Avangate, the agile eCommerce service provider trusted by thousands of Software and SaaS companies to grow their businesses worldwide through any channel and any model, today announced the launch of SkyCommerce, Avangate’s new suite that integrates its advanced eCommerce and Channel Management SaaS-based modules to enable software vendors to grow both online and offline sales and accelerate their time to market.
The software industry is undergoing major shifts in the way software is developed, distributed and consumed. Analysts estimate the online delivery of software, whether downloaded or SaaS, will grow from 30% in 2010 to over 70% in 2014. The rise of cloud computing and the corresponding shift in consumer expectations are forcing independent software vendors (ISVs) to fight margin pressure, expand to new channels and explore new licensing models in their race to offer “frictionless” self-service transactions. Many are rethinking their reseller and distributor strategy – channels that today still represent over 50% of how software is sold worldwide.
R “Ray” Wang, Principal Analyst and CEO, Constellation Research, Inc., said, “The software market is about to be massively disrupted as never before. In previous waves of change, “Big Software” has controlled the pace of change with their dominance of channels and distribution. This time, the rapid adoption of cloud computing puts the power in the hands of any software vendor, large or small. The impact is that software companies will need to accelerate their time to market, evolve to pay as you go revenue models, and adapt to a customer-driven agenda more rapidly. Successful companies will turn to solutions that deliver on this new customer-driven agenda, lock in channel loyalty, and maximize revenues.”
“The top 40 application vendors have leveraged their distribution power to control over half of the software market revenue. Our customers see a huge opportunity to break from last century’s hegemony in software with the democratization of how software gets distributed. Now is the time for the other 99.5% of the world’s ISVs to redefine how software gets to customers,” said Carl Theobald, Avangate CEO. “Our mission is to provide software companies a scalable, cloud-based, distribution solution for selling their products globally.”
Avangate’s SkyCommerce Suite consists of three best-of-breed modules atop the Avangate Commerce Platform:
– Sky eCommerce Module: rich tools to sell software online and to easily customize, localize and optimize go-to-market strategies worldwide, as well as manage the customer lifecycle from activation to upgrades, renewals and subscriptions.
– Sky Channel Manager Module: channel management and automation for partner / reseller order and revenue management providing cross channel visibility and control.
– Sky Affiliate Module: management and promotional tools to effectively plug into the Avangate Affiliate Network of over 26,000 software-specific affiliates.
The Avangate SkyCommerce Suite brings sophisticated multi-channel, multi-model integrated eCommerce services, previously only available to global software enterprises, to mid-market vendors. Software publishers now have better cross-channel visibility with insight into sales performance by channel, geography and individual stages of the customer lifecycle. In addition, the SkyCommerce Suite provides the operational agility that software vendors require to transition from perpetual to pay-as-you-go models such as freemium, rental, or subscription; experiment with new channels, partners, and affiliates; and enter new markets. The Suite also enables ISVs to effectively own the end-to-end customer lifecycle – from self-service or assisted servicing of a customer account to upselling and renewing customer subscriptions – offering a consistent customer experience at every channel.
SkyCommerce is immediately available. Selected Avangate clients, some of the world’s leading software companies, have been given exclusive early access:
“The new solution from Avangate will allow our sales and marketing teams greater insight into our business moving forward, and at the same time, help Lavasoft partners worldwide optimize revenue through enhanced license and subscription renewal management”, Calin Udrea, Director of Marketing at Lavasoft.
Theobald adds, “To take advantage of the disruptive changes in the market, software companies need a partner to get them to market faster, complement their existing systems, and help manage their end-to-end subscriber lifecycles. Avangate is without a doubt that strategic partner. We help software and SaaS companies grow their sales across channels, markets and geographies with our eCommerce solution, cross channel capabilities, and expert support and services.”
Following today’s release, Avangate will be organizing four special events in San Francisco, New York, London and Beijing throughout November and December. eCommerce, Marketing, Sales and Channel Professionals from software and SaaS companies are invited to discuss the latest trends in the software industry, learn what makes online commerce effective and how to optimize their channel revenue.
Featured speakers include Forrester Research Inc. Vice President and Principal Analyst Brian Walker, Principal Analyst and CEO of Constellation Research Group R. “Ray” Wang, and Affiliate Marketing Expert Geno Prussakov among others.
For more information and to register, go to http://www.avangate.com/events/
For more information about Avangate SkyCommerce, please visit www.avangate.com/skycommerce
For the press kit and high resolution images, go to www.avangate.com/news/press/skycommerce-launch.html
