Cart of the Week: Modular Service provider

There are extra than 350 on-line purchasing carts. And every week we function one, interviewing each the cart’s developer and a buyer. “Cart of the Week” just isn’t a assessment or an analysis, however somewhat a possibility to study a purchasing cart from the individuals who construct it and use it.

This week, we’ll hear from Chuck Marier, CEO of Modular Service provider. He developed the Eugene, Ore.-based ecommerce resolution in 2001 for a single shopper. Immediately the Modular Service provider cart has roughly 300 lively consumer accounts.

We’ll additionally hear the views of Rozanne Paxman, CEO of Scrap Ladies, a longtime Modular Service provider consumer.

PeC: Please present some common background on the cart.

Chuck Marier

Marier: “In 2000, I used to be working for a sport developer, making web sites for video video games. In some ways it was a dream job, however I grew to become bored constructing web sites that simply sat there. I yearned to construct internet purposes that ‘did one thing.’

“In 2001, I left the air-conditioned company world to begin an internet design firm. The purchasing cart that might turn out to be Modular Service provider started as a challenge for one in every of our first purchasers who wanted an answer for securely promoting downloads. Then, one other shopper wanted it, adopted by one other and one other.

“Inside a yr, the corporate’s focus had turn out to be the Modular Service provider purchasing cart software program. The cart’s roots are in promoting downloads and subscription merchandise. Whereas these proceed to be the first niches we serve, we additionally present internet design and customized programming.

“Immediately, the cart consists of coupons, promotions, newsletters, autoresponders, upsell and cross-sell, an internet web page editor, and an associates program. And, we’ve simply introduced the upcoming launch of Modular Service provider model 4, which can include a whole salad bar of latest options.”

PeC: Is the cart hosted, licensed, or each?

Marier: “Hosted.”

PeC: How a lot does the cart price?

Marier: “There are a number of account plans, starting from a shared internet hosting setting beginning at $49 per 30 days, as much as devoted servers beginning at $689 per 30 days. The variations between our account plans are the internet hosting setting, disk area and bandwidth allowance. None of our plans have restrictions on the variety of merchandise, prospects or orders.

“We’re creating a price range plan to be priced below $20 per 30 days. The discharge is about to coincide with the discharge of model 4.”

PeC: What are the cart’s greatest strengths?

Marier: “Assist for promoting downloads and subscription merchandise are among the many cart’s main strengths. Customers can promote downloads of any measurement that may be hosted on a distant server, automate recurring billing, daisy-chain merchandise collectively, and extra. The cart has advanced to the purpose the place it’s versatile sufficient for use in methods we by no means imagined.”

PeC: What are a few of its weaknesses?

Marier: “For the reason that authentic focus was on digital merchandise, the shop’s assist for bodily merchandise has all the time been a bit restricted. There are transport instruments accessible, however they’re not as sturdy. Model 4 will flip this weak spot round into one of many cart’s strengths.”

PeC: Inform us extra about your plans for future cart growth.

Marier: “Model 4 is at the moment scheduled for launch within the second quarter of 2010. Along with enhancements to the transport instruments talked about above, the replace is scheduled to incorporate:

• Want lists;
• Present registry;
• Buyer loyalty factors;
• Buyer piggy financial institution [store credit];
• WYSIWYG [what you see is what you get] editor for each retailer message, web page and e mail;
• Choices to bundle and group merchandise collectively; and
• Provision of extra bandwidth to our purchasers at decreased costs.

“Additionally, we launch upkeep updates each three to 6 weeks. We put up our growth schedule within the retailer’s administration space so purchasers can see what we’re engaged on, and ask questions or make requests.”

PeC: How would your cart assist an ecommerce service provider, versus the cart she or he is utilizing now?

Marier: “For customers who’re comfy working with HTML code, the cart’s template system is a particular profit. It permits each web page of the cart (purchasing, checkout, and buyer account space) to be edited similar to modifying every other internet web page. We attempt to give the consumer full management over the design and conduct of the shop.

“For customers who don’t wish to hassle with internet design, we offer a library of pre-made templates and internet design providers.

“For customers who want a purchasing cart that may they will customise, Modular Service provider gives versatile choices for creating customized experiences, integrating with third-party methods, and modifying the purchasing expertise to satisfy their wants.

“And, for all customers, tech assist is barely a cellphone name away. We try to make our tech assist accessible and educated.”

PeC: Every other ideas for our readers, who’re ecommerce retailers?

Marier: “There isn’t a ‘one-size-fits-all’ purchasing cart resolution. A lot of our purchasers say, ‘Your cart is ideal; I simply want one little distinctive factor.’ Each enterprise mannequin differs. I inform customers to pick a purchasing cart that may adapt to their enterprise wants, as a result of the longer a enterprise sticks with an [inadequate] resolution, the harder it will likely be to uproot and transplant the enterprise to a better-suited resolution.

A Buyer’s View

Rozanne Paxman is the CEO of ScrapGirls.com, a Utah-based vendor of downloadable scrapbooking tutorials, graphics and on-line courses. Scrap Ladies has greater than 13,000 SKUs (product codes) and hosts a big and lively neighborhood of digital scrapbooking fanatics.

PeC: How lengthy has your organization been utilizing the Modular Service provider cart?

Rozanne Paxman

Paxman: “4-and-a-half years.”

PeC: What are the cart’s greatest strengths?

Paxman: “Its obtain module, subscription program, and safety. Additionally, [good] assist.

PeC: How might the cart enhance?

Paxman: “[By adding a] want listing, search engine enhancements, the power to construct present certificates, reductions and promotions any approach we want, and loyalty methods. I perceive that almost all (if not all) the options we want for are going to be included within the subsequent main launch [version 4]. ”

PeC: How would the Modular Service provider cart enhance one other service provider’s enterprise?

Paxman: “[With its] affordable charges, and versatile designing options.”

PeC: Do you intend on persevering with to make use of the cart?

Paxman: “Completely.”

PeC: Every other ideas for our readers regarding the cart?

Paxman: “I’ve in contrast execs and cons of Modular Service provider with the options of different carts through the years, and I’ve by no means discovered something that’s pretty much as good.”

Different Modular Service provider Clients

• The Gnomon Workshop
• theory11
• BandmateLoops
• RemixToolkit