Can Tech Start-Up Driven E-Commerce Sites Compete with the Big Guys?

Posted by Daniel Ferguson on Wed, Nov 06, 2019 @ 12:08 PM

One of the Internet’s initial promises was that it would finally democratize the world of commerce. Two decades later, however, there’s serious talk about whether web sellers like Amazon are monopolies. 

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The web has certainly lowered barriers in one critical sense: a business no longer needs huge amounts of capital to open a storefront and to start reaching customers. Part of the reason the likes of Amazon, Walmart, and Alibaba are dominating market share, though, is their sheer logistical superiority. There’s simply no way most small or even medium-size businesses can ship as quickly and cost effectively—or to as many countries—as their larger rivals.

A company with headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, United States, is hoping to bridge that divide. Launched in 2015, Stevie-winner Easyship offers a platform that helps small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) more efficiently meet their logistical needs.

“We believe any business, regardless of size, should be able to sell worldwide,” says Jacqueline Ostrov, head of growth at Easyship.

easyship_logoBy integrating with the Easyship platform, e-commerce sites can offer a wider range of international shipping options to customers around the world, and because the rates couriers charge through Easyship are already negotiated, the firm says clients save an average of 40 percent off their shipping costs.

“We've saved our brands over one hundred thousand dollars each in shipping and fulfillment alone—all while expanding their networks and sharing really cool products around the world,” adds Ostrov.

The company also helps sellers manage international duties and taxes, which is a notoriously complex challenge for smaller ventures. Its platform calculates those charges automatically, meaning sellers don’t have to worry about their products encountering problems at customs or finding themselves having to pay unexpected costs.

“Merchants need to understand that the post-purchase experience is as meaningful as customer acquisition,” says Ostrov, whose company earned the 2019 Gold Stevie® in the transportation category of the Web Achievement Awards for the American Business Awards® . “With that in mind, Easyship not only cares but wants to make your customer experience both exceptional and easy.”

The “Aha” Moment

For a growing number of e-commerce sites, overseas sales are becoming a critical part of their growth strategies. According to a survey last year by the intelligence firm Digital Commerce 360, as many as 80 percent of respondents stated that cross-border e-commerce was “a critical source of our e-commerce growth in the future.”

Among this group is Satisfye, a small US-based company that makes accessories for the Nintendo Switch gaming system. Initially, the business only sold to two countries and used just two couriers to manage shipments.

Since making the transition to Easyship, Satisfye has expanded into more than eighty countries and now uses thirteen delivery services. In the process, it’s saved roughly $60,000 in fulfillment costs, according to Easyship.

The founders of Easyship, Tommaso Tamburnotti and Augustin Ceyrac, started their careers at the European e-commerce giant Lazada. As they worked to expand the site’s presence in places like North Africa and Southeast Asia, Ostrov says they quickly saw barriers that smaller firms had to face when looking to expand their businesses. She calls this an “aha” moment for the pair.

Over the next couple of years, Tamburnotti and Ceyrac set up a main office in Hong Kong and worked on developing a new platform and building international courier relationships. In that time, the customer base and physical presence of Easyship grew enormously. The company now has offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America, including its new headquarters that opened last year in Brooklyn, New York, United States.

The company also recently closed a $4 million round of funding in 2018. Cofounder Tamburnotti told TechCrunch that the financing would help Easyship develop its technology and build on its network of shipping and logistics partners.

“The future of e-commerce is the enablement of hyper-local, as well as global and domestic shipping experiences,” Tamburnotti said in a statement. “Our goal is to give merchants back the control of a complicated supply chain with the best product possible so they can enhance sales and purchaser experiences.”

Easyship recently won a Gold Stevie Award for Best Transportation Website in The 17th annual American Business Awards®.

Interested in winning a Stevie Award in 2020?

Request the entry kit here.

Topics: best website, The American Business Awards, American business awards, e-commerce awards

Nominate Your Mobile Site or App in The 2017 American Business Awards

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Fri, Oct 28, 2016 @ 05:13 PM

The 15th annual American Business Awards, the premier business awards competition in the U.S.A. which attracts more than 3,000 nominations from organizations nationwide each year, is now accepting nominations for the 2017 program. 

The American Business Awards recognize achievement in every facet of the workplace. Entry details are available at http://www.stevieawards.com/aba

REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT.

ABA 2016 winner.jpgAll organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations -- public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. There are two early-bird entry deadlines this year – November 17 and December 14 – with discounted entry fees. 

A category group that has been greatly expanded for 2017 is Mobile Site & App Awards. 

These categories recognize excellence in mobile websites and apps.

Information to be submitted online for entries in these categories for the 2017 ABAs will include

a. An essay of up to 200 words describing the mobile site or app's purpose and results to date.

b. The mobile site or app itself, in the form of a demonstration video of up to three (3) minutes in length.  You must attach the video to your entry through our attachment/link uploading tool. 

c. Optionally, you may list creative and production credits for your site or app - a list of the people and organizations that contribute to its development

F55. Business/Government
F56. Education & Reference
F57. Entertainment
F58. Events
F59. Experimental & Innovation
F60. Family & Kids (new category for 2017)
F61. Fashion & Beauty (new category for 2017)
F62. Financial Services / Banking (new category for 2017)
F63. Fitness & Recreation (new category for 2017)
F64. Food & Drink (new category for 2017)
F65. Games
F66. Guides/Ratings/Reviews
F67. Health (new category for 2017)
F68. Integrated Mobile Experience
F69. Lifestyle
F70. Magazine / Editorial (new category for 2017)
F71. Marketing
F72. Messaging (new category for 2017)
F73. Music
F74. News
F75. Productivity (new category for 2017)
F76. Professional Education
F77. Professional Services (new category for 2017)
F78. Public Service & Activism (new category for 2017)
F79. Real Estate (new category for 2017)
F80. School / University (new category for 2017)
F81. Shopping
F82. Social
F83. Sports
F84. Training
F85. Travel
F86. Utilities & Services

Gold Stevie winners in the Mobile Site & App Awards categories in 2016 include:

Business/Government - Advertising, Marketing, Public Relations and Business Services Industries
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
EffectiveUI, Denver, CO: City and County of Denver’s PocketGov Web App Allows Citizens to Interact with Government from Anywhere

Business/Government – All Other Industries
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
Applied Systems, University Park, IL: Applied Mobile

Education & Reference
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
Neocate, Rockville, MD: Neocate Footsteps App

Events
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
BMO Capital Markets, Chicago, IL: Global Metals and Mining Conference App

Experimental & Innovation
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
Sharecare.com, Atlanta, GA: Sharecare Voice App

Integrated Mobile Experience
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
LogMeIn, Boston, MA: join.me

Lifestyle
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
ACTIVE Network, Dallas, TX: Couch to 5K: Running App, Training Coach and GPS Tracker

Marketing
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
LABOV Marketing Communications and Training, Fort Wayne, IN: Audi of America Audi exclusive App

Shopping
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
Peapod, Skokie, IL: Smart Shopping Gets Smarter: Peapod's New Mobile App
App

Topics: best website, Best Apps, app awards, website awards, American business awards, mobile site

The Stevie Awards Reveal Updated Websites

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Thu, Feb 04, 2016 @ 12:22 PM

We are pleased to announce that the new Stevie® Awards websites are live.  The new websites make learning about each of the Stevie Awards programs much easier  – from requesting an entry kit to viewing the lists of categories. Check out the sites on your laptop or tablet today at www.StevieAwards.com.

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Here's a rundown of features on the new sites:

Same Function, New Design

For those of you who have been using the Stevie Awards websites for years and don’t want to re-learn how to navigate the sites, you're in luck. Those of you who thought the old sites were hard to use are also in luck. The basic functions of the sites haven't changed, and most of the tools are similarly placed throughout each site. They were designed to be much more user friendly and easier to read. All of the most important tools for submitting nominations, contacting us, etc. are now in a pullout bar on each page of the website, so you never feel lost. This brings us to our next feature

What Do You Want to Do? Tool

screenshot-what-do-you-want-to-do.jpgWe think this is the most useful new feature for many reasons. All of the main tools you need for learning about and submitting entries to the Stevie Awards competitions are now available to you at all times, no matter which webpage you are on. On the left-hand side of the page, you will notice a collapsed menu labeled “What Do You Want To Do?” When you expand the menu the following options are always available:

  • Get The Entry Kit
  • Schedule (text message) Reminders
  • Submit Entries
  • Apply to Be A Judge
  • Purchase Tickets
  • Become a Sponsor
  • Contact Us

This menu will follow you up and down, and across, every page of a Stevie Awards site.

Logging In

Before the sites were updated, you were only able to login to your Stevie Awards account from the homepage of each Stevie Award program website. Now, at the top of each and every page you will see an account login space for both entrants and judges. *Note – the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards site was not updated in the same way as the other five sites because it is newer and offers multiple language options. It is still very user friendly.

Current and Forthcoming Award Cycle

Screenshot-calendar.jpgThe competition calendars, labeled "Current and Forthcoming Award Cycle", with entry deadlines, finalist and winner announcements, and event dates are now available in a large chart at the bottom of each Stevie Awards homepage. You are also able to keep track of important dates by scheduling text message reminders.

Text Message Reminders

You now have the option to opt-in to receive reminders about Stevie Awards entry deadlines via text message. Each Stevie Awards homepage includes a Schedule Reminders feature.

Tablets and Desktops

The Stevie Awards websites are now optimized for both tablets and desktops! This means you can request entry kits, login to your account, edit and submit your entries, sign up for text reminders, and more while on the go. Even judges will now be able to better participate while on the go!

Questions about the new Stevie Award websites? Contact us.

Topics: best website, website design, American business awards