Black Patch Performance
Migration Case Study: SPARK SHIPPING to FLXPOINT
Learn why Black Patch Performance, a leading Automotive Parts Retailer switched from Spark Shipping to Flxpoint.
“Miles ahead of the competition! For my industry category they reign supreme! Awesome software!”
Jonathan Williams, Owner, Black Patch Performance
Company Overview
Founded in 2018 by Jonathan “Cole” Williams on a family dairy farm, Black Patch quickly became a top name in automotive parts, as well as the number one seller in the U.S.A. for several top product lines and brands. Whether you’re looking for something budget-friendly or top-of-the-line, Black Patch Performance helps you every step of the way, offering advice like a trusted buddy, flexible financing to fit your budget, and a personalized shopping experience that makes you feel right at home.
After working with an agency, it chose Spark Shipping but didn’t even make it out of the testing phase. Black Patch Performance migrated over to Flxpoint as a software of choice for automating its automotive parts business.
Initial Spark Shipping Experience
After working with an agency, I was with your competitor for less than 3 months and didn’t even make it out of the testing phase. I immediately saw roadblocks that I was going to have to work around.
– Jonathan Williams, Owner, Black Patch Performance
Issues with Spark Shipping
- Product Data issues with Shopify
- Poor UI Experience
- Lack of Expected Features
- Escalating Hidden Costs
- Lack of full Scalability
Spark Shipping to Flxpoint Transition
Every roadblock I found in Spark Shipping was already handled in Flxpoint or was being added soon, and right now, there aren’t any roadblocks for me.
You can’t hire any competent employee to manually manage the data that can be managed by Flxpoint for a fraction of the cost. In the automotive industry, you can’t come close to having someone successfully managing your data at Flxpoint’s efficiency. Even if we do run into any errors, your support team catches it before we do. I don’t even have to open support tickets to find out what’s going on, your team is already on it.
– Jonathan Williams, Owner, Black Patch Performance
Flxpoint over Spark Shipping
As someone who previously used Spark Shipping but transitioned to Flxpoint, the decision to switch was driven by several key factors that Flxpoint excels in over Spark Shipping.
- Ability to Scale
One of the primary reasons for leaving Spark Shipping was the lack of flexibility as we scaled up our business. While initially suitable for our needs, Spark Shipping began to show limitations as our needs grew. We found ourselves needing more customization options and integrations that Spark Shipping either couldn’t easily accommodate or lacked altogether. On the other hand, Flxpoint offers a modular approach that allows us to tailor the platform to fit our evolving business processes. The ability to integrate with multiple sales channels and third-party systems through Flxpoint’s robust API and pre-built integrations was a game-changer for us.
- Platform User Interface
Spark Shipping’s interface – while functional – felt outdated and clunky. Navigating through different features and settings was not as intuitive as we would have liked, which led to inefficiencies and frustration among our team members. In contrast, Flxpoint has a modern, user-friendly interface that simplifies day-to-day operations for our team. The dashboard is well-designed, making it easy to manage orders, track inventory, and analyze performance without a steep learning curve.
- Dedicated Customer Support
Another critical aspect was Spark Shipping’s lack of customer support and overall responsiveness. We encountered several instances where support response times were slow and getting timely resolutions to problems became a massive pain point. Meanwhile, Flxpoint offers 24/7 support tickets and the ability to jump on a Zoom call with team members that very same day. You also have the ability to have a dedicated project manager starting from your first day of using the service, which was instrumental in getting the account configured and training my team on the platform.
- Pricing Transparency
While Spark Shipping has a straightforward pricing structure initially, hidden fees and charges for additional features or support escalated costs beyond our budget. Flxpoint offers transparent pricing with scalable plans that align closely with our needs, making sure we only pay for the features and support levels essential to our operations.
- Platform Advancement
Lastly, Spark Shipping seemed to lag behind in adopting new technologies and market trends compared to Flxpoint, which is continuously updating its platform with new features, supplier integrations and improvements based on user feedback or industry trends.
Conclusion
The decision to switch from Spark Shipping to Flxpoint was a no-brainer thanks to Flxpoint’s scalability, user experience, robust integration options, 24/7 support and commitment to platform innovation. Since the switch, Flxpoint absolutely contributed to improving operational efficiency, enhancing customer satisfaction, and positioning Black Patch Performance for future growth.