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Pitney Bowes / Morning Consult Survey: Black Friday, Cyber Monday Finds Favor Among Young Adults

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November 29, 2019

Pitney Bowes / Morning Consult Survey: Black Friday, Cyber Monday Finds Favor Among Young Adults

Young Adults Start and Complete Holiday Shopping Earlier Than Their Parents.

Pitney Bowes , a global technology company that provides commerce solutions in the areas of ecommerce, shipping, mailing, data and financial services released new survey results on holiday shopping behaviors leading up to Cyber Weekend (Black Friday / Cyber Monday).

A Pitney Bowes / Morning Consult survey of 2,200 US residents found that younger generations are more likely to participate in Cyber Weekend sales than older generations and also tend to start and complete their holiday shopping earlier. Among holiday shoppers:

Younger generations are shopping earlier than last year, with 33% of Generation Z (age 18-22) and 23% of Millennials (age 23-38) shopping earlier, compared to 20% of Generation X (age 39-54) and 16% of Baby Boomers (age 55-73).

Sixty-five percent of Gen Z and Millennial holiday shoppers say they will participate in Cyber Weekend sales, compared with 58% of Gen X and Baby Boomers.

Twenty-one percent of Gen Z will do all of their holiday shopping on Cyber Weekend, versus 12% of Millennials, 8% of Gen X and 3% of Baby Boomers.

Nearly a quarter (23%) of all holiday shoppers, including 37% of Gen Z and 28% of Millennials, say the will have completed their 2019 holiday shopping by Monday night.

“Black Friday isn’t just a 24-hour period anymore, it’s a season,” said Lila Snyder, EVP and President, Commerce Services at Pitney Bowes. “Retailers are offering deals earlier than ever, and many shoppers, particularly young shoppers, are leveraging those deals to finish their holiday shopping with a full month to spare before Christmas.

“This survey also reveals that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are great opportunities to make lasting brand impressions on young adults,” said Snyder. “To attract and keep these consumers, retailers must deliver a first rate post-purchase experience, including a compelling free shipping offer, accurate tracking, and free and easy returns. Above all, they must keep their commitments.”

Earlier this month, Pitney Bowes released the findings of its 2019 Online Shopping Study which underscored Snyder’s point. Among the Study’s key findings: 60% of online shoppers in the US are dissatisfied with their holiday shopping experiences, up four percentage points from last year, and nearly double the number from just four years ago. The top three reasons for consumer frustration are: delayed shipments; shipping costs; and inaccurate tracking. What’s more, nearly nine out of 10 consumers said that they will make a complaint or take an action that could hurt a brand’s reputation and bottom line following a bad post-purchase experience. Among them, nearly one-third said a bad post-purchase experience is cause for never shopping with the offending brand again.

The Pitney Bowes / Morning Consult poll was conducted between November 22-November 24, 2019 among a national sample of 2,200 Adults. The interviews were conducted online and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of Adults based on age, educational attainment, gender, race, and region. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points.

Methodology for Pitney Bowes Online Shopping Study 2019: the Pitney Bowes Online Shopping Study 2019 is based on survey results of more than 8,000 consumers globally, including more than 3,000 US consumers, ages 18 and up.

Write in to rnair@itechseries.com and psen@martechseries.com to learn more about our exclusive editorial packages and programs.

eZCom Provides Made4net WMS With API-based EDI and TMS Functionality

STS News Desk

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November 29, 2019

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eZCom Provides Made4net WMS With API-based EDI and TMS Functionality

EDI and online order management provider eZCom Software now integrates its Lingo software with Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), creating greater efficiency throughout the supply chain.

The integration services offered by eZCom are tested and proven. Recently, Made4net, a leading global provider of Warehouse Management Software, integrated their WMS with the Lingo application from eZCom. The two companies share a client, home furnishings provider Levtex Home.

“Creating the many different branded labels and packing slips can be challenging and time-consuming, especially since every retailer has unique specifications” remarked Amit Levy, Managing Director of Made4net. “Working with the team at eZCom, we were able to build an API that simplifies the process because error-free packing slips and shipping labels are generated for us.”

Post-integration, Made4net can focus on its warehouse operations, since eZCom is ensuring compliance with the EDI standards of each retailer. Retailer-branded packing slips, along with FedEx, UPS, and Amazon shipping labels, are automatically provided over the API. The collaboration between the two companies has translated into valuable supply chain efficiency for mutual client Levtex Home.

“Companies turn to us for EDI and order management, but our team understands the importance of integrating Lingo with other systems,” noted Carol Weidner, CEO of eZCom. “Making our application work seamlessly with any WMS reduces warehouse workload while ensuring brands stay compliant with retailer standards.”

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Web Development New York Agency, Huemor, Explains Four Ways to Stimulate Ecommerce Revenue

STS News Desk

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November 29, 2019

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Web Development New York Agency, Huemor, Explains Four Ways to Stimulate Ecommerce Revenue

The internet is ripe with millions of customers and billions of dollars in revenue opportunities. However, the process of making sales and/or increasing sales can be arduous, especially in ecommerce. In the online business world, brands are competing with dozens or hundreds of similarly oriented websites in the ecommerce space. How can your ecommerce brand stand out from the crowd and gain traffic that leads to more conversions? Web development New York agency, Huemor, explains four ways to stimulate ecommerce revenue for your business down below.

Perfect the product page: Think of your homepage like the front door and your product page like the living room. While a great homepage gets leads in the door, it’s the content that decides if they stay or not. Perfecting the design and functionality of your product page is an essential part of guaranteeing more online sales. Think about the layout of your product page, the images that appear, the words you use, and the action button placement. There’s a lot that goes into crafting a successful product page and you need to consider all of it if you want to see considerable changes in your sales metrics.
Create clickable content: Content marketing is at the forefront of digital marketing these days, and if your brand isn’t taking advantage of your content channels, then you’re falling behind. Social media allows brands to produce and promote carefully curated content; Huemor content that your brand can use to promote products, seasonal trends, customer product experiences, and educational lifestyle materials. Crafting a brand image begins with finding a voice and content is the perfect way to show that voice to your customers. Interesting and engaging content will promote customer trust and lead to overall higher traffic and conversions.

Utilize your users: One of the most powerful tools in establishing customer trust is social proof. Your frequent shoppers are probably not only your biggest revenue stream, but also your greatest allies. Encouraging customers to post on social media with your products and review them on your website will establish a foundation of trust for new customers to see. Potential buyers want to see customer photos, verified reviews, product ratings, non-sponsored social media posts, and even live updates of what’s being viewed and what’s selling out. Social proof is like free advertising, but it’s just your customers letting new leads know that your products are worth their money and trust.
Make it Mobile: Huemor customers than ever are doing their shopping on their mobile phones. If your website is faulty or downright not functional on mobile phones, then you might as well be throwing money out the window. Mobile shopping is the store of the future, and people want to be able to browse and complete their purchase in as limited clicks as possible. Ensuring your mobile store is not only functional, but also provides a remarkable mobile UX will boost your mobile presence and increase your brand’s overall ecommerce sales.

There are a variety of ways your brand can increase its ecommerce revenue. Take advantage of the opportunity for improvement to assess what your company is doing now and what it can do better tomorrow for more sales.

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Shorr Packaging Releases The 2019 Package Theft Report, Finds Porch Pirates Are Still Prevalent but Consumers Are Taking Action

STS News Desk

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November 29, 2019

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Shorr Packaging Releases The 2019 Package Theft Report, Finds Porch Pirates Are Still Prevalent but Consumers Are Taking Action

The Update from Shorr’s 2017 Package Theft Report Shows a 7% Decrease in Respondents Who Experienced Package Theft

As holiday shopping season ramps up, Shorr Packaging Corp. (“Shorr”) has released the 2019 Package Theft Report that uses data from a survey of 1,052 online shoppers in the US to better understand the evolving nature of eCommerce purchasing habits, experiences with package theft and the actions online shoppers take to deter porch pirates.

The 2019 Package Theft Report is a follow up to Shorr’s “2017 Package Theft Report: Porch Pirates, Purchase Habits, and Privacy” and “2018 Package Theft Analysis: Amazon Package Theft in Major US Cities”. The report further establishes Shorr’s dedication to providing a unique and impactful viewpoint into package theft and what retailers and consumers alike can do to help prevent it.

Among the many notable findings in the report, nearly 1 in 4 online shoppers (24%) had personally experienced package theft, a 7% decrease compared to the 31% of self-reported package theft victims in our 2017 Package Theft report. Of the package theft victims that were surveyed, 41% had purchased a video doorbell to deter package thieves.

Additionally, 58% of respondents who experienced package theft first-hand indicated that they plan on changing their online purchasing habits around the holidays to avoid being package theft victims again.

“Shorr Packaging is proud to share the results on our annual research on package theft,” said Bill Bonaccorsi, Shorr’s VP of Marketing and Business Development. “It’s validating to see the level of interest this report receives knowing that Shorr is providing a resource that is not only informing but influencing.”

“Among several interesting data points in this report is the high percentage of respondents (52%) that suggest delivery companies are not doing enough to prevent package theft. Shorr correlates this concern with the increased attention our retail, e-commerce and CPG customers are dedicating to developing packaging solutions that provide a strong brand impact but are less prone to theft and damage,” stated Bill.

As consumers turn to online retailers to fulfill their holiday shopping lists and face the risk of porch piracy, Shorr urges retailers to take notice and develop packaging solutions that can help their products seamlessly reach the end-customer.

Shorr Packaging Corp. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest independent distributors of packaging materials and equipment. Headquartered in Aurora, Illinois, Shorr Packaging is a 100% employee-owned company specializing in comprehensive packaging solutions for businesses of any size and industry. Shorr represents automated equipment lines from industry leaders such as 3M, Lantech, Combi, Sealed Air and Wexxar/BEL that utilize state-of-the-art technology to streamline the entire packaging process. Shorr’s wide selection of packaging and shipping supplies includes corrugated products, carton closure, pallet unitization products, protective packaging and flexible packaging, plus extensive capabilities in customized corrugated design.

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3radical Extends the Power of Voco With New Content Hosting Interface

STS News Desk

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November 29, 2019

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3radical Extends the Power of Voco With New Content Hosting Interface

Enables Third Parties to Integrate Their Own Interactive Digital Mechanics into Voco’s Audience Engagement Capabilities

3radical, developer of the Voco audience engagement platform, is launching its Content Hosting Interface, enabling its customers and third-party agencies to develop and integrate their own interactive digital mechanics into the Voco platform. This new capability, which is available immediately on Voco instances worldwide, is part of 3radical’s commitment to creating an open and flexible platform that seamlessly integrates with other digital marketing technologies and content providers to ensure 3radical customers consistently maximise the value of their investment.

The Voco platform currently includes over 50 existing customisable mechanisms that can be used to create mutually rewarding relationships with audiences. These capabilities include a range of brandable games, quizzes and surveys as well as activities that encourage audiences to view, download and share content socially. Voco also includes additional content orchestration features, such as; progress journeys and achievements walls, that enable audience members to visualise progress through a series of tasks, further helping to drive repeat engagement over time.

Users of the new Content Hosting Interface will be able to import their newly created modules into Voco, where they become available as additional configurable ‘tactics’ that can be selected and used alongside Voco’s existing functionality to build out compelling interactive experiences. Imported tactics will work in the same way as existing Voco capabilities, with business users able to trigger the release of rewards and content in return for engagement with the new features.

David Eldridge, CEO at 3radical, said; “The introduction of the Content Hosting Interface represents a quantum leap forward in our ability to enable customers to rapidly add new and differentiated methods of engaging with audiences. We are very much looking forward to building a network of independent developers, agencies and brands to start using this feature to create innovative new content that will complement Voco’s existing core capabilities.”

3radical allows individuals to interact with organisations on their own terms. Voco’s real-time decisioning engine is able to combine game science theory, data accumulated from billions of interactions, and real-time self-reported data, resulting in the optimum blend of interactive content, rewards incentives and channel for each engagement. The self-reported data is willingly and transparently provided in return for a value exchange, and can be used to improve the relationship of the individual with the organisation across all channels, and by informing product and service development.

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Top 5 SalesTech Trends for 2020

Abhishek Upadhyay

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November 29, 2019

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Buying behaviors have changed drastically over the last few years. The traditional tactics of Sales do not come in handy every time. Sales professionals are presented with new challenges on a daily basis.

By this time, organizations have already understood the need for offering personalized services/products. It’s good to observe that many companies have realized the importance of investing in Customer Success and are taking active steps towards it.

But what does the future hold? What will be the face of SalesTech in 2020? This Primer has the answers!

Top 5 SalesTech Trends for 2020

1. AR and VR Will Be at the Forefront

Nowadays, a lot of property-listing sites are utilizing Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality to provide customers with the first-hand experience of the properties right from the comfort of their homes. By enabling customers to visit the properties without getting off their couches, they add to the customer experience and save a lot of commute time.

Recently, Toyota came up with its Augmented Reality shopping experience. It enabled users from across geographies to check out the exteriors of 10 different car models, without even downloading the app. This was made possible by using transformative 3D and AR technology, wherein the customers had the option to see the most important features of those cars.

AR will be highly beneficial in curbing the rate of product returns. The average return rate is 25% at this moment and retailers feel this affects their overall functioning negatively. Allowing the customers to experience the product in AR will make sure customers understand the products better before buying.

Providing Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality experiences will be a major requisite in 2020.

Read Also: Why Is Sales Enablement Important?

2. AI and Analytics to the Rescue

No industry is devoid of the touch of Artificial Intelligence today. Advanced AI and Analytics even form part of the Gartner Hype Cycle, 2019. SalesTech is no exception to the movement. Chatbots, in particular, are helping Sales professionals establish a primary level of communication with prospects and customers. Advanced Analytics continues to impact major business decisions. 25% of the Sales leaders agree that chatbot is a key differentiator in their Sales processes.

In the upcoming years, AI-powered chatbots will become the faces of Sales departments and engage with customers on an introductory level – answering their queries, registering complaints, etc. Sales teams and customer service departments may take the conversation further ahead from there.

Digital Assistants will have a significant role to play in the near future of Sales. With a Sales professional in the form of a chatbot available 24X7 on the website, visitors will get instant answers and make decisions faster. AI can help brings more qualified leads to the funnel and help organizations with their lead prospecting and lead tracking efforts. Voice search is an emerging trend and companies not optimizing their UI and UX in compliance, will sadly fall behind.

3. CRM Will Be a Necessity, Not a Luxury

Every company, big or small, has leads, prospects, and customers. An age-old method of keeping track of leads and opportunities was recording the interactions in spreadsheets. But we all know that’s not the most efficient way to streamline the Sales process. Imagine the time and efforts lost in the process, and hence the revenue lost as a result.

Organizations of all sizes need to make use of CRM to modernize their customer relationship initiatives. CRM has the ability to take care of numerous activities that include Account Management, Lead Tracking, E-mail Tracking, Contact Management, Sales Reporting, and a lot more. Furthermore, CRM systems of today are also mobile in nature. This enables Sales teams to work on the go, irrespective of their locations and time-zones.

There are various types of CRM software available to serve the needs of companies of all scales. Salesforce CRM, HubSpot CRM, Zoho CRM, Nimble, Freshsales are some of the renowned CRMs out there.

Read Also: Role Of CRM In Retail Environment

4. Communication Will Continue Being the Key

In a world where every business decision has to be taken based on Data Analytics and insights, the role of channeled communication is also crucial. With a variety of intelligent data available at the fingertips, how to make the best use of it is a point to ponder.

Companies worldwide are collecting data every second to make informed decisions. But they struggle with analyzing available data and deriving conclusions out of those.

Most of these companies fail while communicating the data effectively between departments. Due to the lack of a proper communication channel, divisions within companies don’t know how much data is available internally.

Marketing and Sales teams form the backbone of any organization and clear communication between them is a must. In order to make the best use of available information, it is mandatory that Marketing and Sales teams communicate better and beef up the final numbers. Putting data at the center of Marketing and Sales decisions had proven to improve Marketing ROI by a lot. The trend will continue being a major game-changer in the days to come.

5. Focus on Gen Z

With an attention span of 8 seconds, Generation Z that is expected to form 40% of all customers by 2020 has got quite some influence. And this could swing both ways. Any organization that is not catering to their specific requirements and is not “digital” enough for them, will be left wondering what went wrong.

Compared to Millennials who are inclined towards tech and are collaborative in their approach, the next-gen is quite different. Gen Z is tech-savvy and takes privacy and security concerns more seriously. They have a sense of competition amongst themselves and have different shopping behaviors.

Companies have already started shifting their focus to this generation that possesses a buying power of $44 billion. The figures move up to $600 billion if you consider the influence they exercise on the spending behaviors of their parents. Sellers of the future will need to lay special emphasis on the demands and preferences of Gen Z if they have to succeed in selling to them.

SalesTech in 2020 will be an answer to the changing consumer behaviors globally. Companies in the run will have to employ a blend of the latest in technology and human touch to win it all. Data, AI, and of course, the consumers will be the major drivers.

Read Also: What Is Lead Tracking?

noHold Announces Sales Companion, the Virtual Assistant that Empowers Sales Teams to Increase Revenue and Reduce Sales Cycles

STS News Desk

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November 28, 2019

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noHold Announces Sales Companion, the Virtual Assistant that Empowers Sales Teams to Increase Revenue and Reduce Sales Cycles

noHold is proud to announce its latest Virtual Assistant offering, the Sales Companion. Sales Companion is powered by noHold’s patented Artificial Intelligence platform, SICURA and designed to help three different personas: The sales person, the sales manager, and the sales operations manager.

There are multiple advantages to the Sales Companion for the sales person. One is the ability to search for product information quickly, and easily forward that information on to prospects. This is not only convenient for the sales person, but it also improves the accuracy and consistency of the information being delivered to various prospects. Sales people can also leverage the Sales Companion to easily find arguments to handle objections, highlight competitive differentiators, search complex product catalogs, get assistance with the sales process itself, and find messaging templates.

Sales Managers also benefit from the Sales Companion Virtual Assistant by being able to communicate important messages to the team and encourage them to achieve their goals. It also helps them make better use of material and techniques developed by marketing, and through metrics, managers can systematically capture what is most critical for their team.

For the Sales Operations Managers, the Sales Companion can be easily built and maintained because the Virtual Assistant is based on Artificial Intelligence developed by ingesting a single document to the noHold SICURA QuickStart platform; no programming skills necessary.

noHold is a privately held company established in 1999 and is headquartered in Milpitas, CA, USA (Silicon Valley). noHold is the acknowledged leader in Web based Self-service solutions with a mission to deliver real answers to real questions – real fast. Simple to use, easy to implement and as close to human as you can get, noHold turns automated customer support into cognitive customer interactions. noHold customers include Cisco, Dell, McAfee and a host of industry leaders.

Write in to rnair@itechseries.com and psen@martechseries.com to learn more about our exclusive editorial packages and programs.

Vonage Expands Channel Program Internationally, Names Industry Leader Adam Wilson UK Channel Lead

STS News Desk

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November 28, 2019

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Vonage Expands Channel Program Internationally, Names Industry Leader Adam Wilson UK Channel Lead

Company to Launch UK Channel Program at Channel Partners Evolution Europe Event

Vonage, a global business cloud communications leader, is launching its award-winning Channel Program in the UK and has appointed industry leader Adam Wilson as UK Channel Lead, effective immediately. Mr. Wilson reports directly to Mario DeRiggi, SVP Channel Sales and Business Development.

Vonage has been a leader through nearly 20 years of constant change and disruption in the technology space, and opened its first office in the UK more than a decade ago. Today, Vonage has more than 500 employees in the UK, with offices in London and Basingstoke.

Over the past three years, Vonage has built the world’s most flexible cloud communications platform, designed to serve the collaboration, communications and experience needs of global businesses. This single platform, One Vonage approach enables the Company to deliver unique unified communications, contact center and communications APIs to help companies around the world transform the way they engage with their customers and employees. With Vonage, partners have the power to make communications more flexible, intelligent and personal to meet their customers’ demands.

Vonage’s Partner Network is designed to meet the evolving needs of both channel partners and the enterprises they serve. The Company is not only committed to delivering world-class customer experience, but is laser focused on delivering a superior and differentiated partner experience, as well. To help partners grow their businesses and expand their revenue potential, Vonage empowers them with:

established relationships with leading distributors;
on-demand direct sales support;
marketing and solution support; and
industry-leading commissions and incentives.

Now, with a revitalized brand and global focus, the Company is building upon this success by investing significantly in the UK Channel. This gives UK businesses increased access to Vonage’s fully scalable and flexible communications solutions.

“At Vonage, we have a simple philosophy for our partners in the channel – the success of our partners’ business is instrumental to the growth of our company. Now is the time for dedicated international leadership as we expand our presence in the UK channel, and we are thrilled to welcome Adam to the team to build on our existing relationships and success,” said DeRiggi.

Vonage’s channel launch in the UK is an organic evolution of the Company’s rich and successful history of providing fully-integrated unified communications, contact center and programmable API solutionsto SMB and enterprise customers in the UK and extended EMEA region. This move is designed to bring exposure and expertise to communications resellers in the UK in a way that immediately expands their market reach, giving them the tools and resources to successfully deliver future-proof communications solutions to their customers.

Mr. DeRiggi continued, “Our team works closely with our partners to put our collective customers at the heart of everything we do, from the development of our products and solutions, to our sales, support and marketing frameworks. Vonage has the unique ability to provide enhanced service and support, innovation and product capabilities to meet the growing collaboration, communications and customer experience needs of customers around the world.”

“I am excited to join the Vonage Channel team at such a pivotal moment in the brand’s evolution and global expansion,” said Mr. Wilson. “I look forward to leading the charge as Vonage builds relationships within the UK channel market and brings unique, customizable solutions powered by One Vonage to businesses around the world.”

Wilson brings more than 20 years of experience in telecommunications, mobile software and cloud services, addressing the needs of businesses across European and Asian markets. He worked at Telstra prior to joining Vonage; there he developed a channel business in the areas of connectivity, software defined networks and unified communications as a service.

Write in to rnair@itechseries.com and psen@martechseries.com to learn more about our exclusive editorial packages and programs.

Six SalesTech Tools Sales Leaders should be Thankful for this Thanksgiving!

Rakesh Nair

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November 28, 2019

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Six SalesTech Tools Sales Leaders should be Thankful for this Thanksgiving!

The future of your business and the efficiency of your Sales Pipeline massively depends on the Sales Tech Stack under your disposal. Much like the dynamics of the sales teams that use them, sales tools also differ in their capabilities and offerings. This Thanksgiving, let’s see what some of the most popular sales tech tools in various segments are based on popular peer reviews.

Sales Engagement

Conversica– Around 54 per cent of all emails land up in spam. Personalization and relevance are the keys that determine whether your prospective customer will respond or not. According to a review left by John Mitzel, a marketing director with a telecommunication company on a popular peer review site, e-mails from Conversica are like those from a real person.

Once a reply or a lead is received, it promptly alerts the lead owner and saves him the pain of searching the full inbox. The AI-powered tool understands even complex conversations. In short, sellers believe that it is great at working low-level leads and filtering leads who are genuinely interested in a product

Sales Dialer

Let’s not forget that the simplest thing a sales rep expects from a sales dialer is a near-zero call drop. Ring.io does that wonderfully and integrates well into existing martech/salestech systems. For instance, Ring io logs call information in CRMs like Salesforce automatically. As dialers have to work in tandem with sales coaching platforms, Ring.io records all calls. Ring.io has an easy to use dashboard and an organised interface. This allows reps to work without keeping too many windows open at the same time. It hides the actual number like many of its competitors.

“A Chrome browser extension, ensures that callers do not have to leave the browser to make calls, drop voicemails, and work through a calling queue,” says Nathan Baker, Director of Recruitment and Analytics of Taylor University on a popular review site.

Sales Enablement Tool

Brainshark helps you create and manage your Sales and Marketing training content. The forte of Brainshark’s solution is the ability to engage sellers with video-based learning content that can be created quickly and updated easily. According to users, Brainshark helps in clubbing and compiling data and content in a single space. According to a reviewer who declines to be identified, it is incredibly beneficial during the onboarding process. “Our trainees really enjoyed using the program. They were able to work at their own pace, but I could keep track of what had been done and when. With continued sales coaching, we were able to get our money’s worth,” the reviewer said. If a sales content manager is what you are looking for this could be the right tool.

Sales Acceleration

Xant (formerly Inside Sales) is simply, one of the biggest competitors of Outreach in 2019. “Playbook by Xant solves missing steps in my sales cadence”, says Erica Mayes, a Business Development Manager at Groupon according to a review online. It lists out to Sales people every account that they have to email or call on a day. Like several of its competitors, playbook automatically fills up sales emails with templates and integrates well into the Salesforce ecosystem. Salespersons largely agree that the solution lives up to its claims and that it can improve the productivity, visibility and effectiveness of teams in a way CRMs and AI alone cannot.

Sales Incentive Compensation Management

Xactly Incent: Incent Pro replaces and automates time-consuming spreadsheet-based manual processes. For a Sales performance leader, this means accurate Commission calculations, quota setting, extensive Compensation Plan Management among others.

“Having customer incentive statements for each division makes it easy for me to adjust just that one team without affecting other teams,” says Penny Hatch, a Sales performance Manager with Grifols according to a review online.

Sales Analytics and Sales Forecast

Salesforce Einstein Analytics: Well! with a sea of data under its disposal, it’s hard to beat Salesforce Einstein in analytics. The AI-enabled Einstein learns from your internal data and delivers predictions and recommendations based on your business processes. It gives sales representatives a score to identify the lead which has more potential to convert. For the C-Suite, it gives easily digestible heads up in the form of forecasts, tables and graphics. The technology has been perfected using the humongous amount of data within the Salesforce ecosystem.

In 2019, businesses deployed some of these tools after evaluating the ROI based on their sales volume, training requirements and interoperability among other factors. If you are looking ahead to switch tools or deploy a new sales tool, now is the time to ponder with a glass of champagne in your hand. Happy ThanksGiving!

VTEX Secures $140 Million Investment Led by SoftBank

STS News Desk

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November 27, 2019

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VTEX Secures $140 Million Investment Led by SoftBank

Cloud Commerce Provider Poised to Help More Brands Accelerate Their Unified Commerce Transformation

VTEX Cloud Commerce Platform, a leading e-commerce platform serving brands and retailers in 28 countries, has closed a $140 million investment round from SoftBank’s Latin America fund in conjunction with Gávea Investimentos and Constellation Asset Management. The investment will support VTEX’s continued global expansion and advancements to its cloud commerce offerings.

“For the past four years, we’ve focused on building a platform that enables global commerce by unifying our clients’ operations online and offline,” said Mariano Gomide, co-founder and co-CEO of VTEX. “During that time, we’ve opened US and EU offices and strengthened our position in Latin America. This investment from SoftBank and its partners validates our dedication to delivering a scalable, secure, global unified commerce platform.”

With a compounding organic growth of 43% per year in the last five years, VTEX has become one of the largest global players in the Digital Commerce market. Headquartered in London, the company has been recognized by IDC and Gartner as a player to watch, based on the user experience VTEX delivers, its ease of configuration, and its rapid time-to-implement.

In the beginning of 2019, VTEX purchased UniteU, an e-commerce platform based in the US. “Acquiring UniteU was only the first step of a responsible and consistent expansion of VTEX in the US. We have big plans to accelerate our continued global growth and product innovation,” said Gomide.

VTEX provides commerce solutions to 2,500 global brands, including Levi’s, Sony, Walmart, L’Oréal and Motorola. The company’s innovations include a patent-pending passwordless checkout called SmartCheckout™, an architectural network of microservices to seamlessly deliver continuous updates, and the company’s VTEX IO serverless development framework that enables clients to develop scalable, production-ready web applications for global commerce without infrastructure complexity.

“Becoming the global power in unified commerce platforms for medium and large companies is our goal,” said Geraldo Thomaz, VTEX’s other co-founder and co-CEO. “With this investment, we will be able to invest more in R&D, respond to market demands faster, and deliver a more robust product that leverages AI to take us into the future of commerce.”

“VTEX has three attributes that we believe will fuel the company’s success: a strong team culture, a best-in-class product and entrepreneurs with a profitability mindset,” said Paulo Passoni, managing investment partner at SoftBank’s Latin America fund. “Brands and retailers want reliability and the ability to test their own innovations. VTEX offers both, filling a gap in the market. With VTEX, companies get access to a proven, cloud-native platform with the flexibility to test add-ons in the same data layer.”

eZCom Provides Made4net WMS With API-based EDI and TMS Functionality

Write in to rnair@itechseries.com and psen@martechseries.com to learn more about our exclusive editorial packages and programs.

Shorr Packaging Releases The 2019 Package Theft Report, Finds Porch Pirates Are Still Prevalent but Consumers Are Taking Action

Write in to rnair@itechseries.com and psen@martechseries.com to learn more about our exclusive editorial packages and programs.

Top 5 SalesTech Trends for 2020

Top 5 SalesTech Trends for 2020

1. AR and VR Will Be at the Forefront

2. AI and Analytics to the Rescue

3. CRM Will Be a Necessity, Not a Luxury

4. Communication Will Continue Being the Key

5. Focus on Gen Z

noHold Announces Sales Companion, the Virtual Assistant that Empowers Sales Teams to Increase Revenue and Reduce Sales Cycles

Write in to rnair@itechseries.com and psen@martechseries.com to learn more about our exclusive editorial packages and programs.

Six SalesTech Tools Sales Leaders should be Thankful for this Thanksgiving!

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eZCom Provides Made4net WMS With API-based EDI and TMS Functionality

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