ShopDiabetes.org Successfully Launches on the OrderDynamics eCommerce Platform

OrderDynamics, Canada's leading On-Demand eCommerce Platform Provider, announces another successful website migration to their eCommerce SaaS Platform. Over a 5 month period, The American Diabetes Association's flagship eCommerce website was completely redesigned and re-launched on a new technology platform, allowing them to service more customers and attract business away from leading retailers like Amazon.

The new ShopDiabetes.org website is a fun and fast way to shop for diabetes books, gifts, apparel, and other great diabetes products. In addition, shoppers who buy from the official store of The American Diabetes Association help fund important diabetes research, education and advocacy efforts around the country. Last year alone, the Association funded more than $33.5 million for diabetes research.

"We're very excited about the new website and the strong position we're in with the OrderDynamics team" explains Brian Waller, American Diabetes Association's Director of Applications Solutions. "We've come a long way in a short period of time and look forward to growing with the solution" continues Waller. The new eStore features the latest frontend and backend eCommerce tools and best practices such as SEO, Navigation, Promotions, Merchandising, Recommendations, Product Personalization, Content Personalization, Rich Imaging, and more. In addition, ShopDiabetes.org allows shoppers to preview the pages of over 80 Diabetes Books and conveniently place a donation to The American Diabetes Association right from their shopping cart, making donating quick and easy.

"The ShopDiabetes.org project is very special and we're glad to be part of such an important cause" says Michael Benadiba, CEO of OrderDynamics. "We look forward to helping the ADA team reach new customers and deliver exciting new products and services on their website".

The new ShopDiabetes.org was visually designed by UXER Design (http://www.uxerdesign.com) and the website went live November 1st 2010 in time for American Diabetes Month.

About The American Diabetes Association
The American Diabetes Association is leading the fight to stop diabetes and its deadly consequences and fighting for those affected by diabetes. The Association funds research to prevent cure and manage diabetes; delivers services to hundreds of communities; provides objective and credible information; and gives voice to those denied their rights because of diabetes. Founded in 1940, our mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. For more information please call the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or visit http://www.diabetes.org.

Happy Holidays From OrderDynamics!

Season’s Greetings,

The team at OrderDynamics would like to thank our Clients, Partners, and Vendors for making 2010 an amazing year! With holiday consumer sales already ahead of estimates, many online merchants will enjoy higher order volumes throughout November and December. As a result, many retailers have recently been reminded how badly they need a new eCommerce platform provider, one that will help them grow and convert traffic while streamlining order management.

Give us a call to discuss upgrading your platform. Contact Us!

This past year, OrderDynamics has made significant investments in our On-Demand eCommerce Platform technology, making it the ideal choice for high-growth B2C and B2B merchants that are being held back by their platform.

In October, OrderDynamics achieved Verified Status with FitForCommerce, being one of the first mid-market platform providers to complete the program which gives retailers confidence in the platforms their evaluating.

Throughout 2010 we've had many successful website launches and the pleasure of working with really great people on exciting new projects. We want to congratulate and thank our Clients for another great year together!

From all of us, we wish you Happy Holidays and a prosperous New Year!

Sincerely,
OrderDynamics Team
1 (866) 559-8123

P.S. Be sure to visit us at Internet Retailer Web Design Show in February and Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition in June.

Group-Buying: Long-Tail Marketing with Big Payback

It seems despite the economic disaster from which the world is struggling to recover there is constantly a plethora of new products and services wriggling their way into the North American market – there are more things to buy, but less money to buy them with. Product developers essentially need to contend for the consumers’ money to get by. So how can today’s merchants compete for exposure without breaking the bank? Apparently, with group-buying – an online trend that is rapidly growing in popularity – this is entirely possible.

Group-buying is a concept originally introduced in China with a site called Tuangou and has popped up in the North American online marketplace this year. With highly successful copycats such as TeamBuy.ca, Groupon.com, and Wagjag.com - to name a few - as well as several other smaller franchises, the concept is spreading like wildfire. How does it work? These dealers are fuelled by a group of up-and-coming companies offering a daily new product bargain at steep discounts in exchange for the site’s promise to rake in plenty of customers – the catch is, you only get the deal if a minimum number of people sign up for it by the end of the day. This leaves the consumers working together and providing cheap, word-of-mouth advertisement. Suddenly a new and unknown brand becomes a little familiar.

Timer and Deal Tracker on Teambuy.ca, similar to those used on group-buying sites.

Aptly nick-named social commerce, group-buying has been racking up the brownie points in Canada through putting itself out on Facebook, Twitter and the like, taking full advantage of the relationships deeply entrenched within these social networks. It’s brilliant, really. Most offers are presented anywhere from 50-90% off – so cheap, it no longer matters that the company offering it is virtually unheard of; and given the current economic climate, treats such as fancy dinners and spa packages are a luxury – one can’t help but spread the word by posting it on their News Feed or sending a little Tweet in hopes that their friends, and friends-of-friends, and maybe even complete strangers catch on and sign up for the deal to make it a ‘go’. It sounds remarkably simple - and borderline viral - but it works.

Groupon.com’s list of daily deals. Group-buying sites often promote a large daily deal, with several smaller ones in the hopes of multiple purchases.

The interesting thing about group-buying is how similarly to traditional online ads it is presented to consumers, yet its virility gives it an extra push. Facebook displays ads along the side panels of its web page and I’m exposed to at least 3 new ones every time I refresh the page. Yet one might share my sentiment in that during the 6 years I’ve been subscribing to Facebook, I can’t ever recall clicking on one of those ads. Why? Well, how do I know that there is any truth to the deal? It may well be a waste of valuable time (it’s depressing for the producer, considering what I imagine the price of ad-space on Facebook, Twitter, Linked-in and such to be). However, since first being introduced to the concept of group-buying a few months ago, I frequently sign-on to Facebook and notice a posting by friends about some kind of great deal for bedding, jewellery, even cheeseburgers; sometimes, I go so far as to check the website out.

This is where the group-buying model gets it right: they provide a vehicle for relatively small firms with low advertising budgets to acquire highly coveted ad-space on social networking sites without the social networking price. And since this allows the offers to be presented to consumers through their friends rather than by the retailer, the predisposed level of trust leads to an automatic subconscious absorption of the information, rather than unnoticed exposure - if my friend likes it, it must be good, right? Many group-buying sites boast thousands – Groupon.com brags about millions – of dollars worth of savings, allowing them to creep up from “fad” to investment-worthy.

A typical Facebook posting from a group-buying website.

Group-buying is still in its early-stages but has proven to be a medium of advertising worth considering and capitalizing upon. For companies looking for a bigger bang for their buck, this will grow to be a hot commodity as social commerce sites become more prevalent. As Mashable’s Pete Cashmore says, ‘it’s a good idea’, and the success stories speak for themselves.

Melissa Itwar

OrderDynamics Upgrades Embedded SEO Technology for Large Catalog Merchants

OrderDynamics, Canada's Leading On-Demand eCommerce Platform Provider has recently deployed upgrades to its multi-eStore Search Engine Optimization (SEO) system, specifically designed for large catalog merchants to grow organic traffic and avoid duplicate content.

As part of their quarterly feature release strategy, OrderDynamics delivers another important upgrade to its frontend presentation engine to help organically grow traffic to their Client's websites. The recent upgrade extends the capabilities of their already powerful SEO metadata toolset that allow merchants to optimize Product, Category, Brand, and Manufacturer landing pages. The upgrade enables control over all dynamic pages, referred to as Faceted Navigation (sometimes called Guided Navigation) pages and Search Results pages, a major contributor to the cause of duplicate content on eCommerce websites. The OrderDynamics platform now allows point-and-click control over SEO metadata for any URL, even dynamic URLs, including Page Title, Link Title Tag, Meta Keywords, Meta Description, Vanity URL, and Link Canonical tag. OrderDynamics also offers the ability to generate metadata using formulas and a combination of phrases and source data such as product names, descriptions, etc.

"OrderDynamics is squarely focused on helping our Clients grow their business by leveraging the latest traffic building and conversation best practices" explains Michael Benadiba, CEO of OrderDynamics. "We continue to lead in the area of on-page SEO and we are investing heavily in this area because of the significant benefit it brings to our Clients". The latest upgrade allows merchants to quickly optimize strategic landing pages, instantly improving organic traffic from search engines and reducing pay-per-click (PPC) advertising costs through increased page quality scores.

By enabling control over the Link Canonical Tag, OrderDynamics Clients can avoid duplicate content issues, a hot topic for all online retailers especially large catalog merchants that offer multiple points of navigation like brand, category, and search. In addition, OrderDynamics has provided the ability for keyword rich Product Attributes used in Guided Navigation to be appended to the URL to further optimize pages with no merchant intervention.

OrderDynamics made the feature live in its On-Demand eCommerce Platform in August as part of their Summer 2010 release.

OrderDynamics Achieves Verified Status from FitForCommerce

OrderDynamics, Canada’s leading On-Demand eCommerce Platform Provider, announces recent achievement of “Verified” status for its eCommerce Platform by FitForCommerce, a recognized leader in eCommerce consulting.

As part of their long term platform development strategy, OrderDynamics has recently completed a comprehensive assessment and verification of its On-Demand eCommerce Platform with FitForCommerce. FitForCommerce Verification, or “FFC Verified”, is a structured evaluation process by which a certified analyst reviews claims and proof points for over a hundred pre-defined features and capabilities important to an eCommerce website and online business. FFC Verification has recently become a widely recognized industry standard evaluation method for eCommerce technology. This is the first year FitForCommerce has made the certification available to platform providers and OrderDynamics is one of the first platforms to complete verification process.

“FitForCommerce provides the only comprehensive benchmark for the delivery of online retailing technologies. The verification process delivers Client value through transparency and access to technology that continuously meets the latest industry standards” explains Michael Turcsanyi, President of OrderDynamics. “We are thrilled about the program and excited to be one of the first mid-market eCommerce platforms to achieve this status” continues Turcsanyi.

“The process of selecting an eCommerce platform and moving a high-volume website is a complex undertaking for many online retailers.” explains Bernardine Wu, CEO of FitForCommerce. “FFC Verified helps retailers by giving them the comfort that the technology they’re considering has been vetted by an accredited third party, and more specifically rates the completeness of each feature at a detailed level.”

By achieving and maintaining FFC Verified status each year, OrderDynamics clients also benefit from any new features and enhancements needed to meet the latest eCommerce best practices.

About FitForCommerce
Sixty-seven percent of eCommerce projects end in failure due to poor planning or choice in solution. Working to bring that percentage down on a case-by-case basis, FitForCommerce has established itself as the leading boutique eCommerce consultancy by helping hundreds of online and multichannel retailers and manufacturers make informed eCommerce investment decisions. Using years of experience, state-of-the-art tools, strategic diligence and tactical planning, FitForCommerce helps retailers define business and technical requirements and find their "best fit" technology solutions - including eCommerce platforms, back-end systems and critical points solutions including mobile. eCommerceKnowHow.com, managed by FitForCommerce, is the eCommerce industry’s most comprehensive knowledge base and educational resource. For additional information, please visit www.FitForCommerce.com and www.eCommerceKnowHow.com or email media@fitforcommerce.com.

Congratulations on the Launch ShopDiabetes.org!

We congratulate the American Diabetes Association for the successful re-launch of their flagship eCommerce website on the OrderDynamics platform!

The new ShopDiabetes.org website is a fun and fast way to shop for diabetes books, gifts, apparel, and other great diabetes products. Shoppers who buy from the official store of the official American Diabetes Association help fund important diabetes research, education and advocacy efforts around the country. Last year alone, the Association funded more than $33.5 million for diabetes research.

The new eStore features the latest frontend and backend best practices such as SEO, Navigation, Merchandising, Recommendations, Product Personalization, Content Personalization, Rich Imaging, and more. The ShopDiabetes.org website allows shoppers to preview the pages of over 80 Diabetes Books and conveniently place a donation right from their shopping cart.

This website was designed by UXER DESIGN (www.uxerdesign.com) and the eStore fully integrated with the ADA’s Inventory, and Fulfillment systems.

ShopDiabetes.org went live November 1st 2010 in time for American Diabetes Month.

OrderDynamics featured IR: SaaS – The fast track to the latest technology

We recently participated in the November 2010 Issue of Internet Retailer Magazine discussing On-Demand eCommerce Platforms. Here is an excerpt: "Accessing software as a service lets an online retailer get up and running quickly and benefit from vendors' ongoing enhancements. And, because they're not paid a lump sum up front, on-demand vendors have a strong incentive to keep clients happy."

Internet Retailer November 2010: SaaS – The fast track to the latest technology

Read the artcile here

Digital Magazine to this Artcile here

OrderDynamics has entered the 2010 Canada’s Hottest Innovative Companies Contest

OrderDynamics has entered the 2010 Canada’s Hottest Innovative Companies contest put on by the Canadian Innovation Exchange (CIX), a must-attend conference for over 400 of the principal players in the innovation economy.

Every year CIX conducts an exhaustive search for the most innovative ideas, products, services and companies in the country. Last year, 20 technology-based companies were selected via a qualified Selection Committee to showcase their innovative product and services in front of the CIX community.

Taking place in Toronto on December 7, 2010, CIX is a gathering of the key players in the innovation economy which will showcase and accelerate the development of the great technology-based innovation emanating from Canada.

GoVacuum.com Re-Launches on OrderDynamics eCommerce SaaS Platform

Toronto, ON - OrderDynamics, Canada’s leading On-Demand eCommerce Platform Provider, announces the successful migration of GoVacuum.com, a leading retailer of vacuum cleaners and accessories for over 30 years who previously operated their eCommerce site on Yahoo! Stores.

GoVacuum.com has re-launched its high volume consumer website to deliver a better shopping experience, packed with the latest merchandising, promotional, and navigation technologies. The new GoVacuum.com website was completely redesigned to make shopping for vacuums and accessories fun, easy, and fast. Offering over 5,000 items from 150 brands, the new site streamlines navigation across categories, brands, and site search while dynamically driving cross sells and up sells. Shoppers can also use the “My Vacuum Accessorizer” tool to quickly zero-in on anything they need for their vacuum in 3 easy steps. In addition, the new GoVacuum.com is packed with valuable resources such as Video Reviews, the Research Center, the GoGreen Blog, Gift Options, and the Coupon Center.

“We’re very excited about the launch onto the OrderDynamics platform” says Sachin Anand, Director of Business Development for GoVacuum.com. “OrderDynamics is enabling us to implement more sophisticated merchandising tactics, while optimizing our order pipeline and customer service processes” he adds. OrderDynamics has significant experience migrating high-volume websites from Yahoo! Stores, which GoVacuum.com previously used for over 10 years.

The new site uses the OrderDynamics advanced on-page SEO system that includes canonical name support for guided navigation pages. This will help GoVacuum rank higher in organic search results and reduce their paid advertising spend through higher quality scores and more targeted landing pages. The OrderDynamics Order Management System (OMS) is also integrated with GoVacuum’s eBay store. This gives GoVacuum.com a single dashboard and fulfillment pipeline for web, call center, and eBay orders.

"The GoVacuum team is a great group of experienced online retailers that have grown tremendously over the past few years” says Michael Turcsanyi, VP of Sales and Marketing at OrderDynamics. “We are very pleased to be part of their story, and look forward to a great holiday season together” continues Turcsanyi.

About GoVacuum.com
Family owned and operated for more than 30 years, GoVacuum ships popular vacuums and hard-to-find replacement parts to customers throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. GoVacuum.com, in existence since 1999, has an impressive record of friendly customer service and great frequent-buyer-discounts. Customers love the site's ease of use, huge inventory, and unbeatable prices. GoVacuum.com sells a full range of vacuum cleaners, air cleaners, bags, belts, filters, parts and accessories for Dyson, Riccar, SEBO, Kirby, Electrolux, Hoover, Eureka, Powr-Flite, IQAir, Blueair, Roomba, AirFree, Bissell, Bosch, Dirt Devil, Earlex, Karcher, Koblenz, Ladybug, Love-Less Ash Fireplace Vacs, Lindhaus, Oreck, Royal, Rainbow, Sanitaire and more.

OrderDynamics Partners with LivePerson for Chat Services

OrderDynamics recently solidified a partnership with LivePerson after years of having mutual clients. With consumers becoming more demanding about the availability of customer service tools while they shop online, services from LivePerson can help merchants save costs and increase conversions from new and repeat customers.

For high-traffic websites with sophisticated business requirements, LivePerson aligns people, process and technology to maximize incremental sales yield and orders/leads per labor hour. Hundreds of the world's most recognized brands have adopted LivePerson and increased online conversions at a lower cost per incremental order than any competing alternative.

A major benefit of the OrderDynamics eCommerce SaaS offering is that integrations like LivePerson are rolled into their HIVE Ecosystem (Highly Integrated Virtual Ecosystem). HIVE allows OrderDynamics' Clients to quickly adopt new third party integrations that are fully supported, saving them cost and time.

OrderDynamics adds Shoptoit.ca, Canada's leading Shopping Site

OrderDynamics has recently added Shoptoit.ca to its built-in Marketing Services integrations, allowing their Clients to take advantage of Canada's most successful shopping comparison service. The automated product feed is one of many out-of-box marketing tools embedded in their Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) based eCommerce platform design for growing B2C and B2B merchants.

When Shoptoit.ca launched on July 1, 2005 it was Canada's first shopping search engine that listed Canadian-based products in Canadian dollars. With unique features such as our Comparison Clipboard™ and Feature Filter, it ranks as one of the most popular online shopping destination for Canadians.

Shoptoit.ca is exclusive to merchants who have operations in Canada, making it a perfect fit for cross boarder retailers who run multiple sites with OrderDynamics.

A major benefit of the OrderDynamics eCommerce SaaS offering is that integrations like Shoptoit.ca are rolled into their HIVE Ecosystem (Highly Integrated Virtual Ecosystem). HIVE allows OrderDynamics' Clients to quickly adopt new third party integrations that are fully supported, saving them cost and time.

OrderDynamics Adds Givex Support to eCommerce Platform

The OrderDynamics eCommerce Platform now supports Givex, a global provider of gift, loyalty and other closed loop card technologies that merchants increase customer acquisition and retention.

Givex manages the production of many millions of cards per year, offering gift card programs of varying scale and function which are suitable for merchants of all sizes.

Cards are activated at the time of purchase and their value decreases as they are used. Gift cards can be branded with your logo and design, and denominations can be pre-set, flexible, or bear any number of other features. Activations and redemptions occur in real-time via integrated POS system, magnetic card reader, barcode reader, telephone or web interface. Cards can be reloadable and customers can add money to their card in-store or online.

Merchants can manage their program through the secure, one-stop Givex administrative website. Givex offers a robust reporting package which is designed to facilitate reconciliation across all stores, and to provide insight into market trends.

OrderDynamics has added Givex into its robust Payment Stack that supports over 10 major gateways and over 25 Alternative payment brands. Clients like Henry's Camera who use Givex within their retail locations can now offer a seamless instore and online experience. The OrderDynamics checkout provides full and partial redemption, purchasing of new gift carts, and combining gift cart redemption with other payment methods offered.

As part of the OrderDynamics eCommerce SaaS offering, integrations like Givex are rolled into their HIVE Ecosystem (Highly Integrated Virtual Ecosystem). HIVE allows OrderDynamics' Clients to quickly adopt new third party integrations that are fully supported, saving them cost and time.

OrderDynamics Integrates Avalara Tax into SaaS Platform

OrderDynamics has recently added Avalara AvaTax as part of its SaaS Platform.

This partnership allows multi-eStore online retailers to plug in to a proven automated sales tax solution, that streamlines cumbersome, error-prone tax compliance processes and reduce the risk of loss or penalty in case of an audit. AvaTax automated solutions automatically perform address validation, jurisdiction research and rate calculation and allow you to manage even the most complicated tax issues, such as situs, nexus, tax tiers, tax holidays, exemptions, certificate management and product taxability rules.

OrderDynamics has integrated AvaTax directly into its Order Management System (OMS) providing merchants point-and-click access to override the internal Tax system. The OrderDynamics platform also handles cart, checkout, and B2B tax exemptions with Avalara.

As part of the OrderDynamics eCommerce SaaS offering, integrations like AvaTax are rolled into their HIVE Ecosystem (Highly Integrated Virtual Ecosystem). HIVE allows OrderDynamics' Clients to quickly adopt new third party integrations that are fully supported, saving them cost and time.

OrderDynamics Enhances eCommerce Order Management with Fraud Detection Technology

Toronto – August 17th 2010 -- OrderDynamics Corporation, Canada’s leading On-Demand eCommerce Platform Provider, has enhanced its SaaS platform giving high-volume online retailers automated fraud detection and tighter control over order management.

The OrderDynamics SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) eCommerce platform has a new fraud detection and management system embedded in its multi-channel Order Management System (OMS). eCommerce websites that are powered by the OrderDynamics platform benefit from a powerful frontend presentation layer that is directly integrated with a comprehensive backend (called eBusiness Manager) that includes order management, gateway processing, call center, customer relationship management, product catalog, promotions controls, reporting, and other important tools needed by high volume, multi-site retailers. OrderDynamics has recently made live a robust Fraud Management engine that is tied directly in to the order pipeline, reducing exposure to fraud without creating extra work for the a merchant’s order desk.

The powerful new Fraud Management engine is capable of catching fraudulent orders for sophisticated fraud cases where the order appears to be valid, such as with orders that successfully pass Address Verification System (or AVS) and other "card not present" technologies like Card Security Code (CVV2 for example) or even PIN systems like Verified by Visa. This is made possible by proprietary technology that inspects orders in real-time against customizable fraud chains, which are groupings of (AND/OR) rules with over 30 parameters and options defined by the merchant.

“High volume eCommerce websites require as much automation as possible to avoid manually handling orders” explains Michael Turcsanyi, VP Sales and Marketing for OrderDynamics Corporation. “This technology ensures that orders matching key conditions are held for review while all others continue normally” continues Turcsanyi. Once orders are flagged for possible fraud, the merchant can quickly review and action these orders within a matter of seconds. As the merchant’s business changes over time so can the fraud chains through point-and-click ease within the eBusiness Manager.

“Two of the competitive advantages our clients receive is personalizing the website experience for their shoppers and automating their back office. The Order Management System makes this possible” adds Turcsanyi. “The addition of Fraud Management into the OMS is part of our commitment to keeping our clients competitive”. OrderDynamics performs 4-6 major feature releases per year to its eCommerce SaaS platform, which are automatically made available to their current Clients at no additional costs.

Congrats on launch! OLLYShoes.com

Congratulations OLLY Shoes for the successful launch of your eCommerce website on the OrderDynamics platform!

The OLLYShoes.com eStore offers shoppers a friendly user experience using latest eCommerce best practices like guided navigation, personalization, site search, rich imaging, product reviews, recommendation, and fast shipping options. OLLYShoes.com provides information about OLLYScan© and downloadable tools that can be used at home to aid parents in purchasing the right size shoes. The site also provides in-store gift card support and other multi-channel loyalty options. The new website highlights the OLLY School Shoes program, which is a partnership with local area schools that offer discounts on required shoes or percentage in sales back to fund school programs.

Although OLLY has a few stores in Canada, the website is currently only available in the United States. This website was design by our partners UXER DESIGN (http://www.uxerdesign.com/) and is integrated with OLLY's POS, Inventory, and Fulfillment systems.

Gproxy Design and OrderDynamics Team Up to Provide Superior eCommerce Platform and Marketing Solutions for High-Growth Online Retailers

TORONTO-July 15, 2010 --Two industry-leading eCommerce Service Providers, Gproxy Design and OrderDynamics, have come together to help mid-market online retailers migrate to a superior eCommerce platform and achieve their sales and marketing goals.

This partnership is designed to give existing, high volume B2C and B2B online merchants the ultimate combination of on-demand eCommerce platform technology from OrderDynamics and next-generation Retail Web Design, Usability and Online Marketing Services from Gproxy. Both companies are leaders in their areas of expertise and the blend of their services creates the ideal solution for retailers generating between 5MM and 50MM in online revenues.

Gproxy Design is a leader in eCommerce web design and online marketing services, with one of the largest eCommerce portfolios in the market. For over 10 years, Gproxy has been differentiated through its professional and highly specialized approach to retailing web design that integrates client needs, ecommerce best practices and ROI oriented online marketing strategies.

OrderDynamics provides superior eCommerce platform technology and services aimed at growing sales. Their on-demand eCommerce platform is delivered as a SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) solution and is an end-to-end platform designed for businesses that have outgrown their current frontend shopping cart and backend Order Management System (OMS), Customer Service Tools, and Merchandising Tools. The OrderDynamics solution facilitates revenue growth for online retailers through a proactive Account Management process, called Dynamic Merchandising, which increases qualified traffic, converts more sales, and improves operational efficiency. OrderDynamics specializes in multi-eStore deployments and highly integrated environments that provide complete branding control and near real time integration with over 25 ERP, Warehouse Management, and Accounting systems.

The success of the partnership between these two eCommerce leaders has been proven with an ever growing list of mid-market clients and worldwide-recognized brands that have trusted Gproxy Design and OrderDynamics to build them a booming online store. Some of these companies include: Consumers Interstate Corporation, ToilletPaperWorld.com, SuperSupplies.com, Pilot Pen of America, Walking on a Cloud, Recorders.com and Health Walk Shoes.

Both companies would like to thank everyone who visited OrderDynamics’ booth at the Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition IRCE 2010.

About Gproxy Design Inc.:
Gproxy Design Inc. is a Miami-based business and service provider of top quality Web Design and Online Marketing solutions for businesses around the globe. Gproxy Design is a customer and service oriented business that looks to create long lasting business relationships with customers. Gproxy Design has been working in the eCommerce industry for 11 years and has a portfolio of over 300 eCommerce websites.

For more information please contact:
Gerardo Pico
Sales & Alliance Manager
Gproxy Design Inc.
1-800-814-4761
design@gproxy.com

eCommerce Fraud Detection: Five Recommended Order Hold Rules

Earlier this year we saw record-low reports of fraud rates related to online retail. In January Cybersource reported 1.2% of revenue lost to fraud in 2009, attributing the improvements to the way retailers are managing risk.

With many tools, services, and technologies available for retailers to manage fraud, we wanted to provide some simple tactics to be deployed within the Order Management System. This post provides five great order hold rules for every high volume online retailer.

But first, lets explain what we mean by order holding within the eCommerce Order Management System (OMS) as part of your anti-fraud strategy. We're assuming that the fraudster has successfully passed all "frontend" validation checks, Address Verification System (or AVS), and other "card not present" technologies like Card Security Code (CVV2 for example) or even PIN systems like Verified by Visa. In our example, we basically have valid payment details and the order will be shipped unless we stop it within the OMS. So how does a merchant protect themselves without manually checking every single order? The answer: creating custom business rules within the OMS to trap and hold orders that meet certain criteria.

Within the OrderDynamics eBusiness Manager, we provide a comprehensive Fraud Detection engine that allows merchants to create custom detection rules. Each rule is defined using over 25 parameters and can be chained using AND/OR operators to form a "Fraud Detection Filter". All "payment authorized" orders are required to pass through these filters prior to being cleared for fulfillment. Orders that are caught by the filter are placed in a special queue called "Pending Fraud Validation" requiring a manual review by the customer operations team. As the merchant's business changes or they want to change their approach to fraud, they can easily modify their filters (rules and chains) over time.

Five Recommended Order Hold Rules

Rule #1: Bill To Address does not match Ship To Address

This can be very effective but may also flag too many orders for fraud review depending on your business. For example, if gifting is a big part of your business this rule may cast the net too wide. However, these rules can chained together so you can easily tighten the scope using AND/OR operators with other rules.

Rule #2: Overall Order Value Greater than $X

This allows retailers manually review orders of a certain value that they may not be comfortable being completely automated. Customer Service Tip: Retailers should take the necessary steps to ensure their high-value customers are getting "white glove" service. This rule will give them the immediate visibility into their largest customers.

Rule #3: Customer Account Charge Backs Exceed 1

Merchants should automatically hold orders for manual processing if the account has a history of charge backs.

Rule #4: IP Addresses or Billing and Shipping Addresses Out of Country

There are fraud hot spots around the world. Flagging shoppers from uncommon shipping destinations is a great way to avoid fraud.

Rule #5: Volume of Products, Categories, or Brands

With popular, and expensive, brands and products (for example iPhone 4G by Apple) available for online ordering, it is often a good idea to flag orders with high quantities of these brands, products, or categories from a single customer.

By chaining these 5 rules within the Order Management System (OMS), merchants can create comprehensive, business-specific Fraud Detection Filters sure to reduce fraud without costly manual effort.

For more information about OrderDynamics, contact Michael Turcsanyi.

Henry’s Camera Completes Move to OrderDynamics eCommerce SaaS Platform

Toronto (ON) -- OrderDynamics Corporation, Canada’s leading eCommerce Platform Provider, powers the new Henry’s family of websites, operator of over 30 photographic retail stores in Canada and multiple B2C and B2B websites.

As part of their 100th anniversary, Henry’s Camera re-launched their flagship website and adds two new B2C websites and a B2B site. The multi-phase project sees the successful completion of Phase 1 where each website was re-launched on the OrderDynamics eCommerce SaaS platform including a redesign of the popular web properties using the latest frontend user experience design best practices.

Henry’s implemented a new site architecture to service its 3 brands including a B2B site to streamline their business. OrderDynamics partnered with several leading companies to deliver best-of-breed services to Henry’s including FitForCommerce, UXER Design, Etilize, Givex, and Eosensa.

The new Henrys.ca and Henrys.com celebrates the moments their customers have shared for over 100 years in retail, allowing them to easily browse and shop over 25,000 products. The new Schoolofimaging.ca provides point-and-click access to courses offered exclusively at the Henry’s retail locations with the ability to see course schedules, reviews, recommendations, register, and cross-shop on the Henrys.ca website through a shared cart. The new Headshotsrentals.com site emphasizes the high-end brands and photographic systems sold and rented for professional and commercial use at Headshots Rentals in Toronto.

All sites offer the latest frontend features including navigation (category, brand, and guided), site search, product attributes, rich imaging, mini-cart, personalization, recommendations, and checkout. The OrderDynamics eCommerce SaaS platform is highly integrated with the Henry’s back office systems through a web services infrastructure that delivers near real-time updates to the websites, integrated in-store inventory, gift card support, advanced content management, promotions, and order management.

"The OrderDynamics SaaS platform is highly flexible, allowing Henry’s to implement our desired user experience and achieve the highest level of integration with our business systems” explains Max Payne, Director of Marketing at Henry’s. “Now that we have successfully re-launched our website technology, we are in a much better position to innovate and continually meet the needs of our customers through our websites” continues Max. The OrderDynamics eBusiness Manager provides the Henry’s marketing and customer service teams an easy-to-use dashboard for site maintenance and customer service requests, something not possible with their previous platform.

"We are absolutely thrilled about the partnership with Henry’s and to be part of their extraordinary Canadian story” says Michael Benadiba, CEO of OrderDynamics. “We thank the Henry’s team and look forward to helping them achieve their growth expectations each year” continues Benadiba.

About Henry’s Camera:
Cranbrook Glen Enterprises Ltd. operates Henry’s Camera, an independent photo, video, and digital retailer based in Toronto. Henry’s offers the latest in 35mm, digital SLR cameras, point and shoot, and advanced photo systems. In 2009, Henry’s celebrated their 100th anniversary making them one of Canada’s oldest retail businesses. Henrys.ca, SchoolofImaging.ca, and Headshotsrentals.com offer leading photographic and electronic brands from Nikon, Sony, Canon, Apple, Pentax, Hasselblad, and more with over 50,000 products. Henry’s operates in over 30 retail locations in communities across Canada.

Thanks for visiting us at IRCE 2010!

The OrderDynamics Team would like to thank you for visiting our booth in Chicago! We look forward to setting up a time to continue our discussions.

Overall we were very pleased with IRCE 2010 and getting the chance to reconnect with our Clients and Partners. The feedback from attendees was very positive. Many expressed willingness to invest in platform technology to help them grow, making 2010 and 2011 major years for platform changes. We talked to many people about how to successfully migrate their high-revenue websites to a new platform and the majority were planning to make their decision this year. Most high-growth merchants we talked to were looking for a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution as the preferred delivery model for their eCommerce Platform.


Some notable companies that we thought were innovative and worth a closer look: Napkyn, Kampyle, AlaTest, LISTRAK, JetPay, AdShip, Gen 3 Marketing.

Special Partner Thanks!
• Audette Media
• UXER Design
• Gproxy Design
• Cardinal Commerce
• Avalara
• Global Power Merchants
• FitForCommerce eCommerce Know How
• SLI Systems
• Live Person

We will be reaching out to all interested parties over the next two weeks. You may also contact us directly: Michael Turcsanyi michael@orderdynamics.com.

In the mean time, we invite you to visit our website at http://www.orderdynamics.com/ to learn more about our On-Demand eCommerce Platform.

Sincerely,

The OrderDynamics Team
1 (866) 559-8123
solutions@orderdynamics.com

OrderDynamics at IRCE 2010! Booth #379

The OrderDynamics team invites you to stop by our booth (#379) at the Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition 2010 in Chicago from June 8th - 11th.

IRCE 2010 promises to deliver practical and action-oriented advice to help retailers "reboot" after recovering from the worst recession since WWII. The 4-day event will offer topics and workshops that focus on "Reinvesting, Refreshing, and Recommitting" anticipating double-digit growth rates from 2010.

OrderDynamics is excited to exhibit at the show again this year. We look forward to participating in the sessions and seeing our Clients and Partners and talking to you about your eCommerce platform needs.

What You'll See at Our Booth!

Live Platform Demos
Migration Advice and Scenarios
Multi-Site B2C and B2B Merchandising
Easy-to-Use Backend eBusiness Manager
Order Management System (OMS) & WMS Lite
Content Personalization and Recommendations
Facebook, Amazon, and eBay Integration
Over 25 Integrated Payment Brands (Amazon, Google, Paypal!)
Over 10 Integrated Shopping Sites and Market Places
Easily Integrates with leading ERP & WMS

Come see exciting offers from our partners such as GProxy Design, Audette Media, UXD Partners, Cardinal Commerce, Global Power Merchants, and more!

With many exciting new features and cutting edge SaaS technology, OrderDynamics may be the last eCommerce platform you'll ever need!

In the mean time, we invite you to visit our website at www.orderdynamics.com to learn more about our On-Demand eCommerce Platform

Sincerely,

The OrderDynamics Team

Online Retailers Stay Competitive, Lift Traffic, and Score Conversions Using Search Merchandising Technology from OrderDynamics

OrderDynamics Corporation, Canada’s leading On-Demand eCommerce Platform Provider, has enhanced its SaaS technology giving online retailers more control over search, enabling better merchandising within search results.

The OrderDynamics SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) eCommerce platform now has an integrated Search Merchandising engine designed to help retailers grow qualified traffic and increase conversions. “Site Search has rapidly become the preferred method for many shoppers to find what they are looking for…” explains Michael Benadiba, CEO of OrderDynamics Corporation. “…and the use Search Merchandising and Guided Navigation techniques has become the gold standard for leading eCommerce websites" says Benadiba.

The Search Merchandising engine gives retailers granular control of how site search results are calculated and merchandised to shoppers. This includes the ability to merchandise within search results, reuse previous search terms, append targeted results to natural listing, and overriding zero result searches with dynamic recommendations. The Search Merchandising engine also enables retailers to automatically expose their products to many of the Internet’s most popular shopping marketplaces. OrderDynamics supports automated integration with over 10 external shopping sites such as Google Base, Shopping.com, ShopZilla, Yahoo!, NexTag, Become.com, BizRate, PriceGrabber.com, and Amazon.

To ensure retailers can measure the performance of their efforts, OrderDynamics provides a comprehensive set of eCommerce metric reports along with innovative tools such as multiple vanity URLs and Search Engine Directive controls that simplify multi variant testing.

“Along with our recent eCommerce Personalization release, we feel the introduction of Search Merchandising to the OrderDynamics eCommerce SaaS Platform is a substantial addition to the core offering” adds Michael Turcsanyi, Co-Founder and Vice President of Sales & Marketing. OrderDynamics performs 4-6 major feature releases per year to its eCommerce SaaS platform, which are automatically made available to their current Clients at no additional costs.

OrderDynamics Announces eCommerce Personalization Technology Integrated into SaaS Platform

Online Retailers Stay Competitive, Lift Traffic, and Score Conversions Using Personalization Technology from OrderDynamics.

Toronto (ON) -- OrderDynamics Corporation, Canada’s leading eCommerce Platform Provider, has enhanced its sales and marketing technology, giving online retailers more control over how, and when to display promotions, product information and other content on their web site.

The OrderDynamics SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) eCommerce platform now has an integrated Content Personalization engine called "Personalized Content Areas" designed to help retailers grow qualified traffic and increase conversions. “We are squarely focused on helping our Clients grow their revenue by helping them leverage the latest eCommerce tactics like content personalization.” Explains Michael Benadiba, CEO of OrderDynamics Corporation. “This technology enhancement gives our Clients point and click access to quickly manage what would otherwise be a very manual process”. Continues Benadiba.

Core to this technology is the ability for retailers to detect demographical information about their visitor, and display a variety of content based on merchant defined “personas”, which are configured in the OrderDynamics eBusiness Manager dashboard. Personalization controls include time-of-day, IP geolocation, referral websites, customer groups, buying patterns, search patterns, and more. Online retailers can choose to display a wide range of content types such as Images, Products, Flash, Video or other HTML content. To ensure retailers can measure the performance of their efforts, OrderDynamics provides a comprehensive set of eCommerce metric reports along with innovative tools such as multiple vanity URLs and Search Engine Directive controls that simplify multi variant testing.

“As a part of our overall innovative feature release strategy, we feel the introduction of Personalization to the OrderDynamics On-Demand eCommerce Platform is a substantial addition to the core offering.” Explains Michael Turcsanyi, Co-Founder and Vice President of Sales & Marketing of OrderDynamics Corporation. OrderDynamics performs 4-6 major feature releases per year to its eCommerce SaaS platform, which are automatically made available to their current Clients at no additional cost.

For more information contact: Michael Turcsanyi

Futureshop Pricing Error Underscores Need for Strong ERP and eCommerce Integration

In a recent Toronto Star article, Futureshop.ca was left to explain how customers were left without receiving products even after payment. The article, available here: Futureshop pricing error, explains how 2 products were being offered for the price of a single item - which was apparently wrong. The pricing error was fixed, but not until customers had already checked out with the previously stated price. Those customers were not provided what they purchased. Futureshop attributed the error to a recent eCommerce platform change. Both futureshop.ca and bestbuy.ca recently changed platforms and are reporting some minor bugs.

Obviously pricing errors happen regularly, but it highlights a couple important issues. 1) Online retailers need the ability to resolve pricing and product information errors quickly and reliably and 2) Once a shopper makes it through checkout, it is important to honor the purchase where possible. The issue reported in the article would be similar to buying the product in the store (after seeing an advertised offer and checking out), loading up the car, then being flagged down in the parking lot by someone asking to return the product and pay more.

For retailers like futureshop, maintaining accurate pricing, inventory, and locations on the website requires sophisticated integration. This will typically involve near real-time two way synchronization of the back office IT systems with the eCommerce Platform and Order Management System (OMS). These integrations will rely on triggers, like a price change for example, and can be set to update the website immediately through pre-defined business rules and approval work flows. This level of integration can help retailers avoid (and resolve) these types of website issues.

In all likelihood the Futureshop pricing error was just part of getting settled into their new platform. However, there are some good Customer Service lessons in here for future hiccups.

OrderDynamics Sponsors CJPAC 2010

OrderDynamics was proud to once again be a sponsor of the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee’s (CJPAC) fourth annual ACTION party, bringing together hundreds of young professionals with politicians from across the political spectrum and all levels of government to celebrate political engagement and support Israel. CJPAC is a unique national, grassroots, independent organization whose mandate is to engage the community in the political process. The group already boasts several thousand members, who are building relationships with elected officials from all political parties across the country. For more information about CJPAC visit their website at http://www.cjpac.ca/.

eCommerce Camp Toronto #3 - Great Job!

Last night was the third eCommerce Camp Toronto event, held at the Elephant and Castle on King Street. The event offered a moderated panel of retailers and shopping experts and a few hours of networking with a variety of people from Toronto, and Canada's eCommerce industry.

The panel was made up of:

•James Connell, Sr. Director, Ecommerce, Digital Marketing and New Media, Roots Canada
•Raffael Sarracini, Ecommerce Development Manager, Adidas Canada
•Stephen Neufeld, Ecommerce Marketing Manager, Lenovo Canada
•Kate Musgrove, Online Consumer and Content Editor at RedFlagDeals.com

What we learned?
The first was that eCommerce Camp has a solid following, offering a strong mix of retailers, platform providers, marketing companies, consultants, and other firms that make up the eCommerce space in Canada. We assume they'll soon outgrow a venue like Elephant and Castle.

Some key take aways from yesterdays event.

1. Strong Holiday Numbers 2009: The entire panel agreed that they planned for the worst but experienced a far better holiday season than anticipated. In the case of Roots, their promotional tactics pushed them right out of inventory on many items. They also agreed that their US website counter parts did not have as great of a November / December. Oddly, we did not hear this from our Clients with US websites and reported great growth in the same time period.
2. Hyper Promotions: Kate reported that many retailers were in "hyper promotions mode" as part of their plan mitigate loss sales over Thanksgiving through Christmas. Economic recovery plans in overdrive have rubbed shoppers the wrong way - email overload being the most annoying.
3. Social Media Use: The panel all had similar feedback on the ways they were using Social Media with their eStores. In general they haven't seen a boost in sales from social links and typically are using Facebook and Twitter for brand awareness and customer service. The group felt that the implementation and integration strategy of "Social" into the shopping experience is something they're still struggling with.
4. Mobile Commerce: The general consensus was that mobile sites today are informational only, allowing shoppers to easily browse ratings and reviews, products, and price but not actually buy online. There wasn't a ton of enthusiasm around mobile commerce with this group - possibly because of a lower number of Canadian consumers using mobile right now.
5. Live Chat - On or Off?: Generally speaking, everyone was in agreement that Live Chat is not bringing the sales results needed to justify keeping it online. Similar to Social Media, the right implementation of Live Chat is most likely the issue (trigger points for chat, vertical considerations for customer service, demographics and languages). Roots has simply turned it off until they work through a strategy.

What we'd like to see?
We really enjoyed the event last night. Here are a few things we'd like to see considered for future:

1. Mid-Market Retailer on the panel. It would be nice to hear from a mid-sized online retailer in Canada (for example: Henry's http://www.henrys.com/) in addition to some of the bigger brands we heard from last night. We feel this would add an interesting dynamic.
2. Canadian Shipping Landscape: It would be great to hear from Canada Post and some of the challenges with shipping within Canada and to the USA.
3. Conversion Tactics: Taking your conversion rates up / abandonment rates down can make a big impact on the bottom line. What are leading Canadian retailers doing in this area? What challenges do they face?

We've already started talking with Chris about speaking and an upcoming event. Great job eCommerce Camp Toronto!

The Moran Group Presents OrderDynamics, eCommerce SaaS Provider at Boston Trade Show

The Moran Group is the parent company to TMG Exhibits. At every tradeshow at the Boston Convention Center we showcase the best of the Exhibits and give them a spot to pitch their products well after the show has ended. We hope you find their products or services as helpful and unique as we did.

The team put together a brief video interview of OrderDynamics at Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition in June, 2009.

AlevaHealth.com Moves 7 Sites to OrderDynamics eCommerce SaaS Platform

Toronto, ON - OrderDynamics, On-Demand eCommerce Solution provider, announces recent customer acquisition, AlevaHealth.com, operator of seven eCommerce websites and a Michigan retail location.

AlevaHealth.com is a division of American Medical Services which was founded in 1957 by Joseph L. Gaskins. Over the last 10 years, AlevaHealth.com has seen significant growth by selling its healthcare products on seven different websites all powered with different technology from X-Cart, StoneEdge, Yahoo!, and Amazon. Each site caters to a specific sub-segment but supports Aleva's mission of "a fresh idea on health". Accordingly, each site is uniquely branded and provides a different user experience, product set, and promotions. With over 17,000 SKUs and servicing up to 350 customers daily, Aleva has established a dominate market position for leading brands such as " Jobst, Sigvaris, Mediven, Juzo, Activa, Therafirm and Futuro". As Aleva continues growth through a multi-site strategy, the need for a unified eCommerce platform has become crucial.

"We have seen significant growth across our websites, requiring a holistic eCommerce platform strategy that gives us a solid operating foundation and leading frontend enablement features to fuel growth." Derek Gaskins, President of American Medical Services. "The OrderDynamics eCommerce SaaS solution provides us a single backend to manage each website independently and allows us to create completely custom experiences for each brand" continues Gaskins. AlevaHealth.com currently runs each website on different frontend platforms causing significant overhead for back office tasks. OrderDynamics will first migrate the website: www.healthylegs.com to their platform from Amazon including all product, order, and customer data, external feeds, and design. OrderDynamics will ease migration resources for Aleva by performing data migrations, site implementation, and project management. HealthyLegs.com will also benefit from a superior Order Management System (OMS), which is built-in to the OrderDynamics platform and easily integrates multi-channel activities such as phone orders, shopping sites, ERP, Amazon, and eBay.

HealthyLegs.com will re-launch on the OrderDynamics platform in Q1 2010. "Aleva's business plan sees increased websites and microsites to further entrench them into markets that need their services." " says Michael Turcsanyi, VP of Sales at OrderDynamics. "OrderDynamics will help Derek and the team realize their vision for years to come by delivering the latest frontend technology and keeping back office tasks efficient".

About AlevaHealth.com:
AlevaHealth.com, a division of American Medical Services, is a leading retailer of healthcare products. Operating its Pontiac Michigan location since 1957, AlevaHealth.com has since expanded online through its 7 eCommerce websites carrying leading brands such as Jobst, Sigvaris, Mediven, Juzo, Activa, Therafirm and Futuro. AlevaHealth.com lists over 17,000 SKUs on their sites and stocks nearly $2.5 million in inventory, enabling 99% of orders to be shipped same or next business day.

eCommerce SaaS Platforms, 10 Provider Truths

A recent Internet Retailer Survey showed over 33% of online retailers are focusing their 2010 technology spending on their eCommerce platform. With over 47% deciding against in-house or internally hosted options, retailers need a way to evaluate hosted vs. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) eCommerce solutions.

This article provides a checklist for retailers who are evaluating SaaS based eCommerce solutions as part of their re-platforming project. These are the characteristics of a true software-as-a-service (SaaS) eCommerce provider.

The platform decision is arguably the most important, complex, and costly part of a retailers 3-5 year investment cycle. It is a decision that is often put off or easily put on hold due to other priorities or the risks involved. And it is a decision that very few online retailers are qualified to make on their own since it has such broad implications across technology, marketing, operations, and sales.

What is SaaS?
A logical place to start. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is a delivery model alternative for software companies to license their software "on-demand", typically delivered over the Internet using standard web protocols. In most cases, the SaaS provider has software running their own servers in a data center they manage, along with all aspects of the application. This is opposed to licensing software "off-the-shelf".

eCommerce SaaS Providers are companies that deliver their eCommerce software platform on their proprietary infrastructure. True SaaS eCommerce providers can offer a much higher level of service overall to retailers over in-house or third party hosted models.

The "Service" in SaaS
Beyond the software delivery side of SaaS, and more important for retailers to understand, is the provider's ability to actually provide an ongoing service. The SaaS provider is not coming in, building out a website, charging licensing fees and leaving. A SaaS provider makes their money over a 3-5 year period and is accountable for keeping the website online and fast every second of every minute. A tall order for just plain old software companies and is the fundamental difference with SaaS providers over custom eCommerce solutions or third party hosted systems.

1. Redundant Server Infrastructure
True eCommerce SaaS providers have redundant server farms with no single points of failure. The SaaS platform will offer load balancing, clustering, and automatic fail over for all server tiers. In all likelihood the SaaS platform will house more than one website and Client (called a multi-tenant architecture) - this is not a problem providing they can guarantee performance, security, and availability in a Service Level Agreement.

Beware: We often hear of eCommerce Systems Integrators proposing one or two servers as "ongoing hosting" instead of proposing robust, high-availability architectures.

2. New Features and Upgrades Included
We are not talking about "18% per year maintenance". True eCommerce SaaS providers will deliver several releases per year of new platform features requested by their Clients. These features will be rolled into the software code base and seamlessly released to all Clients avoiding costly "customization fees".

Beware: Software License Maintenance is often used as a placeholder during the sales process for new features, support, service, or other.

3. Service Level Agreement (SLA) Included
True eCommerce SaaS providers have a "service culture". They are used to earning their money over a 3-5 year period of time vs. one-time upfront fees. As a result, they will guarantee Uptime, Performance, Transaction Integrity, and the Support Process in an SLA with the retailer. These SLAs should provide clear monthly reports on the status and a penalty structure for not meeting the targets.

Beware: Companies may try to use the 3rd party hosting company's SLA in place of an agreement with the solution provider.

4. PCI Security
Payment Card Industry compliance is something that all online retailers must understand and be able to demonstrate. True eCommerce SaaS providers will maintain PCI-DSS compliance and provide controls within their platforms to make compliance easier for the merchant.

Beware: Providers should guarantee they will maintain PCI compliance in their Master Services Agreement.

5. eCommerce Account Management
Outside of 24x7 support, true eCommerce SaaS providers will offer a dedicated account management resource to their Clients. This person is named on their account and is available as a single point of contact and is accountable for customer satisfaction at no extra cost.

Beware: It is important the person assigned to your account is not motivated by selling more services.

6. Platform Configuration
True eCommerce SaaS platforms offer rich features that can be turned on or off (configurable) as part of the implementation and by the merchant on-demand. This includes the ability for complex merchandising, search, promotions, shipping, checkout, payment, and other tools to be available to the Client as needed at no extra charge.

Beware: Many eCommerce providers will build a custom platform and website that offers limited configurable parameters after it's delivered.

7. Rapid Deployment
Since a true eCommerce SaaS provider already has existing infrastructure and software running live, this drastically reduces project times and allows the retailer (and the provider) to focus on the most strategic parts of a project (User Experience and Integration).

Beware: To reduce project risk, retailers must provide more time for testing (technology, procedures, etc.) for in-house or third party hosted solutions than with SaaS solutions.

8. NOC Monitoring and Performance
True eCommerce SaaS platforms have a software and hardware architecture that is scalable, allowing for quick provisioning of additional capacity to handle peak demands. To stay on top of capacity, SaaS providers are continuously monitoring eCommerce websites using global availability and performance monitoring tools (Gomez, Keynote, Uptrends) and have a Network Operations Center (NOC) that can proactively stay ahead of load issues.

Beware: Many IT departments are just not staffed to handle 24x7x365 monitoring or have the resources to properly architect a scalable solution.

9. Rental License vs. One-Time Lump Sum
Since SaaS providers license their eCommerce platforms "on-demand" vs. lump sum licensing, most provide a monthly based fee to "rent" the license. SaaS licensing models vary, some which are based on transactions, commissions, users, products, bandwidth or flat monthly fees. In almost every case, the ongoing monthly fees with a SaaS provider will be higher but the one-time fees will be significantly lower (than a licensed / hosted or custom build hosted). Typically the monthly fee is a blend of License and Delivery of the service.

Beware: The monthly fee for SaaS providers is not "hosting", it is a mix of licensing and service delivery (as defined in the plan and SLA). Go back to checklist #1, the managed hosting fees alone for a redundant setup will make the SaaS fees very reasonable.

10. Disaster Recovery - Business Continuity
As a provider of business critical services to online retailers, true eCommerce SaaS providers will maintain a full disaster recovery (DR) and business continuity plan (BCP). This will protect the merchant by reducing possible downtime and data loss caused by a disaster in the data center.

Beware: Backups can be part of a DR strategy, but are not the plan alone. It is critical that the platform provider has a replicated environment to recover service if needed.

For more information contact: Michael Turcsanyi

OrderDynamics at IRCE 2010 - Booth 379

The Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition 2010 is in Chicago at the McCormick Place Campus in June. The conference promises to deliver practical and action-oriented tactics to help retailers "reboot" after recovering from the worst recession since WWII. The 4 day event (last day workshop) will offer topics and workshops that focus on "Reinvesting, Refreshing, and Recommitting" anticipating double-digit growth rates from 2010. OrderDynamics is excited to exhibit at the show again this year. We look forward to participating in the sessions and seeing our Clients and partners. More to come as we prepare for the show! We'll be located at booth 379. See the list of speakers