Pandesic updates turnkey service
The new version of its turnkey service includes upgraded merchandising, Web ad placement, customer ordering, and customer service components.
Pandesic's announcement comes in advance of next week's Internet and Electronic Commerce show in New York, where Microsoft and a variety of other companies also plan e-commerce announcements.
The release, called version 2.1E, is Pandesic's second upgrade in the last two months, which the company cites as an indication of how quickly it will add new features.
Today's announcement comes weeks after Pandesic CEO Bryan Plug announced he's leaving the company, perhaps to return to SAP. Plug had sought a stronger international push, and his departure followed comments last month that senior executives at the German software firm were unhappy about how slowly the service is rolling out. Harold Hughes, a former Intel executive, has assumed Plug's duties.
The new version's Web ad management capabilities let online merchants place ad banners, then track the responses of each ad, including demographics on buyers and how much revenue an ad banner generates on each site.
Enhancements to the order process include shipping gifts with personalized messages, shipping from specific warehouses, and reports on vendor activity, new customers, and new-order status. Simplified links to legacy systems aim to reduce the time required to build a storefront, and new tools help merchants update product, customer, and freight data from outside sources.
Microsoft has scheduled briefings on Monday about new features to the e-commerce version of its Site Server software. Among the other firms making e-commerce announcements next week are SiteBridge, Ironside Technologies, SpaceWorks, Speedware, and Trade'ex.