Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or impact of the engagement?
We do not aggressively grow our online business because we sell to people who have websites. Sparkfactor has been instrumental in helping us continue to grow our business without interfering with those customers. Our online sales have continued to grow quarterly. It’s not our main market, as we deal mostly in mass merchandising. However, in the time that we’ve been with Sparkfactor, we have increased our online sales quite a bit.
We have access to information about our open rates and conversions for the email marketing, and we meet quarterly to review that. We’re satisfied with the numbers we’re seeing in this area. We’re completely satisfied with what Sparkfactor is doing and the level of achievement. Before we had Sparkfactor, we weren’t getting enough from our vendor. When we got Sparkfactor, however, we were satisfied with the level of service and cooperation.
How did Sparkfactor perform from a project management standpoint?
They perform very well. We are satisfied with the level of their production for us. They have met every expectation that we had. Last year, we were more ahead of the ballgame. About 6 months in advance, we started planning the e-blasts and everything. This year, we’re working more month-to-month. Generally, that’s on my end. Sparkfactor produces their work in a timely manner, and they’ve hit all the deadlines. We haven’t had any issues. We use email and phone calls to communicate.
What did you find most impressive about Sparkfactor?
They provide us with excellent service, and we’re happy month-to-month. We don’t have many things to compare to otherwise.
They do offer us services that we decline from time to time. They’re more full-service than our total requirements. It’s not that we don’t like what they’re offering us; it’s that we don’t find a need for various services they provide. They are proactive and are constantly telling us about projects they’re accomplishing for customers. We’re satisfied, and we’re not looking around. We’ve got our nose to the grindstone, and they’re doing what we want them to do.
Are there any areas Sparkfactor could improve?
There’s a comfort level with the success we’ve been receiving, so a lot of the creative work tends to fall into a similar pattern. If you’re doing something well, you don’t necessarily want to shy away from it too far. However, I think sometimes we do struggle a bit with getting outside of that creative box and finding new content and ideas.
Since the engagement began, online sales have increased without requiring a major focus. Open rates and email conversions are also satisfactory. Sparkfactor performs very well in project management and plans in advance for e-blasts.