Relationship Provides Retailers with Comprehensive, Integrated Payments, Currency Conversion, Settlements and Disbursement Solution for Their Global E-Commerce Needs 

New York and Toronto – May 15, 2013 – Computop, a leading payment service provider (PSP), and E4X, the global payments solution provider owned by Cambridge Mercantile Group, today announced a strategic global partnership.  Through this relationship, Computop will integrate E4X’s Patented Multi-Currency Services into its Paygate payment platform.  With this functionality, Computop will be able to offer its wide range of B2C and B2B customers an even broader, more flexible payments platform for their global e-commerce requirements.

Studies have shown that buyers prefer to purchase online from retailers that offer pricing in their local currency.  E4X’s offering includes customizable solutions for currency conversion, multi-currency settlements, foreign exchange rate guarantee as well as global disbursements.  This, coupled with Paygate’s comprehensive payments options and fraud prevention, provides an end-to-end payments solution for retailers who want to do business beyond their own borders.

“What makes our integrated solution so unique and compelling for retailers is that we can offer currency conversion for almost every payment option available on Paygate – most providers can only offer this service for credit cards,” said Ralf Gladis, CEO of Computop.  “Also, as a result of this partnership, we can disburse funds globally to bank accounts in their local currency, which is particularly important for B2B merchants with buyers that may purchase products from different locations on a global scale.  We are excited about our partnership with E4X and the impact it can have on retailers – and their customers – around the world.”

“We are excited about the partnership with Computop as it will allow E4X services to reach a more global audience of online merchants. The industry knowledge Computop offers in global alternative payment methods and fraud, coupled with E4X’s expertise in global payments and foreign exchange, will make for a compelling combination for any merchant selling online internationally,” said Bernard Heitner, CEO of E4X and Cambridge Mercantile Group.

Computop Paygate with E4X functionality will be available in June 2013.

About the Computop Paygate platform

Computop Paygate 5.0 is a multichannel payment platform that provides online retailers with secure payment solutions and efficient fraud prevention for international markets. With just one interface needed, Computop Paygate allows online retailers to get access to dozens of international payment systems, and includes fraud prevention for North America, Europe and Asia. Leading e-commerce solutions from the likes of Demandware, hybris, Magento and Oxid all support Computop Paygate as a preferred payment service solution for global payment processing.  In addition, Computop Paygate has been integrated into SAP’s Business ByDesign business software to provide secure global payment processing.

About Computop

Computop is a leading global payment service provider (PSP) that provides compliant and secure e-commerce, Point of Sale (PoS), m-commerce and Mail Order and Telephone Order (MOTO), globally.  The company, founded in 1997, is headquartered in Bamberg, Germany with local teams also within the US, UK and China. Computop processes transactions totalling $7+ billion per year, for over 2000 large international merchants within industries such as retail, travel and gaming.  Global customers include C&A, Fossil, Metro Cash & Carry, Samsung and TUI.  In order to provide a complete multichannel solution for merchants, Computop has a robust partner and global banking portfolio providing merchants with a seamless and secure transaction process.

For further information please visit: www.computop.com.

About E4X
E4X is a global leader in multicurrency settlement solutions, working alongside global processors and payment gateways to facilitate local pricing, foreign exchange, and multi-currency risk management for ecommerce merchants. With E4X’s patented technologies and customized services, merchants can take advantage of a rate guarantee, transparent pricing and enhanced and consistent reporting across multiple currencies, processors and payment types – enabling successful global expansion and profitability. For further information, please visit: www.e4x.com or www.cambridgefx.com.

2013 Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition

Chicago: June 4-7, 2013

irce.internetretailer.com

The 9^th annual IRCE, the world’s largest e-commerce event, is where e-retailing executives will go to learn the latest practices and tools for connecting with the 21^st Century consumer via in-depth examinations of such topics as social media, mobile commerce, e-marketing, web merchandising, improving back-end operations, boosting conversions and profitability, and much more. Remember to come network with us at Booth 419!

E4X: Booth #419 at McCormick Place 

2013 Planet Trade Conference

Are we really still having trouble translating retail prices on the Internet? Shockingly, yes.

Ecommerce was supposed to make global retail more accessible, but that value is often lost, as retailers continue to price locally.

Dana Nino, VP of Client and Alliance Relationships at E4X, was interviewed recently by ZDNet with respect to our most recent Market Research study; the study revolved around local currency pricing for online merchants, and how a lack thereof affects their bottom line as shoppers abandon carts not priced in their local currency.

Click here to download a PDF of the article.

Click here to view the article online.

US-dollar-only pricing on global eCommerce sites negatively impacts checkout conversion rates E4X consumer survey shows

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – (Marketwire – Feb. 12, 2013) – A recent survey of global online shoppers reports that eCommerce merchants selling abroad are missing out on sales and revenue opportunities because their websites lack local currency pricing capability.
The survey, conducted by Penton Research in November 2012 and commissioned by E4X, the global payments solution provider owned by Cambridge Mercantile Group, shows that international eCommerce continues to expand globally but many online merchants are not keeping pace with local shopper preferences in their pricing strategies.
The survey polled 30,000 online shoppers in Canada, the UK, Australia, and Germany about their shopping habits on eCommerce sites. The majority of shoppers polled indicated displeasure with sites that priced in US dollars (USD) only. As a result, online merchants are likely losing a considerable amount of revenue by pricing in only one currency.
Of all shoppers polled, a third showed their aversion for USD-only pricing by either abandoning carts, purchasing less, leaving the site to check conversion rates or never returning to the website.
Correspondingly, the survey indicates that pricing in local currency, or providing currency conversion capability, could boost eCommerce sales globally. Many respondents said they would look more favorably on an eCommerce website that displayed goods in local prices or provided currency conversion capability on the site.
“It is natural for eCommerce merchants to concentrate on domestic markets and USD pricing initially, not fully appreciating the role that local pricing will play in their sales success internationally. Global consumers strongly prefer to shop and purchase in their own currency and as a result, USD-only websites are likely leaving money on the table by ignoring global shopper preferences. Additionally, many ecommerce merchants don’t realize that they can price in foreign currencies and still settle in an expected, guaranteed amount of USD,” said Gary McDonald, President of E4X.
An average of 92.2% of survey respondents said they would prefer to shop and make purchases on websites that price products in their local currency. An average of 33% of those who responded to the survey said they were likely to abandon a purchase if they discovered that the pricing is in USD only.
These two responses, along with other relevant pieces of data, are analyzed in E4X’s newly released Whitepaper: Local Currency Pricing for eCommerce – Increasing Online Sales by Implementing a Global Pricing Strategy. The whitepaper details all the relevant results and conclusions from this survey and outlines the attitudes and behaviors of online shoppers in United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Germany.
According to Mr. McDonald, “Global shoppers demand sensitivity to local cultures and generally react positively to a local shopping experience. If eCommerce merchants show this respect with a simple offering of localized currency, they will enjoy increased sales and a more positive brand image as a truly global market player.”

About E4X
E4X is a global leader in multi-currency settlement solutions, working alongside global processors to facilitate foreign exchange and global payments for ecommerce merchants. With E4X’s patented technologies and industry-leading services, merchants can take advantage of local currency pricing, rate guarantees, transparent pricing and enhanced and consistent reporting across multiple currencies, processors and payment types -enabling successful global expansion and profitability.

Given the global nature of online shopping, merchants are interested in global pricing strategies to best propel their brand and website with global consumers, particularly strategies designed to enhance their local customer’s shopping experience and overall conversion rates. This topic is addressed in a recent survey commissioned by E4X in conjunction with Penton Research/Multi Channel Merchant. The survey demonstrates that US Dollar-only pricing on eCommerce websites commonly results in shoppers abandoning the website and items in their cart, often to never return, or leaving the site temporarily to check exchange rates, impacting conversion. Additionally, it showed that there is a general aversion to websites that offer only USD pricing and greater consumer confidence on sites that offer prices in their local currency.

2013 eTail West Conference

Palm Springs: February 25 – 28

www.wbresearch.com/etailusawest/

eTail is the premier online and multi-channel retail conference dedicated to supporting the growth of the retail industry by facilitating high-level networking opportunities and providing leading industry knowledge. Many thousands of eCommerce and marketing professionals from all industries attend eTail every year; as a provider for such companies, E4X constantly strives to keep abreast of current market trends and opportunities – we are looking forward to participating, so don’t forget to visit our booth!

E4X: Booth #____ at the JW Marriott Desert Springs 

2013 Merchant Risk Council Annual E-Commerce Payments and Risk Conference,

Las Vegas: March 26 – 28

www.merchantriskcouncil.org

The Merchant Risk Council (MRC) was created for merchants to share information and best practices about keeping electronic payments safe and secure. Their annual payments and risk conference, held this year at the Aria Hotel in Las Vegas, will bring together over 7,500 of these merchants, to network and share business strategies. As the industry continues to grow, E4X evolves with it; so come visit us at the conference!

E4X: Booth #1039 at the Aria Hotel 

2012 Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition,

Chicago: June 5-8

http://irce.internetretailer.com

The 8^th annual IRCE, the world’s largest e-commerce event, is where e-retailing executives will go to learn the latest practices and tools for connecting with the 21^st Century consumer via in-depth examinations of such topics as social media, mobile commerce, e-marketing, web merchandising, improving back-end operations, boosting conversions and profitability, and much more.

Remember to visit the E4X-Cambridge Mercantile – Booth 1765 – along with more than 7,500 e-retailers at McCormick Place, from June 5-8 in Chicago.

E4X: Booth #1765 at McCormick Place 

2012 Merchant Risk Council Annual E-Commerce Payments and Risk Conference,

Las Vegas: March 27 – 29

https://www.merchantriskcouncil.org/index.cfm

As e-Commerce grew and fraud became more sophisticated, the Merchant Risk Council (MRC) was formed to increase networking and information sharing among merchants to better enable them to successfully fight online fraud. Staying true to our roots, the MRC continues to implement networking initiatives to connect members to each other and to industry leaders in order to facilitate the sharing of information and best practices. Please remember to visit the E4X Cambridge Mercantile booth – #313 – at this year’s conference, at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas.

E4X: Booth #313 at the Wynn Hotel 

2011 Affiliate Summit East,

New York City: August 21-23
http://www.affiliatesummit.com

This three day conference includes an exhibit hall with affiliate merchants, vendors, and networks, as well as multiple tracks of educational sessions covering the latest trends and information from affiliate marketing experts.

NEW YORK, NY and Toronto, ON, May 4 /CNW/ – Cambridge Mercantile Group, a specialist in global payments and foreign exchange, and FiftyOne Global Ecommerce, the leader in international e-commerce solutions, today announced an agreement whereby FiftyOne will transfer operational and sales activities pertaining to its E4X Global Settlement Services business to Cambridge Mercantile Group (Cambridge). The parties anticipate the transfer will be complete in June 2011.

Under the terms of the agreement, Cambridge will continue to operate the business on the existing E4X technology platform, ensuring that there are no material changes to existing client’s processes, systems, or integration points.

“We are very excited about this transition and see it as an opportunity to re-energize the E4X business by connecting it with Cambridge’s deep expertise in foreign exchange and global payments processing,” said Bernard Heitner, Chief Executive Officer of Cambridge Mercantile Group. “Cambridge has worked closely with FiftyOne in the past and shares the company’s commitment to providing the very highest levels of service to customers.”

E4X Global Settlement Services provide foreign exchange and global payment services that allow merchants conducting ecommerce to sell in local currency while receiving payment in U.S dollars. Merchants are guaranteed the full value of each transaction in the currency of their choice and can avail of a range of features include currency detection tools and support for multiple payment methods.

“FiftyOne has always been about the potential for international ecommerce,” said Michael DeSimone, Chief Executive Officer of FiftyOne. “As our original proposition, the E4X business was critical to the early success of the company. As we’ve grown, we’ve expanded our proposition to encompass all facets of cross-border ecommerce. This is where we need to focus as a business, and we see Cambridge, as the specialist in foreign exchange, as the ideal partner to realize the full potential of the E4X technology platform,” he concluded.

About Cambridge Mercantile Group
For almost two decades, Cambridge Mercantile Group has been earning the trust and respect of leading companies around the world by helping manage their foreign exchange global payments. With offices strategically located across North America, the United Kingdom, and, in 2011, Australia, Cambridge facilitates the secure and prompt movement of more than 20 billion dollars annually for thousands of clients, across a variety of industries. Cambridge helps clients administer their foreign exchange global payments effortlessly. For more information, visit http://www.cambridgefx.com.

About FiftyOne
FiftyOne empowers leading U.S. retailers to utilize their existing ecommerce infrastructure and online shopping experience to market, sell, and fulfill merchandise to international shoppers with cost certainty. FiftyOne manages all aspects of the international order life cycle, including multi-currency pricing and payment processing, landed cost calculation, customs clearance and brokerage, international fraud management, international logistics orchestration, and customer-experience parity. FiftyOne is powering international ecommerce for many leading U.S. retailers, including Anthropologie, Brookstone, The Buckle, CHEFS Catalog, Drugstore.com, Johnson & Murphy, Overstock.com, and SureSource. The company is headquartered in New York City. For more information, visit www.fiftyone.com.

Read the article on CNW here.