Charmac

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a diet-specific seasonings company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Charmac?

We wanted to be listed on Amazon in a competitive way so that I wouldn’t have to learn everything.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They handle everything involving analytics, advertising, photos, and descriptions. We have monthly calls where they handle the fulfillment houses that need to go to the warehouses. All we have to do is make sure we have enough inventory.

What is the team composition?

We work with three people from their team.  

How did you come to work with Charmac?

I was referred to them by another client of theirs. I liked their process and transparency. They’re also easy and affordable.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $32,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2017, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

In the grand scheme of things, they’ve been keeping on top of everything. Sales are growing, too. To have things growing and only have a monthly phone call to deal with everything is great.

How did Charmac perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very good about communication. We use phone and email to keep in touch. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re efficient from a business standpoint. They’re also honest and transparent, as a bonus.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’re doing great in my book.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to follow their process and let them lead you through onboarding. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a personal care company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Charmac?

We didn’t have much of a presence online. There were other wholesalers selling our products on Amazon, but we felt it poorly represented our brand. We wanted Charmac to come in and fully resuscitate our Amazon presence.    

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we had a couple of meetings where they walked me through the steps they planned to revive our brand on Amazon. They also created an explainer video for us. Every step of the way, if there was an issue, I could easily talk to the CEO to get anything straightened out.

What is the team composition?

I worked with five people from their team.

How did you come to work with Charmac?

They were located in Chicago, just like us. We started talking and their plan worked for our needs.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent close to $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2019, and our relationship is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

They’ve certainly exceeded our goals. We launched with a soap product first, and then with shampoo about three months later. We’re actually running out of inventory, which is a good problem to have.

We really didn’t expect things to take off like they did, since marketing strategies usually take a little bit of time to implement. It helped that we had an established customer base and brand awareness.

How did Charmac perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been great. We’ve been able to try new things, like the explainer video, and it was amazing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They listen to me when I explain what the brand is all about and its history. The team understands what we need based on that information and it’s almost like they’re part of our company now. Their passion for their brand really shows.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This might be out of their hands, but sometimes when Amazon sees a red flag, they shoot first and ask questions later. As a result, our seller listing has been removed five times between the two products. Once, it was offline for three weeks and Charmac just wasn’t able to get through to someone in customer service. This is definitely attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic in some ways, and there was nothing we could do. It was the one time I was frustrated, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t their fault.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you sit down with the team in person if you can. Give them your products, and allow them to use them and get familiar with them; they’ll become very knowledgeable about the brand and it’ll help the relationship and the service they provide. At this point, they know almost as much as I know about the brand and can make informed decisions.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Partner of a food & beverages company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Produce & sell specialty food products in the condiments and spreads category.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Understand Amazon sales channel
• Improve Amazon listings
• Improve Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) channel profitability

SOLUTION

How did you find Charmac?

Referral

Why did you select Charmac over others?

• High ratings
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

What was the size of Charmac’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

Review and improve the Amazon channel to generate a more efficient and profitable e-commerce plan.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Improve Amazon listings
• reduce sales cost
• increase profitability

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

I provided basic information after the project start via email and they responded to questions via email and set up timely virtual meetings to review results as needed.

What was your primary form of communication with Charmac?

Virtual Meeting

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

Easily provided simple solutions into a coherent package and advise us on implementation. Also, we were impressed with their ability to differentiate high-value adjustments from minor tweaking.

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

I think I held up the pace of things, so it is hard to come up with something to change. We will see the results over time, but adjustments make sense.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of Brand Arkitekt

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We build brands

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Scale the Amazon Marketplace
• Implement our vision for our brand on Amazon
• Report back to use weekly

SOLUTION

How did you find Charmac?

Referral

Why did you select Charmac over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

What was the size of Charmac’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

• Strategy and Execution
• Advertising and Marketing
• Customer Engagement
• Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) Inventory Forecasting
• Account Monitoring
• Communication and Strategy Calls

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We hold weekly L10 Meetings and your request is company confidential.

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

Within the same business day.

What was your primary form of communication with Charmac?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting

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

We are impressed by how their culture aligns with ours.

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

None I can think of as of this writing.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Vice President of LorAnn Oils, LLC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

LorAnn provides flavoring, food colors, vanillas, and specialty ingredients for use in any kitchen.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Update and optimize our Amazon Marketplace

SOLUTION

How did you find Charmac?

Online Search

Why did you select Charmac over others?

Pricing fit our budget, Great culture fit, Company values aligned

What was the size of Charmac’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

We had developed our Amazon Marketplace and ASN's several years ago. We need to update our ASN's to better present our product offering and then optimize our listings with enhanced content.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We could easily measure the Amazon Store listing performance.

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

Charmac has consistently delivered on time and within budget.

What was your primary form of communication with Charmac?

Virtual Meeting, Email or Messaging App

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

They are experts at Amazon and are committed to protecting and promoting your brand online.

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

No- Charmac met and exceeded expectations

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of Parking Block LLC / Mighty Studios

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

we design, develop, manufacture & sell skateboard storage accessories

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• increase TOTAL profitability
• increase annual sales volume
• ongoing maintenance

SOLUTION

How did you find Charmac?

Referral, Other

Why did you select Charmac over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

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

increase overall profitability, and increase overall annual sales

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• cleaning up listings
• aided in the optimization of the amazon storefront
• developed campaigns to optimize sales

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

we hold bi-weekly meetings, delivered most requests on time, but they need to become more well versed in the logistics side of things, i.e. AGL, lead times, forecasting, etc.

What was your primary form of communication with Charmac?

Virtual Meeting

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

They are always positive and reliable, easy to access senior mgmt when required

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

their reports need to take into consideration total COGS (landed unit cost, misc. shipping costs, storage costs) - otherwise the profitability numbers are skewed/not realistic

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Marketing of (a/an) Beauty & Cosmetics

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are the manufacturer of health and beauty products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Optimize and improve current products and listings
• improve sales

SOLUTION

How did you find Charmac?

Online Search

Why did you select Charmac over others?

• Pricing first our budget
• Good value for cost

What was the size of Charmac’s team?

1 Employee

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

When we started with Charmac we were selling minimal units of our product and our listings were subpar. Since hiring Charmac they've increased our sales, helped us improve our search and ranking

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• ACOS
• ROAS

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

Yes, the Charmac team is always very fast to respond and are wonderful at handling issues that arise. It's nice to have Amazon experts because our team is so small we rely on them to really take ownership of the project.

What was your primary form of communication with Charmac?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I like how they seem like a smaller team but super knowledgable and they stay updated on the latest changes and updates with Amazon.

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

None.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an Executive of a wine accessories developer

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

eCommerce and product development of wine accessories.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Review ('audit') Amazon product listings and PPC campaigns
• Provide recommendations for improved profitability and revenue

SOLUTION

How did you find Charmac?

Other

Why did you select Charmac over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Referred to me
• Other

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

Amazon Account Audit - With access to our Seller Central account, the team takes a look at our page content, utilization of Amazon programs, and advertising campaigns. The findings are reviewed on a call with one of their brand managers with clear recommendations on action items we can either do on our own or that they can help us with.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Coverage of audit
• Recommendations
• Prioritization list

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

Yes, Charmac provided the items promised on time and above expectations.

What was your primary form of communication with Charmac?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The length and details of their recommendations provided a roadmap to future success, prioritized by level of effort (money or time spent to produce) and likely impact.

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

Not at this time