The company is using 3DCart’s social media packages that include Facebook, Twitter, blog and mobile. This is Rungreen’s first mobile initiative.

“We asked to be upgraded as soon as possible so that we could maximize the huge potential of mobile going forward,” said Paul Bondsfield, ecommerce manager at Rungreen, Holland, MI.

“We know that smartphones are being utilized at a rising pace – and wanted to be part of that.

“[A challenge was] the ability to stay on top, continue to tap into new customer bases, and make our products available quickly and efficiently,” he said. “We hope to utilize new technology to solve any challenges that stand in the way of our customers browsing where they want and when they want.”

Rungreen is wholly-owned by Fillmore Equipment, which owns several John Deere dealerships.

Mobile retail
Using the service, retailers can bring their online stores, individual products or promotions to their social media communities.

The mobile package lets a retailer open a mobile-optimized store that is accessible from any iPhone or other smartphone platforms.

The package includes an mcommerce template design, mobile store logo, mobile banner graphics and an auto-detect script that routes mobile consumers to a retailer’s store.

“For the past year, we’ve been working on a mobile add-on to 3DCart that would allow our 6,000 merchants to sell their products via mobile devices,” said Gonazalo Gil, founder of 3DCart, Miami. “The free mcommerce add-on gives retailers of all sizes the same functionality that large retailers such as BestBuy and Target can afford.

“Web stores like Rungreen need to be able to provide their clients with the ability to buy their products from wherever they are located,” he said. “Many times their customers may be out in the field when they realize that they need a specific part, being able to order the parts or products without needing to go back to their office is essential.

Social media
In addition to the mobile package, there is also a Facebook Package that adds an online store tab to a retailer’s Facebook profile page and a Facebook icon to the online store for instant shopping links.

Retailers using the Twitter package can create and send promotion updates.

Additionally, the blog package lets retailers create their own blog and post entries.

“From the mobile version of the Web store, customers can view the home specials items that are currently on sale, as well as search for items on the store, or browse store categories,” Mr. Gil said. “Once a product they are interested is found, they can view the product along with all images available, any reviews for the product, and options available.

“The visitor can add the item they are looking at to their shopping cart and checkout securely,” he said. “Additional functionality includes the store administration being able to log into a mobile version of their store control panel to view orders, customers, and products.”

Final Take