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Going Global: THE ECOMMERCEECOSYSTEM IN EUROPE
Analyzing the top 3rd-partysolution providers in the Europeanecommerce market.
| whitepaper
| - The Ecommerce Ecosystem in EuropeINTRODUCTION 1
INTRODUCTION
The goal of this research-based white paper is to take an unbiased look at the major players
and examine the different features, functionality and service levels offered by each. The
method from which our results were derived is explained in the first sections of this white
paper. We hope that this white paper will serve as a reference for ecommerce professionals
across Europe so they are able to take an accurate look at the latest technologies being
offered and make more informed business decisions. This is the first in a series that will cover
all of the continents.
www.osf-global.com
The European ecommerce industry is one of the fastest growing in the world.With a fast-expanding network of 3rd-party software solution vendors, it hasbecome difficult for many businesses to determine which platforms will fit intotheir existing system.
METHODOLOGY
CLASSIFICATION CRITERIA
TERMINOLOGY
ANALYSIS
CONCLUSION
Table of Contents
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2
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5
METHODOLOGY
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IMPORTANT!
Products and solutions with the N/A classification did not have information available for numerical rankings.
This white paper was created with the goal of presenting a classification of the top 3rd-party
ecommerce solution providers specific to the European market. In this scope, OSF evaluated
the providers and their solutions/products against a general set of criteria that are described
below. We determined the most important factors, such as SLA agreements, security, and
integration capability, and ranked each provider using a number scale. Then, each provider
was given an overall score by taking the mean of their scores for each section. The results are
discussed in more detail in the Conclusion section.
Research was performed by the ecommerce market experts at OSF Global Services, and the
results were determined using a mathematical formula. By adhering to a numbers-based
approach we are able to provide an accurate analysis without the influence of marketing or
sales materials, giving decision-makers the insights they need to select a provider.
| - The Ecommerce Ecosystem in Europe METHODOLOGY
CLASSIFICATION CRITERIA 1| SLA | Evaluates whether or not the provider offers a Service Level Agreement (SLA).
| Weight: ❷
| Ranking: NO – point / YES – points1 5
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
2| API | Evaluates whether or not the provider has an Application Programming Interface (API).
| Weight: ❸
| Ranking: NO – point / YES – points1 5
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
3| Integration Support & Documentation | Evaluates whether or not the provider offers support, a dedicated support team and
documentation during the development phase. Support can refer to any process
aiming to assist during that phase. Documentation can refer to API documentation or
any other technical/non-technical resources that clearly describe solution/product
components and features, flows and processes, testing and any other resources
required for integration.
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| Weight: ❸
| Ranking: - Preliminary support, to review and discuss the integration plan, or
requirements and technical support during integration – point1
- API documentation instructions – helpful documentation integration
advice and resources – point1
- Test data/accounts or development sandbox – point1
- At least one pre-built integration (cartridge/extension) for an
ecommerce platform – point1
- Case Studies / Developers Wiki / Blog – point1
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
4| Post Production Support | Evaluates whether or not the provider has an IT support process in place after the
integration has been concluded.
| Weight: ❸
| Ranking: - Dedicated support team/person – points1,25
- Maintenance capabilities – points1,25
- Portal for customer support – points1,25
- Ticketing system for customers – points1,25
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
5| 24/7 Emergency Support | Evaluates the possibility to contact a support team/person in a very short period of
time.
| Weight: ❸
| Ranking: - Phone support 24/7 – point1
- Live chat support 24/7 – point1
- Email support 24/7 – point1
- Onsite support – point1
- Remote support – point1
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
6| Security | Evaluates whether or not the provider has in place security practices that ensure its
trustworthiness. This can refer to (but is not limited to) ensuring the security and
integrity of all sensitive data, encryptions, storage, audits & certificates, privacy practices
etc.
| Weight: ❷
| Ranking: - Data encryption – point (to ensure data transit there should exist a 1
secure tunnel protected by an encryption protocol/scheme)
- Data storage – point (the data that is sent and stored should be 1
encrypted)
- Industry certificates – point (the 3rd-party provider should own an 1
industry certificate, i.e. PCI DSS certified)
- Privacy Policy/Terms and Conditions – point (evaluates how the 1
collected information is used and that the collected data is not provided
to 3rd parties without authorization)
- Data backup & restoring – point1
| - The Ecommerce Ecosystem in Europe CLASSIFICATION CRITERIA
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7| Deployment | Evaluates the options that the vendor offers concerning the solution deployment
(whether or not the provider has in-house or system integration partners).
| Weight: ❶
| Ranking: - In-house Development Services +
System Integration Partner(s) – points5
- In-house Development Services only – points3
- System Integration Partner(s) only – point1
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
| - The Ecommerce Ecosystem in Europe TERMINOLOGY
TERMINOLOGYOrder Management Systems (OMS) - Order Management Systems are used to
manage and organize received orders, monitor inventory levels, and communicate with the
customer through the different stages of the purchasing cycle. OMS's can also organize orders
by customers and priority, reserve inventory in the warehouse system and generate expected
delivery dates.
Email Marketing Platforms - How do you stay in touch with your customers if you
have thousands, or millions, of them? Email marketing platforms offer businesses the ability to
easily and automatically send order confirmations, shipping notices and targeted promotions
to individual customers or custom-built lists of customers. The most popular email marketing
platforms integrate directly with your ecommerce platform and/or Customer Relationship
Management (CRM) system so there is a seamless flow of customer data and detailed
campaign reports.
Ratings/Reviews Platforms - Ratings & Reviews platforms have become an industry
standard for ecommerce websites. Some of the first things a prospective customer looks for
when researching a product or service are reviews from people who have already used that
product or service. Integrating a Ratings & Reviews platform into product pages helps
customers make informed purchasing decisions—reducing returns, improving conversions and
strengthening your brand.
Fulfillment Services - 3rd-party fulfillment service providers specialize in warehousing,
shipping and returns for retailers that do not have the resources or capability to do so in-
house. Fulfillment partners have steadily emerged alongside the ecommerce industry as more
businesses are realizing the benefits of outsourcing what can be a very complex and expensive
process.
Payment Gateways - Payment Gateways act as a digital point of sale system for retailers,
integrating directly with ecommerce platforms other back-end systems. The main functionality
of a payment gateway is to verify and authorize credit card transactions through secure,
encrypted exchanges.
5| - The Ecommerce Ecosystem in Europe ANALYSIS
ANALYSIS
▪ Ratings|Bazaarvoice |eKomi |Listrak |PowerReviews |Shopzilla
▪ Email Marketing|eXact target |Bronto |eCircle (Teradata) |Listrak |SailThru
▪ Order Management Systems |Edge |Micros |NetSuite OMX |Order Dynamics |Shopatron
SLA ❶
API ❸
Integration Support& Documentation
Post ProductionSupport
❸
Security ❷
Deployment ❶
❸
❸
24/7 EmergencySupport
5
5
2
1
3
4
4
5
5
3
4
3
N/A
5
5
5
5
4
3
5
5
5
5
5
5
3
4
5
5
5
5
3
3
5
5
SLA ❶
API ❸
Integration Support& Documentation
Post ProductionSupport
❸
Security ❷
Deployment ❶
❸
❸
24/7 EmergencySupport
5
5
5
4
3
5
5
5
5
5
5
3
4
5
5
5
2
3
3
4
5
5
5
3
4
3
4
1
5
5
5
5
3
4
5
SLA ❶
API ❸
Integration Support& Documentation
Post ProductionSupport
❸
Security ❷
Deployment ❶
❸
❸
24/7 EmergencySupport
5
5
4
2
3
4
5
N/A
5
3
2
3
N/A
4
N/A
5
N/A
N/A
3
4
4
5
5
2
3
3
4
5
N/A
5
4
2
N/A
4
N/A
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▪ Ful�llment Services|FiftyOne |Bongo International |International Checkout |TradeGlobal (Filltek) |Borderfree
SLA ❶
API ❸
Integration Support& Documentation
Post ProductionSupport
❸
Security ❷
Deployment ❶
❸
❸
24/7 EmergencySupport
5
5
N/A
2
3
4
N/A
5
5
3
2
3
5
5
5
5
N/A
3
N/A
3
5
5
5
4
4
3
N/A
4
5
5
N/A
2
3
4
N/A
▪ Payment|Cybersource |Ingenico (Ogone) |Adyen |Worldpay |OptimalPayments
SLA ❶
API ❸
Integration Support& Documentation
Post ProductionSupport
❸
Security ❷
Deployment ❶
❸
❸
24/7 EmergencySupport
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
7
CONCLUSION
| - The Ecommerce Ecosystem in Europe CONCLUSION
Shopatron
Based on the results of the analysis, we are able to draw the followingconclusions about the 3rd-party ecommerce provider networkin Europe:
▪ Order Management Systems
Order Dynamics
4.25
4.50
4.44
3.44
3.13
Netsuite OMX
Micros
Edge
While SLA and API were strong on all accounts, the
order management systems section had among all
categories the lowest performing
solution—Edge—in Integration Support &
Documentation and Post Production Support.
This is not however indicative of overall poor
performance among OMS solutions, rather a stark
disparity in products on the marketplace. 100% of
the remaining ratings for all products were in the 3-5
range, with NetSuite OMX and Order Dynamics
boasting the highest ratings, with mostly 5 across the
board.
▪ Email Marketing Platforms
SailThru
Listrak
3.69
3.56
4.50
4.50
3.94
eCircle
Bronto
eXact Target
Email marketing platforms in the study had
comparative performance ratings across the board,
barring a few exceptions. In SLA, API and 24/7
Emergency Support, the products were identical.
The most substantial variations are found in
Integration Support & Documentation and Post
Production Support, with Listrak ranking the lowest
on both accounts.
eCircle (Teradata) and Bronto ranked the highest
above all on average, with 5's in all categories except
in 24/7 Emergency Support (3's) and Security (4's).
Shopzilla
▪ Ratings & Review Platforms
PowerReviews
2.56
1.63
3.56
2.69
3.75
Listrak
eKomi
Bazaarvoice
The ratings & reviews platforms had dramatic
variations in performance, with key advantages and
disadvantages prompting careful consideration of
one's business goals before choosing a solution.
The clear winners are Listrak and Bazaarvoice, but
for different reasons. Bazaarvoice has weaknesses in
Post Production Support, where Listrak's lies in
Integration Support & Documentation.
For the remaining products, one should take note of
cases in which no information was found before
making a decision about selection.
▪ Ful�llment Platforms
Borderfree
TradeGlobal
2.69
3.56
2.50
3.69
2.69
Inter.
Checkout
Bongo
International
FiftyOne
Worldplay
▪ Payment Gateways
Ayden
5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00
5.00
Payone
Ingenico
Cybersource
The payment gateways section was the best-
performing of them all. As the results show, all of the
providers scored 5's across the board. This can be
deceptive, though, as not all platforms are really the
same.
While the five providers we examined offer similar
levels of features, service and security, there will
undoubtedly be nuances that only you can uncover
by looking at your business needs and challenges.
The study's fulfillment platforms are most notably
different because of varying availability of information
about their features. With this in mind, consider your
need for Integration Support & Documentation, 24/7
Emergency Support, Security and Deployment before
making a decision.
By ranking alone, Bongo International and
TradeGlobal are the clear winners, with Bongo
International's strengths in Security and Deployment,
TradeGlobal's in Integration Support &
Documentation and Post Production Support. A highly
refined understanding of your business needs is
necessary, in this case.
Thank Youfor Reading!For more valuable insights, access our entire library.
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services, please check out our website:
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9
On-demand ecommerce platforms accommodate the extensive customization and integration
required to deliver an engaging and pleasant online shopping experience. That means retailers
can opt to integrate many applications and 3rd-party platforms to enhance their websites,
using dozens of different kinds of software. In addition to the major categories analyzed in this
white paper, there are many other categories to consider when building-out or improving your
ecommerce solution.
All trademarks and trade names mentioned herein are the properties of their respective holders and hereby acknowledged.
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