It seems that the folks at Volusion have once again introduced a tool for their platform that we’d already developed.  Now don’t get us wrong.  What’s good for Volusion is good for us, so we’re always thrilled at their continuing efforts to improve what is already the best shopping platform in the marketplace.

But…

We do feel compelled to point out one thing: we totally did it first.  Sure, we already mentioned that, but our ego compels us to say it again.  We introduced iVoloo (our iPhone-friendly Volusion store) two years ago and we updated it pretty dramatically just last month.  All of this was completed independent of Volusion and as a direct result of needs expressed by our customers.  Now, in the big scheme of things, does being first really matter?

Well… yes.

While we don’t yet know all the details about Volusion’s mCommerce, one thing is sure: we did it first.  First is important because it means that we are capable of creating solutions before anyone else even has the opportunity to publicly recognize the need.  First is important because it means that we’re nimble and responsive.  First is important because every Volusion merchant who’s been using iVoloo, didn’t have to wait, nor will any new iVoloo customers have to wait for Volusion’s mCommerce beta to be complete.

This may sound like sour grapes (and that may be at least a little bit true), but, believe it or not, we have a great relationship with Volusion.  We like Volusion.  What’s important for us is that the Volusion community understand that we specialize in the development of custom solutions for all of their eCommerce (or mCommerce) needs.  We look beyond Volusion’s limitations to see its possibilities… then we turn those possibilities into reality.

We’ll continue to develop tools and applications to expand on Volusion’s (already expansive) capabilities.  Heck… we just introduced a more robust version of RapidCart, even though Volusion already has a soft-add-to-cart feature, just because we wanted to make a better one.  We fully expect that someday Volusion will somehow match RapidCart, but by then, we’ll have moved on to another need, a new goal, because that’s what we do.  We make the world a better place using every tool at our disposal, like Stephen Hawking or the A-Team.

Now, Carnal DaMMAge’s customers will be able to shop (and buy) on a mobile-optimized Volusion site, eliminating one more barrier between browsing and conversion.

You, too, can have an iPhone-friendly Volusion store for less than a thousand dollars!  (Okay… it’s $995, so not a lot less than a thousand… but still, it’s less.)

If you’d like to capture some of the ever-expanding mCommerce market (quickly and affordably) check out iVoloo.  On the other hand, if you’d like to beat the tar out of someone, but you’d like to be sure you’re properly outfitted first, check out Carnal DaMMAge.

The above-mentioned deep love was a big part of the reason that we introduced iVoloo – the first iPhone friendly Volusion store, back in July of 2008.  Back in those days (it seems so long ago), iVoloo was a novelty.  We developed it for a client who sells iPhone accessories, then (drunk with iPhone affection) decided to offer it to the Volusion community at large.  In all honesty, back then, the need for iVoloo was debatable.  There were absolutely excellent reasons to have a mobile-friendly store, but it wasn’t a critical need.  Those times have changed.

Do you remember back when the internet was still in its infancy?  It wasn’t that uncommon to search for a huge brand name, only to find that they had no web presence at all.  You’d just shrug and grab the phone book (remember those?), look up the store and call them to get your questions answered.  However, as time went by, an insufficient web presence became harder and harder to tolerate until finally it seemed like a personal affront to go searching for a store online and come up empty.  We’ve now reached the point where even the humblest of mom & pop operations are virtually required to have a website, lest they risk the wrath of their constantly-connected consumers.  That’s the future of mobile commerce.  You can go ahead and ignore it… for now.  You can ignore all of the research (here, here and here) that shows that consumers are quickly (very quickly) becoming comfortable with mCommerce.  You can frustrate your mobile customers by failing to offer them what they are rapidly coming to expect from their online experience.  You can put all of your eggs in your standard site and hope that your customers are tenacious enough to navigate your teeny-weeny little site in search of what they need.

… or, you could get ahead of the curve (and your competition) for less than a thousand bucks.  Give us a call.  It’ll be easier than you can imagine.

In this case the post didn’t explicitly express a need, but instead, included a link to this Internet Retailer article (which, itself, is quoting Compete’s Smartphone Intelligence survey for Q3 2009) that shows two things quite clearly.  First, smartphone users are using their devices more and more, not just for “window shopping” but for actual mobile purchases (37% according to the survey).  Second, they are less likely to make a mobile purchase on a site that hasn’t been optimized for the mobile experience.

We’ve been aware of this for some time and, as a matter of fact, last year we released iVoloo, which has the ability to take a select group of products from your store and offer them in an iPhone-friendly format for the shopper on the go.  It’s a great tool and simply implementing it tells your customers that you understand their needs, but, the iVoloo wasn’t everything we’d hoped for.  It was limited in the number of products it could display and it required our assistance to merchandise the mobile-specific format.

… but, we’ve been working on it and guess what?  We are now poised to release iVoloo 2.0 and here’s the good news: not only can you put your whole damn store inside, but you’ll also be able to merchandise it easily (without any help from us) using the Volusion admin that you’re already familiar with!  It’s as close to a plug-and-play solution as you could hope for.

The release of iVoloo 2.0 is mere weeks away and if you’re interested, you can contact us now and you’ll be one of the first to have this sweet new tool on your Volusion store as soon as it’s ready.  Of course, you can also contact us for any other needs you may have, or you can post your question or need in the comments section of this post.  Don’t worry, though… we keep our eyes on the Volusion forum and if something comes up there that we feel we can address, we’ll do so here.

RedLaser is a beautifully simple little app.  For the ridiculously low price of two bucks, it will turn your iPhone into a mobile comparison shopping machine.  Let’s say, for example, that you’re at your local Target store and you see a shiny, new toaster that’s just what you’ve been looking for, but you think you might be able to get a better deal elsewhere.  Well, just whip out your iPhone, launch the app and point the phone’s camera at the toaster’s barcode.  In mere seconds, not only will you see a listing of local brick and mortar competitors who also carry that exact toaster (along with what they’re charging) but you’ll also see results from both Google and The Find’s comparison shopping engines… effectively allowing you to search the entire world for the best deal on that perfect, little toaster!  What does this mean for you, the online retailer?  Well, it means you’d better include Comparison Shopping Engines in your marketing efforts or you’ll be missing out on the opportunity to get new customers who might otherwise have never even heard of you.

The world is changing pretty damn quickly these days.  We can help you keep up.

(via Occipital)

The move makes perfect sense for the eCommerce juggernaught as they’re currently on track to earn a half billion bucks strictly through mobile sales.  If only there were some way to put your Volusion store on the iPhone.  Wouldn’t that be great?

(via TechCrunch)