Yahoo Launches Robust eCommerce Platform

According to FierceRetail, Yahoo has introduced Stores, an eCommerce platform for retailers to build and grow businesses online.

"Yahoo Small Business took the best of everything we've learned from our million-plus customers over the past 16 years, and applied it to Yahoo Stores to give small business owners a more powerful, streamlined and beautiful way to turn their ideas into a business," wrote Amit Kumar, head of Yahoo Small Business, in an announcement.

The new platform makes it easy to create an online store and automatically integrate a PCI-compliant payment processing system, which connects retailers to a payment service provider in just a few clicks. The new platform also includes automatic SEO. 

Stores is intended to give neophyte eTailers the same serving technology used on Yahoo.com, including relevant keywords in the Website URLs, concise descriptions of the Website's content, a full product catalog schema, and tools for merchants to organize and promote their products.

Additional features include assistance with Website building and Website aesthetics, as well as the Live Web Insights mobile app that allows users to manage their Websites from their smartphones.

The Yahoo site offers three price points for Stores: $10.95 per month for the Starter edition (less than $12,000 a month in sales), $25.95 per month for the Standard edition ($12,000- $80,000 in monthly sales, with upsell/cross-sell capabilities), and $254.95 for the Professional edition (more than $80,000 per month in sales, and featuring the lowest transaction fees).  

Yahoo is actively competing with other search engines in the eCommerce platform business. This past spring, reports FierceRetail, Google launched a program to help retailers understand how their online ads were generating in-store sales. 

HSO Named 2014 Microsoft Dynamics ERP Partner of the Year

HSO, a global provider of Microsoft Dynamics AX business management solutions, have announced they were named the 2014 Microsoft Dynamics ERP Partner of the Year.

The award, which recognizes the top Microsoft Partners for their ability to solve customer challenges with
innovative technology solutions, was presented to HSO at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference  in Washington, DC, July 13-17, 2014.

With over 400 professionals throughout Europe, North America and Asia, HSO combines innovative technologies including Microsoft Dynamics AX, Dynamics CRM, Office365 and BI solutions and extensive business process experience in the Retail, Distribution, Manufacturing, and Services industries to help their clients’ improve business performance and achieve and maintain a competitive advantage.

In addition to the Partner of the Year Award, HSO was named a member of the 2014 Microsoft Dynamics Inner Circle for the eighth year in a row. The Inner Circle honors an elite group of strategic partners across the globe with a commitment to customers, as reflected in their business performance and high level of sales
achievement.