Emarsys vs. PFL Direct Mail Platform

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Emarsys
Score 7.5 out of 10
N/A
Emarsys is a customer engagement platform that allows users to automate personalized campaigns across channels, based on each individual consumer’s behavior. The suite's capabilities include marketing automation, email marketing, customer engagement, customer intelligence and predictive recommendations. Emarsys is now part of SAP, since the December 2020 acquisition.N/A
PFL Direct Mail Platform
Score 9.3 out of 10
N/A
PFL helps businesses deliver authentic moments by creating impactful direct mail that is data-driven, bringing measurement, personalization, and predictability from digital to direct mail. PFL offers direct mail that is... Simplified: PFL simplifies direct mail execution by managing the entire process under one roof from strategy and production to delivery and measurement. Engaging: Supports engagement that results in action by paring digital tactics with memorable…
$40,000
per year
Pricing
EmarsysPFL Direct Mail Platform
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
EmarsysPFL Direct Mail Platform
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeRequired$10,000
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Features
EmarsysPFL Direct Mail Platform
Email & Online Marketing
Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of Product A and Product B
Emarsys
6.6
8 Ratings
16% below category average
PFL Direct Mail Platform
-
Ratings
WYSIWYG email editor7.06 Ratings00 Ratings
Dynamic content8.06 Ratings00 Ratings
Ability to test dynamic content4.17 Ratings00 Ratings
Landing pages8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
A/B testing7.17 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile optimization6.17 Ratings00 Ratings
Email deliverability reporting6.58 Ratings00 Ratings
List management4.68 Ratings00 Ratings
Triggered drip sequences7.75 Ratings00 Ratings
Lead Management
Comparison of Lead Management features of Product A and Product B
Emarsys
6.5
5 Ratings
17% below category average
PFL Direct Mail Platform
-
Ratings
Lead nurturing automation6.15 Ratings00 Ratings
Lead scoring and grading7.04 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Emarsys
6.9
8 Ratings
8% below category average
PFL Direct Mail Platform
-
Ratings
Dashboards7.58 Ratings00 Ratings
Standard reports7.08 Ratings00 Ratings
Custom reports6.17 Ratings00 Ratings
Platform & Infrastructure
Comparison of Platform & Infrastructure features of Product A and Product B
Emarsys
6.8
7 Ratings
11% below category average
PFL Direct Mail Platform
-
Ratings
API6.57 Ratings00 Ratings
Role-based workflow & approvals6.14 Ratings00 Ratings
Customizability5.57 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with Salesforce.com7.14 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
EmarsysPFL Direct Mail Platform
Small Businesses
Vbout
Vbout
Score 9.5 out of 10
Iterable
Iterable
Score 8.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
PFL Direct Mail Platform
PFL Direct Mail Platform
Score 9.3 out of 10
Iterable
Iterable
Score 8.5 out of 10
Enterprises
PFL Direct Mail Platform
PFL Direct Mail Platform
Score 9.3 out of 10
Alyce by Sendoso
Alyce by Sendoso
Score 9.1 out of 10
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User Ratings
EmarsysPFL Direct Mail Platform
Likelihood to Recommend
7.4
(11 ratings)
9.3
(33 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.9
(2 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.4
(3 ratings)
Ease of integration
5.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
9.9
(3 ratings)
User Testimonials
EmarsysPFL Direct Mail Platform
Likelihood to Recommend
SAP
Emarsys is well suited for any company with an established list of contacts and an interest in email marketing. It's easy to manage, scalable, and has plenty of customization features to make your emails your own. If you're ever stuck, the responsive customer service team will help you out. I recommend Emarsys for medium to large size companies.
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PFL
The reason it's not a seven or above is purely because of the timing of a solution we had requested originally back in August 2023. It's now February 2024, and we're waiting for a wow-factor pitch deck. Previously, we only received a demo recording and an order form quote. These truthfully aren't helpful enough to convince and sway our senior leaders into spending the $35k+ investment into the PMC.
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Pros
SAP
  • It has the ability to reach maximum market chains.
  • It helps to keep our customer’s data confidential in any means.
  • It encourages one-to-one customer engagement which has helped us developing more trust in our customers.
  • It is targeting the required and interested audience for the organization.
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PFL
  • Personalization: It allows us to create highly personalized direct mail pieces tailored to individual recipients. For instance, we can include the recipient's name, relevant product recommendations, or even custom images that resonate with their preferences.
  • Multi-Channel Integration: The platform seamlessly integrates with our existing digital marketing tools and CRM systems. It enables us to orchestrate cohesive campaigns that combine email, social media, and direct mail to reach our target audience through multiple touchpoints.
  • Automated Workflows: PFL offers robust automation capabilities, streamlining the entire direct mail process. We can set triggers, such as website visits or email engagement, to automatically trigger the sending of personalized direct mail pieces, ensuring timely and relevant outreach.
  • Variable Data Printing: The platform simplifies variable data printing, enabling us to print custom content for each recipient efficiently. This is particularly useful for A/B testing different messaging or designs within a single campaign.
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Cons
SAP
  • The email and content builder is significantly worse than other email marketing platforms I've used
  • Emails campaigns cannot be used in more than one automation flow
  • Amount of emails collected and being sent for smart insight are inaccurate
  • I've rarely completed a task without some type of user interface error
  • Customer service mostly directs you to help center on website
  • You have to pay extra for training
  • You have to pay extra for reporting in which the system cannot provide
  • Lengthy contract with a high price tag
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PFL
  • There is no built-in functionality to automate direct mail; this has to be created through triggers in Salesforce.
  • The sales cloud integration didn't give us the syncing or reporting we thought would be available.
  • We would like to see more support from team members in the post-onboarding process.
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Likelihood to Renew
SAP
We have no intention of changing Emarsys
Read full review
PFL
I will continue to use the platform as long as my employer provides access, but I do not have purchasing power myself.
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Usability
SAP
No answers on this topic
PFL
The UI is friendly, clear, and accessible, and I access it directly through the interface (Salesforce) that I perform my function in every day. It is intuitive to navigate, and I am able to find most functionalities I need without the need to consult an admin and/or support teams.
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Support Rating
SAP
No answers on this topic
PFL
Only thing holding me back from a perfect 10 would be the timelines for involving the technical team on occasion. There have been a few times where the PFL technical support team has been booked up for days or more than a week out which can delay our project timelines. This doesn't happen often, let me be clear. But when it does, it's usually at the worst time for our campaigns.
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Alternatives Considered
SAP
Emarsys is the email specialist service giver for our whole association. We use it to send custom and mass messages to our clients across three distinct business divisions. Email advertising is one of our greatest income driving channels due to focusing on limitations from deals regions. We can arrive at our clients through email with pertinent data and advancements, all driving income for the business. I have not used any other product marketing automation services.
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PFL
JourneyMail is one I have evaluated. It did not seem as full featured as PFL Direct Mail Platform, nor did it integrate with the rest of the Salesforce products like PFL Direct Mail Platform (journeymail ONLY integrates to marketing cloud). My customers tend to be cross-cloud and own multiple products and want solutions that can integrate across their stack easily.
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Scalability
SAP
No answers on this topic
PFL
It does take a while to launch or re-launch a campaign, which can make it difficult to pivot quickly. However, if you're integrated with Marketo, then PFL is as scalable as your database and marketing strategy! The sky is the limit in terms of creativity. Post launch, the program is hands-off apart from report monitoring and potential optimization tweaks.
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Return on Investment
SAP
  • From proficient and fast information assortment and converging to changing crude data into significant experiences, Emarsys gives you an answer that allows you to associate with your clients at an extremely close to home level and utilize that to additionally develop your business.
  • Reliable and giving cost effective services.
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PFL
  • We've sometimes struggled to maintain a positive ROI due to some issues with packages not arriving, arriving broken, or including the wrong items.
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ScreenShots

PFL Direct Mail Platform Screenshots

Screenshot of Custom kits available for useScreenshot of Entering the sender addressScreenshot of Personalization at scale with custom messaging and signaturesScreenshot of Product selection with product details, template data, and advanced options