Programmers Ain't Chefs

I recently ran across a peer-to-peer selling network called Vendly, which (to make a rhyme) ain't too friendly! It thinks the opposite, saying that unlike eBay, which it complains is "complicated," you just post a picture of stuff you want to sell (no need for those pesky details), and let your "friends" contact you to complete the purchase. Put another way, it has no method of payment embedded in the platform.

Of course, with PayPal, completing the transaction is not that difficult, but it is a completely separate step, after you have secured other details from the seller outside of Vendly.

Vendly does say it has plans to include a payment platform, but when is anybody's guess.

AlphaBeta Soup
Which reminds me of how a lot of phone apps work, all boiling down to the simple fact that developers for the last few years seem to think it is normal and SOP to put things out there for the public to use as alpha or beta testers.

I, for one, resent this. I understand that everyone is rushing to be first to market with something new, build a large base of early adopters, and try to get more funding and ward off competition before breakfast, i.e., before a better solution can be built and marketed.

Not Like Chefs
Speaking of breakfast, imagine if chefs did this. There would be no printed printed menus, and the chef would prepare something as quickly as possible, without all the seasonings or ingredients, and without waiting for it to fully cook. Throw a few sprigs of parsley onto the plate along with this mess, and hope for the best!

Bleh!

Since the stakes (steaks?!) are so high, I'm not sure there's a defendable alternative. But I'm sure I can't be the only one to be irked by this. Let me hear what you have to say: please comment!

App Privacy

Dr. Dobb's Journal has a very good summary of mobile app privacy issues, covering U.S. Representative Hank Johnson (of Georgia), who has drafted a bill aimed at trying to give users more control over their application data: The Application Privacy, Protection, and Security Act. There is also a link to a study on the subject questioning over 1,000 users by the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology.

First Data Releases Black Friday 2012 SpendTrend® Analysis

First Data Corporation, a global leader in electronic commerce and payment processing, has released its First Data SpendTrend^® analysis for Black Friday 2012 compared to Black Friday 2011. (SpendTrend tracks same-store consumer spending by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EBT, closed-loop prepaid cards and checks at U.S. merchant locations, provided by both eCommerce merchants and retailers.)

The results highlight year-over-year retail dollar volume growth on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, because 5.6% more retailers started the holiday shopping season earlier and consumers took advantage of the opportunity to find bargains. (Note: top performing categories were building material, garden equipment and supply dealers, and clothing and clothing accessories.)

During the Thanksgiving to Black Friday period in 2012 average retail ticket growth turned around from a -0.9% drop in 2011 to a positive step of 1.9%.  The jump in average ticket prices also reflects the strengthening position of merchants who did not have to offer incentives at the expense of profits.

A summary of the findings is below:

Overall Retail Growth Rates	CHANGE
Dollar Volume	+5.6%
Transaction	+3.6%
Average Ticket	+1.9%
Note: All transactions are same-store growth.

OrderMotion Launches New Website

OrderMotionInc., a leading Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform for direct-­‐to-­‐consumer (D2C) campaign and order management, has announced the launch of its new Website at www.ordermotion.com.

"In the early stages of the Internet, most eCommerce organizations focused exclusive on driving revenue through their front-end Websites," notes OrderMotion CEO Marty Fahey. "As the industry matured, more sophisticated merhants focused equally on driving profitability through the implementation of SaaS-based back-end systems that improve cost efficiency and customer retention. With OrderMotion's cloud-based system, merchants can now ensure that they are driving both revenue and profit.

As one of the first SaaS order management platforms, OrderMotion has extensive core functionality, such as high-volume order process, extensive analytics and reporting , cross-channel self-service options, CRM, and email management. Some of its "advanced" capabilities include Product Information Management (PIM), Merchandise Planning & Analysis (MP&A), Marketing Campaign Management, and robust Retention Marketing capabilities.

Vantiv Acquires Litle & Co.

Vantiv, Inc., a leading provider of payment processing services and related technology solutions for merchants and financial institutions of all sizes, has completed its acquisition of Litle & Co., a leading independent eCommerce payment processor, providing a fully-integrated payments solution for companies that sell goods and services to consumers over the internet and through direct response marketing.  Litle & Co. serves leading eCommerce and consumer-direct brands, including Overstock.com, Ancestry.com, Gilt Groupe, Guthy-Renker, ShopNBC and Wayfair.com.

The acquisition of Litle & Co. significantly increases Vantiv's capabilities in eCommerce, expands and diversifies its customer base of online merchants, and enables the delivery of Litle's innovative eCommerce solutions to Vantiv's merchant and financial institution clients. The combined company will offer merchants a "one-stop" suite of Point-of-Sale, eCommerce, and Direct Response payment processing solutions.

Under the terms of the agreement, Vantiv paid $361 million in cash, including $50 million drawn from its existing revolving credit facility.  Litle & Co. will operate as a subsidiary of Vantiv, LLC and will maintain its location in Lowell, Massachusetts.  Vantiv is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.

GoECart Adds Global Sunglasses Merchant

GoECart, a leading provider of fully integrated eCommerce solutions, has announced that Chilli Beans, the largest retailer of fashion-forward sunglasses in Latin America, has selected the GoECart 360 ecommerce solution to power its new online storefront.

The retailer selected GoECart after an exhaustive search for an eCommerce platform and order management solution that would provide the company with the complete set of functionality required to run its international, multi-channel retail business.

Chilli Beans, which began as a simple retail stand selling sunglasses in Sao Paulo in 1998, sold more than two million pairs of the sunglasses last year through a network of franchised locations. Today, Chilli Beans is a global company with over 450 exclusive selling points in Brazil, the United States, Portugal, and Angola, with major expansion planned for 2013.

In addition to sunglasses, the company also sells a full line of products that also includes watches, hats, caps as well as prescription eyeglasses frames.

After a review of several mid-market and enterprise eCommerce providers, Chilli Beans found GoECart 360 offered the most comprehensive set of functionality required by the cross-channel retailer: a highly branded online storefront, integrated order and inventory management, robust fulfillment, reverse logistics, CRM capabilities, and high availability via an easy-to-use cloud-based software. Additional requirements for the retailer included:

• Flexible Web design and product catalog with built-in marketing and merchandising capabilities, complete order and payment processing support, as well as back office QuickBooks integration
• Robust inventory management with pick/pack/ship capabilities, native integration with UPS, and easy customer service/CRM capabilities
• Drill-down reporting for each franchise location, whereby each franchise receives a detailed report of who purchased from the retailer based on location (by zip code). The franchise is then able to market and build relationships with the customers in their area
• The ability to ensure that online store pricing is the exact same as that sold in retail stores.

The retailer summarized several strategic reasons for selecting GoECart:

• GoECart offered the most comprehensive set of functionality to run an end-to-end, multi-channel business eliminating the need to procure and integrate multiple point applications like online shopping cart, order and warehouse management systems and CRM
• GoECart was more affordable than competitors' solutions
• GoECart was the most flexible and open to customization, better aligned with the retailer's goals to rapidly expand its operations, and a better strategic fit for a "fast-fashion" brand like Chilli Beans.

Amazon Lockers Coming to Staples

According to Reuters, Staples Inc, the largest U.S. office supply retailer, will be installing "Amazon Lockers" in its U.S. stores, a Staples spokeswoman said Monday.

The Amazon lockers will allow online shoppers to have packages sent to the office supply chain's stores. Amazon already has such storage units at grocery, convenience and drug stores, many of which stay open around the clock.

Amazon notifies customers of the delivery drop-off via email with a pickup code, which is entered on a touchscreen on the locker to retrieve the package. Shoppers have three days from delivery date to pick up the package.

Amazon pays "a small fee" (not disclosed) to the owners of the stores that house its lockers.

We have covered Amazon lockers before: 

Amazon UK and the Olympics

Amazon's Same-Day Delivery Strategy