'The 'back' of a webshop must be as beautiful as the front'

- An interview with John Peters, E-commerce Business Development Manager TIE Kinetix -

TIE Kinetix has its own e-commerce platform, the MamboFive Commerce Suite ™ which is used by companies such as KPN, Simac, T-Mobile, Fujitsu-Siemens and AH. What is the main added value of this platform?

We want to offer the webmarketeer with the TIE Kinetix MamboFive Commerce Suite, a complete and scalable solution with capabilities for both B2C and B2B applications and cross-channel scenarios. The combination of a flexible e-commerce platform and thoughtful content, catalogue management and sales and marketing capabilities, enable the webmarketeer to positively influence the shop conversion in a short time.

We also help our customers to integrate the webshop with its own systems, the systems of partners or for example, content providers and payment service providers. The entire e-commerce process from front to back is thus automated. The number of manual operations, we want to limit to an absolute minimum for our customers. That is our added value.

You are now active for about ten years with the MamboFive Commerce Suite ™. The software is continually being developed. What are the main improvements that have been made in recent years?

The major improvements are found in the cross-channel capabilities. For example, it is possible to run multiple online shops ('channels') based on one e-commerce backoffice and database. Our integration capabilities of the MamboFive Commerce Suite ™ with the financial and logistical systems have expanded as well as the marketing opportunities including the use of social media as a marketing channel.

A good practical example of a customer who recently started to use two channels, is T-Mobile. T-Mobile now has next to the shop on her website www.t-Mobile.nl a Smartphone Store on the popular site Tweakers.net. This is the largest website in the area of computers and consumer electronics.

We also have made the configuration options more flexible by using standardized modular modules. Thanks to these developments, the software can continuously grow with the e-commerce strategy of the customer. We find that this vision and approach is greatly valued by our customers.

The growth of the Belgian e-commerce market is increasingly being caused by "traditional" organizations that develop a multichannel strategy. On the site of TIE is stated "TIE bridges the gap between the traditional way of doing business and the online model.” What can you do for these 'traditional' organizations?

We want to deliver unparalleled performance based on honest advice, a practical approach and a strong focus on revenue and cost / ROI. Together with these traditional institutions we build a balanced mix of online e-commerce. Because nearly all traditional organizations already have an ERP or financial system, our knowledge of integration is an added value. Without proper integration and links an efficient control of the fulfillment process is impossible. This could ultimately affect the customer experience by delaying deliveries. In short, we find that the front of a webshop should be just as beautiful as the back.

Where are you proud of?

First, we are proud that our software is used by two major players in the large telecom market; namely KPN-HI and T-Mobile. Furthermore, we have recently received the Progress Saas Excellence Award in the United States.

“The SaaS Excellence Award honors those whose participation in SaaS enablement programs has resulted in highly innovative offerings that achieve impressive commercial success within their market.. This year, Netherlands-based TIE Kinetix was recognized for their technology and important contributions to the larger SaaS enablement effort.”

All this says something about the qualities that we have to offer.

You are based in the Netherlands, as well as France and the United States. Why did you choose those three countries and do you have plans to expand further internationally?

TIE has had operations in these countries since its start. Since six months we also have a sales office in Asia. We want to expand into new international markets and with new partners. We want to serve these new markets and opportunities with local partners. With our technology and knowledge of local partners we can serve the customer in the best way.

You are this year's Gold Sponsor of the E-shop Expo. What are your plans for the Belgian market?

Together with Belgian partners and end users we want to grow as a company and to develop the Belgian market in the field of e-commerce. Online shopping is booming in Belgium. We like to get in touch with local partners and end users in Belgium, which wants to expand the success in Belgium together with us.

We participate in the E-shop Expo because we want to get in touch with people and talk about their business and online marketing plans and the challenges they face. Virtually all types of businesses in the supply chain, producers, wholesalers and retailers are facing forms of online marketing and sales through multiple channels in different (often international) markets. We would like to show how our software solutions, Ecommerce, Content Syndication and Business Integration may be of value.


More information about the social media activities of ecommerce.tiekinetix.com