CommerceV3 announces new e-commerce mobile site for Tahoe Mountain Sports

Nov. 17, 2011 - PRLog -- (SAVANNAH, GA)  CommerceV3 (CV3) is proud to announce the recent launch of a new mobile e-commerce site for Tahoe Mountain Sports (TMS), an e-commerce operation from its founding in 2004.  TMS sells top industry brands of quality outdoor gear, clothing and footwear, both online and in its store in Lake Tahoe, California.

A CommerceV3 partner since 2009, TMS decided to move into the fast-growing mobile segment of the market in 2010.  TMS owner David Polivy says the decision went through several stages.

“About a year ago our Google analytics started to show a huge spike in mobile visitors from iPhones, tablets and Android phones,” Polivy reports.  “There was a lot of industry talk about mobile commerce, and we decided to get involved.  The next phase became how to implement it at TMS, which led to the question: do we go with a third-party provider?  Or do we work with our existing shopping cart partner [CV3], who could hopefully provide a seamless experience between our regular website and the new mobile site?  That question was front and center in a lot of e-commerce conversations.”

How did TMS decide to go with CV3 Mobile?  “We wanted a seamless experience,” Polivy says.  “The same navigation, the same imagery, and most importantly, the same promotional codes, shipping and payment methods.  We wanted the customer to be able to shop on a desktop computer or on a mobile phone and not wind up in some third-party Netherland where options were more limited.  That became the crux of our commitment to go with CV3--to ensure a seamless move from mobile to desktop, plus the ability to use the same tools on both sites.”

The build-out process was more complex than either TMS or CV3 expected: “The snag had to do with the development environment; mobile’s such a fast-moving, ever-evolving target, with many different operating systems and devices, so making sure it worked in all those places was our biggest challenge.  It took a while for tech teams at both companies to get up to speed, which meant testing on eight types of phones and tablets, plus a lot of back and forth, open communication and constructive feedback.  Kudos to both the CV3 and TMS development teams for having the patience to see it through!”

Results have already been impressive in the few weeks since launch.  TMS has seen a significant increase in conversion rates from mobile devices.   And, Polivy adds, the fact that 13 percent of their traffic comes from mobile devices helped TMS hold strong to their commitment to mobile, and to launch as soon as possible.

“Mobile’s been increasing at a faster rate than traffic from anywhere else,” he says.  “Though we haven’t created specific promotions for mobile yet, we’ll start doing that soon.  Also, we want to enable our physical customers to access store information, such as where to find us, what we have in stock, etc., before having to make the trip over here.  That will save them gas and hassles.”

Should smaller e-commerce companies take the risk of implementing mobile?  Polivy thinks so.  “While we’re not an Internet 500 or multi-million dollar retailer,” he admits, “for our size, we’re keeping up with both the tech world and what the consumer is doing.  If 30 percent of people get email on their phones these days, checking messages and clicking links, then we want to be there, making it easy for them to navigate our site, find products and purchase them in a quick, no-hassle, manner.”

Finally, Polivy feels that if other CV3 users or prospective customers are curious about what mobile can do for their e-commerce business, they owe it to themselves to talk with the CV3 staff.  “We were early adopters--guinea pigs, if you will--so CV3 mobile implementation is now much easier.  And if more CV3 users enable their sites for mobile, that will make the CV3 network even stronger.  We hope we can serve as example of what’s possible for CV3 mobile sites.”

Blake Ellis adds, “The team at TMS is great to work with because they've really thought mobile out.  They know their customers, they watch analytics and they don't cut corners.  They're not afraid to do the work to get it right, and it was a great pleasure to help them launch this important new facet of their business.”

CommerceV3 has processed close to one billion dollars in sales and is one of the few e-commerce platforms that appeals to merchants both large and small.  A hosted e-commerce platform with serious power for serious merchants, CV3 is PCI DSS Level 1 certified, secure, reliable, scalable and customizable.  With no transaction or bandwidth fees and unlimited sku counts, you have the freedom to take your online storefront to new heights.

To sign up for our newsletter or get marketing tips on growing your business online, please visit http://www.commercev3.com/.  For more information, please contact CV3 and Timberline PR Liaison Katherine Oxnard Ellis at pr@commercev3.com, 888-544-2211 or visit http://www.commercev3.com/ and http://www.tahoemountainsports.com/.

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CommerceV3 is a hosted e-commerce platform with serious power for serious merchants. Secure, reliable, scalable and customizable, with no transaction or bandwidth fees and unlimited sku counts, CV3 takes your online storefront to new heights.