Forum Archive Index - May 2000

["Oliver Shapleski" <oliver.shapleski@vuw.ac.nz>]

Auckland software for Asia

23.05.2000 - By ADAM GIFFORD

Auckland software house exo-net international has signed a deal under which Cybersite, Singapore's largest web-hosting ISP, will use its easyshop e-commerce software to create online stores.

The company's marketing manager, Rowan Schaaf, said the deal was similar to one with Asia Online New Zealand, which also sells easyshop as an application service provider (ASP).

Customers use easyshop to register their sites, enter product information, upload images, and customise other aspects of their new on-line presence.

Their data is held on a shared exo-net database hosted by the ISP, which also handles the payment processing using the exo-net back-end e-business suite.

The company opened a regional office in Singapore two months ago, with chief executive David McKee Wright basing himself there to drive rapid expansion into Asia.

"The Singapore market is quick to adopt new technologies and quick to move," Mr Schaaf said.

Exo-net is still working out how it will charge ISPs to use easyshop.

"We're adopting an aggressive strategy to get it in place with companies and we will work through the pricing model. We'll eventually be looking for a transaction fee," he said.

Asia Online e-business product manager Kerry Topp said that so far his ISP had a "handful" of customers on easyshop.

They were mostly small to medium businesses which wanted to move from an online brochure site to having some e-commerce ability.

"The big advantage with easyshop is they can do it simply, affordably and in a couple of hours."