Magento allows any company to deploy a complete commercial website in a matter of days, or weeks, while providing full self-management capabilities to add items, create special offers, manage stock and more.
According to Brendan Peo, COO of Vaimo, many medium-sized companies in southern Africa can benefit from the addition of a web shop to their sales force. "Whether selling direct to the consumers (B2C) or to businesses (B2B), an online web store brings substantial benefits," he says.
For senior management the promise of improved market reach and the provision of self-service for customers to find, order and pay for the goods they want, has been overshadowed by the threat that the considerable investment required by proprietary solutions could result in substantial complexity, unexpected overheads and underwhelming returns.
"These are realistic concerns; particularly given the economic environment today's business manager is trying to navigate. Companies simply cannot afford to take the financial and operational risks that they were able to during boom times. The good news is that this e-commerce platform is designed for easy deployment and easy management, giving your business the ability to sell online without the need for major management or administration."
As for those companies who have held off from opening a web shop because of the difficulty of gauging whether sufficient sales will be achieved to justify the expense and work required to maintain such a presence, Peo adds that the solution introduces a level of affordability that advances the business case substantially.
"The power of the open source technology, leveraged by this solution, addresses many of the aspects that fuels the risks found in proprietary solutions. In addition, you do not need to be a technology expert to identify how it does this. Quite simply, it comes down to business fundamentals: a solution that costs less, is fully-functional but still easy to use, quick to deploy, will not require a lengthy and costly development period, expensive specialists for maintenance and delayed deployment of enhancements due to system complexity. Complexity drives up costs and reduces likelihood of reaching desired outcomes. Reducing complexity achieves the opposite result."
e-Commerce is a growth industry, says Kevin Clarke, MD of Vaimo SA. "Those of us who have shopped online know why. The convenience and time savings offered by e-commerce extend to almost any goods. If you've shopped online once, you will do it again."
In seeking an appropriate solution for companies across southern Africa, Clarke says this system stood out for several reasons.
"Primarily, it is easily deployed and offers self-management - very important for most clients - and with a large developer community, a wide range of add-ons are readily available. The second factor is that it is experiencing substantial growth internationally, as many companies recognise the value proposition it offers."
In terms of features, he says there are many, but the design for search engine optimisation stands out. "Having a web shop is one thing; having one which your customers can easily locate is quite another."
What's more, the company's expertise has produced a solution that is complementary to many mid-market ERP solutions, a major advantage for companies that require their systems to work effectively with each other.
"When it comes to e-commerce, midmarket ERP platforms simply can't compete with specialised e-commerce platforms such as this," adds Peo. "The extensive feature set out of the box makes it a no-brainer for clients serious about e-commerce. Instead of reinventing the wheel it is better to integrate existing ERP solutions with best of breed e-commerce platforms such as this."
To see online stores powered by Vaimo, go to one of these sites:
www.us.gant.com
www.ts.com
www.bauhaus.com
www.dukatbord.se
www.tilbords.se
www.footway.se
