No. 20 - Anniversary Edition 2010 .your Software Business Advisor
Avangate Digest is a practical guide to software business. It covers the latest trends, tips and advice on the issues we face and try to make better every day in our work. Enjoy it and let's make it better together. Send your stories and feedback to adriana.iordan@avangate.com
 
In this issue:

>>A Word from the Editor
>>Interviewing Web VIPs
>>Technology sells
>>Cool places to hang out
>>Avangate Articles Digest
Never did A/B testing?
ab testing Share with us your ideas about increasing your shopping cart conversion rates and we will test the most creative ones, for free, in your Avangate account.
Send your ideas now!
 
 
 

A Word from the Editor
Adriana Iordan
Adriana Iordan,
Web Marketing Manager, Avangate

>>Welcome to the 3rd anniversary edition!

Hi everyone,

How are things working out for you? What challenges are you taking on?
This is the 3 year anniversary edition of Avangate Digest, we're learning a lot along the way and I can truly say that I enjoyed most working and connecting with all of you software aficionados.

This year we are focusing on conversion rate optimization and on enabling software vendors to find and to better work with partners. I believe that both of these are the foundation of any successful business online and I've seen some great results shared by a lot of software companies in this direction.

That's why are having a lot of new updates to the affiliate platform, network cross vendor selling, reseller management system, web analytics & multivariate testing modules to make sure we make it as easy as possible for software authors to strategize these two directions.

Also, this year I pledged to share more real-life experiences from the world of software business. What better way to outline this than by interviewing one of the co-founders of VSO software, Fabrice, whom I met years ago. He has great insights into using affiliates as partners for a software company and quite an obsession (healthy one if you ask me) over conversion rate optimization. I hope you will find answers to your own questions as well.

To stress even more why optimization is important, I want to show you the results one of our software partners got even with minor changes to a page in their shopping cart. Claudiu shares the results we've got from A/B testing on different shopping carts and introduces you to our first widget.

As always we welcome your feedback. If you prefer it, please don't hesitate to email me directly at adriana.iordan@avangate.com.

I hope you enjoy this newsletter and have a great spring!
Until next time,
Adriana Iordan
   
 

Interviewing Web VIPs: Fabrice Meuwissen

by Adriana Iordan
Fabrice Meuwissen

>>"Affiliate marketing results = Software Category x Vendor Brand x Tracking Method x Commission x Product Price x Currency"

Fabrice Meuwissen is the co-founder of VSO Software, a company which produces the popular ConvertXtoDVD video converter. He is a developer & marketing person who has been involved in software development and distribution since 1997 and started using an e-commerce platform back in 1998. Fabrice also set the bases of BrainFight , a webmarketing consultancy agency mainly addressed to software vendors.

Here's a quick excerpt: Which affiliates sell software better: download portals or niche websites?
"I can say that both sources will bring you about the same number of sales. The large download portals try to promote a lot of different products where you will have a lot of competition, while the niche websites are animated by expert and enthusiastic users. I never found it truly profitable to pay to be listed in Download.com, but I know it works for some new vendors, because they don't have a better choice and need to get traffic by starting somewhere. "

Read full interview
 

Technology Sells

by Claudiu Murariu		  
shopper trust conversion rates

>>3 crucial conversion rate elements:
Trust, Confidence and Security

How high is your shopping cart conversion rate? Is it 30 or less? 40? 60? One day a client asked me: what exactly makes a conversion rate to be smaller or higher? Is it the number of steps, the security logos, the product images, adding/removing cross selling?

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a secret formula. However, we have found that the absence of 3 elements can influence in a negative way your shopping cart conversion rate: trust, confidence and security.

Tackling them is not as easy as a walk in the park, however there is a success path to it: A/B testing. I invite you to do the following 3 tests, starting today (believe me, you won't regret it):

  • Test your current shopping cart with an updated look and feel against your current template. Pay attention to the smallest elements
  • Test a version of your shopping cart that contains additional elements like cross selling, backup CD or DIS against a version that has only the product and nothing else
  • Test security logos and the Who is Avangate widget

You think you have a great idea for testing but don't know how to implement it? Let us know and we will do it for you. Send your ideas to info@avangate.com

Continue to full article
 

Cool places to hang out

by Cristina Andrei

uxbooth UX, Usability, IxD - if all these sound like Greek to you, then check out UXBooth.com to see how they can dramatically improve your website. Learn how to positively influence your visitors' experience, make your site help them achieve their goals and encourage interaction. It's time to join the User Experience Community!

startuptodo What's the key to being a successful microISV? Industry VIP Bob Walsh has the answer: StartupToDo.com. His latest project is a productivity application designed to help you build your own company from scratch. And, of course, start selling software online. Join this online community to find resources and knowledge available nowhere else!.

svpg Warning! Reading the SVPG Blog may lead to creating successful high-tech products that drive successful businesses! Marty Cagan, Silicon Valley-based product executive who has worked for industry leaders such as eBay and Hewlett-Packard, shares senior level experience in key areas of the product development organization. He and his partners, all recognized practitioners in their fields, are committed to help others create innovative products that their customers love. Learn from the best to be the best!
 
 

Avangate Article & Blog Digest

I bet you will find at least one new idea from the articles and blog posts below:

Breaking Google's Glass Ceiling with a Microsite - Guest post by Bob Walsh
Consider creating and maintaining a microsite, to boost your search engine ranking. Learn from a microISV's experience.

Continue to blog post

Why Hammers Sell Better Than Your Software - Guest post by Bob Walsh
Bob Walsh talks about improving your software business overall conversion rate by getting your prospective customers immediately comfortable with your software.

Continue to blog post

Five tested ways to convert more software trials to purchases- Guest post series by Jason Cohen
Jason Cohen, a guest blogger on Avangate blog, introduces a series of five posts about converting more downloads to sales. Read on and don't miss the chance of getting an honest opinion about your software/website!

Continue to blog post series

3 factors that have impact on Conversion Rate
For the last couple of months there has been a frenzy here in our web marketing department about A/B testing and Conversion Rates. Why the frenzy?

Continue to blog post
 
 
 

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Quick links

eCommerce Platform
Reseller Management
Affiliate Network
Never did A/B testing?
ab testing Share with us your ideas about increasing your shopping cart conversion rates and we will test the most creative ones, for free, in your Avangate account.
Send your ideas now!
 
 
Avangate

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