Mediaboss Marketing

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Digital River, Inc. (NASDAQ: DRIV), the revenue growth experts in global cloud commerce, today at the Digital River Globalocity commerce conference in Los Angeles, Calif., announced the results of a survey of 250 senior decision makers from companies in the software, games and consumer electronics markets. The survey asked companies about their commerce plans for expanding into new online channels and geographies, their biggest online challenges as well as their expectations for revenue growth in the next two years.

The survey reaffirms what we have been seeing for some time that e-commerce will increasing shift to a multi-channel approach for commerce. Companies are looking for more ways to connect directly with their customers and offer them more choices when it comes to purchasing online whether that be mobile, social, in app, subscriptions or other options, said Joel Ronning, Digital Rivers CEO. The survey also pointed out the need for companies to reassess their global commerce readiness. Local is the new global today. We were surprised to see how many companies are still not vested in a fully localized online strategy. The growing generation of customers shopping online and across borders want to be greeted in their native dialect by a company that understands their local culture and norms. The ability to interact with the customer at this level, anytime and on any device is critically important to success in todays online market.

Similar sentiments were echoed in the remarks Ronning made during his keynote speech at Globalocity. The conference drew approximately 700 commerce professionals from the U.S., Europe and Asia.

Companies are Going Multi-Channel to Establish More Direct Connections with Customers Consistent with the shift to multi-channel online strategies, the survey indicated respondents are increasingly connecting with customers via multiple touch points. Nearly 80 percent of respondents said they were currently using transactional websites, followed by social commerce (55%), app stores (50%), in-product commerce (50%), subscription sales (48%) and mobile commerce (48%).

Looking out over the next two years, 46 percent of the respondents said they plan to expand their commerce strategies to include mobile commerce followed by app stores (40%), in-product commerce (38%) for gaming and software sectors only, subscriptions (36%), and social commerce (34%).

In the next two years, respondents expect nearly a third of their online revenue will continue to be generated from their online stores, with nearly 20 percent of revenue coming from the mobile channel, which is the channel they also said they are most likely to adopt in the next two years. Despite social commerces heavy use at the present time, respondents expect their mobile revenue will outpace their social revenue in two years time.

The percentage of online revenue they expect to generate from other channels include: app stores (17%), social commerce (17%), subscriptions (14%) and in-product commerce (13%). To support their multi-channel expansion efforts, companies are prioritizing core commerce initiatives. Fifty percent of organizations report that security tops the list of their highest priority 2012 e-commerce projects, followed by customer relationship management (40%) and business intelligence (36%).

Companies are Falling Short on Global Commerce Readiness The survey also points to some areas where companies selling into global online markets could be doing better and where customers stand to benefit from additional commerce investment or development efforts including the area of global commerce readiness.

Only about half of the companies surveyed reported that their commerce offerings are fully localized for the markets they are serving. That includes 57% not having customer service options fully localized, 50% not having payment options fully localized and 44% not having layout fully localized.

Continued here:
Digital River Announces Results of International Commerce Survey

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My home state of West Virginia took a few shots on the national stage last week, after more than 40 percent of those voting in the Democratic primary voted for an incarcerated felon instead of the sitting President.

So heres an effort to turn that around. A little.

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, along with Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio), have proposed a bill that would create a commemorative coin honoring the Pro Football Hall of Fame, according to the Beckley Register-Herald.

The Hall of Fame is pretty special to West Virginians, Manchin said. We have six Hall of Famers from our little state, including two who came from my very own hometown of Farmington. Imagine this: were a little mining town of less than 500 people. Nearby, we have a coal mine, called the No. 9 coal mine, and at its peak, no more than 100 people lived in the community. And we have two men Frank Gatski and Sam Huff who came from coal mining families in the area and grew up just about a street apart.

Manchin said that the proposal ultimately will cost taxpayers nothing.

Sports have given so much back to our communities, and this coin will help us support the legacy that the Hall of Fame preserves, Manchin said. The Hall of Fame truly shows us that if you have a little bit of God-given talent and you have the determination to succeed, you can be anything that you want to be.

At a time when the anti-football crowd is seizing on the perceived concussion crisis and hoping for the greatest game in the world to either diminish or disappear, its a great effort, and we encourage every NFL fan to support it.

View post:
Hall of Fame commemorative coin proposed

by Clair Ledsham

The Isle of Man College, Part-Time Course Guide for 2012/13 is OUT NOW.

The Isle of Man Post Office will be delivering the guides to all households on the Island very soon. ENROL NOW in order to have the best choice of securing your place. Any delay may affect the choices available to you. All courses are available on the College website.

You can now pay by credit/debit card in-person at the College Reception Mondays to Thursdays 8.30a.m. 7p.m. Fridays 8.30a.m. 5p.m. You can still enrol by post enclosing your cheque or enrol at the College Reception with cash.

If you do not receive a copy of the Part-Time Course Guide, please phone the Faculty Secretary on 648204.

- Ends -

If you'd like to send any information or news releases to us then please feel free to do so and we would be more than happy to consider sharing your news with the Isle of Man!

Send your Isle of Man news to:webmaster@manx.net

Manx Telecom Ltd 2012

Manx Telecom Ltd, Isle of Man Business Park, Cooil Road, Braddan, Isle of Man IM99 1HX Registered in the Isle of Man Reg no.5629V Vat Reg no GB 003-2919-12

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Isle of Man College – Part-Time Course Guide 2012/13

15 May 2012

E-Gaming companies resident in the Isle of Man scooped multiple awards at the eGaming Review Business to Business Awards, having been nominated for eighteen accolades.

Companies headquartered on the Isle of Man walked away with a total of five awards: Continent 8 (Data Centre of the Year), Playtech (Bingo Network of the Year, Slot Provider of the Year, and Poker Network of the Year), and Microgaming (RNG Casino Supplier of the Year and Highly Commended for Poker Software of the Year).

The Isle of Man was also represented at the associated conference and exhibition, EGR Subscriber Forum, which was held in the same venue on May 10. Several private sector companies exhibited and there were many other attendees from the islands e-Gaming community along with the Isle of Man government.

Alex Downie, Political Member for e-Gaming, Isle of Man Government Department of Economic Development, commented: "It is fantastic to see such a such a great showing from the Isle of Man at the annual e-Gaming Review Awards, both in terms of attendance from on-island companies and their success. To have won five awards is an exemplary achievement and demonstrates the quality of the Isle of Mans e-Gaming sector and its continued status as a world-leading centre of excellence for the industry."

Nick Nally, Chief Development Officer at Continent 8, commented: "Continent 8 is delighted to win the Data Centre of the Year Award for the third year in a row. It represents our continuing commitment to the industry in terms of our product set and footprint. We are particularly happy to join other Isle of Man companies who were successful on the night."

Industry giant, Playtech is a new resident in the Isle of Man, after applying for a license in February 2012.

Continue reading here:
IoM E-Gaming Sector Recognised

by Richard Parslow

HRH The Prince of Wales praised the Isle of Mans pioneering approach to fishing conservation during his keynote speech at the World Fisheries Congress in Edinburgh.

His Royal Highness said his recent visit to the Isle of Man had allowed him to witness at first-hand how the partnership between the Manx Government, trawler skippers and fish processors is reaping rewards.

The willingness of the Islands fishing community to embrace scientific research, promote marine conservation and manage its fish stocks was very encouraging, he told the international audience.

Prince Charles learned about the Isle of Mans long-standing commitment to sustainable fishing, in particular within the Manx trawl-caught queen scallop industry, when he opened the new Food Park in Peel at the end of April.

And he drew on that experience when he addressed the World Fisheries Congress, the international conference held every four years to debate developments in fisheries science, conservation and management.

Prince Charles said: It seems to me that collecting the data we need to manage risks could be achieved, in part, by harnessing the knowledge of the people who actually catch the fish. They are out there on the ocean day after day and they often have a much clearer insight into the state of the marine environment they work in than anyone else. Inevitably, though, this has to be about a lot more than gathering reliable data. It is also about building trust between the scientists and the various other stakeholders, and making sure that everyone has confidence in the process of assessing stocks and rebuilding fisheries.

I witnessed exactly this at first hand a couple of weeks ago when I visited the Isle of Man. I found that the fishing community there very much understands the implications for them of the science of stock recovery and the extent to which the protection of spawning grounds is important to the future of their livelihoods. In fact, they accept the science to the point where they have requested the designation of marine protected areas. In a world of rather gloomy portents about the state of the environment, I found this encouraging.

Chief Minister Allan Bell MHK, who welcomed the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall to the Island on April 26 as part of the Diamond Jubilee Royal Tour, said: Prince Charles was very interested to learn about the Isle of Mans vision for protecting the marine environment, preserving fish stocks and promoting biodiversity during his visit to the new Food Park.

Its pleasing that he is now sharing that positive experience and raising international awareness of the Isle of Man as a leading advocate of fishing conservation.

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Prince of Wales praises Island’s efforts to promote sustainable fishing