Cart of the Week: BV Commerce
There are extra than 500 on-line buying carts. And every week we characteristic one, interviewing each the cart’s developer and a buyer. “Cart of the Week” shouldn’t be a evaluate or an analysis, however relatively a possibility to find out about a buying cart from the individuals who construct it and use it.
This week, we’ll hear from Marcus C. McConnell, founder and president of BV Software program, the builders of the hosted BV Commerce buying cart and a licensed ecommerce package deal referred to as BV Commerce Toolkit. The corporate is predicated in Richmond, Va. and its ecommerce software program at the moment has round 5,000 energetic customers.
We’ll additionally hear from a BV Commerce buyer, Charles Wolfinger, director of operations for eofficedirect.com, a website that sells workplace provides.
PeC: Please present some common background on the cart.
Marcus McConnell
Marcus McConnell: “I began BV Software program in 2001 to deliver Fortune 500 options to small enterprise ecommerce options. I had been working with firms like 1-800-Flowers, Godiva and Eddie Bauer on their ecommerce platforms after I realized that small companies have been going to want higher software program. The packages obtainable to small companies in 2001 have been a world aside from what the massive retailers have been utilizing.
“The primary model of BV Commerce was launched as a licensed product in February of 2002, simply after Microsoft launched .NET 1.0., and simply in time to turn into the primary industrial .NET buying cart software program. The hosted model of BV Commerce was launched in 2009.”
PeC: How a lot does BV Commerce value?
McConnell: “The licensed package deal prices $2499 and consists of supply code. Hosted plans begin at $24 per 30 days plus transaction charges based mostly on the chosen plan. There’s additionally a free, restricted retailer package deal.”
PeC: What’s your organization doing to turn into PCI compliant?
McConnell: “We’re within the ultimate levels of PCI certification proper now. The official phrase will likely be popping out any day now.” [Editor’s Note: As of this writing, neither BV Software nor BV Commerce is currently named on The PCI Security Standards Council’s list of validated payment applications or on Visa’s global list of PCI DSS validated service providers.]
Pay attention
Hearken to Marcus McConnell focus on his background and the beginnings of BV Commerce.
PeC: What are the cart’s greatest strengths?
McConnell: “The licensed package deal has wonderful extensibility. We’ve created it in a really modular manner, making it straightforward for builders to customise the platform for his or her purchasers. Each the licensed and hosted packages additionally emphasize usability for non-technical retailers. We’ve simply added some nice drag-and-drop options to the admin portion of the software program to assist retailers shortly type objects. If you happen to can verify your e mail you must be capable of run a retailer utilizing BV Commerce.”
PeC: What are a few of its weaknesses?
McConnell: “There are a whole lot of checkboxes, choices and settings, and typically the quantity of choices might be overwhelming. With the hosted service we’ve tried to select the ‘better of the most effective’ settings as defaults based mostly on our purchasers’ expertise of what has been profitable for them.”
PeC: What plans do you’ve gotten for future cart growth?
McConnell: “BV Commerce 6 will likely be launched by summer time 2010. We’re transferring to .NET 4.0, refining the admin interface, and together with some nice new looking out and sorting options to assist consumers find merchandise.”
PeC: How would your cart assist an ecommerce service provider, versus the cart she or he is utilizing now?
McConnell: “Switching ecommerce platforms is a giant undertaking and never a call that retailers ought to take flippantly. BV Commerce consists of URL mapping in order that previous web page names might be saved alive to serps after a brand new retailer is launched. Our pages are very properly optimized for serps, and if a service provider’s present retailer isn’t bringing within the site visitors they’d like, BV Commerce could possibly assist.”
PeC: Some other ideas for our readers, who’re primarily ecommerce retailers?
McConnell: “We stay in an unbelievable time when a small retailer can promote to a market of greater than a billion Web customers for a couple of hundred {dollars} a month. Spend money on your storefront. It has the potential to create a return on funding past your wildest goals. Select platform. Be certain that your design is phenomenal. Research your customers and ensure you’re assembly their wants.”
A Buyer’s View
Charles Wolfinger is director of operations for eofficedirect.com, and on-line retailer based mostly in Bethlehem, Penn. The positioning sells workplace furnishings and provides, reminiscent of file cupboards, process chairs, copy paper, printers and toner cartridges, with annual product sales round $5 million. Wolfinger supplies his feedback and opinions about BV Commerce beneath.
PeC: How lengthy has your organization been utilizing BV Commerce?
Charles Wolfinger
Charles Wolfinger: “We began with BV Commerce in October 2009. In reviewing a number of completely different carts, BVC had the most effective steadiness of options we required, and the customizability for us so as to add the options that it didn’t have.”
PeC: What are the cart’s greatest strengths?
Wolfinger: “We’re most impressed with its merchandise advertising capabilities. It makes it very straightforward to broaden our product categorizations, add gross sales and promotions, and add hyperlinks to these objects from anyplace on the location.”
PeC: How may the cart enhance?
Wolfinger: “We haven’t actually seen any limitations to the product’s talents. If something, the primary concern that we noticed was velocity. You’ll be able to by no means have sufficient.”
PeC: How would BV Commerce enhance one other service provider’s enterprise?
Wolfinger: “I feel this cart is a good resolution for anybody battling the advertising of merchandise on their website. The built-in content material administration system permits you to shortly and simply add ads to featured and sale objects. It additionally simplifies web page format to be able to take advantage of every buyer go to. Additionally, it’s up-sell and cross-sell capabilities may help retailers to shortly and simply improve promoting alternatives with their prospects.”
PeC: Do you intend on persevering with to make use of the cart?
Wolfinger: “Completely.”
PeC: Some other ideas for our readers regarding the cart?
Wolfinger: “After a number of weeks of analysis and testing completely different buying carts, we discovered BV Commerce to be the most effective resolution from each a characteristic and worth perspective.”
Different BV Commerce Websites
- Pebble Seaside Resorts Store
- Yawkey Approach Retailer
- South Moon Below
