Ecommerce Blog

Our own VP of Innovation, Jason Billingsley was recently mentioned in the Financial Post in a story about Web techniques that build market buzz.

You’re a small business trying to expand your market reach, but there’s a problem. Your marketing executive (who is also your office manager) is having no success getting people to listen to your message. The reason is your product is making money, but it isn’t very interesting. Maybe you sell office cleaning services or plumbing fixtures. Who cares?

Jason Billingsley feels your pain. “The retail space? I’ve been quoted as saying that it’s boring, and I’ve regretted it, but it is,” the co-founder and vice-president of innovation at Elastic Path Software says. The company sells e-commerce software to other businesses who want to sell their products to consumers online. The software does the job well, but unlike, say, the iPod, or the kind of clothes you wear, backend e-commerce software isn’t a product category people get passionate about and feel a personal affinity with. Continue reading…

The article also references a series of viral videos we did back in 2007 called the Crazy Messed Up World of Ecommerce which we admit were not quite as popular with the Youtube crowd as say, the Evolution of Dance but did attract some valuable links from ecommerce and Internet marketing blogs like GrokDotCom, SEOmoz, Exciting Commerce, Baynote and Entrepreneur’s Journey and brought us new subscribers.

Next Free Ecommerce Webinar…

Selecting the Right Ecommerce Software in Six Weeks or Less

When: January 21st, 2009 @ 9am PT/12pm ET
Panelists:
Bill Mirabito, Founder and Principal Analyst, B2C Partners
Jason Billingsley, VP Innovation, Elastic Path Software
Register to Attend…

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Original post by Linda Bustos

Elastic Path is in the news again — the Financial Post’s Entrepreneurs undaunted by global slowdown highlights Elastic Path as one of the 60% of 200 companies surveyed by KPMG LLP that plans to expand globally despite the economic slump.

As technology brings the world closer together, more entrepreneurs are seeking to expand by introducing their products and services to foreign markets. Some look to the United States while others see opportunities in far-flung regions of the globe.

A recent study by KPMG LLP shows that despite the slumping economy worldwide, nearly two-thirds of private company owners in Canada intend to forge ahead with global expansion plans in the next five years.

Many that have made inroads outside Canada are enjoying consistent success. Harry Chemko, chief executive officer of Vancouver-based Elastic Path Software Inc., and Jason Billingsley, vice-president, innovation, built the business into a $10-million company, with 85% of its revenue generated from sales outside Canada. On graduating university in 2000, the pair originally launched the company as a consultancy firm called Ekkon Technologies, with just 10 employees. Now, the company specializes in e-commerce and software solutions that power online retail sites for some of the largest brands in the world and competes with giants such as IBM and Microsoft. It has more than 90 employees and operates in two countries with plans to expand to more.

“If you’re going to enter a new market you need to do things in a fairly decisive manner,” Mr. Chemko says. The company founders last month were awarded the Business Development Bank of Canada’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year along with its Export Excellence Award. “You really do need to move part of your organization there instead of just hiring a few people there.”

Continue reading Entrepreneurs undaunted by economic slowdown on FinancialPost.com…

Next Free Ecommerce Webinar…

Dangerous Marketing Ahead: How to Break Bad Habits and Survive a Deep Recession December 10th, 2008 @ 9am PT/12pm ET
Panelists: Jeff Molander, CEO, Molander & Associates, Inc.
Jason Billingsley, VP Innovation, Elastic Path Software
Jonathan Salem Baskin, Entrepreneur, Consultant and Author of the controversial new book, "Branding Only Works on Cattle"
Register to Attend…

You may also like these similar posts:

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Original post by Linda Bustos

Elastic Path founders Harry Chemko and Jason Billingsley were recently recognized by the Business Development Bank of Canada with the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for British Columbia.

“Elastic Path is a shining example of success that has resulted from cutting-edge ideas and high-tech savvy. Harry and Jason stand out as leaders in their field,” BDC president and CEO Jean-René Halde said in a statement.

Recent articles in the Vancouver Sun and Business Edge Magazine report how Chemko and Billingsley entered the ecommerce software space with a $15,000 loan and 10 employees 4 years ago. Elastic Path has since grown to 120 employees, $10 million in revenue in 2007, more than 180 customers worldwide including Garmin, Samsonite, Nike Bauer and Aeroplan and an outsourcing partnership with the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Elastic Path has also been named by PROFIT magazine as one of Canada’s 100 fastest-growing companies.

And despite the economic downturn, Elastic Path is positioned for further growth. According to Chemko:

“…the economic downturn might actually help his company in the long run because thrifty shoppers will now do a lot more comparative shopping online. “For the last two years we’ve been profitable, so we built up a good level of attained earnings. Now, we have no need for debt financing, so the crunch hasn’t impacted us. And while retail spending will be down, the percentage of online spending will increase. We’re continuing to see growth and we think we’re just hitting the bottom of the hockey stick. We’ve doubled revenues every year for the last four years and we don’t see any reason for that to change.”

Elastic Path also snagged BDC’s Export Excellence Award, presented to the winner with the most outstanding export objectives, strategies and results. More than 85 per cent of the company’s business is in the U.S. and Europe.

Next Free Ecommerce Webinar…

Dangerous Marketing Ahead: How to Break Bad Habits and Survive a Deep Recession December 10th, 2008 @ 9am PT/12pm ET
Panelists: Jeff Molander, CEO, Molander & Associates, Inc.
Jason Billingsley, VP Innovation, Elastic Path Software
Jonathan Salem Baskin, Entrepreneur, Consultant and Author of the controversial new book, "Branding Only Works on Cattle"
Register to Attend…

You may also like these similar posts:

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Original post by Linda Bustos

When Jason and I attend conferences like Search Engine Strategies and BlogWorld Expo - we don’t just collect trade show shwag and hand out business cards (or speak on panels, in Jason’s case), we also love to interview retailers like Ryan Douglas from PlumberSurplus, ecommerce vendors like Jay Schaffer from PowerReviews, and acclaimed authors like Avinash Kaushik and Bryan Eisenberg.

Sometimes we get in front of the camera for interviews - like with next week’s Solutions Stars Video Conference presented by Network Solutions. The live video conference will coach small business owners and entrepreneurs on how the Internet can benefit their business.

On Wednesday, October 29th from 10am PST / 1pm EST to 12:30pm PST / 3:30 EST you can tune in to us and a host of Internet experts, including:

• Tim Ferriss, Best Selling Author of Four Hour Work Week
• Guy Kawasaki, Co-Founder, All-Top
• Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos
• Darren Rowse, Author, ProBlogger
• Chris Brogan, Vice President of Strategy, CrossTech Media
• Rohit Bhargava, Author of Personality Not Included
• Wendy Piersall, CEO of Sparkplugging.com
• Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger, Dell
• Brian Solis, Author of PR 2.0, CEO of FutureWorks (FutureWorks)
• Steve Hall, Publisher and Editor of Ad Rants
• Scott Monty, Global Digital and Multimedia Communications Manager, Ford Motor Company
• Liz Strauss, Social Web Strategist, Successful Blog
• Toby Bloomberg, CEO, Bloomberg Marketing
• Lee Odden, CEO of TopRankMarketing.com
• Robyn Tippins, Community Manager, Yahoo! Developer Network
• Brett Tabke, CEO of WebMaster World
• David Alston, Vice President of Marketing, Radian6
• Jason Falls, Blogger, Social Media Explorer
• Mari Smith, Relationship Marketing Specialist
• Jennifer Openshaw, president of WeSeed.com
• Matt Dickman, Vice President, Digital Marketing, Fleishman-Hillard
• David Berkowitz, Director of Emerging Media and Client Strategy, 360i
• Ryan Anderson, Community Relations, Overlay.TV
• Becky McCray, Author, SmallBizSurvival.com
• Warren Whitlock, Book Marketing Strategist, BestSellerAuthors.com
• Chris Baggott, CEO of Compendium Software
• Lorelle VanFossen, Author, Blogging Tips: What Bloggers Won’t Tell You About Blogging
• Dave Taylor, Head Strategic Marketing Director, Intuitive Systems
• Paul Chaney, President of International Blogging and New Media Association
• Jay Berkowitz, Author , Podcaster, and Keynote Speaker, Ten Golden Rules

You can tune into individual videos based on the content you’re interested in, or view the entire conference. While the videos are streaming, you can even chat online with the Network Solutions team, other attendees and select interviewees through ooVoo video chat.

Here are the content areas:

• Building Web Presence
• The Social Opportunity
• Start with Listening
• Strategy Drives Outreach
• You Need Social Networks
• To Blog or Not to Blog
• Visibility Through Search
• Rising Above the Noise
• Time Demands

You can also check out the “Solutions Stars Video Conference” event pages on Facebook Event and Upcoming.

Next Free Ecommerce Webinar…

Dangerous Marketing Ahead: How to Break Bad Habits and Survive a Deep Recession December 10th, 2008 @ 9am PT/12pm ET
Panelists: Jeff Molander, CEO, Molander & Associates, Inc.
Jason Billingsley, VP Innovation, Elastic Path Software
Jonathan Salem Baskin, Entrepreneur, Consultant and Author of the controversial new book, "Branding Only Works on Cattle"
Register to Attend…

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Original post by Linda Bustos

Interview on rich interfaces using Ajax and flex with Graeme Grant, COO of Allurent from the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition 2008 in Chicago.

See More IRCE 2008 Interviews…

We conducted 16 interviews with various ecommerce vendors at the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition 2008 in Chicago.

1. How to choose ecommerce software and technology - Bernardine Wu, CEO, FitForCommerce
2. How retailers can sell more online with social commerce - Jay Shaffer, VP Worldwide Sales & Marketing, Powerreviews
3. Hackersafe is now McAfee Secure - Rich Murphy, McAfee
4. The benefits of RIA’s for ecommerce stores - Graeme Grant, COO, Allurent
5. Why online retailers should be blogging - Darren Tomey, VP Sales, Compendium
6. How do ratings and reviews help online retailers? - Sam Decker, Chief Marketing Officer, Bazaarvoice
7. 10 more videos coming soon…

Subscribe to the Get Elastic RSS feed or by email at the top of the page to be alerted when the remaining interviews become available.

9 Ecommerce Innovations: What’s Now & What’s Next

Free webinar: June 19th, 2008, 9am PT/12pm ET
Guest Panelist: Jason Billingsley, VP Innovation, Elastic Path Software
Register to Attend

You may also like these similar posts:

None Found

9 Ecommerce Innovations: What’s Now & What’s Next

Free webinar: June 19th, 2008, 9am PT/12pm ET
Guest Panelist: Jason Billingsley, VP Innovation, Elastic Path Software
Register to Attend

You may also like these similar posts:

• Hackersafe is Now McAfee Secure - Internet Retailer ‘08
• How to Choose Ecommerce Software and Technology - Internet Retailer ‘08
• How Do Ratings and Reviews Help Online Retailers? - Internet Retailer ‘08
• Why Online Retailers Should Be Blogging - Internet Retailer ‘08
• How Retailers Can Sell More Online With Social Commerce - Internet Retailer ‘08

Original post by Jason Billingsley

Interview on rich interfaces using Ajax and flex with Graeme Grant, COO of Allurent from the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition 2008 in Chicago.

See More IRCE 2008 Interviews…

We conducted 16 interviews with various ecommerce vendors at the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition 2008 in Chicago.

1. How to choose ecommerce software and technology - Bernardine Wu, CEO, FitForCommerce
2. How retailers can sell more online with social commerce - Jay Shaffer, VP Worldwide Sales & Marketing, Powerreviews
3. Hackersafe is now McAfee Secure - Rich Murphy, McAfee
4. The benefits of RIA’s for ecommerce stores - Graeme Grant, COO, Allurent
5. Why online retailers should be blogging - Darren Tomey, VP Sales, Compendium
6. How do ratings and reviews help online retailers? - Sam Decker, Chief Marketing Officer, Bazaarvoice
7. 10 more videos coming soon…

Subscribe to the Get Elastic RSS feed or by email at the top of the page to be alerted when the remaining interviews become available.

9 Ecommerce Innovations: What’s Now & What’s Next

Free webinar: June 19th, 2008, 9am PT/12pm ET
Guest Panelist: Jason Billingsley, VP Innovation, Elastic Path Software
Register to Attend

You may also like these similar posts:

None Found

9 Ecommerce Innovations: What’s Now & What’s Next

Free webinar: June 19th, 2008, 9am PT/12pm ET
Guest Panelist: Jason Billingsley, VP Innovation, Elastic Path Software
Register to Attend

You may also like these similar posts:

• Hackersafe is Now McAfee Secure - Internet Retailer 2008
• How Do Ratings and Reviews Help Online Retailers? - Internet Retailer 2008
• Why Online Retailers Should Be Blogging - Internet Retailer 2008
• How to Choose Ecommerce Software and Technology - Internet Retailer 2008
• How Retailers Can Sell More Online With Social Commerce - Internet Retailer 2008

Original post by Jason Billingsley

Scott Wilson from the Cart Blog recently interviewed Elastic Path’s VP of Innovation. We don’t talk about it much here on Get Elastic, but we’re actually an ecommerce software company (that is also hiring). Jason answers questions about Java, entry-level ecommerce solutions and open source ecommerce software.

Scott, AKA “That Software Guy” is a Zen Cart master who blogs about ecommerce topics when he’s not busy with his client projects and side gig at Nielsen Media Research. Do “check out” the Cart Blog.

The Key to PPC for Online Retailers
Free webinar: May 15th, 2008, 9am PT/12pm ET
Guest Panelist: Ryan Gibson, Director of Marketing, The Rimm-Kaufman Group
Register to Attend

Original post by Linda Bustos

Our own VP of Innovation, Jason Billingsley shares his social media marketing wisdom with Internet Retailer today in “MySpace opens it doors, but retailers may walk on by.”

This article is timely as MySpace has recently opened its developer platform, similar to what Facebook did ages ago. We’ve had enough time to watch the attempts of Facebook applications by online retailers to determine whether MySpace application efforts are worth the time or not.

“… merchants have had little success so far selling products through Facebook,” says Jason Billingsley, co-founder and vice president of innovation at Elastic Path Software, whose company has studied the e-commerce applications created for Facebook.

Some merchants have created popular promotional applications for Facebook, such as a JanSport back-to-school contest last summer that offered JanSport products as prizes to Facebookers who posted the best pictures of the contents of their backpacks. “But they weren’t selling products,” Billingsley says. “They were giving away products through a fun contest.”

There is one aspect of MySpace’s offer that makes it more appealing than Facebook’s, says Billingsley. MySpace has adopted a Google standard called OpenSocial designed to allow an application created for one social networking site to run on others. While Facebook has yet to adopt OpenSocial, Billingsley says an application built for MySpace will run on other social networking sites using the Google standard, such as U.K. social networking leader Bebo.”

Check out the full article at Internet Retailer, and subscribe to GetElastic if you haven’t already to stay in the loop on social media marketing trends and tips for ecommerce marketers.

Love Your Landing Page: Tips to Increase Ecommerce Conversion
Free webinar: February 14th, 2008, 9am PT/12pm ET
Guest Panelist: Khalid Hajsaleh, President, INVESP Consulting
Register to Attend

Original post by Linda Bustos