Drops cost of Catalog Now! app, offers "on demand" model in bid to reach broader base of customers
Montreal — May 7, 2004 — Software company Flow Systems, a provider of promotion management solutions for retail and B2B companies, has dropped the prices for its catalog and promotion management offerings in a bid to make the systems more affordable for a broader base of customers.
Flow said its Catalog Now! solution, which enables B2B and business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers to implement a catalog management system, will now be available for $90,000, including a software license and professional services fees.
The provider said that the solution can get up and running in four weeks with select out-of-the-box catalog management features and a rapid implementation program. A standalone solution, Catalog Now! is intended to enable marketing departments to cost effectively create and publish catalogs while decreasing time to revenue.
In addition, through Flow Systems' parent company, Mediagrif Interactive Technologies, Flow's customers can gain access to hosting services for the provider's catalog and promotion management solutions without having to create and support additional technology infrastructure. Monthly fees start from $8,500.
On demand hosting is available now, and Catalog Now! will be available in early July, according to Flow.
The provider sees a move toward offering different licensing and usage options among software companies, and Flow points to a recent report from technology consultancy AMR Research. In the February 9 AMR Research Outlook, "Software Licensing and Maintenance: The Model Is Broken," by Jim Sheperd, research director at AMR, Sheperd advised application vendors to "simplify licensing models: offer customers fewer variables, more choices for incremental purchases and one pricing mode for the whole suite." He also suggested: "Make your prices and policies a competitive factor. A simpler license structure and customer-friendly maintenance and upgrade policies are very attractive to buyers."
Flow said it has taken this feedback to heart. "Although IT spending is projected to increase, some customers are not ready to pay half-a-million dollars or more for technology solutions," said Marci Rodgers, vice president of marketing for Flow. "We give customers a way to effectively leverage their product information and brands through multiple channels to increase revenue and profits while reducing costs."
