Malomo vs parcelLab: Which Post-Purchase Platform is Best for Your Business?

Platforms overview: What's the difference between Malomo and parcelLab?

If you're looking for a powerful post-purchase experience solution provider, chances are you've heard of parcelLab and Malomo. Both empower their users to provide customers with powerful on-brand post-purchase experiences, but there are some key differences.

Not sure which platform to choose? We're here to break down the key similarities and differences between Malomo and parcelLab, so you can glean insights into their pros and cons, and choose the best solution for your organization.

parcelLab overview

parcelLab is one of the leading Post-Purchase Management platforms, with offices in London, Paris, Munich, and Boston. The company has helped 550+ organizations provide a fully-branded post-purchase experience since 2015, including H&M, IKEA, Puma, Lidl, and Bose.

With industry-leading customization and white labeled functionalities, it's never been easier to provide a 100% on-brand experience for the post-purchase shopping stage. Whether it's webshop integrations via an Order Status page or post-purchase communications like SMS alerts, it's all seamless when using parcelLab.

Malomo overview

Malomo is a young start-up that provides branded order tracking and analytics with a strong emphasis on Shopify brands. While it's relatively new to the post-purchase experience field, the company has started to make a name for itself, having worked with companies like Soylent, Magic Spoon, and Rebag.

Like parcelLab, Malomo provides unique features to improve the post-purchase journey, including white labeled communications and alerts. For example, it has a broad selection of customized order tracking pages that clients have created.

However, one key difference is that Malomo doesn't offer its own returns solution, instead providing a Loop integration, which might not be the ideal solution for some users (more on that later).

While the company has remote employees, the Malomo hub is based out of Indiana. It doesn't have any local subsidiaries, which means the business focuses on U.S-based customers, limiting its global reach.

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Implementation comparison: how long does onboarding take?

The onboarding process helps set the stage for the working relationship between the provider and the client; if it's seamless and hiccup-free, things will be off to a good start.

How do parcelLab and Malomo stack up if we look at post-purchase software onboarding?

parcelLab implementation

parcelLab aims to onboard users into the platform in no more than 30 days. It's common to see brands get fully set up in as little as two weeks.

That's because parcelLab adds plenty of new enterprise businesses each month, which means we have the process down to a science. And with project success guaranteed for implementation, brands can rest easy knowing they'll be up and running as quickly as possible.

We've spoken in detail about our implementation process, but here's a quick summary of what it looks like:

• Set up data transfer

• Set up carrier data transfer 

• Add your brand to the parcelLab platform 

• Determine the events that trigger customer communications 

• Design and create shipping notifications 

• Add marketing to shipping notification 

• Create an embedded tracking page 

• Design an embedded tracking page 

• Set up portal accounts 

• Testing

• Go live

Since we have teams in both the U.S. and across Europe, you'll be supported no matter what time zone you're in, significantly speeding up the process to kickstart your post-purchase communications experience.

Malomo implementation

Malomo offers a relatively quick, 5-step onboarding process for e-commerce brands using Shopify. It focuses more on providing knowledge for customers to set up tracking pages themselves—in part because Malomo works more with integrations like Shopify and Klaviyo rather than native, in-house solutions. For less tech-inclined clients, you'll need to reach out to Malomo to have them do it for you along the way, which can increase onboarding time.

Since Malomo focuses on growing brands in the Shopify environment, this is a good standard solution for those businesses. However, larger enterprise organizations will likely need customized support, so a more robust post-purchase communications solutions provider may be better suited for their needs.

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Customer communications comparison: what do notifications look like?

As soon as a customer makes a purchase, they want to be able to track the status of their delivery until it arrives at their door, which is why post-purchase communications are essential.

Both Malomo and parcelLab offer these options, although there's a little more flexibility with parcelLab.

parcelLab order notifications

Whether you want to send notifications via email, text, in-app, or directly reach out to your customers via Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, or Line, parcelLab covers it all.

parcelLab provides a high level of flexibility so brands can personalize every post-purchase touchpoint, resulting in an open rate as high as 75%. By empowering brands to define when to send updates (custom-tailored and streamlined for all major carriers), companies can create a customized alert flow with over 50 email triggers. 

Notifications and messages are also fully on-brand: emails are sent via your domain (not @parcellab.com). Plus, parcelLab is working on self-service tools to give customers extra flexibility.

We also offer a digital returns portal with a flow builder that lets retailers manage all flow elements (for example, allowing customers to share reasons for returns and get returns labels and QR codes), and receive constant returns communication through our end-to-end solution. All of this, of course, is integrated directly onto your brand's site.

Malomo order notifications

Malomo also provides strong personalization for all post-purchase touchpoints, ensuring customers have a fully branded experience after the purchase. While it's an excellent fit for Shopify brands, Malomo doesn't seem the best fit for enterprise organizations.

For example, the platform is limited to 14 order event notifications, and events for messages are restricted to the ~7031 carriers Malomo works with. Its predefined events don't cover the full range of situations a customer might want updates for, such as warehouse delays, split orders, or custom delays.

Malomo doesn't offer a native end-to-end returns solution, instead offering an integration via Loop, which can limit flexibility and customization options, plus lead to more potential points of failure. It only offers one return event: "Return to Sender"; if a package wasn't successfully delivered, there would be communication, but no regular updates when a customer returns a package.

However, Malomo also provides 100% white labeled messaging like parcelLab, so companies can provide fully on-brand messaging.

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Branded tracking pages: an overview of how Malomo tracking pages compare to parcelLab

Malomo and parcelLab help companies provide branded order tracking pages. Here, customers can stay abreast of where their package is and see when it'll arrive. Let's break down both.

parcelLab

parcelLab lets businesses host the order tracking and returns portals right on their own domain. It's also easy to customize the page and align it with your brand identity—from different fonts, new banners, or even updated content—all from your back-end. And with individual rules to send notifications, even more complex shipping/return updates can be communicated to customers.

It's also easy to drive sales, since parcelLab provides ways to nudge customers to make new purchases when checking the status of their product.

Malomo

Malomo provides brands with total control of the design of their tracking page while ensuring it's white labeled. However, enterprise businesses would likely need more granular tracking notifications, such as delivery predictions and warehouse updates. For smaller e-commerce companies, Malomo's current set of features may suffice.

One reviewer said, "It would also be phenomenal to have some sort of template builder or something available to those with more time/experience to dedicate to customizing their landing page instead of having to submit through a CSM," suggesting that Malomo may not be the best solution for companies that require more intense customization.

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Delivery estimates comparison: how accurate is the data?

In an information-rich world, customers have high expectations about the accuracy and speed of their order updates, meaning it's crucial to work with a provider that offers powerful data capabilities.

parcelLab

Because parcelLab has a direct API with over 350 carriers, users have a near-real-time view of their shipment's location, unlike other providers which scrape data from carrier websites.

Malomo

Malomo also has direct integrations with a number of carriers. However, it works with significantly fewer carriers (currently under 70), which could limit the functionality of more global brands. With no warehouse integration, customers have limited visibility into any delays within the warehouse.

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Customer service: what are Malomo's and parcelLab's support offerings?

Excellent customer service is paramount for a successful working relationship. While it's preferable that nothing goes wrong, it's good to work with a partner that will solve any issues that arise quickly and efficiently.

parcelLab

parcelLab has teams spread around the U.S. and Europe, ensuring timely customer service at all hours of the day.

As a customer said, they best liked parcelLab's "fast reaction to requests and inquiries and hands-on mentality."

Plus, parcelLab provides an online developer hub so that software developers can access in-depth documentation to maximize the use of the parcelLab platform.

Malomo

Malomo also provides in-depth documentation for proactive customers alongside dedicated support experts that can help with onboarding or regular support. Since the company's hub is in the U.S., it likely has less availability for European hours, which could lead to slightly longer wait times for urgent requests.

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Malomo pricing vs parcelLab pricing: how much do brands pay?

Now let’s look at the pricing structures of parcelLab vs Malomo. 

parcelLab

parcelLab offers streamlined pricing dependent on various factors, including a company's pain points, the number of monthly shipments, users on the platform, and functionalities needed. There are different bundles available with a fixed number of offerings, including:

Convert 

• parcelLab Promise

Engage 

• parcelLab Track & Communicate

• parcelLab Service

• parcelLab Campaign Manager

Retain

• parcelLab Returns

Platform

• parcelLab Insights

• parcelLab Connect

• parcelLab Security

Malomo

Since Malomo is aimed at smaller Shopify merchants, its lowest plan starts at $83/month if paid annually for hands-on businesses with 4,000 shipments a month. The most expensive plan starts at $989/month if billed month-to-month, aimed at companies that have developers to design their post-purchase website presence and send out 25,000 shipments a month.

However, brands that need dedicated support and onboarding services need to request custom pricing, so it'll vary depending on each organization's needs.

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Which solution offers the best post-purchase experience?

Both parcelLab and Malomo are two worthy contenders in the post-purchase experience landscape, offering services like white labeled post-purchase communications and branded Order Status pages.

parcelLab, however, has an advantage in that it has a stronger presence in the U.S. and Europe and more experience with larger enterprise organizations (including over 3x as many carrier integrations as Malomo).

Additionally, Malomo works primarily with third-party integrations instead of its own native solutions, while parcelLab offers a native, end-to-end returns solution, ensuring everything remains under one roof.

And with a quick and collaborative onboarding process, parcelLab makes it seamless and easy to elevate and streamline the customer post-purchase experience.

Learn more about our end-to-end post-purchase experience solutions by contacting us for a demo today.