When shopping for any new service or product for business or personal use we all have our own mindset.

If it’s the cheapest product, can I trust the quality? If it’s the most expensive, does that mean it’s the best? If it’s priced in the middle, is it a safe bet I’ll get the features I need for a good price?

When companies price their products, several criteria are considered: Demand, competitors, cost to deliver, value, and how the company wants to be perceived in terms of brand and value.

While these factors are still in play today, buying behaviors and customer expectations have changed drastically due to advanced technology and the consumer’s desire for faster, better, cheaper “everything.” Amazon has changed the world’s buying behaviors.

Expectations for modern web applications are no different. Companies now depend on free trials and instant access to new software. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) delivery and cloud infrastructures have brought down the price of software and accelerated the value and results for its users. Today’s software is not less effective or lacking in quality. Quite the contrary, it’s faster, better, and cheaper than ever before.

At IGNITE, we know that you have other choices in the market. We want to answer the mindset shift for how energy and commodity trading and risk management (ETRM / CTRM) systems can be bought and sold. Just because as a CIO or CEO of a mid-size or large oil company you were expected to pay millions of dollars in the past for your ETRM software, doesn’t mean you have to today. Just because you accepted lengthy, expensive, consultant-driven implementations, doesn’t mean you should today. In the past, you didn’t have a choice. Today you do.

The software world has changed, and SaaS has forever changed it.

IGNITE has launched its new multitiered SaaS based solutions with each package offering its own flexible, affordable, monthly per-user pricing plan.

While this may sound unreal in oil trading and commodities circles, it’s not unheard of in other industries that have been selling their software in packaged tiers for years. Companies like Salesforce, Intuit QuickBooks, HubSpot, Slack, Zoom, and thousands more offer their clients a choice of products and plans. Our industry has been slow to catch up, until now.

IGNITE offers options for every size company with each packaged edition including different levels of coverage for reporting, support, and front, middle, and back-office functionalities.

Click here to see IGNITE CTRM’s 4 Packaged Offerings: IGNITE P&L Starter, IGNITE P&L Plus, IGNITE Pro, and IGNITE Enterprise editions. See which one fits your business.

I’ve been in the oil and ETRM tech space for almost 20 years. I’ve watched the changes occur in services, support, technology, and now price. I’ve watched COVID accelerate digital transformation, cloud adoption, connectivity, and the need for business continuity.

This is echoed by market demand. According to Gartner, SaaS remains the largest market segment and was forecast to grow to $104.7 billion in 2020. The continued shift from on-premises license software to subscription-based SaaS models, in conjunction with the increased need for new software collaboration tools during COVID-19, is driving SaaS growth.

IGNITE is part of this growth. We want to build a strong community of users who share common needs and goals. No company that trades oil, refined products, petrochemicals, NGLs, biofuels, coal, or natural gas should be without a system. There’s no excuse for spreadsheets that can derail your business when you can access IGNITE’s P&L Starter Edition to manage your portfolio and maintain your data. Banks and investors expect that you have a central repository of trade data and activities. It will also bring you peace of mind. We have clients of all sizes, from 2 users to 50. 

We’re young, following proven ideas from other industry leaders in CRM, accounting, marketing, media, insurance, and more. We like shared services and creating an open-source mentality where clients enjoy new features as they come online, without added fees.

The world has changed…and we’re changing with it. Are you ready? Click here for a free demo, and to discover which one of IGNITE’s, best-in-class, solutions is most suitable for your business.

We encourage you to give IGNITE CTRM a try; you won’t be disappointed. Choosing an ETRM solution is still one of the most important investments you’ll make. It’s just not as risky a choice as it used to be. Good ETRMs should evolve with your business, allowing you to add-onto your enterprise and eco-system of integrated solutions. It should meet your requirements for trading, whether you’re a small start-up or a large multi-national.

About The Author
Brigette Gebhard is an independent marketing specialist with more than 20 years of experience as a marketing executive in energy and commodities markets, and B2B SaaS cloud solutions.