Customer Story
SumUp
Reaching previously unreachable local SMBs with an AI BDR and rich local data
“At SumUp, we prioritise efficient and scalable growth. Artisan’s platform streamlines our outreach and gives us the insights we need to reach the right businesses in meaningful ways.” ~ Karlo Biuk, Growth Lead, SumUp
SumUp is a leading global financial technology company driven by the purpose of levelling the playing field for businesses of all sizes, with the vision of a world where everyone can build a thriving business. Founded in 2012, SumUp is the financial partner for more than 4 million small merchants in 37 markets worldwide, helping them start, run and grow their business.
The challenge
Coming from the payment space, SumUp supports its merchants across its main three pillars: payment, POS, and account and card.
Through its SuperApp, SumUp can provide merchants with a free business account, merchant cash advance options, an online store, and an invoicing solution. SumUp also integrates in-person and remote payment acceptance seamlessly with its card terminals and point-of-sale registers.
To continue growing efficiently, SumUp needed a way to reach significantly more local merchants across cities and verticals without dramatically expanding outbound headcount.
Fragmented SMB market across many cities and verticals
Heavy reliance on local signals (maps, reviews, websites, social content)
Busy leads who tune out generic outreach
The team had built internal automation for prospecting but was hitting operational bottlenecks:
Managing a growing number of email addresses and domains
Handling invoicing for each domain, which consumed significant time
Running email warmups at scale
Outbound content stayed identical across campaigns, which risked hurting deliverability
Coverage stayed limited, and many ideal merchants were never contacted.
How Artisan's AI BDR, Ava, powers local SMB outreach
SumUp deployed Artisan’s AI BDR, Ava, to automate outbound sales using rich local business data and third-party signals. With targeting powered by Google Maps, Google Reviews, LinkedIn, and Instagram, SumUp now reaches SMBs that were previously inaccessible through traditional outbound. Ava now:
Finds and enriches local merchants that match SumUp’s ideal customer profile
Uses local data and social signals to personalize every email
Runs multi-touch sequences that feel timely and relevant
Routes positive replies to the team for demos, onboarding, and activation
Why it worked
Local targeting at scale: Rich data pinpoints the right SMBs
Quality outreach: Messages reference each business’s real context
Efficient growth: More pipeline without adding a large outbound team
Clear insight: Visibility into which markets and signals convert best
How SumUp runs outreach day to day
Define priority markets and merchant segments
Launch local campaigns powered by B2B and Local Data
Let Ava handle research, personalization, and sequences
Jump into warm replies to move merchants into demos and onboarding
Review performance by market and refine targeting
Results in year 1
Cost Per Lead: $52
Positive responses: 8-15 per week from previously unreachable local SMBs
Personalized emails sent: 400,000+
Expanded coverage: More qualified merchants reached in each target market
SumUp scaled high-quality local merchant outreach by letting Artisan generate and send the kind of emails their best rep would write, powered by deep local data and signals.
If you’re ready to see what Artisan can do for you, get in touch.