Marketing module not fit for use?

[Cobbles]

Hi folks,

Is anyone else increasingly frustrated with the new marketing module? We migrated from the Weebly module embedded in Square using Square's instructions, but the opted-in status didn't work (we had to changed everyone to subscribed), while a lot of people who came across appeared as 'unknown', so we have to manually go and find them and update them. Square have already said that's a bug.

Now we find that the people who subscribe to emails using the popup on our Square site, with the two tick boxes they tick to agree they want email, come into Square customers as non-subscribed. The advice from Square, go and find them and manually change everyone to to subscribed. This is absurd - it's now become a manual weekly task to reaffirm that people who have signed up are able to get email. 

And we've lost the ability to send a welcome email - you can only send an email if someone makes a purchase.

And then, when we send to people who have agreed to get email, are showing as subscribed there are a load who are not delivered the email they signed up for. It's not bounced - it's just not delivered with no further explanation.

There's an issue that anyone with a BT Internet address doesn't get email either...

And finally ... the new marketing module doesn't autosize images or give you the option to edit in the mobile view so the emails don't look as slick as they should.

• Did anyone actually test the new marketing module?
• Did anyone consider that someone who wants to receive email, who willingly signs up for email, should actually receive email without a manual intervention?
• Did anyone think about how much more work this means for a small business?

And we're paying for this service? @SQUAM 

[doc_choc]

Hi @Cobbles , feeling your pain there. Any migration no matter what the company throws up problems. I have just migrated our email accounts from an old legacy BT account to new service provider, it was less than perfect. Tech companies can be less than perfect.

I do know that the folks at Square are working hard in the background to refine aspects the marketing service. My little personal gripe is the lack of flexibility of the email collection system, coupons and the teeny tiny logo with the signup link page. We can't resize or change the logo, it stuck. 

It will get better, goodluck with the migration, things will straighten out with time!

[Cobbles]

Hi @doc_choc 

I'm glad we're not alone. The coupons migration (before it was paused) was a whole load of angst too. It's good to hear they are working on the marketing, but the support from the end of one service to another is terrible. When we rang to see what to do, they seemed unaware that they were telling people to move from Weebly marketing (in their platform) to Square, and seemed baffled by it. There doesn't seem to be any change management comms happening at all.

And yes, we've had the logo resize issue too - same on the website too for images which makes it tough.

Hope you had a busy Easter, your eggs look excellent, and Lacock is lovely. Visited there last year. Onwards and upwards... 🤞

[doc_choc]

@Cobbles Thanks for your kind words and great to hear you like our egg designs. So you are familiar with sunny Lacock. Are you local? Easter was good considering the challenging climate, getting ready to start Christmas tomorrow, Bank Holiday over, onwards and upwards!

I agree the marketing part needs a couple of adjustments but if they can replicate what we had with the Weebly in the marketing dashboard with additional features we will be on to a winner. Is there any reason you don't use Square Online for your website, legacy, functionality etc?

[Cobbles]

Hi @doc_choc – not too far, in Shaftesbury, Dorset. And Christmas already - eek!

We do use Square online for website, inventory, marketing - the whole lot. That's why it's frustrating that the marketing module in place now isn't as good as the Weebly one they had embedded before. We haven't gone outside the Square eco-system, and didn't even realise it was a Weebly tool until it came up for renewal a couple of years ago.

Agreed that if Square could replicate what we had before it would be great. With the new module we're now going back in terms of mobile responsiveness and manual entry for opted in subscribers, which seems a bit, well, backward!

[Lou8]

Hi @Cobbles and @doc_choc, thank you for posting.

I'm sorry to hear you're both dissatisfied with the current Marketing integration on Square Online.

I understand your frustration, and I'll be sure to pass this thread on to our Marketing Product team. I would also suggest filing a feature request on Ideate, if you have a moment. 

[doc_choc]

@Cobbles yup Christmas, I know it just comes around so fast, but each year we are getting sharper and better planned...i hope lol.

Shaftesbury, a stones throw away from us, I was there the other week for a meeting. Lovely part of the world.

I do know the teams are working hard and rising to the challenges of brining the systems together, not a job i would relish doing.

I totally understand your pain and frustration though, I feel it (I have some marketing gripes for email collection, coupons and email formats and also up and cross selling functionality and don't start me on on loyalty), but for me I find Square its a great system and worth progressing with as a change of platforms can sometime just throw up other challenges (so we just find work arounds). I think it would have been nice to have had the same functionality in place ready for the migration before pressing the big red button, I think this was an error on their behalf, so hopefully it will be at a minimum as good as Weebly but I am hoping for that plus factor.  Just needs the few wrinkles ironing out. But from my experience, once they grabble it to the ground and tame it what they produce is always worth the wait.

[Cobbles]

We've been happy with it to date, but this marketing module is just frustrating. Even the folks on support that we spoke to agreed it wasn't as it should be. 

Anyhoo, let's see what happens...

Next time you're in Shaftesbury come and say hello (or open a chocolate shop!)

[doc_choc]

You never know we might just pop a shop up there one day! 😁