diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 3707f285..72f31782 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -637,15 +637,6 @@
         "ajv": "*"
       }
     },
-    "@types/axios": {
-      "version": "0.14.0",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@types/axios/-/axios-0.14.0.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha1-7CMA++fX3d1+udOr+HmZlkyvzkY=",
-      "dev": true,
-      "requires": {
-        "axios": "*"
-      }
-    },
     "@types/cacheable-request": {
       "version": "6.0.1",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@types/cacheable-request/-/cacheable-request-6.0.1.tgz",
diff --git a/src/parsers.ts b/src/parsers.ts
index 37890e00..c70d0434 100644
--- a/src/parsers.ts
+++ b/src/parsers.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,14 @@ export class JSONParser implements Parser {
    * @return {object} the parsed JSON payload.
    */
   parse(payload: Record<string, unknown> | string): string {
+    if (typeof payload === "string") {
+      // This is kind of a hack, but the payload data could be JSON in the form of a single
+      // string, such as "some data". But without the quotes in the string, JSON.parse blows
+      // up. We can check for this scenario and add quotes. Not sure if this is ideal.
+      if (!/^[[|{|"]/.test(payload)) {
+        payload = `"${payload}"`;
+      }
+    }
     if (this.decorator) {
       payload = this.decorator.parse(payload);
     }
diff --git a/test/integration/parser_test.ts b/test/integration/parser_test.ts
index b5d678a4..ea7f67cd 100644
--- a/test/integration/parser_test.ts
+++ b/test/integration/parser_test.ts
@@ -47,11 +47,19 @@ describe("JSON Event Format Parser", () => {
 
   it("Throw error when payload is an invalid JSON", () => {
     // setup
-    const payload = "gg";
+    const payload = "{gg";
     const parser = new Parser();
 
     // TODO: Should the parser catch the SyntaxError and re-throw a ValidationError?
-    expect(parser.parse.bind(parser, payload)).to.throw(SyntaxError, "Unexpected token g in JSON at position 0");
+    expect(parser.parse.bind(parser, payload)).to.throw(SyntaxError, "Unexpected token g in JSON at position 1");
+  });
+
+  it("Accepts a string as valid JSON", () => {
+    // setup
+    const payload = "I am a string!";
+    const parser = new Parser();
+
+    expect(parser.parse(payload)).to.equal("I am a string!");
   });
 
   it("Must accept when the payload is a string well formed as JSON", () => {