Founded in 1997, 3dcart is an end-to-end eCommerce platform designed to help e-store owners thrive in a competitive market. With hundreds of features integrated into its software, this Inc. 5000 company currently powers more than 20,000 merchants worldwide.
In this interview, we catch up with Gonzalo Gil, Founder & CEO, 3dcart to find out more about the success story of one of the best shopping cart software available today.
1. You built the first version of 3dcart in 1999. What is that one thing that hasn’t changed about 3dcart in these 20 years?
Web technologies have been constantly changing since we started 3dcart. Computers and servers getting 2-3x faster every year, new technologies allowing us to do things we never thought possible, as well as evolving regulations and requirements for online businesses make eCommerce a highly dynamic industry.
You can’t stay stagnant or your solution will become obsolete and we have enough examples of the discontinued eCommerce platforms that have failed to keep up and adapt to these changes.
The one thing that is still with us since we started 3dcart is our passion for helping businesses succeed online.
The feeling of working with an entrepreneur who turns an idea into a successful business is as satisfying today as it was 20 years ago.
2. Why did you choose the name 3dcart? What’s the story?
There are 2 sides to this story! The practical reason was that when we started 3dcart we wanted to build a brand without a budget to spend on advertising.
We found that most websites and directories would list shopping cart software alphabetically, so we knew that having a number in the name would get us to the top of the list.
With that in mind, we got creative and combined it with our vision of creating an eCommerce platform that would satisfy the needs of business owners, search engines, and online shoppers. We called these the three dimensions of eCommerce as “3D” and eventually came up with the idea of 3dcart.
3. What have been some of the most important milestones in 3dcart’s journey spanning over two decades?
Today, with 22,000 online businesses (and growing) running on 3dcart, it’s hard to point to a single milestone that brought us this far.
As a company, I would say the moment when we grew to a 10 people team supporting about 400 online stores was a pivotal moment in this journey.
It was an indication that we had to meet the demands of new retailers trusting 3dcart with their business and that kickstarted the growth momentum for us. Today, the 3dcart team is close to 100 people based in South Florida.
4. As an entrepreneur and CEO of a leading eCommerce solution, what has been your biggest learning?
My biggest learning is that sometimes we need to stop obsessing and thinking about doing something and just go ahead and do it. It doesn’t have to be perfect, to begin with.
I firmly believe in planning and having a solid strategy, but that should never be an excuse to procrastinate the steps towards your goals. I find that many entrepreneurs agonize over the smallest details, only to run out of time and money before they launch their venture.
5. Who are 3dcart’s ideal customers? Which marketing channels have been the most effective in growing 3dcart’s merchant base to over 20,000?
Our ideal customers own established businesses which are running on eCommerce platforms that are limiting their growth, either by lack of features, flexibility to adapt to their business needs, or high costs that take away from their profits. Our biggest marketing channel is organic search.
6. What are your future plans for 3dcart?
We are always looking at adapting our product to meet the needs of specific industries.
For example, we just launched a B2B edition of 3dcart that is specific for Business-to-Business websites, optimized for processing larger orders and high revenue/lower margins from fewer customers (in comparison to retailers).
Without any real B2B eCommerce solutions in the market, these merchants are usually limited to Enterprise platforms that are very expensive and include features specific to retailers.
I’m always looking for ways to improve 3dcart, creating better shopping experiences that drive higher conversions.
