a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Event organizer? Attendify lets you create Eventbrite-powered ‘mini social networks’

Feb27
by on February 27, 2014 at 1:14 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Product Updates

attendify 520x245 Event organizer? Attendify lets you create Eventbrite powered mini social networks

Ukrainian-born startup Attendify has announced a partnership with Eventbrite, one of the biggest self-service event ticketing platforms. The idea behind the service is to allow event planners who sell tickets through Eventbrite to create a social network-like mobile app for their event with automatic synchronization of all data, including attendee profiles, ticket numbers and codes, etc.

Attendify’s CEO Michael Balyasny is sure that event mobile apps can boost attendees’ engagement, and judging by the fact that no conference or trade show of late goes without an app of its own, most organizers do agree with that.

Attendify, which counts Cisco, Philips, Bloomberg, American Express, and AOL among its clients, offers customers a possibility to build a module-based mobile “Social App” for any event for $599 per year. Not unlike Presdo Match and other similar solutions, Attendify’s apps consist of a private social network, IM, agenda, news from organizers, attendees list and other useful things.

The Attendify team has also announced a possibility for event attendees who buy their tickets through Eventbrite to log into their “mini-Facebook” by just scanning the barcode on the ticket, whereas previously they would have been required to connect their profile in LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter.

US-based Attendify, known earlier as KitApps, was founded in Ukraine in March 2013, and since then has been used to create mobile apps for over 700 events. In September 2013, the startup raised $200,000 from Russian TMT Investments.

➤ Attendify

└ Tags: , ,
a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Bigcommerce wants to be an ‘iTunes for commerce’ with its new integrated app store for merchants

Feb27
by on February 27, 2014 at 1:06 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, e-commerce, Insider, Product Updates

shutterstock 148437164 520x245 Bigcommerce wants to be an iTunes for commerce with its new integrated app store for merchants

Bigcommerce is a service that merchants can sign up for to create their own online store — and now it has rolled out an integrated app store that allows them to add capabilities to their respective stores via third-party apps in a single click.

This means merchants can add apps without leaving Bigcommerce. For example, they can easily add Point Of Sale capabilities by installing the Zing Checkout app or social incentives by installing the JustUno app. ”Think of it as iTunes for commerce,” Mitchell Harper, the co-founder and co-CEO of Bigcommerce, says.

Screen shot 2014 02 27 at PM 08.27.18 730x348 Bigcommerce wants to be an iTunes for commerce with its new integrated app store for merchants

The integrated app store forms part of Bigcommerce Next, a new offering launched by the company that adds over 20 new features to its platform, with a focus on helping merchants increase conversion rates. The features released include a new theme store with dozens of designs so merchants can make their online sites visually appealing, as well as a new blogging engine which makes it easy to publish a blog post optimized for search engines.

Another interesting addition to Bigcommerce is the introduction of ‘Bigcommerce University’ — a video-based learning experience that teaches merchants how to sell more using Bigcommerce and online marketing. It seems like the company is keen to stand out from its competition not only by making it more convenient for its merchants, but also by providing value in terms of education.

Bigcommerce lets the 50,000 retailers on its platform launch online stores in just a few hours. It also allows them to process orders, manage inventory, and market their stores on Google, eBay, Facebook and other sites. Other features include reporting, email accounts, a CRM system, domain name, and more. Last year, Bigcommerce added support for Stripe payments on its platform as well.

Headline image via Shutterstock

└ Tags: ,
a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Bigcommerce wants to be an ‘iTunes for commerce’ with its new integrated app store for merchants

Feb27
by on February 27, 2014 at 1:06 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, e-commerce, Insider, Product Updates

shutterstock 148437164 520x245 Bigcommerce wants to be an iTunes for commerce with its new integrated app store for merchants

Bigcommerce is a service that merchants can sign up for to create their own online store — and now it has rolled out an integrated app store that allows them to add capabilities to their respective stores via third-party apps in a single click.

This means merchants can add apps without leaving Bigcommerce. For example, they can easily add Point Of Sale capabilities by installing the Zing Checkout app or social incentives by installing the JustUno app. ”Think of it as iTunes for commerce,” Mitchell Harper, the co-founder and co-CEO of Bigcommerce, says.

Screen shot 2014 02 27 at PM 08.27.18 730x348 Bigcommerce wants to be an iTunes for commerce with its new integrated app store for merchants

The integrated app store forms part of Bigcommerce Next, a new offering launched by the company that adds over 20 new features to its platform, with a focus on helping merchants increase conversion rates. The features released include a new theme store with dozens of designs so merchants can make their online sites visually appealing, as well as a new blogging engine which makes it easy to publish a blog post optimized for search engines.

Another interesting addition to Bigcommerce is the introduction of ‘Bigcommerce University’ — a video-based learning experience that teaches merchants how to sell more using Bigcommerce and online marketing. It seems like the company is keen to stand out from its competition not only by making it more convenient for its merchants, but also by providing value in terms of education.

Bigcommerce lets the 50,000 retailers on its platform launch online stores in just a few hours. It also allows them to process orders, manage inventory, and market their stores on Google, eBay, Facebook and other sites. Other features include reporting, email accounts, a CRM system, domain name, and more. Last year, Bigcommerce added support for Stripe payments on its platform as well.

Headline image via Shutterstock

└ Tags: ,
a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Whistle adds Android support to its wearable activity tracker for dogs

Feb27
by on February 27, 2014 at 1:00 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

whistle 3 crop 520x245 Whistle adds Android support to its wearable activity tracker for dogs

Now that humans have all manner of fitness bands to help us get in shape, it only makes sense that dogs get one too. Whistle has launched its activity monitor collar attachment for dogs on Android.

The $129 accessory loops around your dog’s collar and syncs up over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth with the accompanying iOS or Android app. You can set daily goals for your dog’s exercise and receive notifications when it meets them.

Alongside the Android launch, Whistle has added several new features to the iOS version. The accessory is now able to break down activity into different categories, such as walking, playing and resting. Running and swimming are planned down the road. You can also now take advantage of Facebook and Twitter sharing if you want to show off how healthy your pet is.

whistle 1 220x390 Whistle adds Android support to its wearable activity tracker for dogsWhistle today announced a significant win on the distribution side after getting its device into PetSmart’s retail stores across the US and Canada.

I’ve been testing a Whistle on my dog for the past week. It’s definitely a fun accessory that lets you peer a bit into your pet’s world, but I’m not convinced it has enough functionality to make it worth the $129 yet, unless you’re a self-professed dog lover or a frequent traveler. I already know that my dog is active, and Whistle isn’t yet answering the questions I do have, like whether she’s getting enough (or too much) food and how her overall health is.

That said, there’s definitely a market for pet wearables, especially as the quantified self movement starts to bleed over into other aspects of our lives. Whistle’s still at an early stage of development, but it’s off to a running start.

➤ Whistle

└ Tags: 
a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Whistle adds Android support to its wearable activity tracker for dogs

Feb27
by on February 27, 2014 at 1:00 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

whistle 3 crop 520x245 Whistle adds Android support to its wearable activity tracker for dogs

Now that humans have all manner of fitness bands to help us get in shape, it only makes sense that dogs get one too. Whistle has launched its activity monitor collar attachment for dogs on Android.

The $129 accessory loops around your dog’s collar and syncs up over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth with the accompanying iOS or Android app. You can set daily goals for your dog’s exercise and receive notifications when it meets them.

Alongside the Android launch, Whistle has added several new features to the iOS version. The accessory is now able to break down activity into different categories, such as walking, playing and resting. Running and swimming are planned down the road. You can also now take advantage of Facebook and Twitter sharing if you want to show off how healthy your pet is.

whistle 1 220x390 Whistle adds Android support to its wearable activity tracker for dogsWhistle today announced a significant win on the distribution side after getting its device into PetSmart’s retail stores across the US and Canada.

I’ve been testing a Whistle on my dog for the past week. It’s definitely a fun accessory that lets you peer a bit into your pet’s world, but I’m not convinced it has enough functionality to make it worth the $129 yet, unless you’re a self-professed dog lover or a frequent traveler. I already know that my dog is active, and Whistle isn’t yet answering the questions I do have, like whether she’s getting enough (or too much) food and how her overall health is.

That said, there’s definitely a market for pet wearables, especially as the quantified self movement starts to bleed over into other aspects of our lives. Whistle’s still at an early stage of development, but it’s off to a running start.

➤ Whistle

└ Tags: