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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    PFL Direct Mail Platform

    Score9 out of 10
    N/APFL 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

    ShipStation

    Score7.7 out of 10
    N/AShipStation is an order fulfillment and inventory management web-based shipping software designed for eCommerce businesses. It allows users to import, manage, and ship orders from multiple online selling channels while providing discounted rates and integrations with carriers like USPS, UPS, DHL Express, Canada Post, FedEx, Royal Mail, AUSPost, and more. ShipStation also offers workflow automation to speed up fulfillment, and branded package tracking, vital for enterprise and small businesses…

    $9.99

    per month

    Pricing
    PFL Direct Mail PlatformShipStation
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Starter
    $9.99
    per month
    Bronze
    $29.99
    per month
    Silver
    $59.99
    per month
    Gold
    $99.99
    per month
    Platinum
    $149.99
    per month
    Enterprise
    $229.99
    per month
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    PFL Direct Mail PlatformShipStation
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNo
    Entry-level Setup Fee$10,000No setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    PFL Direct Mail PlatformShipStation
    Considered Both Products
    PFL
    No answer on this topic
    Auctane (Stamps.com, Inc)
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    88%
    Would buy again
    28 Answers
    75%
    Would buy again
    12 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    93%
    Delivers good value for the price
    28 Answers
    86%
    Delivers good value for the price
    12 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    84%
    Happy with the feature set
    27 Answers
    81%
    Happy with the feature set
    13 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    81%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    21 Answers
    67%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    8 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    84%
    Implementation went as expected
    21 Answers
    93%
    Implementation went as expected
    13 Answers
    Best Alternatives
    PFL Direct Mail PlatformShipStation
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    Sendoso
    Score8.2 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Enterprises
    Sendoso
    Score8.2 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    PFL Direct Mail PlatformShipStation
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.0
    (33 ratings)
    5.6
    (25 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    6.0
    (4 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.4
    (3 ratings)
    8.7
    (10 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.9
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    PFL Direct Mail PlatformShipStation
    Likelihood to Recommend
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Auctane (Stamps.com, Inc)
    I do - and have - recommended them to other businesses. If they had taken care of the USPS pickup option and started supporting Rollo printers again I would have given them a 10. But a year with no resolution is unacceptable. Everything else about them is excellent. When I do have issues I'm usually able to contact someone via live chat and get it resolved. They are glitchy on occasion, but what piece of modern technology isn't.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Auctane (Stamps.com, Inc)
    • Integration: It works so well I forget that it is a 3rd party solution sometimes.
    • Automation: You can set nested rules based on order details, really cutting down on the little things that slow down your fulfillment process.
    • Management: We almost never log into the admin side of BigCommerce thanks to ShipStation. ShipStation handles all of our day-to-day needs.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Auctane (Stamps.com, Inc)
    • For years users have requested UPS End of Day Report for Driver to Scan. Shipstation Refuses to offer this and it means that Claims with the carrier are next to impossible to process as there is no PROOF the carrier received your package.
    • Customer Service is Seriously Lacking within the last 6-12 months. Repeated outages, problems, and their front-tier support has no insight as to how long the system will be down. Poor Response times for even the most basic of issues such as error logs so our cart can troubleshoot from their end.
    • The Status Page is inaccurate. 5 of the last 6 times when we had major issues their status page shows as 100%. Not a reliable gauge of up-time.
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    PFL
    I will continue to use the platform as long as my employer provides access, but I do not have purchasing power myself.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Auctane (Stamps.com, Inc)
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Auctane (Stamps.com, Inc)
    Its a very quick platform and being web based it does not require install for say viewing order's shipping status. For the shipping itself, there is a app that grabs data in near real time. Its an easy install and I have had next to no issues with the shipping aspect of the app.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Auctane (Stamps.com, Inc)
    I have quarterly calls with my account rep to discuss metrics and performance to ensure we are remaining consistent without fulfillment and transit times. He is super friendly and knowledgable. Whenever I have questions, if he can't answer them himself, he gets me in contact with the appropriate person almost immediately.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Auctane (Stamps.com, Inc)
    ShipStation is mainly used for automating and streamlining our shipping process. It doesn't track inventory or deal with fulfillment. ShipBob, on the other hand, is a fulfillment and shipping provider. (in addition to automation) Because our e-commerce business is still small and we're operating from our brick-n-mortar store, we don't have a need for ShipBob at the moment.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Auctane (Stamps.com, Inc)
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Auctane (Stamps.com, Inc)
    • It saves a lot of time being able to import the customer data.
    • It saves us money by finding us the best rate (e.g. when we offer free shipping on orders).
    • It can save data such as your most common box sizes.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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