1. Selecting the Perfect eCommerce Platform for your Business
Panelists: Lou Pietragallo, American Eagle Outfitters
Janet Beasley, Urban Outfitters, Inc.
Larry Promisel, Barneys New York
George Hitler, Bath & Body Works Direct Moderator: Bill Mirabito, B2C Partners

2. Types of eCommerce Platform Vendors
Catalyst Starter kits for SMBs with modest revenue projections; and is built for resourceful clients who need/expect minimal support
Crew Primarily professional services team with turnkey suite of tools, processes and experience to quickly launch an online channel
Console Commercial-grade shared SaaS for experienced online merchants lacking adequate time/resources to buy/integrate new features
Custom Dedicated enterprise software for self-sufficient retailers with adequate internal development skills and support
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3. Catalyst matches retailers with…
Scrappy, small- or mid-size business
Small budget for IT and marketing
Modest online revenue projections < $6M
We are an SMB. We don’t have a huge IT or marketing budget; and we do not expect we’ll hit $10M online in our first year. Let’s keep it simple.
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4. Crew matches retailers with…
Strong offline brand, ready for ecommerce
Huge potential early on, with just a little help
Needs a partner for both tools AND processes
We’re a strong offline brand, and ready now for ecommerce. We need help from a partner that assembles the tools and processes to reach our potential fast.
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5. Console matches retailers with…
Growing online channel, confident marketers
Know what they need, not how to get it
Limited or no dedicated support from IT
Our online sales are on the rise, and we know exactly what we need to improve results even more. We just don’t have the dedicated IT/dev support to deliver.
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6. Custom matches retailers with…
Self-sufficient, multi-channel commitment
Proficiency on technology, marketing & ops
Current platform impedes; upgrade needed
We are self-sufficient and can operate the online channel soup-to-nuts, with great skills all around. But our current technology platform is slowing us down.
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7. C U S T O M Lou Pietragallo Director of Web Development
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.
Lou heads web strategy and development for American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. which includes three distinct brands ae.com, aerie.com and martinandosa.com
Lou has held many leadership positions at American Eagle throughout his 8 year career. In 2005, he lead a team of 30+ consultants and internal technical resources while implementing ATG Commerce, Contact Center and OMS.
Prior to coming to American Eagle, Lou worked as a consultant at EDS in Plano, Texas.
American Eagle Outfitters selected ATG as its ecommerce platform in 2004.
C U S T O M

8. Janet Beasley Director of Ecommerce Systems Urban Outfitters Inc.
Janet has responsibility for the systems and team supporting brand web sites for Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Free People.
Previously, Janet was Director of Information Systems at GSI Commerce where she had responsibility for business intelligence, call center and marketing systems. Janet also held management positions at Saks Direct, Barnes&Noble.com and Barnes & Noble Direct – where she helped launch both the Saks and B&N sites.
Urban Outfitters launched on the latest version of ATG Commerce last year.
C U S T O M

9. C O N S O L E Larry Promisel Vice-President, E-Commerce
Barneys New York
Larry is Vice President, E-Commerce for Barneys New York; managing all aspects of Barneys emerging e-commerce business.
Prior to Barneys, Larry served as Director of Online Retail for Bluefly.com, where he implemented strategic site enhancements and revisions to optimize the customer experience and business results.
Larry also held previous marketing positions at Coach and Bloomingdales.
Barneys is a brand new Demandware client. Its implementation is still in progress.
C O N S O L E

10. C R E W George Hitler Manager, Web Operations Bath & Body Works Direct
At Bath Body Works Direct, George manages site enhancement projects and is the primary interface between customer service and the business team. At BBW, he also handles the relationship with the brand’s online technology partners.
For four years prior, George served as Client Services Manager at Resource Interactive, a digital marketing agency out of Columbus OH.
Bath & Body Works is a subsidiary of Limited Brands. It launched its online store using GSI Commerce’s platform in 2005.
C R E W

11. Panel Discussion Bill Mirabito B2C Partners bmirabito@b2cpartners.com
(508)
Panel Discussion

12. Handouts Bill Mirabito B2C Partners bmirabito@b2cpartners.com
(508)
Handouts

13. Types of eCommerce Platform Vendors
Catalyst Starter packages for SMBs new to online retail, with limited provider support.
Crew Outsourced professional services with dedicated instance of software. Built to provide supplemental services for site maintenance, creative and marketing. Options may also include contact center and fulfillment.
Console Advanced features built for business users; bundled as a subscription. Shared instance delivers more frequent upgrades to code base. Custom development often requires some degree of partner assistance. Hosted only (SaaS).
Custom Software license runs on a dedicated app server. Built for self-sufficiency and in-house maintenance by a skilled IT/dev team. Longer to deploy and upgrade. Customization is limited only by clients’ skills, resources and ingenuity on staff. Hosted options available (as a managed service).
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14. Characteristics of Vendors by Type
CATALYST
CREW
CONSOLE
CUSTOM
VENDORS in this Category
Yahoo Merchant, eBay proStores, Amazon
GSI Commerce, eFashion Solutions, Fry, Novator, Vcommerce
Demandware, MarketLive, Truition, Venda
ATG, IBM, iCongo, Escalate Retail, Sterling Commerce
FLEXIBILITY to Differentiate
Limited Support, Least Flexibility
With Provider Assistance
Self-Directed (You Extend)
OPERATIONS Services for Hire
Hosting Only (Shared Instance)
Full Service (Dedicated Instance)
Hosting Available (Dedicated Instance)
REVENUE Typical Thresholds
None Required Up to $6 million
None Required Up to $100 million
Usually > $6 million online revenue
Usually > $30 million online revenue
COMMITMENT of Client Organization
None Required
Some Required for Contract Terms
Lots Needed for Staffing & Resources
EXPERIENCE Skills Required
Business Skills Required
Business & IT/Dev Skills Required
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15. Tips for Your RFP Process
SHORT LIST: Align your business profile to the best vendor type before RFP distribution. Send only to vendors who match.
SCORE CRITERION: For apples-to-apples comparison, structure your RFP to rank responses in six dimensions (with weighted scoring):
Features Current Capabilities of the System
Administration Tools to Manage/Upgrade the System
Services To Enable, Maintain, Operate the Business
Traction Within the Market for Your Needs
Estimates Deployment, Maintenance, Resources/TCO
Requests Special/Future Needs Unique to Your Business
VALIDATE CLAIMS: Never confuse “strategy” with “parity.” Use active clients with similar needs to check references. Don’t expect perfection. Prepare your questions to weed out scripted referrals.
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