New NetSuite ecommerce release brings integrated on-demand suite to mid-sized companies’ web operations
E-Tailers Use NetSuite for Core Ecommerce Business Processes
SAN MATEO, Calif.—February 15, 2007—NetSuite, Inc., the leader in on-demand business management software, today announced a host of advanced new functionality that extends the benefit of Software as a Service (SaaS) applications to mid-sized companies' ecommerce operations. The new features — including multi-channel, multi-store, multi-currency, and multi-language support, and automated Amazon.com-like upsell/cross-sell capabilities — enable mid-sized companies to efficiently automate ecommerce operations and avoid the cost and pain of developing complex custom applications. For detailed information, please visit www.netsuite.com/ecommerce2007
NetSuite Closes the Mid-Market Gap
NetSuite is the leading provider of hosted on-demand solutions for companies with Web stores of up to $10 million in revenue. More than 1,500 ecommerce sites run on NetSuite, and generated an aggregate $290 million of sales revenue in 2006.
Now, mid-sized companies have a turnkey, on-demand solution for managing even the most complex ecommerce sites. The new set of NetSuite® advanced features supports globalisation, multiple Web stores and multiple companies and their subsidiaries. Additionally, NetSuite brings its expertise in business process customisation to meet the specific needs of larger, more complex businesses and their industry requirements. And all of these features are tied automatically and seamlessly with NetSuite's powerful CRM and ERP business application suite.
Limitations in traditional software have forced most mid-sized companies to build ecommerce capabilities from scratch. Applications such as Microsoft Great Plains and Sage were designed a decade before the rise of the Internet. As a result, it is very difficult and costly to extend them to support ecommerce for a Web business. New applications from vendors such as Venda and Demandware are designed specifically to build ecommerce websites, but result in isolated, bolt-on systems that are difficult to integrate into core business processes and applications. In fact, NetSuite provides for more ecommerce and business management capabilities than other vendors for a fraction of the cost. For more information, please visit www.netsuite.com/moreforless
"For many companies, the Web has become the primary channel for meeting with and selling to customers, but the systems supporting those efforts are at best bolt-on applications that aren't well integrated with the core business management systems," said Zach Nelson, CEO of NetSuite. "With the addition of these new features, NetSuite demonstrates the future of ecommerce, where one system manages transactions placed on the Web as easily as those placed in person or via the phone — for businesses large, medium and small."
NetSuite empowers midsize companies with powerful tools for success in ecommerce:
- Multiple Sites/Multiple Companies: NetSuite is the first and only software platform to enable management of a company's multiple websites/Web stores, with multiple languages and multiple currencies, centrally in a single account.
Users can publish different websites from a single NetSuite account, each with its own products, domain name, and look and feel. Each site offers shoppers a distinct password-protected customer self-service center, where shoppers can review purchases, track packages, and correspond with the company.
- Multi-Language: Users can display their website in multiple languages. Users can translate every page, every field and every button into a nearly unlimited number of languages. Shoppers will see a drop-down with the names of the languages available. As soon as they choose a new language, the entire website is translated to that language. NetSuite has already translated the generic website content (page names, field names, error messages) into the following languages: Spanish, French, German, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese.
- Multi-Currency: Users can sell their goods in multiple currencies. Shoppers can choose their currency on the website, and complete the transaction in the currency of their choice. The merchant can either automatically convert prices into foreign currencies using a currency conversion rate, or can set specific product prices for each currency.
- Multi-Payment: Consumers can pay with credit cards or via PayPal. For B2B commerce, businesses can pay via invoice, purchasing card, credit card, and PayPal.
Customer Promotion: NetSuite has delivered cutting edge tools that give companies the Amazon.com-like functionality required for leadership of their segment.
- Automated Upsell/Cross-sell Recommendations: Based on powerful, real-time mathematical algorithms, NetSuite now enables companies to display automatic upsell and cross-sell recommendations based on what customers with similar purchase histories have purchased.
- B2C Promotional Tools: NetSuite provides the promotional tools shoppers expect in today's leading ecommerce sites including gift certificates, item coupons, a shipping cost estimator before they reach checkout, minimum order quantity, e-mail page to a friend, free shipping if users buy item x, and the option to ship either partial or complete orders.
- Electronic Product Distribution: NetSuite extends its existing ability to sell both products and services online with the addition of Electronic File/Software delivery. Users can sell or freely distribute any type of downloadable file, including software, music, or documents. If the downloaded file requires that the customer enter a license code, NetSuite can provide the code to the customer.
- Search Engine Optimisation: NetSuite provides the tools companies need to ensure their prominence in search engine results including meta-tags, alt-image tags, page titles, breadcrumbs, 404 "Page Not Found" redirects, 301 permanent redirects and customizable page URLs.
- Site Search Analysis: NetSuite makes it simple to find out exactly what visitors to a website are searching for with the Internal Search report. New reporting functionality indicates what words visitors are searching for, the conversion rate for each query, how many results are being returned for each query, and it highlights the queries that return zero results. Users can also analyse how many querying visitors ended up becoming customers, and how much they purchased.
- Site Appearance: NetSuite presents easy-to-use new Site Theme and Category Theme templates ready out-of-the-box to make every website look professional. These themes are a great way to jumpstart an ecommerce site and when ready, users can view the HTML of the templates and further customise them in any way they choose.
Website Creation & Management: New website creation management tools empower users to easily manage ecommerce with the sophistication of larger companies.
- Web Assistant: NetSuite makes it quick and easy to build a website from scratch with a four-step Assistant that takes care of all the difficult parts of setting up a website. The Assistant walks users through setting up a Web address, choosing and previewing the appearance of their website, customizing their home page, and creating the top-level categories for the website.
- Web Manager: Users can manage all of their website page creation and editing from the new Web Manager. The Manager displays a tree view of all the pages in a website, and allows users to view or edit any of the pages by clicking on the page name. Users can create new pages, and search through all of their Web pages, or view their uncategorised pages.
- Matrix Items Assistant: Users can easily create products for sale which have various attributes such as size and color. The Assistant allows users to specify the attributes that each product needs to track. Each attribute combination can have different pricing and inventory levels.
Pricing and Availability: Some of these new ecommerce features are generally available immediately with the standard NetSuite service; some require add-on modules. NetSuite starts at $499 per month per company, then $99 per user per month. Website Assistant & Manager and Multiple Sites/Multiple Companies are currently in Beta and will be generally available in the second quarter of 2007.
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