Auctiva Commerce today celebrates its 1-year anniversary of helping online sellers establish and expand their businesses.
The first year for this e-commerce software has meant a lot of growth, says Product Lead Chris Eckland. In 2009, the Auctiva Commerce community grew from 250 online sellers to more than 5,500 merchants. Along the way, the development team has added a number of features to make store management easier, including bulk product import and editing, Google Checkout, redesigned payment and checkout gateways, increased stability and security, a Shop tab to drive buyers to Commerce Stores and many other enhancements.
But the highlight of Auctiva Commerce's accomplishments thus far is the success of its sellers, Eckland says. One example is an Auctiva Commerce merchant who reached the No. 1 spot in search results this winter for NFL-branded Snuggies, those popular blankets with sleeves.
The no-monthly-store-fees promotion is being extended through June 2010
"The greatest highlights are always where I see Auctiva Commerce merchants having success using Auctiva Commerce," Eckland adds. "And reaching No.1 was like the icing on the cake."
Free storefronts through June
As a thank you to sellers for helping Auctiva Commerce reach its first-year anniversary—and an affirmation of its unwavering commitment to creating a viable, buyer-driven community—the current no-monthly-store-fees promotion is being extended through June.
"We realize there are many shopping carts to choose from, and are grateful that our users enjoy the many features and user-friendly interface we offer," Eckland says.
The no-monthly-fee promotion was great motivation for Hope Locke, owner of My Irie Home, as she began her online store. It's given her the opportunity to learn the ropes of online marketing before the $10 monthly store fee kicks in, she says.
Auctiva Commerce overall was a great help for Elisa Vegliante, owner of Bohemian Groove Bazaar, as she looked for a venue beyond eBay to sell her items, she says.
"If it weren't for Auctiva Commerce, I wouldn't have an off-eBay store—plain and simple," she explains. "I do not have the time or money to do this work myself. Auctiva Commerce is the easiest, most cost-effective way for me to sell online."
Visit the Auctiva Commerce signup page to open a store and pay no monthly fee through June.
Looking to the future
While we're happy with everything we've done up to this point, there is still a lot more on our product roadmap
But sellers have more to look forward to in 2010. Enhancements to Google Merchant Center feeds and the addition of international payment gateways are just two of the features scheduled to go live this year. Greater customization is also on the way—something Senior Development Manager Travis Barajas is very excited about.
"There are an infinite number of possibilities with customization," he says. "And we're looking forward to talking to our users and finding their needs."
That pattern of open communication with users has proven very important to Auctiva Commerce's success, as has the focus on buyer experience, Barajas adds.
There's a lot more in store for Auctiva Commerce, says Kevin Kinell, Auctiva's vice president. Driving more traffic to stores will continue to be very important to Auctiva Commerce, he says.
"In order to have a successful store, sellers really need buyers, and we have a lot of things in the works aimed at bringing buyers in," Kinell says. "We currently have three development groups working on Auctiva Commerce-related projects. The first group works on the front end—all the features customers have seen over the past few months. Our other two development teams are working on our efforts to bring more traffic to the stores.
"Of these two traffic-focused teams, one is focused on the front-end marketplaces, like the Auctiva Commerce Shop tab, and Elefy.com, a marketplace developed by Auctiva that's currently in beta release," Kinell explains. "The second team is working on the back-end piece that Elefy uses to display our customers' items. This piece will also allow development of more marketplaces that will showcase Auctiva Commerce merchants' products. This aspect of our developments is really exciting, and we'll be announcing more details soon.
"Auctiva Commerce has been a huge undertaking for us in development," Kinell notes. "While we're happy with everything we've done up to this point, there is still a lot more on our product roadmap. This has been a great first year for Auctiva Commerce and we're extremely excited about what we'll deliver in Year 2."
Auctiva staff writers constantly monitor trends and best practices of those selling on eBay and elsewhere online. They attend relevant training seminars and trade shows and regularly discuss the market with PowerSellers and other market experts.
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