Posts Tagged ‘Platforms’

Affiliate Traction Software Is Compatible With All Computer Platforms

If you are in need of affiliate tracking software, you are not alone. A large number of business owners depend on affiliate tracking software programs, especially when they are trying to operate a successful affiliate program. When it comes to purchasing this software, you may be wondering which programs are the best.
 
With a small amount of research and careful examination, you should easily be able to find the affiliate tracking software that meets all of your needs.
For more details go to: www.quick-selling-software.com in your search, for affiliate tracking software, it is likely that you will come across a number of different software programs and services. Just one of the many you are likely to come across will include Affiliate Traction. Affiliate Traction is a well known software provider that offers programs for those who run their own affiliate program
 
This program is just one of the many programs that you will come across; however, you may find that it is one of the best. According to their website, Affiliate Traction claims that they are rated among the best by merchants and affiliates. This is one of the many reasons why you should, at least, take the time to familiarize yourself with the tracking software that they have available.
 
If their claim is true, you may not have to look any further. As with most affiliate tracking software, Affiliate Traction, offers a number of common services and features. These services include customer support, advance earning reports, and detailed affiliate tracking. As previously mentioned, these features are common on most affiliate tracking software programs, but Affiliate Traction doesn’t stop there.
 
Additional features include multilevel campaign structuring, multilevel affiliate levels, and customized ads and banners. One thing that you may not find with most affiliate tracking software programs, but you will with Affiliate Traction, is a limited number of system requirements. In fact, Affiliate Traction is compatible with all computer platforms.
 
This means that you will not have to install any additional software or purchase expensive computer programs. As is, you computer should, in most cases, be compatible with Affiliate Traction. Although Affiliate Traction is considered an affiliate tracking software, you do not have to install the program on your computer.
 
A simple cut and paste and your computer and affiliate program should be ready to go. Something else that you may enjoy about Affiliate Traction is that you are given the ability to completely take charge of your affiliate program.
For can visit to: www.page-brand-generator.com Many other software programs are designed to make running an affiliate program easy; however, this often means that you are granted little access to the behind the scenes process. With Affiliate Traction, you are granted this information.
 
This means that you can easily add or remove an affiliate, although the program will automatically do it for you, if you wish. You can also remove any click reports, in the event that you feel one was suspicious or improperly acquired. With Affiliate Traction you must pay a license fee for the program, but you are also required to pay a monthly fee for hosting.
 
Although both fees are not charged by many software providers, it is something that is becoming fairly normal to see. Despite the fact that the cost of Affiliate Traction can be considered somewhat expensive, it is important that you remember everything that you will get. The above mentioned features and services tend to make Affiliate Traction well worth the cost of obtaining it. Please browse for more information at our websites.

eCommerce SaaS Platforms, 10 Provider Questions

This article provides a checklist for retailers who are evaluating SaaS based eCommerce solutions as part of their re-platforming project. These are the characteristics of a true software-as-a-service (SaaS) eCommerce provider.
The platform decision is arguably the most important, complex, and costly part of a retailers 3-5 year investment cycle. It is a decision that is often put off or easily put on hold due to other priorities or the risks involved. And it is a decision that very few online retailers are qualified to make on their own since it has such broad implications across technology, marketing, operations, and sales.
What is SaaS?A logical place to start. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is a delivery model alternative for software companies to license their software “on-demand”, typically delivered over the Internet using standard web protocols. In most cases, the SaaS provider has software running their own servers in a data center they manage, along with all aspects of the application. This is opposed to licensing software “off-the-shelf”.
eCommerce SaaS Providers are companies that deliver their eCommerce software platform on their proprietary infrastructure. True SaaS eCommerce providers can offer a much higher level of service overall to retailers over in-house or third party hosted models.
The “Service” in SaaSBeyond the software delivery side of SaaS, and more important for retailers to understand, is the provider’s ability to actually provide an ongoing service. The SaaS provider is not coming in, building out a website, charging licensing fees and leaving. A SaaS provider makes their money over a 3-5 year period and is accountable for keeping the website online and fast every second of every minute. A tall order for just plain old software companies and is the fundamental difference with SaaS providers over custom eCommerce solutions or third party hosted systems.
1. Redundant Server InfrastructureTrue eCommerce SaaS providers have redundant server farms with no single points of failure. The SaaS platform will offer load balancing, clustering, and automatic fail over for all server tiers. In all likelihood the SaaS platform will house more than one website and Client (called a multi-tenant architecture) – this is not a problem providing they can guarantee performance, security, and availability in a Service Level Agreement.
Beware: We often hear of eCommerce Systems Integrators proposing one or two servers as “ongoing hosting” instead of proposing robust, high-availability architectures.
2. New Features and Upgrades IncludedWe are not talking about “18% per year maintenance”. True eCommerce SaaS providers will deliver several releases per year of new platform features requested by their Clients. These features will be rolled into the software code base and seamlessly released to all Clients avoiding costly “customization fees”.
Beware: Software License Maintenance is often used as a placeholder during the sales process for new features, support, service, or other.
3. Service Level Agreement (SLA) IncludedTrue eCommerce SaaS providers have a “service culture”. They are used to earning their money over a 3-5 year period of time vs. one-time upfront fees. As a result, they will guarantee Uptime, Performance, Transaction Integrity, and the Support Process in an SLA with the retailer. These SLAs should provide clear monthly reports on the status and a penalty structure for not meeting the targets.
Beware: Companies may try to use the 3rd party hosting company’s SLA in place of an agreement with the solution provider.
4. PCI SecurityPayment Card Industry compliance is something that all online retailers must understand and be able to demonstrate. True eCommerce SaaS providers will maintain PCI-DSS compliance and provide controls within their platforms to make compliance easier for the merchant.
Beware: Providers should guarantee they will maintain PCI compliance in their Master Services Agreement.
5. eCommerce Account ManagementOutside of 24×7 support, true eCommerce SaaS providers will offer a dedicated account management resource to their Clients. This person is named on their account and is available as a single point of contact and is accountable for customer satisfaction at no extra cost.
Beware: It is important the person assigned to your account is not motivated by selling more services.
6. Platform ConfigurationTrue eCommerce SaaS platforms offer rich features that can be turned on or off (configurable) as part of the implementation and by the merchant on-demand. This includes the ability for complex merchandising, search, promotions, shipping, checkout, payment, and other tools to be available to the Client as needed at no extra charge.
Beware: Many eCommerce providers will build a custom platform and website that offers limited configurable parameters after it’s delivered.
7. Rapid DeploymentSince a true eCommerce SaaS provider already has existing infrastructure and software running live, this drastically reduces project times and allows the retailer (and the provider) to focus on the most strategic parts of a project (User Experience and Integration).
Beware: To reduce project risk, retailers must provide more time for testing (technology, procedures, etc.) for in-house or third party hosted solutions than with SaaS solutions.
8. NOC Monitoring and PerformanceTrue eCommerce SaaS platforms have a software and hardware architecture that is scalable, allowing for quick provisioning of additional capacity to handle peak demands. To stay on top of capacity, SaaS providers are continuously monitoring eCommerce websites using global availability and performance monitoring tools (Gomez, Keynote, Uptrends) and have a Network Operations Center (NOC) that can proactively stay ahead of load issues.
Beware: Many IT departments are just not staffed to handle 24×7×365 monitoring or have the resources to properly architect a scalable solution.
9. Rental License vs. One-Time Lump SumSince SaaS providers license their eCommerce platforms “on-demand” vs. lump sum licensing, most provide a monthly based fee to “rent” the license. SaaS licensing models vary, some which are based on transactions, commissions, users, products, bandwidth or flat monthly fees. In almost every case, the ongoing monthly fees with a SaaS provider will be higher but the one-time fees will be significantly lower (than a licensed / hosted or custom build hosted). Typically the monthly fee is a blend of License and Delivery of the service.
Beware: The monthly fee for SaaS providers is not “hosting”, it is a mix of licensing and service delivery (as defined in the plan and SLA). Go back to checklist #1, the managed hosting fees alone for a redundant setup will make the SaaS fees very reasonable.
10. Disaster Recovery – Business ContinuityAs a provider of business critical services to online retailers, true eCommerce SaaS providers will maintain a full disaster recovery (DR) and business continuity plan (BCP). This will protect the merchant by reducing possible downtime and data loss caused by a disaster in the data center.
Beware: Backups can be part of a DR strategy, but are not the plan alone. It is critical that the platform provider has a replicated environment to recover service if needed.