made custom software faster and cheaper to build: rapid prototypes, proofs of concept, and replacements for SaaS that never quite fit. What has not changed is that someone senior has to make sure it is built right, and someone has to keep it running in production for years.

That is the work we do. We use AI to move quickly, senior engineers to make it solid, and Z9 Platform to keep it live.

Where we are expanding

The next chapter

  • Marketing and sales tool integrations across CRM and customer data platforms
  • Custom apps with AI integration
  • SaaS replacements your client can own outright
  • Rapid prototypes and proofs of concept
Working with Z9

Easy to start. Easy to partner with.

You don’t need a finished spec

Bring a client problem, not a requirements document. Figuring out the right thing to build is where we add the most value.

You work directly with the people building your software

No account managers, no junior hand-offs. You talk to the senior engineers doing the work, and we work the way your agency already does.

Start small

Most engagements begin with one project, often a working prototype we can stand up quickly in almost any domain, so you see what is possible before committing to the full build. We bill hourly, or quote a fixed price once the scope is clear, with no long-term retainer to start.

Merch for clients

Your clients ask for branded merch. We built the system for that too.

Z9 Promo is a white-label branded-merchandise platform built specifically for agencies. You stay front and center with the client. We handle orders, suppliers, fulfillment, and the platform behind it.

Visit Z9 Promo →
Z9 Promo
Engineered by Z9 Digital
Hosted on Z9 Platform
The same development team that builds your custom applications also built and runs Z9 Promo.
Get in touch

Need a development partner you can put your name on?

If you are a brand, design, or web agency with a client project that needs senior engineering, we would like to hear what you are working on.

Get in touch