SkyCommerce

On November 11, 2011 the Avangate company providing software and SaaS companies of service in creation of online store, announced SkyCommerce start. The new solution integrates in a whole modules for e-commerce and circuit management, allowing to sell software as online, and offline and also to accelerate its output to the market.

The software development industry endures significant changes, in particular methods of development, distribution and purchase of programs change. By estimates of analysts, distribution on channels of the Internet as the downloaded software, and providing applications according to the SaaS model will grow from 30% in 2010 to 70% and above in 2014. Growth of the market of cloud computing and the change of consumer behavior connected with it forces independent software developers to fight against margin pressure, to involve additional sales channels and to study new models of licensing in the aspiration to save and increase the sales. Many review the strategy of work with resellers and distributors – channels which still give more than 50% of sales of the software in the world.

Ray Vang, the top analyst and the chief executive of Constellation Research, in this regard told the following: 'The software market costs on the verge of shocks which were not known by history. In the previous waves of changes 'big software' controlled the rate of changes thanks to domination of sales channels and distribution. This time fast transition to use of 'cloud' solutions gives the power in hands of any seller of programs, both large, and small. As a result of it the software companies will need to accelerate a product output to the market, to develop models of payments on the basis of a subscription and quicker to adapt to the changing needs of users. Will win those companies at whose order there will be tools capable to provide fast adaptation to the agenda of the consumer, to increase his loyalty and as much as possible to increase sales'.

'Forty most successful players in the software market already strengthened the opportunities for distribution of software and control a half of income of this market. Time has come and for other 99.5% of software developers in a new way to build the strategy of distribution of products, – the CEO of Avangate Karl Theobald says. – Thanks to a new solution of SkyCommerce™ now and our clients will be able to refuse heritage of the last century and to benefit from 'liberalization' of methods of distribution of digital content in the world markets'.

SkyCommerce represents the scalable solution SaaS consisting of three modules integrated with the platform for Avangate e-commerce:

• The module for e-commerce – a set of the powerful tools allowing to organize quickly and easily sales of the software on the Internet, to configure and localize the strategy of an output of a product to foreign markets and also to manage all stages of lifecycle of the client – from activation of the program before updates, prolongation and subscriptions.
• The circuit management module – the module for circuit management of sales and partner sales allowing to control easily operation of all sales channels.
• The module for work with affiliates – tools for work with partners and promotion of programs. The module allows to organize quickly sales through the partner network of Avangate numbering more than 26 thousand resellers which specialize in sale of software.

Avangate SkyCommerce provides to the companies of the sector of SMB the complete solution for the organization of sales for any channel and using any model which was available only to large producers of the software earlier. With its help it is possible to control better sales on all channels and to estimate their efficiency individually – separately on each channel, the countries and stages of lifecycle of the user. Besides, SkyCommerce™ provides necessary flexibility for fast transition from acceptance of lump sum payments to a payment on a subscription for use of the web application which is provided as service (SaaS model). Users will be able to experiment with new sales channels, partners and affiliates and also to bring products to the new markets. SkyCommerce™ also allows sellers to manage effectively all stages of lifecycle of the client – from the independent or accompanied service of its account before use of methods of additional sales like 'Upselling' and prolongation of a subscription – providing the high level of service of the user on each channel.

The solution SkyCommerce™ is available to all clients of Avangate already today. The elected clients of the company – several leading firms in software development area – already used exclusive right to estimate possibilities of a new solution before others and here their opinion:

'The new solution of Avangate SkyCommerce™ will allow our sales and marketing specialists it is better to understand sales process, and to our trading partners – to optimize income thanks to more perfect process of management of models of licensing and prolongation of subscriptions', – the marketing director of Lavasoft Calin Udrea commented on an event.

Mister Theobald in this regard added: 'To envelop destructive processes in the software market in own favor, entrepreneurs need the partner who will help to bring quicker their product to the market, will strengthen already existing opportunities and will help with management of all stages of lifecycle of the client. Such strategic partner, undoubtedly, is Avangate. We help software and SaaS companies to develop sales on all channels and in all markets and also we provide professional support and related services'.

In honor of opening SkyCommerce Avangate holds in November and December four special events in San Francisco, New York, London and Beijing. The specialists in the field of e-commerce, marketing and sales representing software and SaaS company, are invited to discussion of new trends in the industry of production of the software and the subjects connected with methods of effective trade on the Internet and optimization of income from different sales channels.

On these actions will make reports: Brian Walker, vice president and top analyst of Forrester Research company; Ray Vang, top analyst and chief executive of Constellation Research Group; and Geno Prussakov, the expert in the field of affiliate programs.

2013: New SkyCommerce Suite

On December 17, 2013 the Avangate company submitted the new version of the SkyCommerce Suite trading system.

Description

As a part of the new version more than 700 new features and improvements. Among them there are new abilities to manage subscriptions and customer retentions, functions for holding advertizing campaigns, new payment methods for trade in the markets of Brazil, Russia and the Netherlands.

The most significant additions

• Data storage about plastic cards of regular customers in the file.

Thanks to this functionality the new version of SkyCommerce Suite helps regular customers to shop without repeated input of payment information. Upon transition to a basket the buyer sees the plastic cards which are earlier used for purchase and payment information which is automatically entered into the corresponding fields of a form of order placement.

• Intellectual routing of payment.

The last update of a system of routing of payments will help to recover the "lost" prolongation of a subscription or transitions from the trial-version to the complete version and also will increase extent of conversion to 30% in some scenarios. If initial transaction glitched, a system automatically uses reserve gateways. A system will direct payments to the corresponding gateway on the basis of easily configured rules, such as transaction type (new purchase or prolongation), a payment method, currency, the country, etc.

• Early prolongation of pull subscription

An opportunity to suggest the client to prolong a subscription to service up to the termination of term of the current subscription. At the same time individual preference of cost of prolongation, the enrollment included in the offered packet of options, subscription validity period is possible. Developers believe, it will help to improve a customer loyalty to Internet service.

• Setup of special options of pricing in online store and channels.

Taking into account the coming festive sales developers expanded possibilities of holding special actions to help entrepreneurs to increase revenue at the expense of special options of pricing in online store and all distribution channels. For example, you can apply discounts to premium offers and make more expensive subscriptions more attractive in comparison with basic subscriptions.

• Advanced opportunities for cross-sales and apselling

Updates of SkyCommerce Suite service concerned also opportunities on a cross-sellingu. Now it is possible to select at what stage of purchase the client sees the recommended product: in a basket, on the page of viewing the selected goods or on the "We Thank for Purchase" page. It will allow the seller to stimulate more thinly the buyer to increase in the check.

• Support of national payment methods for Brazil, Russia and the Netherlands.

In the new version of SkyCommerce Suite the feature to sell goods for Brazilian real using the local Visa or MasterCard cards (including by installments), an opportunity to sell for rubles through the Qiwi Wallet system is added.

Besides, the updated product SkyCommerce Suite supports regular payments via the iDEAL system in the Netherlands now.