In fact, the recent I.C.E. Atlanta e-commerce conference proved to be just that - recommended experts and vendors gathered to provide information and perhaps services, to help improve our bottom line. And they were all hand-picked by some very successful business men and women. The following is a short list of those I got some facetime with or who came highly recommended by colleagues I spoke with during the event. I was both impressed by what they had to say and their business model.
- International Shipping: comGateway
comGateway provides discounted shipping and secure payment services for retailers shipping outside the United States. They've also partnered with American Express and Visa to provide special products to their international customer base. If you're looking to get into the international arena, with the added security of fraud protection, this is something you should look into. It's one of the most interesting business models I've seen in awhile.
Getting Started: Visit comGateway.com
- Funding/Financing: Kabbage, Inc.
Kabbage is the leading online provider of working capital for small businesses. Their unique funding platform leverages dozens of data sources to determine real time business performance and provide funding between $500 and $50,000 in just 7 minutes. We spoke with many online sellers that use Kabbage regularly and were very happy with their services.
Getting Started: Visit Kabbage.com to sign-up and have funds in minutes.
- SEO Services: Vayu Media
Vayu Media is an Internet marketing company specializing in SEO services. Al Louise, their Director of Market Development, gave a very informative presentation on the 5 SEO Truths of 2012. He also headed up multiple roundtables giving site reviews and recommendations. We had ReplyManager reviewed and can confirm that these guys know what they are talking about. Be on the lookout for a guest blog post from Al in November.
Getting Started: Visit VayuMedia.com or call Al at 1-800-456-1563.
- E-commerce Web Design: EY Studios
Atlanta-based EY Studios creates custom e-commerce websites. Their founder Eric Yonge presented "Store Conversions on Steroids: How to Increase Your Sell-Thru." They focused on decreasing bounce rates, increasing product views, putting the emotion back into the sales process and establishing yourself as an "authority" on what you are selling. Great stuff! I spoke with ICE attendees that have used their services and they gave good recommendations. We do too.
Getting Started: Visit EYStudios.com or call 1-888-429-4803. - PPC Marketing: Bulletproof Search
Cory from Bulletproof Search held a number of roundtables to help attendees better understand Pay Per Click (PPC), how it can help their business and best practices to get the most bang for their buck. Cory is a whiz processing the data necessary to put together an effective PPC campaign.
Getting Started: Visit BulletProofSearch.com
Director Marketing & Design