Eclipse Stores Moves into Omni-Channel Commerce with OrderDynamics

OrderDynamics® would like to congratulate Eclipse Stores on the launch of their first online store and move into omni-channel commerce with the OrderDynamics On-Demand eCommerce Platform and Order Management Solutions.  The rapidly-growing women’s apparel brand operates 68 stores in Canada, and is able to expand its business beyond store logistics to create a truly national brand.

The new EclipseStores.com builds on the original site by now offering a full catalog of Eclipse merchandise. Utilizing OrderDynamics dynamic Product Merchandising applications, Eclipse offers customers the Shop This Outfit tool, which allows them to leverage product recommendations to create their perfect look. Additionally, shoppers can compile a Wish List of desired items and email to a friend, which is ideal for the upcoming holiday shopping season.

Eclipse Stores' Shop This Outfit Feature

Eclipse’s online store also leverages OrderDynamics retail Order Management Solution to provide their customers with the most convenient fulfillment options.  Using OrderDynamics distributed inventory-based Shipping Centre Module, Eclipse fulfills many online orders from local stores where possible, in addition to their distribution warehouse, which helps to minimize shipping costs for customers while also letting shoppers in cities where Eclipse does not currently have store locations to experience the Eclipse brand.  OrderDynamics Canada Post Integration also enables Eclipse to provide customers with the flexibility of having their online order shipped to their home or at a Canada Post location of their choice.

Eclipse' Check Store Stock tool

Also leveraging the Omni-Channel retail capabilities of the OrderDynamics Platform, Eclipse is able to provide a seamless cross-channel shopping experience. Each product page is synched with OrderDynamics’ Inventory Management System which supports the Check In-store Stock tool, allowing customers to quickly find nearby locations with their favourite items. Eclipse goes a step further with their Google Maps-Integrated Store Locator Module, which lists all locations according to a customer-specified distance from their postal code.

Eclipse's Google Maps-Integrated Store Locator Module

 The new EclipseStores.com is a great example of a leading omni-channel retailer, providing exceptional customer service both on- and offline.

Henry’s Attributes 80% Increase in Online Sales After Migrating to OrderDynamics Platform

Integrated Solutions for Retailers is a monthly magazine featuring case studies, technology trends and outlook, and coverage of events and product releases, all pertaining to multi-channel retail operations. The focus of the magazine is to help retailers grow by utilizing leading solutions and learning from best practices and winning strategies shared by other successful retailers.

The November issue of Integrated Solutions for Retailers includes a feature on OrderDynamics client, Henry’s Camera, entitled How To Drastically Increase E-Commerce Sales. The article documents Sen Kanthaswamy, eCommerce and eMarketing Manager at Henry’s Camera, as he discusses the challenges faced with operating Henrys.com on an in-house built platform, and how customer needs quickly out-grew the limitations of their internal capabilities. Kanthaswamy retells how an unreliable checkout process, minimal payment options and no post-purchase notifications lead to customer dissatisfaction and a lack of conversions on Henrys.com.

Choosing to re-platform with eCommerce platform provider, OrderDynamics, instead of refreshing their existing website proved to be the most efficient and cost-effective strategy for Henry’s Camera, as OrderDynamics’ integrations with other third-party payment and fulfillment firms helped minimize the need for maintenance and a large IT staff in-house. Henry’s Camera has also been able to utilize the multi-site capabilities of the OrderDynamics eCommerce SaaS Platform to launch four additional sites, leading to an 80% increase in sales last year – a feat that would never have been possible with their original eCommerce site.

Kanthaswamy asserts that the primary success point of Henrys.com, and Henry’s Camera’s additional sites, is the stability provided by a platform provider.

Read more about Henry’s Camera’s growth since re-platforming here.

(Note: Membership is required to read the entire article, but registering with ISR is free.)

Internet Retailer: 2012 Top 1000 Vendor Leaders

Internet Retailer's September magazine includes a special in depth feature on the technology its Top 1000 retailers (IR500 and IR Second 500) are using.  With many retailers and senior retail executives already  looking ahead to 2013 as far as strategy and planning go, in addition to Shop.org's Annual Summit earlier this month, the timing of this article in no mystery.

One of the key messages in this feature is the amount of vendor consolidation that's happened in the last few years across the eCommerce and retail industries.  Vendor stability and their ability to continuously deliver on all aspects of an agreement play a huge role in technology selections.  It makes sense - many retailers today are cautiously vetting vendors to learn about long term company strategies and direction.  Retailers want to know that the vendor and solution they select today will be the same vendor and solution in one, two, and several years in the future.  Retailers put such heavy investments into technology and solution providers and need to ensure they’re selecting the best partner for short and long term success.

Another key point in this article is the growth of Software-as-a-Service-based solutions for leading online retailers.  This article sheds light onto multi-tenant SaaS-based eCommerce platforms and the benefits that come with on-demand solutions.  OrderDynamics client Aleva Stores is featured in this article and discusses how the OrderDynamics on-demand eCommerce platform enables scalability and growth for their 10 retail websites.

An important consideration for retailers evaluating SaaS vendors, as raised by Derek Gaskins, CEO of Aleva Stores, is ability of the platform to be integrated into other best-of-bread tools. With an open-source or licensed software platforms, retailers are free to custom develop any and all integrations they choose by paying a third party developer or having developers on-staff.  With SaaS platforms, the retailer must rely on the vendor’s technology integration plan.  Many retailers have been put in tough situations with their SaaS platforms in which delays in adding third party support or huge upfront fees are often required.

OrderDynamics solved this problem through our Highly Integrated Virtual Ecosystem™ (H.I.V.E). OD H.I.V.E™ is a vast collection of pre-built integrations to leading third party technologies across marketing, social media, payment, and fulfillment.  Clients like Aleva Stores are able to benefit from drastically reduced or eliminated integration fees, and an improved time-to-market deployment over open-source and licensed eCommerce platforms.

Read the full article on InternetRetailer.com.

2012 Shop.org Annual Summit - Recap of the Show!

Earlier this week the National Retail Federation hosted the 2012 Shop.org Annual Summit in Denver, Colorado. OrderDynamics would like to thank everyone who stopped by our booth and met with our team, and of course, the NRF for putting together such a great three-day event. (We’re still processing much of the data and thought leadership generated from the Conference!)

The Conference, the biggest in its history with more than 4,400 attendees, signaled two things. First and foremost, Shop.org was the final U.S. Conference OrderDyanmics will exhibit at this year, and more importantly, that the first wave of eCommerce is completely over.

The biggest theme of this years’ Shop.org was the integration of online commerce with traditional retail channels. Terms like “Omni-Commerce”, “Agile Commerce”, or our very own “Connected Commerce” were everywhere from the exhibition hall to the keynote presentations. Nearly every retailer we spoke to was focused on bridging channels and centralizing retail operations around web initiatives. To us, this really speaks to the evolution happening within eCommerce. The first wave of eCommerce was about figuring out how to sell online (technologies, staff/talent, strategies, partners, etc…) and how to be profitable doing so. The next wave of eCommerce will be about creating best-in-class online and offline experiences by offering the same merchandise, products, promotions, prices and experiences across all channels. It goes without saying that this wave is already well underway.

For many, including us, one of the highlights of the Shop.org was seeing Jamie Nordstrom’s keynote presentation. His honest and insightful recount of Nordstrom’s approach made it clear that innovation in customer service is the key to their continued growth and dominance. In fact, according to Mr. Nordstrom, they’ll be irrelevant if they don’t continue to innovate how they approach customer service. Their commitment to testing new ways to engage and satisfy their customers is impressive and refreshing. Mr. Nordstrom and his team have fostered an environment that “celebrates mistakes” and spends an incredible amount of time understanding reasons why ideas and tactics didn’t work. According to Mr. Nordstrom, the most difficult part of becoming a true multi-channel retailer was merging their retail store and catalog (online) teams. He did suggest technology integrations were costly investments, but emphasized properly aligning the organization was where the “heavy lifting” occurred. There’s so much that could be said about Mr. Nordstrom’s keynote and the insight he offered (and we could go on and on), but one particular quote still stands out as a key message to his presentation: “Nordstrom can't focus on making decisions that benefit one store and not another. In the end, all stores are part of the same company and the customer doesn’t care about which store gets the credit for a sale”.

Another big theme from Shop.org was order management, and the movement to having it integrated within an eCommerce platform. In some cases order management might have been a longer term priority for retailers, while for others, it’s a tool they didn’t need before but now require due to significant growth. While the notion of an end-to-end platform is hardly new, it’s clear enabling improved customer experiences and faster fulfillment will be significantly easier using an eCommerce platform that features an integrated order management system. For retailers who are re-platforming or soon plan to, selecting an eCommerce platform with built-in order management would be a highly strategic investment and would provide a significant advantage over competitors.

One final thought about Shop.org: The Conference was a clear reminder how far the eCommerce industry has come, and yet, how much work lies ahead for retailers (and vendors) in order to catch up with consumers and their expectations. As Chris Ladd from The Finish Line said during an Omni-Channel roundtable session on day three of Shop.org, “It’s up to the digital guys to bridge online and offline channels”. One sentiment that echoed to us throughout the Conference was how the control has shifted from retailers to consumers. Retail was once about what merchants offered consumers, and subsequently what consumers chose to purchase from those offerings. Now retail has evolved to merchants reacting to consumers and their needs and wants, and adapting to new technologies which can be used to improve and connected consumer experiences across multiple channels.

Now that Shop.org has ended, we will be reaching out to all interested parties in the coming few weeks. You may also contact us directly: solutions@orderdynamics.com.

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

Sincerely,
The OrderDynamics Team
1 (866) 559-8123

iQliving Selects OrderDynamics to Power their Online Storefront and Enhance its Multi-Channel Experience

JULY 31, 2012 – TORONTO, ON – OrderDynamics™, Canada’s leading on-demand commerce platform provider, today announced that iQliving, a Canadian specialty housewares retailer, has selected OrderDynamics to power its online storefront and enhance its multi-channel retail strategy.

The Toronto-based retailer sells more than 5,000 different product lines including bath, kitchen, and storage within their 3,500 square foot flagship store, and has built a strong customer base due to their attention to detail and exceptional customer service.  

iQliving opted to replace their legacy eCommerce solution after determining their online storefront didn’t match the premium experience, quality, or detail of its in-store counterpart.  After a rigorous selection process, iQliving selected OrderDynamics due to their experience in providing eCommerce solutions capable of integrating with in-store point of sale systems and existing offline loyalty programs.

With OrderDynamics, iQliving now has the ability to deliver an exceptional end-to-end online shopping experience with advanced online marketing and merchandising functionality, a fully integrated order management system, and OD Endpoint™ - a solution specifically designed by OrderDynamics for warehouse and pick-pack-and-ship fulfillment scenarios.

“It’s important for iQliving to incorporate the best elements of our in-store experience in our online store as we continue to grow that part of our business.  OrderDynamics enables us to create true multi-channel strategies and initiatives to better serve our customers,” said Vince Menchella, CEO at iQliving.  “OrderDynamics experience connecting online and offline channels, as well as their passion for eCommerce made it clear they are ideal partners for iQliving. They’ll help give us a distinct competitive advantage,” he added.

“iQliving recognizes the opportunity that exists today in the Canadian online marketplace and are aggressively pursuing growth with cutting edge tactics and advanced technology,” said Michael Turcsanyi, President at OrderDynamics.  “We look forward to working with the iQliving team to help them achieve their goals.”

The Emerging Importance of Order Management in eCommerce

In the last few years there has been a dramatic shift in the requirements retailers have when building eCommerce projects (both re-platforming or first time online projects). Order management and fulfillment, are rapidly becoming two of the most critical pieces in these projects, largely because of how shopping and retail landscapes are evolving.

At OrderDynamics™, we're experiencing this first hand with Clients and prospects on a daily basis. Prominent eCommerce analysts are also observing this shift. So when did this transition start? While there's no exact date, the short answer is it's been happening for some time now as eCommerce and online retailing continue to mature.

Retail is in the beginning stages of reinventing itself. Of course, this reinvention is directly in line with today's consumer who purchases goods out of convenience or targeted marketing efforts, rather than "channel loyalty". That's a concept OrderDynamics™ refers to as "Connected Commerce".

Forrester Research's Brian Walker recently outlined what retailers need to address as part of the evolving retail landscape (and subsequent "channel merge"):

• Manage orders across a diverse set of customer touchpoints
• Enable inventory visibility across all  retail channels
• Support a growing variety of payment types and tiered fraud screening
• Support customer service scenarios more effectively

While these capabilities are vital for the long term success of online retailing, there are several other factors to consider, too.

Consumers are paying for more order transparency
We've seen significant increases in conversion rates across numerous verticals (apparel in particular) when providing better frontend clarity into actual stock availability and fulfillment ETAs before ordering. Repeat shopping has also increased (in cases where multi-item orders need multi-location fulfillment) because of superior customer service through detailed, line-item level order status information at every step in the order lifecycle.

Stock availability display rules need to account for cross-channel inventory and fulfillment business rules to enable more specific and trustworthy messaging to the consumers. Having intelligent transactional email messaging and order tracking is critical. Consumers are likely to cancel their order due to confusion and/or lack of trust if they see blanket statements about their order status.

With enhanced Order Management System (OMS) support within an eCommerce platform (ECP), many of these OMS capabilities should be wired into the frontend of a website within My Account, Shopping Cart, Checkout, Product Catalog sections, etc.

Tighter merchant control with payment capture
In complex, multi-location fulfillment location scenarios (or in back order scenarios), there has been a growing desire to tightly control payment processing steps in relationship with fulfillment policies. The days of "full authorization" and "full capture" at time of shipping doesn't work well in these instances. Merchants want to deploy OMS workflows and invoicing policies that align with distributed inventory availability. Some supply chain systems can be the "brain" to determine what SKUs will be shipping from where based on inventory policies. In many cases the OMS needs to support the ability to invoice, capture funds, and ship individual shipments.

Roll up cross channel orders to the frontend
Providing a single view into the customer's order history, preferences, and loyalty has become a burning desire for many multi-channel merchants. They want to send orders from either their retail ERP, catalog system, or call centers to their ECP so the marketing and merchandising team(s) can leverage that data on their websites. This would allow the consumer to see their entire account history with the merchant. This is driving OMS support to easily receive orders from other sources into the ECP/OMS, while also forcing ECP/OMS systems to natively support linking external systems into order work flows. Stored value databases like in-house gift cards or loyalty programs need to be intelligently and reliably plugged in to the ECP/OMS so that these kinds of features can be leveraged.

To learn more about order management and its growing importance in online retail, download the new whitepaper, "5 Organizational Steps to Plan for Connected Commerce".

Nutrasource.com Completes Multi-Site Launch with OrderDynamics On-Demand Commerce Platform

JUNE 24, 2012 – TORONTO, ON – OrderDynamics™ Corporation, Canada's leading on-demand commerce platform provider, today announced the launch of Nutrasource.com, a premier online health and wellness destination, on the OrderDynamics Commerce Platform. The newly re-launched Nutrasource.com creates a dynamic customer experience through displaying pricing comparisons, in-depth product descriptions and indications, and detailed ingredient listings. The new site also allows shoppers to share their favorite health products and recent purchases through various social media outlets such Facebook, Twitter, and more.

The new Nutrasource.com features intricate Guided Navigation and Breadcrumb trails that enable quick and efficient browsing based on brands, product types, health conditions, goals, top sellers, new arrivals and several other segments.  Nutrasource.com accepts secure payments through PayPal, Google and Amazon Checkouts, and all major credit cards, and extends a 20% discount on first purchases. The Autoship feature and free shipping on all orders over $49 contribute to an online experience that meets their 100% Satisfaction Guarantee on all health and wellness products. In addition to the primary Nutrasource.com site, Nutrasource operates three other niche transactional micro-sites and a mobile commerce site, all of which are managed through the OrderDynamics On-Demand Commerce Platform.

Equipped with the most innovative eCommerce tools, Nutrasource.com delivers a premium online shopping experience, in addition to featuring a comprehensive repertoire of vitamins, supplements, detox, nutrition and personal care products. “These are big steps for us,” said Ashoka Ganesan, managing director overseeing Nutrasource. “The new platform is going to be an integral part of growing our business.”

Michael Turcsanyi, President at OrderDynamics, added “It’s a sophisticated site built on current eCommerce best practices that will deliver a great experience for customers, and significant growth for Nutrasource. We’re thrilled Nutrasource selected our On-Demand Commerce Platform to help drive substantial growth.”

Internet Retailer: Get Ready For Success with OrderDynamics

Internet Retailer's June magazine is arguably the biggest single issue of the year. The 144-page issue is jam packed with content in anticipation of the annual Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition (IRCE).

One of the major theme's of the June issue is growth - growth within the eCommerce industry in general and more specifically in pureplay retailer online sales compared with multi-channel retailer online sales. Internet Retailer describes evolving consumer behaviors and how digitally connected they are becoming as the top challenges multi-channel retailers are facing. The article confirms what other reports have been suggesting for some time: Multi-channel retailers are experiencing significant difficulty connecting with consumers across various physical and digital mediums.

This month's Spotlight article features an in-depth interview with OrderDynamics President Michael Turcsanyi called "Get Ready For Success". The interview discusses today's evolving consumer and OrderDynamics Connected Commerce vision for multi-channel retailers looking to create a seamless experience across any/all channels and touch points to help grow sales and improve shopping experiences.

Read the full article and interview in Internet Retailer.

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The June issue of Internet Retailer also features a great article about the Shopping Cart and its evolution in the eCommerce industry over the last few years. This article documents Laura Canada, an OrderDynamics Client, and their plan to enter eCommerce later this year with the launch of an extremely sophisticated eCommerce website (on the OrderDynamics On-Demand eCommerce Platform) in order to compete with other retail brands that are already established in the online marketplace.

Read about Laura's climb into eCommerce here.

OrderDynamics and Clients Interviewed in Canadian Retailer's Reinventing Retail Feature

 
The theme of the Spring edition of Canadian Retailer magazine - a magazine written and published by the Retail Council of Canada - is reinvention. And more specifically, how Canadian retailers are reinventing retail by evolving with the times and with the needs of their customers.

The Spring magazine explores some of the ways retailers are growing their operations to become more efficient, build on growth and successes, and enhance customer experiences. Within this feature is an article specific to eCommerce in Canada titled "How Canadian Retailers Are Changing E-Commerce".

The article outlines aggressive strategies and tactics leading Canadian retailers such as Harry Rosen, Henry's, Kitchen Stuff Plus, and others are running to drive sales and growth in the online retail world. The article also depicts the growth of the Canadian eCommerce industry in the last few years and includes interviews with OrderDynamics President Michael Turcsanyi and select OrderDynamics Clients.

This entire feature mirrors the overall theme of the Retail Council of Canada's 2012 Store Conference held in Toronto last week. Similar themes and progressions noted in the article were also a focus of Turcsanyi and the Conference eCommerce speaking panel which included senior leaders from Well.ca and theBay.com, and Roots Canada.

It's clear Canada is an emerging eCommerce market to both Canadian retailers and retailers abroad. The 2012 Store Conference, its two eCommerce panels, and this Canadian Retailer article are some of the many reminders of that.

Read the full article in Canadian Retailer.

OrderDynamics to Exhibit at IRCE 2012!

The 2012 Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition is just days away and the OrderDynamics team couldn't be more excited about it! The 2012 installment of IRCE see's the show return to Chicago at McCormick Place June 5-8. The Conference could bring in as many as 10,000 attendees, which is absolutely incredible. Just a few years ago IRCE had several thousand attendees and most show-goers at the time were impressed with that. The growth of IRCE (and to a lesser extent other eCommerce-focused Conferences) is a reflection of how important eCommerce is becoming to the retail industry.

The OrderDynamics team looks forward to meeting with Clients and partners, and meeting new contacts as well. If you want to schedule a time to meet in advance, please email solutions@orderdynamics.com or just visit us at booth #913.

OrderDynamics is proud to once again co-sponsor Avalara's Rocktopia party. Rocktopia will be held at Buddy Guy's Legends Club Thursday June 7th starting at 8:30pm and should make for a great evening. You can RSVP in advance by clicking here. In addition, OrderDynamics is part of the IRCE "Win the Wheels" contest, so don't forget to stop by our booth to collect your stamps.

See you next week in Chicago. Again, OrderDynamics booth number is 913.

Click here for a full Conference agenda.

Inova.com.mx Selects OrderDynamics to Power its Global eCommerce Website

MAY 28, 2012 – TORONTO, ON – OrderDynamics™, Canada's leading on-demand commerce platform provider, today announced that Inova, Mexico’s leading direct response retailer of  lifestyle and fitness accessories, has selected OrderDynamics to re-launch their global online storefront.

In order to meet their long-term growth goals and international expansion plans, Inova needed a scalable eCommerce platform with sophisticated cross-sell and merchandising capabilities to increase sales – something that was lacking from their legacy eCommerce solution. In addition to improving online marketing capabilities and creating a more user friendly shopping experience, Inova required an eCommerce platform that offered multiple payment gateways, back office integration, and a technology partner with proven experience helping global retail brands grow. OrderDynamics on-demand eCommerce delivery also provided a cost-effective model for Inova to scale its growth while benefiting from ongoing product updates at no additional cost.

“We selected OrderDynamics because of their partnership approach, sound eCommerce knowledge, and proven expertise in launching complex eCommerce projects,” said Juan Esteban Belich, Internet Business Development & eCommerce Manager at Inova. “The OrderDynamics eCommerce platform features a powerful merchandising engine that will help grow our worldwide sales and improve the efficiency of our business by synchronizing various back office tools,” Mr. Belich said.

“OrderDynamics has proven experience in helping Clients achieve rapid growth in short periods of time. Our multi-eStore platform will allow Inova to manage all their B2C and B2B needs from one dashboard with control over frontend presentation and backend operations,” said Michael Benadiba, CEO of OrderDynamics. “OrderDynamics is proud to be selected as Inova’s global eCommerce platform,” Mr. Benadiba added.

OrderDynamics to Attend eTail Latin America 2012

OrderDynamics is excited to announce our participation in the 2012 eTail Latin America Conference in Miami, Florida. The Conference, which runs May 9-11th at the Trump International Beach Resort, will provide insight into the evolution of eCommerce and emerging trends within Latin American markets.

In addition, there will be a heavy focus on site optimization and strategies to improve online user experiences, multi-channel marketing tactics, and tips on managing mobile commerce. With a number of terrific speakers lined up throughout the three-day event including Zia Wigder from Forrester Research and Lonny Paul from Systemax, there will be no shortage of strong thought leadership and solid takeaways.

The OrderDynamics team is scheduled to be one of more than 18 technology vendors involved with the show. For anyone attending the Conference this week, please don't hesitate to contact us to schedule a meeting or to learn more about our on-demand eCommerce platform. For more information about eTail Latin America, visit: http://www.wbresearch.com/etaillatinamerica.

Meltdown Snowboard Shop Ices eCommerce Strategy with OrderDynamics

APRIL 26, 2012 – TORONTO, ON – OrderDynamics™, Canada's leading on-demand commerce platform provider, today announced that Meltdown Snowboard Shop, Canada’s fastest growing independent specialty snowboard shop, has selected OrderDynamics to power two online storefronts and a call center solution.

Meltdown Snowboard Shop currently operate several online properties in addition to two retail stores, and are famously known for their outstanding product knowledge, product selection, and dedication to customer service. Meltdown Snowboard Shop’s desire to promote the snowboarding lifestyle initiated the search for an eCommerce platform that could extend their store atmosphere to their online properties while also alleviating several issues with their outdated eCommerce solution.

“Our online storefronts need to reflect the same attention to detail and outstanding customer service our stores are known for. We needed an eCommerce platform that could bring our online presence to life and help differentiate our brand from our competition,” said Darius Kybartas, CEO at Meltdown Snowboard Shop. “From our first meeting with OrderDynamics, it was clear they understood our goals and offered the right toolset to ensure rapid online growth. The amount of experience and success OrderDynamics have working with many of Canada’s top online retailers made us feel comfortable they were the right vendor to partner with,” Mr. Kybartas continued.

The new Meltdown Snowboard Shop website will fully leverage the Highly Integrated Virtual Ecosystem (H.I.V.E™), a network of pre-built third-party integrations into the OrderDynamics eCommerce platform. Frontend integrations with shopping sites and social networks will play a large role in creating an information-rich website, while backend integrations with ERP and POS tools will streamline pricing and fulfillment, leading to an improved customer experience.

“Meltdown Snowboard Shop choosing OrderDynamics to re-launch their online storefront validates our commitment to providing Canadian retailers with an industry-leading eCommerce platform,” said Michael Turcsanyi, President at OrderDynamics. “The Meltdown Snowboard Shop team understands how to create a quality online experience and we’re eager to play a big role in driving their online growth,” Mr. Turcsanyi concluded.

Recorders.com Servicing More Customers since Re-Launching with OrderDynamics

Toronto, ON – The leading supplier of digital voice recorders and accessories, Recorders.com, recently re-launched their award-winning eCommerce website on the OrderDynamics On-Demand eCommerce platform.

OrderDynamics announces another successful website migration to their On-Demand eCommerce Platform with Recorders.com. The new B2C and B2B website was completely redesigned and re-launched on the OrderDynamics platform, enabling exciting new features designed to convert and service more customers. The new Recorders.com website provides the most comprehensive source for digital voice recorders, software, and accessories with integrated customer service tools that allow Recorders to deliver their award-winning support in real-time. In just 5 months, Recorders.com has seen dramatic improvements including:

· 33% Total Visits Growth

· 5% Revenue Growth

· 46% Organic Visitor Growth

"We are very pleased with the new website and the OrderDynamics platform which has put us in an industry-leading position. We are elite partners with our suppliers and OrderDynamics enables a single database for backend platform automation." explains Krish Michaels, CEO of Recorders.com. "By leveraging the latest eCommerce best practices and proactive service from OrderDynamics, Recorders.com is servicing more shoppers and delivering superior customer service tools over our competition. We’ve become a one-stop shop for support, customer service and training for an enhanced, streamlined customer experience," continues Michaels. In addition to the customer service tools, the new Recorders.com has seen significant organic search placement increases using out-of-box tools within OrderDynamics. The new eStore also leverages latest features like multi-select guided navigation, SEO, Promotions, Complex Pricing, Merchandising, Recommendations, Product Personalization, Content Personalization, Rich Imaging, Product Reviews, and more. In addition, Recorders.com provides industry specific shopping tools, like unique short description by industry, and integrated customer support tickets in the shopper’s My Account section using OrderDynamics Case Management system.

"The Recorders.com project was a huge success and we’re excited about enabling their revenue growth for years to come” says Michael Turcsanyi, President of OrderDynamics. "We congratulate the Recorders team on the launch and look forward to future phases".

About Recorders.com

Recorders.com is the leading supplier of digital dictation equipment in the United States. For over 10 years, Recorders.com has been in the dictation, transcription, and voice recognition industry and was established to help an ever growing Mobile Society communicate information quickly and easily. Recorders ships same business day on most orders and products are inventoried in 7 warehouses across the United States to ensure Quick Shipments.

Licensed vs. SaaS and Lessons in Re-Platforming

The Target website outage of 2011 has “gone viral” throughout the industry. We wanted to provide some perspective for future merchants looking to re-launch.

At the end of the day, the Target outage is something that many online merchants struggle with and was unfortunately made worse by the timing of the re-launch of their website on a new technology platform. Although it is very difficult to avoid what happened, ultimately there are a few important considerations for merchants changing platforms that I'd like to share.

1. Licensed vs. Cloud. When making a decision to take the platform technology and delivery in-house (ie. going with a licensed software and hosting it), a merchant is now accountable for uptime, performance, capacity, and security of the systems. That means the merchant needs to maintain human resources, hardware, hosting, and security audits. Most “true Cloud”, or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms provide the delivery technology along with the ecommerce software itself in order to specifically provide the optimal "quality of service" experienced by the merchant with their software. In addition to the "tech stuff", many mid-market and enterprise SaaS eCommerce Platform Providers offer aggressive Service Level Agreements (SLA) that hold them accountable for these key performance indicators. "SLAs with teeth" (as they're often referred) will incent providers to keep the site performing in top condition.

2. When re-launching a website, large or small, it is important to understand that there is going to be a laundry list of small things that need to be address after the site goes live. Since it is impossible to fully replicate "real world traffic" (no matter how much money you throw at the project as with Target I'm sure the budget was significant for this project), and as a result it is impossible to fully understand what the real load on the system will be. So let this be a lesson to other merchants to use simple tactics to avoid crushing the website and annoying shoppers on the first day.

Tactic 1: Soft Launch -delay the national advertising campaign by a week or two so you can see how the system is performing.

Tactic 2: Phase the Launch -start with core functionality than phase in new categories, products, and features as you understand how the system is performing.

Tactic 3: Monitor and React Quickly -build dashboards that allow top products and pages to quickly alert the merchant’s IT team of load issues.

In summary, it is impossible to avoid bumps and bruises when re-launching an eCommerce website. As someone who re-launches 8-12 websites per year, I can say that these projects are significantly complex and the team is often under immense pressure from management and often given unrealistic timelines. However, merchants of all shapes and sizes should understand the critical difference between "owning and operating" ecommerce software vs. the new age of "cloud/SaaS" eCommerce platform providers. And finally, by taking simple steps during a re-launch a merchant can reduce the risk of an outage and keep shoppers spending money on their website.

Nutrasource.com Launches Their New Site with OrderDynamics!

OrderDynamics is pleased to announce the launch of Nutrasource.com. Equipped with the most innovative eCommerce tools, Nutrasource.com features a comprehensive repertoire of vitamins, supplements, detox, nutrition and personal care products. Nutrasource.com offers a dynamic customer experience that is highly informative through displaying price comparisons, in-depth product descriptions and indications, and detailed ingredient listings while allowing shoppers to share their favorite items via various social media outlets. Their intricate Guided Navigation and Breadcrumb trails enable quick and efficient browsing based on brands, product types, health conditions, goals, top sellers, new arrivals and several other segments. Nutrasource.com accepts secure payments through PayPal, Google and Amazon Checkouts, and all major credit cards, and extends a 20% discount on first purchases. The Autoship feature and free shipping on all orders over $49 contribute to an online experience that meets their 100% Satisfaction Guarantee on all health and wellness products.

Visit Nutrasource.com to check out special offers on a reputable brands, and make them Your Source For Healthy Living!

Cascio Interstate Music Re-Launches with OrderDynamics!

OrderDynamics would like to congratulate Cascio Interstate Music on the re-launch of www.interstatemusic.com. Interstatemusic.com is a premium online resource for over 60,000 musical instruments and accessories, organized with an excellent Guided Navigation system for easy searching and viewing of products.

The Wisconsin-based etailer is a haven for percussion, string, and brass and woodwind instruments, as well as a terrific source for audio accessories including books and DVDs. Pages are efficiently structured to display Breadcrumb Trails so as to not be overwhelmed while browsing, allowing visitors to easily traverse Interstatemusic.com’s extensive product offering. Product pages are equipped with detailed product overviews, customer reviews, warranty details and recommended products to ensure customers are thoroughly informed in their purchase decisions, while Wish List, Live Chat and Contests provide a fun and interactive shopping experience. Interstatemusic.com’s secure, single-page checkout, along with their current promotion of free shipping in the US on most orders over $99 add to excellent and exciting usability.

Visit www.interstatemusic.com to find your favorite instrument, or discover a new way to express yourself!

Kitchenstuffplus.com Launches with OrderDynamics!

Congratulations to Kitchenstuffplus.com on their launch with OrderDynamics! The Kitchen Stuff Plus website utilizes the most current ecommerce features to provide a user-friendly experience that stimulates higher traffic to drive conversion and sales. As a reputable Canadian retailer, Kitchen Stuff Plus carries an extensive offering of cookware and bakeware, cutlery and silverware, housewares, home décor and small kitchen appliances, organized into a chic online catalog.


With OrderDynamics, Kitchenstuffplus.com elegantly presents products with the ability to easily view product features and reviews, compare to retail pricing, and explore related and recommended items. The WishList and easy, secure online checkout complete a great user experience!

Congrats Walkingonacloud.com on the New Website Design!

We congratulate our client, Walkingonacloud.com on a recent redesign of their Canadian and USA eStores. After launching on OrderDynamics 1.5 years ago, Walkingonacloud.com has seen significant sales growth, so much so that it fueled a complete redesign of their website – something that was not done during the initial launch. The new design enables many of the latest ecommerce features and best practices such as Guided Navigation, Search Within, Dynamic Merchandising, Up Selling in the Buy Area, Rich Imaging, Facebook and Twitter, Mini Cart, Personalization, and more. The new design will allow Walkingonacloud to convert traffic at a higher level and increase the average order size through these out-of-box features of OrderDynamics.

Walkingonacloud.com has over 8,000 shoes and accessories from over 90 brands. Congrats!

Chiefsupply.com Launches on OrderDynamics!

Congratulations to CHIEFSupply.com on the re-launch on OrderDynamics! The CHIEF team totally redesigned their high volume B2C and B2B website to lay the foundation for significant revenue growth over the next 12 to 36 months. The website is fully integrated with the CHIEF backoffice systems for Products, Pricing, Attributes, Inventory, and Fulfillment. Checkout their huge selection of products from categories like: Law Enforcement, Military and Federal, Fire and Rescue, EMS, and Medical and Scrubs.Here are some of the cool features of the CHIEF site:

• Faceted navigation
• Multi-level category pages
• Brand pages
• Sophisticated Promotions
• Ratings and Reviews
• Multiple Images, Zoom, and Video
• Recently viewed, Top Sellers, Recommendations
• Mini Cart and Streamlined Cart and Checkout

The new www.chiefsupply.com was designed by our partners, UXER Design.