Nimble Commerce to Power E-Commerce for Second Street
NimbleCommerce and Second Street have announced a partnership agreement where Nimble will become the e-commerce platform and network for Second Street media customers.
NimbleCommerce helps digital publishers create revenue with network powered e-commerce. The company believes in “proactive e-commerce” and has built a platform that allows suppliers and publishers to share offers, increase revenue, and reach more buyers. Second Street provides private-label online promotions platforms and partner success services for media companies looking to scale — its software allows companies to maximize customer engagement and convert website visits into revenue.
The technology alliance between NimbleCommerce and Second Street promises new capabilities for clients of both companies. Explains Matt Coen, president and co-founder of Second Street, “We’ve known each other for some time and we certainly admired and respected the work that Nimble has been doing for a long time. We eventually saw an opportunity to create a win-win-win: our media partners gained e-commerce services and an expansive network; consumers would continue to get an advanced experience with the product; and Second Street could offer what we think is a terrific product in the e-commerce space to our clients.”
Echoes Prashant Nedungadi, co-founder and CEO of NimbleCommerce, “We’ve known Second Street forever—after all, they’re the silent giant in the space. Basically every newspaper, TV, and radio station in the country uses Second Street in some capacity. We started talking to Doug and Matt, and eventually we realized that it made sense. In the beginning, you can look at yourself as competitors, but over time, you realize that it’s better to collaborate.”
This partnership serves as a strategic expansion move for both businesses. Last year, NimbleCommerce joined forces with Group Commerce in a merger to create an international commerce and promotions network. Nedungadi described the consolidation as a means of alleviating pricing pressure through lessened competition as well as an opportunity to scale a large company with combined assets. Because Second Street’s focus complements that of the new, larger NimbleCommerce, Nedungadi explains, “We believe that this partnership will strengthen and create a dominant leadership position for both companies.”
Current clients of Second Street benefit from functions such as a customized online contest software, an email and text-messaging administration platform, and a private-label platform to manage deal programs. They offer support to their media companies in the form of “Launch Managers,” regular webinars, a technical support team, and customizable solutions. Modeled after similar partnerships the company has had in the past, Second Street will provide its media partners with full access to Nimble’s platform. Says Coen, “It provides our solution for e-commerce fully integrated into broader promotional platforms. Our clients will continue to receive all the benefits they’ve had in the past, like coaching. Now they’ll just have another layer on top of it.”
The collaboration speaks to the company’s belief in the growing importance of e-commerce. “I think that there’s really exciting opportunities where every single local media company has to look at how e-commerce fits into their digital playbook,” says Coen, “It can generate substantial profit and also solves problems for advertisers in the market.”
Coen and Nedungadi explain that this partnership will open up the market even further, and that more and more companies in their clients’ spaces will have to utilize e-commerce to stay competitive Nedungadi says that while advertising and subscriptions are two methods of money-making for publishers, Nimble, and now Second Street, is betting on the rise of e-commerce as the most important pillar of profit.
Becca Goldstein is a Street Fight contributor.
