Spark Pay began as a payment processing app from Capital One, but soon expanded by purchasing AmeriCommerce and creating its own eCommerce platform. It is a unique product because is it backed by one of the largest banks in America, yet features the design creativity and vision of entrepreneurs.
OverviewUnlike other platforms that began as small startups before becoming major industry players, Spark Pay started with the backing of a global bank. This comes with its benefits and drawbacks. As you might expect, the entire platform is more focused on processing payments and running the financial end of your business. While it still provides all the features you will need to start and run an online business, some of them are secondary. They take a backseat to the payment processing portion of the program.
Spark Pay is perfect for anyone who is more of a number cruncher. If you are looking to open multiple stores and avoid transaction fees, then Spark Pay offers a convenient option. That being said, it is versatile enough for anyone to use. Whether you are a seasoned business owner or a fledgling entrepreneur, Spark Pay can help you execute your ideas and make sales.
Standard Features
Limitations
Be aware that Spark Pay does have limitations when it comes to bandwidth and storage. The more your pay per month, the more products you will be able to add. Only the most expensive plans offer unlimited options. Also, if you want access to API, you will have to pay a $299 setup fee and a $39 monthly charge.
Scalability
As your business grows, Spark Pay will adapt accordingly. When you first setup your website, you may not use all the bells and whistles. These are features you can add as you go. In addition, you can always upgrade your pricing plan as needed.
Cancellation Policy
With Spark Pay, you can cancel at any time without any penalties. While they don’t offer a money-back guarantee, you can take advantage of the 14-day free trial to try out the platform before you commit.
Reputation
In some ways, the jury is still out. Spark Pay hasn’t generated a lot of publicity. They support over 5,000 stores, but the company hasn’t made waves in the industry as of yet. Even customer reviews are scarce. On the whole, feedback has been positive, and Spark Pay has managed to win several awards.
Awards and Certificates
2010 CODiE AwardListed on Inc. 5000’s list of best companies in 2012
Key FeaturesLet’s start with the negatives. First of all, Spark Pay is very friendly to U.S. businesses, but you may run into problems trying to complete international transactions. If you are looking to have a global reach, you may want to look for a different option that will help you avoid any hiccups. Also, users need to be aware of overage fees. While this is a pretty common practice among eCommerce software programs, it can result in unexpected costs every month.All that being said, Spark Pay is a favorite among experts. If you read reviews, you will notice that many critics hail the program as an underrated underdog. The truth is that the program just doesn’t receive a lot of marketing, yet it comes highly recommended by the industry’s top experts.
Everyone seems to agree that Spark Pay offers a solid storefront builder and management tool that won’t leave you feeling like you had to compromise. In fact, many critics claim that the Spark Pay admin sections are more intuitive and better designed than any competitors. With so much critical acclaim, you can feel confident choosing “Spark Pay” knowing that you are getting an excellent product.
Again, there isn’t quite as much information out there on the latest evolution of this program, but you can get a feel for what consumers like about the program and where Spark Pay is headed. One of the standout features of Spark Pay is the ability to manage multiple storefronts. This is a rarity in eCommerce software.
Consumers also seem to appreciate the dependable nature of the software. Spark Pay regularly rolls out updates that are integrated without a hitch. Over the years, there have been few reports of downtime. Users can expect a consistent and reliable program that continues to evolve with the market.
The other big benefit of choosing Spark Pay is that you have the backing of a major bank. If security is the main priority, then you simply can’t go wrong with Spark Pay. Your customers will feel confident that their information is protected.
AmeriCommerce was acquired by Capital One in the Fall of 2014 and turned into Spark Pay. Before this transition, AmeriCommerce had enjoyed relative success and was often applauded by experts. However, customers had more to say about room for improvement. The original version of Spark Pay fell short when it came to designing features, templates, and security. After being bought out by a major bank, security features have significantly improved, but design capabilities are still lagging. This simply wasn’t the primary focus for AmeriCommerce and it has yet to become a top priority for Spark Pay.
AmeriCommerce also received pretty dismal marks when it came to customer service. To describe customers as unhappy with the support team is an understatement. Looking at online reviews, it is still yet to be determined whether Spark Pay can turn this one around.
Design & CustomizationThe design may not be Spark Pay’s biggest strength, but you can easily create a fully functional website. The themes are less about flash and more about getting the job done. Currently, there are 51 free themes to choose from. They tend to look more like a blog than a website, but you can easily customize every theme.
Premium Themes
If you want to start with a more elegant looking theme, consider purchasing a premium option. Most of the options are relatively inexpensive and cost around $95.
Design Interface
While the themes may not be the best around, the design interface certainly is impressive. The live-view allows you to see changes in real-time. You can also use the drag and drop editor to make easy changes. Prefer to code changes yourself? Access both HTML and CSS to program specific edits. If you are a beginner, you can easily experiment with design options and quickly learn the program.
Navigating your site, adding products and filtering searches couldn’t be easier. If you can manage a Facebook business page, then you can quickly find your way around the Spark Pay dashboard.
Mobile Design
All the themes are responsive and ready to be viewed on mobile devices. Your customers can shop from anywhere and still enjoy an attractive storefront. You can also see the admin portion of your website on any tablet or mobile device. This makes it easy to manage your store on the go.
Content Management
A variety of editing tools makes it easy to add content. Launch a company blog, update pages and make changes with just a few clicks.
Social Media
All Spark Pay accounts come with a Facebook app. You can tweet products and enjoy full social media integration. This is an excellent way to connect and engage with customers
Design Services
If you want help customizing an existing theme, you can take advantage of Spark Pay’s Theme Customization Service. The basic plan starts at $750 and prices top out at $2,999. Full site design services are also available. Work with a web designer to create a responsive design from scratch for $4,999. The most extensive design package costs $8,999.
Features & Tools | Feature | Overview |
|---|---|
| Online Store Setup | Getting started is easy. Once you sign up, you will be sent two links. One will take you to your account dashboard. The other directs you to the storefront. Use the set-up wizard for a step-by-step guide to creating an attractive store. You can also watch helpful video tutorials for more tips on getting setup |
| Bandwidth and Storage | There are caps on both bandwidth and storage. Amount vary with each package. The started “Steel” package comes with 100 products, 2 GB of bandwidth and 250 MB of storage for $24.95 per month. You will be charged overage fees for exceeding the limits of your plan. However, the fees aren’t clearly advertised. Be sure to speak with a representative and clarify this issue before you finalize your plan |
| Shopping Cart Plugins and Add-ons | There are a few free add-ons that you can integrate into your shopping cart. Otherwise, you will have to pay a one-time or monthly fee. Some popular add-ons that are available include Quickbooks, Wufoo, MailChimp, and Avalara |
| Order Management | Convenient search and filter options allow you to locate quickly and manage orders. You can even view and process orders on mobile devices. Customers will also appreciate automatic email updates that provide information on order statuses |
| Inventory Management | The admin interface is easy to navigate and you can setup automatic alerts. Customers can even choose to be notified when products are back in stock |
| Shipment Tracking | With Spark Pay, you can use more than one warehouse to ship products. Automatic emails will notify customers when orders have been placed, shipped and fulfilled |
| CRM Features | This is another area where Spark Pay is lacking. Customers can submit tickets, and you can track issues, but the CRM tools are minimal at best. It is evident that little effort was put into helping you provide the best customer service. You may want to consider installing an add-on to expand your capabilities in this area |
| Templates and Themes | Choose from 51 free themes or pay around $100 for a premium theme. Custom design services are also available. Overall, the theme choices are pretty basic. If you are willing to put some time into customizing your site, you can spruce things up |
| Integrations and Add-ons | Spark Pay is compatible with some of the most popular business and content management programs on the market. You can easily add functions to your website |
| Mobile eCommerce | All of the available themes are mobile friendly and fully responsive. You will even be able to manage your store from your phone or tablet. However, if you opt for custom design services, you will pay about $1,000 more to have a responsive online shop |
| Web Hosting | Spark Pay uses Rackspace to help host sites. Together, these programs work to provide you with a fully hosted site that will protect your data |
| App Store | The Spark Pay app store is full of options that can be easily integrated into your store. Choose from industry leading programs and be sure to check-out the free options. |
| Blogging | Not only can you launch a company blog, but you can also run as many blogs as you want |
| SEO and Marketing | Enjoy all the standard marketing tools you would expect from a competitive shopping cart platform. Create meta tags and descriptions, auto-generate URLs and quickly implement page redirects |
| Newsletters | When it comes to automatically sending emails and newsletters, Spark Pay offers an extensive list of options. Whether you want to send inventory or order updates or advertise new products, connecting with customers is easy. You can even integrate third party programs like Constant Contact or Mail Chimp |
| Security Features | As you might expect from a platform back by Capital One, security is in top form with Spark Pay. The platform offers impressive firewalls, a 128-bit SSL encryption, and powerful hosting servers |
| PCI Certification | Spark Pay is PCI Certified |
| Content Creation | Create as many blogs as you want and view edits in real-time |
| Gift Certificates | Spark Pay allows you to sell gift certificates, offer coupon codes and create special discounts |
| Payment Options | Spark Pay supports over 50 payment gateways. You can even enroll in the Spark Pay Merchant Services and bundle all your services under the same company |
| Tax and Shipping Calculators | Tax and shipping will automatically be calculated based on location |
| Reports | Enjoy a variety of powerful and insightful reporting tools. Spark Pay includes a comprehensive reporting dashboard. You can view sales numbers, track top products and research specific traffic details |
| Site Statistics | Google Analytics is an easy way to monitor site performance and creates comparison charts. However, you can also integrate other programs if you want to view more targeted information. It is up to you just how much data you wish to collect. Spark Pay will support your preferences |
Plans & Pricing When it comes to pricing and affordability, Spark Pay is right in line with its competitors. Their basic entry-level plan is $24.95 per month and provides enough storage and traffic to start a business. If you want to try before you buy, then sign up for the free trial. You will have to provide some information, but no credit card it required.
You will have 14 free days to explore the platform and decide if it is right for you.
According to Spark Pay, their most popular package is the “Silver” plan for $99 per month. It includes:
With other shopping cart platforms, you also gain more access to high-level features as you upgrade pricing packages. This isn’t the case with Spark Pay. You will enjoy all the same features, no matter what package you buy. The real deciding factor is the size of your business and how much volume you will be handling each month. If you outgrow one package, you can easily upgrade at any time. The program is entirely scalable.
Hidden Fees
For the most part, Spark Pay is pretty upfront about their pricing. You should know what to expect on your monthly bill. The one gray area is overage fees. It isn’t clear how much you will be charged if you go over the storage or bandwidth limitations. It is a good idea to make a call and clear this up just to avoid any surprises. Apparently, this is a negotiable rate, so don’t be afraid to make some demands and see what they say.
Customer Support Unfortunately, there aren’t as many glowing things to say about Spark Pay’s customer support services. If you need help, there are several ways to get in contact:
The problem isn’t that there aren’t plenty of ways to contact support. The problem is that the response time is too long, and the information you receive may not be all that helpful. With most companies, the live chat is probably the best way to get quick answers. Spark Pay only provides a limited window, though. This makes it difficult for customers in different time zones, especially international customers.
It is pretty clear that customer support is not their top priority. Expect to do a lot of problems solving on your own. There are plenty of tutorials, articles and knowledge centers to consult, but speaking with a qualified expert may be much more challenging.
Ease of Use While you might expect a platform that is attached to a big bank to have some real gaps when it comes to ease of use, Spark Pay is surprisingly user-friendly. Getting setup is simple. All you have to do is click a couple of links that will arrive in your inbox and follow the setup wizard. For novices, this is an excellent way to get to know the organization of the platform and get some help getting off the ground.
The admin dashboard also ranks well when it comes to ease of use. Remember that Spark Pay was originally an eCommerce site designed by entrepreneurs and developers. The dashboard reflects that sensibility and is super easy to use. It avoids being too cluttered and allows you to zone in on commonly used tools.
In addition to access to code and the WYSIWYG editor, Spark Pay also provide a live edit feature. You can make changes directly to your storefront and see them in real-time. Design and editing don’t get much easier than that.
The combination of simple design and plenty of features, make Spark Pay perfect for both novices and experts. Enjoy full control of your website and choose exactly how you make edits. They make just offer the best user experience on the market.
Conclusion If you are terrified of taking on the design elements of your storefront but don’t want to dish out the money for a professional designer, then Spark Pay is an excellent choice. While the free templates trend towards basic layouts, that may be just what you need to get your feet wet and build up your comfort level.
Even beginners can create an attractive store that will help them get started selling products and earning revenue. The price is right. The features are all there. Just keep your expectations low when it comes to customer service, and you won’t be disappointed.
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