Commerce is getting the red carpet treatment. Gone are the days where commerce was just the unassuming back office system which kept records on customers and products. Recent events [...].

We see them everywhere today - messages about how businesses should engage with their customers and not just sell to them. However, actually implementing [...].

[Don't create a] lead purgatory […]. By taking all of those leads and prospects who are never going to be ready for direct sales and giving them an online self-service path [...].

There is obvious value to be driven from a solution that spans the entire commerce continuum - the customer experience (shopping cart or otherwise) is an important part of this and Avangate raises a valid point about standalone subscription and billing offerings that don't provide UI functionality […] The bottom line is that commerce is changing forever.

The subscription model for business has been around at least since the advent of newspapers and magazines. It "is not a new concept, although the speed at which [enterprises] are having to build new business models with new customer segments, channels and partners, as well as revenue models, is forcing [them] to rethink their whole commerce solution," commented Carl Theobald, CEO of Avangate.

As marketers, we have heard it time and time again and in 100 different ways: "What's the ROI?" "How are you measuring this?" "Which KPIs define success here?" "Will it generate any tangible results?" [...].

You've decided to start promoting your products or services through the affiliate channel. As you've probably guessed, this won't be as easy as pressing a button and saying, "Wow! My affiliates are generating millions of dollars in sales monthly." [...].

Carl Theobald is the CEO of Avangate, a e-commerce and partner management solutions provider for software-as-a-service companies. Theobald has held senior executive roles at both large enterprise and venture-backed software companies, including being a VP at Oracle, founder at RubiconSoft, and SVP at Serena Software [...].

This report is an update of our July 2010 "Market Overview: SMB eCommerce Solutions" report. Since the report was first published there have been a number of changes to the solutions market for small to medium-size businesses (SMBs) selling via the Web. New vendors have emerged on the scene, solutions have evolved, mobile commerce has become important, and global commerce is within reach for even small businesses selling online.

Few industries are immune from the digitization of experiences, content, services, and products. In this era of cloud computing and consumer mobile devices, today's digital products have evolved from simple reincarnations of the physical media of yesterday to complex, multifaceted products that are consumed across a myriad of consumer touchpoints.

This guide will help IT leaders and others charged with selecting CRM technology identify key vendors in 98 subdomains of CRM. These categories span sales, e-commerce, marketing and customer service, and provide a detailed view of operational, social, analytical and mobile functionality.

Digital marketing, social product review, and digital and social e-commerce are all represented in this year's Cool Vendors for E-Commerce research. Map the resources required to develop an in-house solution against the packaged products offered by the various vendors that operate in this market.