Kurant Corporation, the leading provider of e-business software for
organizations that serve the small and medium-size business (SMB)
market, today ushered in the next phase of e-business for SMBs. Up
until now, large companies have been moving rapidly to bring all
aspects of their businesses online, while smaller companies' needs in
this area have gone largely unserved. With the announcement of
StoreSense 5.5, Kurant is for the first time enabling SMBs, whether
they sell products, services, or a combination of both, to conduct
all types of business online easily and cost-effectively.
Traditionally, e-commerce software vendors have targeted their
solutions towards enabling companies to sell retail products online,
addressing just one segment of the market. According to
International Data Corporation (IDC), there are approximately 5.7
million SMBs connected to the Internet, but only a fraction of these
are conducting full-fledged e-business.
Transaction-Based Web Site Solutions
Kurant recognizes that today's SMBs require far more than the ability
to sell products online, and is the first vendor in the SMB arena to
move beyond traditional product-focused e-commerce to
transaction-based website solutions. With StoreSense 5.5, companies
can not only build a web store to sell products, but also leverage
their website as a means to conduct and manage all back-end business
transactions, such as customer invoicing and recurring bill payment,
whether the transactions are generated online or off.
This focus on transactions gives a previously unaddressed segment of
the SMB space, service-based businesses, access to e-business
technology; as service firms represent approximately half of SMBs,
StoreSense 5.5 effectively doubles the potential market. Now, all
small businesses, regardless of what they sell or how they sell it,
can reap the benefits of e-business, from improving efficiency to
fostering customer loyalty and competing in the local and global
marketplace.
"Kurant distinguishes itself by offering a solution that assists SMBs
in completing the entire sale process, facilitating not only the
transaction itself but also the essential accompanying customer
invoicing and bill payment pieces as well," said Helen Chan, senior
analyst, Small and Medium Business Strategies at the Yankee Group.
"The key is for vendors to provide solutions that help SMBs
understand the extensibility of their website as not only a web
store, but also as a conduit to tie back to the back office business
functions. With StoreSense 5.5, Kurant demonstrates that the company
gets this."
"The latest version of StoreSense creates a significant new category in
the SMB market," said Curtis Pierce, CEO of Kurant. "With 5.7
million small businesses connected to the Internet but just one
segment of these conducting their transactions online, the
opportunity is substantial and as yet untapped. StoreSense 5.5
extends our leadership from the e-commerce segment of the small
business space to complete e-business for the broad SMB market."
StoreSense 5.5
StoreSense 5.5 delivers a comprehensive solution designed to provide
retailers and service firms with a full range of e-business
functionality, from front-office website and web store capabilities
to back-office inventory management, supply chain communication and
accounting system integration.
StoreSense 5.5 contains new functionality to allow service-based
businesses, such as consultants, lawyers, or accountants, to bill
customers and collect payments online. Using new order-entry
features in the StoreSense Order Manager, merchants can create
invoices for products or services independent of their StoreSense
storefront, which customers can then view and pay online.
Featuring a powerful, new architecture, StoreSense 5.5 sets a new
standard for ease of use, flexibility and performance. For version
5.5, Kurant developed an innovative new tagging language --
StoreSense Markup Language (SSML) -- to help merchants easily create
more robust storefront designs.
In addition, StoreSense 5.5 offers a variety of enhanced marketing and
merchandizing features. The new Promotions function offers new
promotion options, such as quantity discounts, and gives merchants
greater flexibility to create their own. Improvements to
StoreSense's product management, search and categorization functions
enable companies to present their merchandise effectively and
encourage repeat purchases.
"Until now, enterprise-class e-business solutions have been designed
for larger companies, with their ample budgets and IT departments.
The SMB market, on the other hand, has been waiting for enterprise
features on a SMB budget," said Dell Wolfensparger, vice president of
business development at Dynamic Concepts, a Kurant channel partner.
"Kurant has a strong track record of translating enterprise-class
e-commerce technology into solutions that small to medium size
businesses can afford and manage. With StoreSense 5.5, they've
reached this goal."
Kurant markets StoreSense to small and medium-sized business through a
series of strategic partnerships with large corporations, including
banks, financial service providers and other professional service
companies. These strategic partners have existing trust-based
relationships with more than five million small and medium-sized
business and serve as an excellent channel for the efficient delivery
of StoreSense software. Some of Kurant's existing partners include
First Data Merchant Services, a subsidiary of First Data Corp.;
Homestead Technologies; Paymentech; S1 Corporation; and Website Pros.
About StoreSense
Kurant StoreSense is a complete e-business suite for small and
medium-size business. StoreSense's rich feature set ranges from
simple wizard-driven website and e-store capabilities to
sophisticated site design tools, advanced commerce functionality and
high-end e-business management. In addition, StoreSense integrates
with QuickBooks Pro/Premier/Premier: Accountant 2002 and 2003,
QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions 2.0 and QuickBooks Online Edition,
allowing two-way transfer of critical business data between a
merchant's online store and desktop financial system. Offered on a
cost-effective monthly subscription basis, StoreSense is available
from Kurant's reseller partners throughout the U.S., Canada and the
world.
About Kurant
Kurant Corporation provides software infrastructure that allows large
corporations to deliver branded e-business services to their small
and medium-sized business customers. Kurant's award-winning flagship
product, StoreSense, is a complete suite of e-business tools,
including website design, electronic commerce, mobile commerce,
supply chain communication, and inventory and customer management.
Incorporated in 1998, San Francisco-based Kurant is privately held.
For more information, contact Kurant at www.kurant.com or (888)
463-2696.
NOTE: Brands and products referenced herein are the trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective holders.
