AUSTRALIA’s Bigcommerce is to provide eBay Enterprise retailers with a smooth transition to its more powerful platform in time for the holiday season, with the Magento Go and ProStores services being discontinued on February 1, 2015.

Bigcommerce and Magento are have stressed they are committed to the future success of ProStores and Magento Go retailers. Magento is offering migration options that best suit the needs of each client, including migration to its Community and Enterprise Editions, and special migration offers to Bigcommerce. 

For clients best served outside of the Magento portfolio, Magento is recommending ProStores and Go retailers move their stores to Bigcommerce.

Magento and Bigcommerce have carefully coordinated the design of a migration program to ensure that ProStores and Go retailers can begin making preparations to migrate their stores well before the critical holiday season.

The program includes integration across sales, migration services, and client support, as well as exclusive offers on comparably priced packages.

“Magento is dedicated to helping fast-growing retailers succeed,” said Mark Lavelle, senior vice president of product and strategy at eBay Enterprise.

“We chose Bigcommerce to help with the transition because of their shared commitment to client success and their proven track record of migrating large groups of merchants onto their platform.

“Throughout this transition period, we will fully support both ProStores and Go, and clients will receive the same level of customer service they’ve come to expect.”

Bigcommerce has previously migrated more than 6,000 ProStores retailers onto its platform and has migrated an additional 6,000 stores from other platforms, giving it the industry’s deepest expertise in terms of in-house professional services and tools to help clients successfully relaunch their stores.

In addition, Bigcommerce’s client-centric culture, tight integration with PayPal and ability for clients to sell on eBay make it a natural choice as a Magento transition provider.
“We are prepared and excited to work with ProStores and Magento Go merchants to help them continue their success using the Bigcommerce platform,” said Bigcommerce CEO, Eddie Machalaani.

“We understand that the to-do list for small business owners is never ending, and our teams are standing by to deliver the very best migration and on-boarding experience so merchants can focus on growing their businesses.”

He said Bigcommerce offered a comprehensive e-commerce platform designed to help growing small and mid-sized businesses sell more. By expanding its product and engineering teams, Bigcommerce further demonstrated its commitment to creating the best platform for SMB merchants, including beautiful and optimised design templates, built-in SEO, mobile optimisation and easy integration with PayPal, Mr Machalaani said.

“Bigcommerce offers many free educational tools, support and professional services to ensure clients have everything they need to grow their businesses,” he said.

“New clients coming from Go and ProStores will join more than 50,000 companies currently on the Bigcommerce e-commerce platform.”

Current clients include established and emerging brands such as Grace and Lace, Josie Maran, Stupid Cancer, Gibson Guitars, and Schwinn. Bigcommerce has offices in Austin, San Francisco and Sydney.   

www.bigcommerce.com

www.ebayenterprise.com

www.magento.com

POSTED JULY 3, 2014.

SO-CALLED ‘big data’ company AdNear, which already has the largest location-based audience mobile marketing system in the Asia-Pacific region, was named one of the Top 10 start-ups in the 2014 TiE50 Awards Program’s mobile category in May.

Thousands of technology start-ups worldwide competed in TiE50 this year and AdNear, which is based in Singapore but has a regional office in Sydney that works with several major brands, proved to be one of the highlights.

“We are honoured to receive this prestigious award, which is a true testament to the impact our technology has on brands globally,” said AdNear CEO and founder, Anil Mathews. “AdNear is about connecting brands with consumers intelligently through mobile, an increasingly important marketing platform.” 

Silicon Valley’s TiEcon premier annual awards program aims to recognise the 50 hottest tech start-ups globally. Winners were announced on May 16 at what is billed as the world’s largest conference for entrepreneurs.

Mr Mathews said major brands like Audi, Coca Cola, Unilever, P&G, Google, Pizza Hut, Adidas, Vodafone, and Samsung were already using AdNear’s audience and location based mobile advertising solution to reach their customers and draw valuable insights about them in various geographies.

Mr Mathews described AdNear as a big data company that uses location data to drive superior targeting across mobile devices. Built on proprietary hybrid geo-location platform, AdNear’s advertising platform provides location awareness on phones without the need of GPS or operator assistance.

AdNear is headquartered in Singapore and has offices in the USA, India, Australia and Indonesia. The company is backed by investments from Canaan Partners and Sequoia Capital.

This year’s TiE50, the sixth in succession, was open to all technology companies worldwide. To determine the winner, a panel of experts screened the companies and created a list of the ‘2014 TiE50 Top Startups’.

This list was then reviewed by a screening committee of specialists in what they call ‘deep domain’ knowledge. About 100 of the best of breed companies were selected to the elite TiE50 finalist pool.

TiE50 organisers said this finalist pool was then judged by a panel of highly accomplished serial entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, angel investors, CEOs and well-rounded technology experts, to determine finalists and winners.

Companies were evaluated on three parameters: business model, IP value and leadership team.

“In the six short years since inception, the TiE 50 program has become a global brand that attracts thousands of companies worldwide for this recognition,” TiE Silicon Valley president Venktesh Shukla said.

“It is unique in terms of rigor of selection and the broad scope of companies that it reviews for this award and is one of TiE SiliconValley’s most successful programs.”

At TiEcon 2014, 20 of the top start-ups from each of the five segments – software, mobile, the ‘internet of things’, cleantech and life sciences – were chosen to pitch their ideas, and winners were announced on stage that evening.

“This year the TiE50 Awards Program screened more than 2800 companies from 27 countries,” program chair Ram K. Reddy said. “The finalist pool is represented by early through late stage companies.

“A star attraction of the conference is TiE50 Finalist presentations. Audiences are treated to great ideas and amazing technologies,” he said.

Mr Reddy said the TiE50 track record since its inception in May 2009 shows that 94 percent of the winners and finalists have been funded, attracting billions of dollars in investments. Many of these companies have been acquired, merged or gone public.

He said TiEcon is the world’s largest conference for entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs with loyal participation from top technology companies, leading venture capital firms, and global service providers.

TiEcon was listed by Worth Magazine in their September 2011 issue to be among the 10 Best Conferences for Ideas and Entrepreneurship along with TED and the World Economic Forum.

www.adnear.com

www.tie50.org

ends

POSTED MAY 22, 2014.

GETTING a product onto shelf in a retail store might become easier for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) suppliers with the development of a new online tool RANGEme, developed by a former Kellogg’s marketeer.

RANGEme is designed to make it more efficient to pitch consumer products to retail buyers across multiple retail channels such as grocery, pharmacies and convenience stores.

The system has been developed by 33-year-old marketing executive Nicky Jackson, who worked at Kellogg’s and Goodman Fielder, to allow suppliers to fill out only one product proposal and pitch it to hundreds of retail buyers relevant to their targeted channel and category.

The system, using an internet based portal, integrates key supplier information that buyers need into one form which is then is submitted in an instant to buyers across Australia.

Mrs Jackson said that meant no more pitching the same information over and over again to buyers “or the hassle of having to travel across Australia to find out that a buyer is not interested in your product”.

Mrs Jackson came up with the idea in the wake of her own issues and annoyance with the process when seeking to develop a range of baby skincare products. She decided to do something about it.

Mrs Jackson, believes the RANGEme platform will help revolutionise the outdated category review process.

“RANGEme is for savvy suppliers and buyers,” she said. “Some have already likened it to online dating for products. Suppliers load up products and buyers let them know if they’re interested. It’s that simple.”

Jamal Gebara, founder of City Convenience Stores which operates 180 stores in Sydney and Melbourne said, “We are open to viewing new and exciting products from local and international suppliers. We are excited to partner with RANGEme to facilitate this process.”

Sharon Thurin, director at Slim Secrets Snacks said, “I’m excited about using RANGEme to increase distribution in emerging sales channels such as convenience and food service. What a great idea.”

RANGEme is set up as a network of buyers and suppliers working together to deliver the best products for consumers, Mrs Jackson said.

“The online platform saves category buyers time, maximises efficiency and reliability for supplier proposals and increases the chances of getting products ranged sooner. This is all achieved by streamlining and condensing the time-consuming ranging process of the past.”

www.rangeme.com.au

ends

A KEY change in how the National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) is allowed to introduce new network technologies - part of the Federal Government's plan to speed up access to the NBN - has been accepted by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).  

The ACCC has accepted the varied Special Access Undertaking (SAU) lodged by NBN Co on November 19, replacing the undertaking submitted by NBN Co in December 2012. It now guides prices and other terms upon which NBN Co will supply services to telecommunications companies until 2040.

"The acceptance of this SAU is a key milestone in establishing regulatory arrangements for the NBN," ACCC chairman Rod Sims said. "It is part of a broader set of regulatory and structural reforms that have occurred across the industry in recent years.

"The SAU will form the basis for how NBN Co can set its prices and change its product offerings over time. It will also form the basis for ACCC oversight of NBN Co's allowable revenues and prices."

What the SAU does is offer a ‘modular' structure that allows for different matters to be ‘locked in' for different periods of time. Mr Sims said this meant a balance could be struck between providing certainty about long term cost recovery and allowing for flexibility to respond to changing circumstances.

The SAU also allows a set of initial prices that are likely to allow for a smooth transition to the NBN from existing telecommunications networks without significant price shocks.

There are also price controls that prevent NBN Co from raising prices for any of its products by more than 1.5 percent of the Consumer Price Index (CPI)  in any year, which should help to provide significant price certainty and create incentives for NBN Co to operate and invest efficiently.

The SAU also provides pricing mechanisms that allow the ACCC to rebalance NBN Co's prices in a revenue neutral manner over the SAU term and to determine prices for new products introduced over the SAU term. Mr Sims said this meant prices could be adjusted in light of changing circumstances, which should promote the efficient use of the NBN.

ACCC also has oversight on the withdrawal of products and protections against NBN Co making variations to an existing product that reduces the functionality, performance or features of the product.

The agreement also provides an explicit role for the ACCC to determine NBN Co's allowable revenues until 2040. This feature is aimed at providing NBN Co with the opportunity, subject to efficient investment and adequate demand for its services, to earn a reasonable return on its investment and provide incentives to innovate and invest to offer improved services and capacity over time in response to customer demand.

The SAU also contains a limited number of non-price terms and conditions, expected to facilitate effective commercial negotiations on matters such as service levels.

NBN Co's head of Regulatory Affairs and Industry Analysis, Caroline Lovell said NBN Co welcomed the certainty provided by the ACCC's decision.

"Having an accepted SAU in place establishes a baseline from which future regulatory decisions can be made," Ms Lovell said. "It also provides a settled basis for finalising the next set of commercial arrangements with our customers.

"While the SAU was developed in the context of previous government policy, NBN Co considers - and the ACCC acknowledges - that the SAU should be flexible enough to be varied to respond to future technology changes that may be required.

"The process has taken some time, but it was important to make sure the SAU delivered a workable approach that would serve the needs of all parties, including consumers, over an extended period."

The decision to accept NBN Co's SAU follows two years of extensive consultation and assessment by the ACCC. In April this year, the ACCC released a draft decision indicating that the SAU submitted by NBN Co in December 2012 did not meet the relevant criteria for acceptance.

The ACCC then consulted on a draft notice to vary in July on the detailed changes required to address the ACCC's concerns. The ACCC gave its final notice to vary to NBN Co in October 2013.

This process followed the submission and withdrawal of two previous undertakings dating back to December 2011.

"This is a vastly different SAU than the version first submitted by NBN Co two years ago. Through the changes the ACCC requested and NBN Co has made, it is now a much more balanced instrument," Mr Sims said.

The acceptance of the SAU by the ACCC provides the broad regulatory framework to facilitate effective engagement between NBN Co and access seekers to negotiate commercial agreements. The ACCC understands that a Wholesale Broadband Agreement (WBA) is currently under negotiation in the expectation of the SAU being accepted by the ACCC.

The ACCC recognises that there is some uncertainty around the NBN, especially in light of the upcoming reviews of the NBN. While this may have implications for the SAU, most of the commitments in the SAU are technology neutral and will apply even with a significant change in network design.

"If, however, NBN Co wishes to vary the undertaking in the future in light of any new directions from the government, this can be accommodated," Mr Sims said.

NBN Co may also withdraw the SAU at any time, by giving 12 months' notice.

The SAU and the ACCC's final decision are available on the ACCC website.

www.nbnco.com.au

ends