After solidifying its front end CRM and the back end ERP on-demand applications, NetSuite Inc. has turned its focus on its B2B and B2C e-commerce software with the release of a multi-channel, multi-language, multi-store, multi-currency software-as-a-service suite targeted for the mid-size market.
This new suite can publish different Web sites from a single NetSuite account, which enables customers to review purchases, track packages, and correspond with the users in English, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Chinese and Japanese.
The software also enables owners to accept traditional methods of payment such as through a credit card and non-traditional with Paypal or if they have a B2B site through invoice.
NetSuite has also included promotional and up-selling functionality to the product.
According to Sean Rollings, senior director of marketing for NetSuite, based in San Mateo, Calif., this new functionality will have similar up- sell and cross-sell techniques found on Amazon.com. For example, when a user searches for a specific book they get information on that request along with a list of other books that are similar.
“The missing link is e-commerce,” Rollings said. “Businesses build Web sites to get visibility, but as you grow how do you handle the volume? It is a very manual process and (NetSuite) automates this end-to-end process.”
Companies who began e-commerce sites as either an experiment or a side business have been unable to grow beyond a certain size, Rollings added.
“Managing multi-channel with others things such as sales, your phone and your Web site can be very complex. You need a central repository to link all calls and other customer contact. This takes a 360 degree view of the customer because the customer assumes you know all this,” he said.
Currently, NetSuite, which hosts customers’ data off-site as part of its offering, manages approximately 1,500 e-commerce sites totaling more than US$290 million in revenue. Rollings said that is a 107 per cent increase from last year.
“We are trying to build onto the suite to manage businesses with CRM, sales and marketing support, back office accounting and support. That is the strength of this solution,” Rollings said.
Other features include: electronic file/software delivery, search engine optimization, and site search analysis. Web site creation management tools will be added to the suite in the second quarter of this year.
These e-commerce features are available in NetSuite starting at US$499 for the first user per month. After that it is US$99 per additional user per month.
“NetSuite can scale for a small business and make it look like a bigger company,” Rollins said.
Comment: cdnedit@itbusiness.ca