Integrating Web Utilities is increasingly important

- An interview with Jos Jelier of Procurios -

Procurios offers businesses a web platform which includes CMS, CRM, Online Marketing and E-commerce services. What are the main services you offer webshops?

Procurios develops web technology, the Procurios Web platform, which enables our customers to work smarter with Internet. This is a platform with over 50 modules including many modules that webshops can use. Our technology provides among others in a userfriendly shop and CMS, but also in various modules for online marketing. In addition, we also build many shops with the Magento open source package.

You offer a lot of services, from webshop to sending newsletters and from CRM solution to online research. Are you a one-stop shop for online entrepreneurs?

Procurios itself focuses primarily on web technology. For other matters such as design, SEO / SEA etc., we work closely with partners. In most cases, however, we are the first contact for the entrepreneur and he indeed sees us as a one-stop-shop.

You work for clients like New York Pizza, Libema and Christen Unie. Niet de minste partijen. Not the least of parties. Can you give an example of what you do for these companies?

All our clients have one thing in common: they want to work smarter with Internet. This requires an integrated approach: no shop with a stand-alone CRM package and a separate mailing system. The Procurios web platform offers all these components integrated. This means that if a visitor makes a purchase from a website, its information will be placed in the CRM, and he also can receive the newsletter automatically. This offers benefits to our customers.

For New York Pizza for example, we have built an extensive extranet where all franchisees (100 +) can exchange information. At Libema Holiday Resort we provide the technology of the site and the connection of online sales on their reservation system. For the Christian Union we do just about anything related to the Internet. Ranging from the website technique to online membership administration of its many thousands of members.

In the end of March you will also be present at the E-shop Expo. What will you present?

We will present our webshop-Shop, a shop where entrepeneurs can “shop for their shop”. Entrepreneurs who want to build their first webshop are often overwhelmed by all possible choices. We help them. For entrepreneurs who want to refresh their technique the same goes, although they often know better what they want. At our shop, we lead visitors in 3 steps to their optimal web shop.

Are you already active in Belgium or is the participation in the E-shop Expo a first step on the Belgian market?

In late 2010 Procurios has taken over HWB IT Services BVBA, which operates in Belgium under the names HetWebsiteBedrijf and Offshore IT. HetWebsiteBedrijf has been active in the Belgian market for years and has built many successful web shops based on Magento. With the acquisition we can now also deliver web shops based on Procurios Webplatform in Belgium. The E-shop Expo is our first show in Belgium though.

You have now been active in the online sector for almost ten years. What are the key developments that the company has seen during this time?

We started like a two-man-business at the height of the dotcom crash. We have grown rapidly since. We have invested a lot in our web platform. We have built it from scratch. We also dare to say that our platform is unique in its kind, both in its usability and functionality. In the end of 2010, so very recently, we have made an acquisition which was a hyge step for us.

The name Procurios means "look ahead". This means that you have to monitor the trends in the marketplace well. What do you think are the main developments in the coming years webshops should take into account?

There are three issues requiring special attention:

• Integrating Social Media sites (also in content management- and webshop systems).
• Development of mobile applications and integration with web applications
• The full integration of content management systems (CMS) and customer relationship systems (CRM)

Everything indicates that online will be the major sales channel which makes it important to be able to manage your contact information from your web platform. Integration of web-utilities is thus becoming increasingly important.

What are your plans for next year?

Give substance to the above:)