Weekly Update

ChannelAdvisor offers multi-channel online sales platform and recently releases "new" ideas about how to manage customer needs.  

NetSuite (retail, full-package ecommerce solution company) recently published news about it's multi-channel retail management suite. The company provides full-scale service solutions to retail companies and would likely be stiff competition to other companies looking to service ecommerce needs of large (more than 5 mill annually) companies doing business online. They have a list of customers and success stories on their website. They provide back-end and front-end services, and presumably are a SaaS company.  

netSpray innovative online sales platform brings together Internet marketers and online merchants to increase visibility and conversions is expected to announce the new design of their website. Word is the company has entered a new round of funding and will roll-out a new web design over the coming weeks. 

Internet Retailer (online trade magazine) provides an article this week detailing trends in e-commerce platforms. They highlight three main models: (1) SaaS or on-demand where vendor hosts the software being used; (2) hosted or managed model where customized technology is hosted by the vendor; (3) the licensed model where retailer licenses technology from the vendor, modifies it and supports it in-house. 

Using Forrester Research data IR points out, "  Core capabilities for retailers include managing product catalogs and content, customer data and orders, including shipping charges and taxes; search and browse capabilities; payment settlement; and reporting. " 

The article also provides a link to the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide  (<- a paid catelogue of the ? top 500 online retailer with case studies)