SparkPlug

👋 Hey, PH! Thanks to @jason for the hunt! Jake here, co-founder of SparkPlug. My co-founder @andrew_duffy and I, along with our incredible team, created SparkPlug to help hourly employees earn like owners. Frontline workers in retail and foodservice enable $7 trillion of customer purchases annually in the US alone, but they’re barely scraping by. Between minimum wage and tip-driven compensation (not to mention inflation) they’re 70% more likely to live below the poverty line compared to the average worker. SparkPlug makes it easy for brick and mortar businesses to harness the influence of their frontline employees by compensating them based on their sales and the in-store experience they provide. Whether it’s an order average contest, a store-wide sales goal, or a commission sponsored by a specific brand or vendor, SparkPlug empowers businesses with the tools they need to effectively motivate employees and align teams behind a single vision for growth and success. Today, SparkPlug is used by over 1,000 businesses across numerous verticals, from specialty retailers to restaurants and cafés. The platform solves four key problems: 🔗 SparkPlug integrates into the point-of-sale software system, capturing the sales data needed to track employee sales performance 🏆 Store and restaurant managers use SparkPlug’s powerful gamification engine to customize their incentive–SparkPlug also supports incentives sponsored by third-party CPG brands and vendors 💬 Employees onboard, receive incentive campaign updates, track live metrics, and claim earnings all via SparkPlug’s hybrid SMS/webapp dashboard 💵 Finally, cash incentives are paid out directly through the platform, allowing employees to claim their rewards instantly As the network of SparkPlug businesses grows, we’re inching closer to creating the Google Ads of brick & mortar – a scalable network allowing brands to market in physical retail by bidding on in-store influence, with those marketing dollars ultimately ending up in employees’ pockets. Achieving economic justice for hourly workers is one the biggest challenges facing our society, and we’re so excited to be doing our part to disrupt the status quo in capital/labor dynamics and to power the future of experiential commerce with SparkPlug ⚡️🔌

@stonecress 💪 Thanks!! Our team is actually torn internally on use of the term "gamification". It definitely captures the motivational and "nudgy" aspects of the tool, but it can also feel like a bit belittling or infantilizing in a way. Curious to hear your thoughts!

@vanessa_pham Totally! Unionization among frontline workers is a hot-button issue and SparkPlug is proving to be the antidote to some of their most painful concerns. Apple, Starbucks, and REI are just a few businesses confronting the repercussions of undervaluing and under-compensating their talent.