Recently, XBIZ discussed CommerceGate’s ongoing expansion with company CEO Bjorn Skarlen, who offered insights into today’s dynamic global billing environment.
XBIZ: CommerceGate has recently entered into some new partnerships; could you tell us a little about them?
BJORN SKARLEN: CommerceGate has struck a strategic partnership with DHD Media of Culver City, Calif., and SegPay of Coral Springs, Fla., to leverage our technical platforms, banking relationships, sales and marketing efforts, and product offerings to better service the needs of the U.S. and European adult markets through IPSP 3rd party processing and merchant services.
XBIZ: Do you feel that there is a need for another IPSP/Merchant Services provider in the U.S. market and if so, why?
SKARLEN: Yes, strong competition is always a good thing — in any business. CommerceGate’s business plan is to offer clients a dynamic processing strategy with a diversity of platforms throughout the world. We have been working for more than two years in the European market, and we feel strongly that we are ready to conquer the U.S. market and offer a lot of advantages with our competitive processing solutions and rates, backed by our years of experience and knowledge. We see that there is room for CommerceGate in the U.S. marketplace and by partnering with strong and experienced professional companies that complement our services, we feel confident that clients will see the opportunity of working with us locally in the global online world.
XBIZ: What sets CommerceGate apart from the competition in the adult vertical?
SKARLEN: We stand apart from our competitors for a variety of reasons. First and foremost would be the strong technical platforms and exclusive banking relationships that we have secured and inherited through our relationship with DHD Media and SegPay, coupled with our offered services from three strong geographical areas — California, Florida and Barcelona; making us quite unique to this industry. Additionally, Clients appreciate the ease and flexible hours of our service departments; available 20-plus hours per day. We know we can give the market competitive offers and serve the webmaster with what they want while generating improved profitability for them. Having a presence in three predominate time zones allows us to extend our local representation and support, which our clients appreciate and can sometimes make all the difference for them. CommerceGate has already gained trust and support from the largest programs to the smaller webmasters in the market. With our new strategic partners and processing power, we offer a very attractive solution to the marketplace backed by our trust, reliability and most of all, accountability.
XBIZ: What has been the reaction to your recent partnerships?
SKARLEN: Fantastic and challenging. Those are the words that summarize everyone’s reaction so far. It’s a huge undertaking to organize and integrate with such strong partners but we recognize the value we are creating to give these optimal offering to our clients. Mostly, we have been applauded by our peers for our innovative, forward-thinking approach, and we look forward to building on our success together with such a strong team in place.
XBIZ: Is there a particular segment of the market you are pursuing?
SKARLEN: Today, CommerceGate offers both IPSP services and direct merchant services for the largest and smallest clients in the European region; DHD Media and SegPay offer the same services in the U.S. market. By utilizing our partnerships with DHD Media and SegPay, we tap into the largest gateway services offering to hit the adult industry in more than six years. We are not focusing on any specific segment; we just plan on providing what is needed when needed for the marketplace. We will serve as your partner in the billing operations, regardless the size of the client or demand of services — you want it? We’ve got it.
XBIZ: Where is your customer service located and what languages are supported?
SKARLEN: Today we are serving hundreds of clients that are processing with us and generating millions of end-consumer transactions. We support the customers in our own controlled service centers in Barcelona; Montreal; Coral Springs, Fla., and Los Angeles. We are accessible 24/7 via telephone, email or live person online. We see customer support as one of our more important services and work diligently to maintain ratios well under all card association guidelines. We provide consumer support in six different languages and add additional languages as needed. As everyone knows, when our clients have happy customers, business is nice and stable — and offering that stability is very important for us all in our sometimes “fragile” industry.
XBIZ: Where do you see CommerceGate in six to 12 months?
SKARLEN: Commerce Gate has successfully become the market leader in Europe in the few years we have been operating. We have provided the best services in the most honest way, always respecting our clients, consumers, partners, staff and our providers such as the banks and card associations. We plan to continue doing what we’re doing and now with the impeccable help of our new partners, DHD Media and SegPay, we can continue to grow in both the U.S. and EU for the duration. We are looking forward to making our clients wealthy and prosperous, while we are reaching our strategic goals.
