Volusion Makes Mobile Commerce a Reality for Thousands of Online Storeowners

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Volusion, the leading provider of shopping cart software and services for online merchants, today announced the beta release of its new mobile commerce solution at SXSW Interactive. Dubbed “Volusion mCommerce,” the solution offers Volusion’s entire customer base a free, simple way to optimize their online stores for consumer smartphone shopping. Along with the mCommerce launch, Volusion is also exhibiting at SXSW Interactive and hosting a SXSW party with Microsoft BizSpark and Intel on Sunday, March 14.

“Consumer adoption and usage of mobile communication and multimedia services has reached critical mass. Any brand that interacts regularly with consumers — from retailers to banks to media companies to airlines — should be considering its mobile strategy.”

Mobile Shopping for the Masses

Mobile commerce is on the verge of unprecedented growth. According to ABI Research, sales from physical goods ordered via cell phone was estimated at $800 million in 2009 and this number is predicted to double in 2010.
Volusion is embracing this shift in buying behavior and tapping into a huge market opportunity by introducing Volusion mCommerce, which allows shoppers to easily browse and research products through a mobile-optimized version of a retailer’s online store.
With Volusion mCommerce, the company is addressing a key customer desire for an integrated consumer shopping experience that includes a simple, intuitive mobile commerce component.
All Volusion customers, including small retailers that typically do not have access to mobile-optimization capabilities, can easily enable a setting in their store’s admin for the optimized version to work with mobile browsers. Shoppers who navigate to any of Volusion’s customer sites using an iPhone will automatically have access to the mobile-optimized version of the retailer’s site.
Currently, Volusion mCommerce is optimized for the iPhone and will be available for additional Internet-enabled smartphones in the near future.
Volusion mCommerce will be provided to all customers in the latest software release for no additional charge.

Supporting Quotes

“Volusion mCommerce allows my customers to view my site in a convenient, snapshot version,” said Andrea Bridges of repeatpossessions.com. “The popularity of Twitter and other social media platforms is proving that time and space are limited and people are expecting the kind of simplified interface Volusion is providing. Volusion mCommerce makes shopping more convenient for my customers and will provide me with a revenue boost.”
“With mobile-optimized Volusion stores, customers can enjoy an effective shopping experience when and where they wish,” said Blair Rhodes of thepashminastore.com. “As amazing as the transformation from shopping at the mall to shopping on the computer was, the transformation to mobile shopping will be even more dramatic.”
“Thanks to Volusion mCommerce, my customers will be able to buy as soon as they have a need for an eco-friendly mower no matter where they are,” said Andy Humphrey of EcoMowers.com. “This is a huge advantage for my referral-based company since it makes online shopping truly on-demand.”
“Volusion’s core business is an all-in-one ecommerce solution and mobile commerce is an important avenue to address as more and more transactions are completed on the go,” said Michael Roehricht, Volusion’s director of marketing. “Volusion is embracing this paradigm shift of desktop computing to mobile computing and is innovating towards a more seamless ecommerce experience for all of our merchants and their customers.”

Supporting Research

“The mobile revolution is only just getting started. Consumers will continue to shift their attitudes toward mobile phones — perceiving them not only as communication tools but also increasingly as entertaining and productive devices that can help them in their daily lives.” – “2010 Mobile Trends,” Forrester Research, Inc., January, 2010.
“Mobile technologies are becoming faster and more feature-rich, offering consumers more opportunities to interact with brands and with each other.” – “Success In Mobile Commerce Means Asking The Right Questions Now,” Forrester Research, Inc., July, 2009.
“Consumer adoption and usage of mobile communication and multimedia services has reached critical mass. Any brand that interacts regularly with consumers — from retailers to banks to media companies to airlines — should be considering its mobile strategy.” – “Success In Mobile Commerce Means Asking The Right Questions Now,” Forrester Research, Inc., July, 2009.

Availability

The Volusion mCommerce beta started on March 1. Current Volusion customers can sign up to become beta testers at www.volusion.com/mcommerce.

SXSW Interactive

Volusion is exhibiting at SXSWi and will be demonstrating Volusion mCommerce and other solutions at stand 1019.
Volusion is also hosting a SXSW party with Microsoft BizSpark and Intel Sunday, March 14. The TECH cocktail party, “Blackout Sunday,” will be held at the Palm Door, 401 Sabine Street, at 8:00 pm.
“Blackout Sunday,” a Johnny Cash themed event, will be the launch pad for 30+ emerging companies, many of which are introducing themselves to the public for the first time. As a start-up itself, Volusion decided to team up with TECH cocktail to create a fun and innovative venue for new companies to hit the ground running. A few of the companies who will be showcasing at the party include: AnyClip, FoodSpotting, NutshellMail, RecycleMatch, ChallengePost and Collecta.

About Volusion

Volusion is the leader in ecommerce solutions for online businesses. For more than a decade, tens of thousands of companies have used Volusion to succeed online, including market leaders such as Disney, Kinerase, Chicago Tribune, Crutchfield and Motorola. For more information about Volusion, please visit http://www.volusion.com.

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