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A new study released by global interactive marketing provider ExactTarget found more than half of America’s fastest growing retailers are missing opportunities to connect online and offline shopping experiences.

In a release on June 5, the company noted that based on in-store and online purchases from retailers on the National Retail Federation’s Stores 2011 Hot 100 Retail Report, ExactTarget’s Retail Touchpoints Exposed research found only 44 percent of brick and mortar stores connect with shoppers post-purchase via email and of those only five percent personalize emails based on in-store purchase.

The latest in ExactTarget’s Subscribers, Fans and Followers research series, the study tracked and analyzed brands’ engagement for 30 days post purchase across email, mobile, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube.

The Study also noted that key findings include: -In-Store (of the 95 of Hot 100 retailers with physical stores) -44 percent sought email opt-in at point of purchase -8 percent used in-store signage to promote their Twitter and Facebook communities -2 percent used in-store signage to promote email or text message engagement -2 percent offered digital copies of receipts via email -Online (of the 72 of the Hot 100 retailers with ecommerce sites) -51 percent saw fans answer customer questions on Facebook before the brand itself -22 percent send cart abandonment emails -21 percent personalize emails after online purchase To download the complimentary research, visit ExactTarget.com/RetailResearch.

 

“Retail Touchpoints Exposed shines a spotlight on the missed opportunities that even the fastest growing retailers experience as consumer continue to interact across online and offline channels,” said Tim Kopp, ExactTarget’s chief marketing officer. “This new research provides retailers – and all online marketers – insight into opportunities to optimize touchpoints to build the most engaged and loyal subscribers, fans and followers.”

Nearly 70 percent of consumers have made a purchase based on an email marketing message, according to ExactTarget’s recent 2012 Channel Preference Survey. The survey of nearly 1,500 consumers also found nearly a third (32 percent) of teens (ages 15-17) have made a purchase after receiving a marketing message on Facebook. To download the research, click here.

ExactTarget is a global provider of email marketing and cross-channel interactive marketing software-as-a-service solutions.

ConnectWise, developer of the leading service management software designed exclusively for IT service providers, VARS, ISVs and MSPs, today announced increased adoption of its Managed Device APIs by third-party vendors, resulting in enhanced integration and automation for ConnectWise partners. From remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools to quoting solutions, ConnectWise integrations now number more than 40 channel-friendly products.

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Early adopter vendors who have taken advantage of the new API have received positive feedback from mutual partners. Intronis, the first backup vendor to fully leverage the Managed Device API, is delivering a deeper integration with ConnectWise billing and configurations to simplify and streamline operation for Intronis partners. Intronis’ enhanced integration gives partners greater flexibility and options in setting up billing for their Intronis backup solution within ConnectWise. Intronis’ notifications also automatically create ConnectWise service tickets complete with all the relevant customer information needed to take action.

“Many of our partners depend on ConnectWise to automate their managed service delivery, and we know that providing a deep ConnectWise integration with Intronis Cloud Backup is one of the best ways we can deliver value to them,” said Carol Ferrari, Vice President of Marketing and Community at Intronis. “That’s why we were the first backup vendor to adopt the Managed Devices API. Integrations are a critical part of our commitment to save our partners valuable time in managing their clients’ backups and reduce what we call MPG, or Manhours per Gigabyte™.”

Both Level Platforms and LabTech have also leveraged the Managed Device API to seamlessly bridge their RMM solutions to ConnectWise.

Level Platforms’ connection to ConnectWise provides two-way ticket and asset synchronization capability for all managed devices. The new architecture allows for faster and painless upgrades, providing the ability to upgrade the service desk modules out-of-band of the Service Center. Through a faster and easy to use interface, users can be up and running in minutes.

“The tight integration between Level Platforms’ Managed Workplace RMM platform and ConnectWise PSA speeds our service delivery and lowers engineering costs – specifically by providing our NOC team a single pane of glass, two-way, self-healing alerts and automatic incident history logging at the device level,” said Michael Minnich, CEO of NetGain Information Systems, a long-time Level Platforms and ConnectWise partner and a CRN Top 40 Most Innovative MSP.

LabTech Software and ConnectWise mutual partners have significantly benefited from the two-way ticketing communication and the ability to align any LabTech detected assets, agreements, and client records for efficient billing. LabTech aims to leverage the new architecture to deliver an unprecedented level of partner driven profitability, efficiency and scalability focused convergence usage cases.

ConnectWise’s Managed Device API enables vendors of a wide variety of products and devices such as switches, routers, storage, printers, scanners, copiers, and VoIP phones to integrate fully with the ConnectWise platform. Configuration and management is streamlined and easier to support, audit and bill from a single platform. ConnectWise partners benefit from increased automation and the ability to discover, manage and bill appropriately for client devices through ConnectWise.

The ConnectWise Developer Network has now grown to include 800 vendors creating integrations to a broad variety of applications. ConnectWise APIs and other tools enable fully integrated solutions for their customers or prospective customers who also use ConnectWise. ConnectWise partners tend to prefer one system to manage everything in their businesses, and integrations that enhance operational simplicity are widely embraced by ConnectWise users.

For more details on managed devices and third-party integration, visit the ConnectWise Developer Network: http://developer.connectwise.com/.

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About ConnectWise

Designed exclusively for the IT Channel, ConnectWise is the leading business management solution for service providers, MSPs, technology consultants, integrators, and developers. Today more than 62,000 IT professionals rely on ConnectWise to achieve greater accountability, operational efficiency and profitability. ConnectWise fully integrates CRM, sales, help desk ticket and tracking, project tracking, IT service management, SLAs, dispatch scheduling, mobile IT services, time and expenses into a singular IT management software to dramatically streamline IT companies. Over the last 29 years, ConnectWise has become the premier business operating system for IT solution providers. ConnectWise APIs are accessed by over 300 organizations, including ConnectWise partners and industry leaders of the IT Nation. For more information visit www.ConnectWise.com or call 800-671-6898.

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ExactTarget has retained Finn Partners, a Ruder Finn Group company, as its global public relations agency of record.

Finn Partners will lead the global public relations activities for ExactTarget, including public relations programs in the US, Australia, Europe and Latin America. The team will be led by Finn Partners’ Chicago office and supported by the New York City office, as well as its global network.

“ExactTarget has grown to a global leader in interactive marketing by helping organizations of all sizes around the world leverage technology to power marketing across email, mobile, Twitter, Facebook and the Web,” said Tim Kopp, ExactTarget’s chief marketing officer.  “With deep expertise in software as a service and interactive marketing, Finn Partners provides ExactTarget a global team to help us share our story of innovation, client focus and growth with audiences around the world.”

“ExactTarget is leading a new era in interactive marketing with innovative email, mobile and social solutions that power the world’s leading brands,” said Richard Funess, senior managing partner at Finn Partners. “We’re proud to have been chosen to lead ExactTarget’s global PR efforts and share the team’s passion for world-class public relations. With our proven strength in interactive marketing and our global network, I know we will help ExactTarget achieve outstanding results in markets around the globe.”

Finn Partners is ranked among the Top Ten US PR Agencies by PRWeek in its 2012 Agency Business Report.

About ExactTarget

ExactTarget is a leading global provider of email marketing and cross-channel interactive marketing software-as-a-service solutions that empower organizations of all sizes to communicate with their customers through email, mobile, social media and websites. ExactTarget’s powerful suite of integrated applications enable marketers to plan, automate, deliver and optimize data-driven interactive marketing and real-time communications to drive customer engagement, increase sales and improve return on marketing investment. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana with offices in Europe, South America and Australia, ExactTarget trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “ET.” For more information, visit www.ExactTarget.com.

About Finn Partners

Finn Partners builds on the outstanding legacy of Ruder Finn while shaping a bold new future in which innovation and partnership are strong drivers of the brand. Finn Partners specializes in the full spectrum of public relations services, including digital and social media. Our specialty areas include technology, consumer, travel/economic development, global issues, arts and public and corporate affairs. Headquartered in New York City, the company has regional operations in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C. and Israel, and leverages international capabilities via Ruder Finn’s global network of offices and affiliates. Find us at www.finnpartners.com and follow us on Twitter @finnpartners.

OpenView Labs, the operational consulting arm of OpenView Venture Partners, released a new eBook today entitled, “Why Us? A Guide to Competitive Messaging.”

Recognizing that many startup and expansion-stage companies struggle to clearly articulate their competitive advantage, OpenView’s latest eBook seeks to address that issue by providing them with the tools and how-to expertise to solve it.

“Competitive messaging is essential for expansion-stage companies,” explained Brian Zimmerman, OpenView’s Managing Director. “It’s what distinguishes them from everyone else, while helping them better understand their customers, improve their sales and marketing productivity, and measure how well they communicate their value proposition.”

In addition to outlining the business benefits of competitive messaging, the eBook details a simple step-by-step plan companies can follow to develop their own, including a list of common pitfalls and solutions.

“OpenView is in contact with thousands of young companies every year,” said Zimmerman. “When we ask them to explain their competitive advantage, the vast majority offer little more than vague generalities. That’s a huge problem that’s costing them both customers and market share, and one that our new eBook goes a long way toward helping them resolve.”

OpenView’s eBooks support its mission of building great companies by providing expansion-stage companies with the operational support they need to succeed. Its recent eBooks span a variety of topics, including operating reviews, influencer marketing, keyword generation, and outbound prospecting. To find out more, visit the OpenView Labs site.

About OpenView Labs

OpenView Labs is the strategic and operational consulting arm of OpenView Venture Partners, a global venture capital fund that invests in expansion-stage technology companies. The Labs team consults to the management of OpenView’s portfolio companies across an array of functional areas, including recruiting, go-to-market support, and research and analytics. Together with its network of senior advisors, the team supports OpenView’s portfolio companies on a range of initiatives ranging from methodology incubation and market research, to providing strategic coaching.

About OpenView Venture Partners

OpenView Venture Partners (http://openviewpartners.com) is an expansion-stage venture capital fund based in Boston that is focused on high-growth software, Internet, and technology-enabled companies. Through its staff of seasoned operating executives, who collectively bring several decades of technology and management experience to the firm, OpenView is able to help portfolio companies quickly optimize their product, go-to-market, and organizational and operational functions. Founded in 2006, the firm invests globally and has approximately $440 million in total capital under management.