CASE STUDY

P A R T N E R P R O G R A MNow from

THE SSL STOREDEDICATED SSL CERTIFICATE PROVIDER JOINS VERISIGN PARTNER PROGRAM AND INCREASES SALES BY 200%

CASE STUDY

1

THE SSL STORE

Launched in 2009, The SSL Store is a leading provider of SSL Certificates that works with customers in more than 72 countries around the globe. The SSL Store is owned and operated by Tuncer and Tuncer, a St. Petersburg, Florida-based corporation that provides a variety of Internet-related products and services, including content management systems, web-based billing services, and web site development.

The SSL Store provides SSL Certificates to a broad range of customers, including small businesses, universities, and large Fortune 500 companies such as IBM, CVS Pharmacy, and Panasonic. The company also works with an active base of 400 resellers that provide SSL security to almost 20,000 customers worldwide.

BUSINESS CHALLENGE: MEETING CUSTOMER DEMAND WITH

INDUSTRY-LEADING SSL CERTIFICATES

When John C. Tuncer founded Tuncer and Tuncer in 1997, he wanted to help companies create transactional web sites as easily and cost effectively as possible. To accomplish this, the company’s team developed a suite of tools that customers could use to manage online sales, backend billing, and customer-facing content.

As Tuncer and Tuncer’s list of customers grew, John quickly realized that securing web sites would be critical to the company’s success. “We started off selling a few SSL Certificates every year, but we discovered that it could become a huge, fast-growing segment of our business. We just weren’t taking full advantage of the opportunity,” he says. “We were offering a fairly small range of SSL products, and we found it difficult to educate potential buyers about the benefits of SSL security, especially since some of them weren’t very technology-savvy. Those things were definitely holding us back.”

To meet demand for SSL security, Tuncer, now the company’s chief executive officer, created The SSL Store, a web site dedicated to providing SSL Certificates. “To make The SSL Store a success, we needed to offer an array of industry-leading products and provide superior customer education,” he says. “The SSL marketplace can be tough, so we turned to the VeriSign Partner Program to help us stand out and succeed financially.”

SOLUTION SUMMARY

To differentiate itself in a highly

competitive marketplace, The SSL

Store wanted to create an exceptional

online experience that would guide

buyers in selecting the right SSL

Certificates for their needs. The

VeriSign Partner Program, now part

of Symantec™, provided educational

materials and a powerful API to that

helped The SSL Store create a unique,

user-friendly ordering process—and a

thriving business.

Business Challenge: � Meet customer demand for

certificates by offering a variety

of SSL products

� Provide best-of-breed SSL

Certificates to differentiate company

in competitive marketplace

� Educate non-technically-savvy

customers about the value of

SSL security

Results: � Increased sales of SSL Certificates by

200% to date

� Allowed company to achieve a

42% jump in sales in first year, with

additional 5 to 7% month-over-

month growth

� Enabled company to keep SSL

certificate management costs low

CASE STUDY

2

THE VERISIGN PARTNER PROGRAM: USING THE

VERISIGN RESELLER API TO CREATE A SEAMLESS

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Initially, Tuncer and Tuncer partnered with GeoTrust to provide RapidSSL Certificates. After the acquisition of GeoTrust in 2006, Tuncer and Tuncer reevaluated its SSL sales strategy, leading it to join the VeriSign Partner Program, now part of Symantec, and launch its new company, The SSL Store. “Consumer confidence and trust are the most important factors in the ecommerce marketplace, and VeriSign SSL is the most trusted brand,” says Tuncer. “The overwhelming majority of people recognize the VeriSign checkmark, so becoming a partner was essential to helping us realize the full potential of our SSL business.”

Along with strong brand recognition, the VeriSign Partner Program supplies a variety of materials that The SSL Store can use to educate potential buyers about the certificates that will best meet their needs. “They offer us a phenomenal library of content that we can customize. That way, prospects can learn what they need to know without us having to explain it to them one-on-one,” Tuncer says. “Not only that, but the VeriSign Partner Program co-sponsored a seminar we recently put on, and even sent two senior executives to St. Petersburg to speak about the latest security issues. Clearly, they know that customer education matters, and they’ve done a great job helping us.”

Once The SSL Store’s customers know what they need, the VeriSign Reseller API makes it easy for them to buy, manage, and renew all of their VeriSign SSL, GeoTrust, and Thawte SSL Certificates in one place. “With the VeriSign API, we were able to create a streamlined ordering process that integrates with all of our backend systems and offers a user-friendly interface,” Tuncer says. “Our customers have told us they love how easy it is to order and manage certificates on our site. In fact, one client even told us he can easily buy certificates from his boat in the middle of the ocean. That seamless purchasing experience helps set us apart in a crowded market.”

RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN SALES DESPITE A

CHALLENGING ECONOMY

After joining the VeriSign Partner Program, The SSL Store experienced an impressive boost in its SSL sales, followed by strong month-over-month growth. “As soon as we became a VeriSign partner and launched The SSL Store, our sales jumped 42 percent over the course of just one year. Since then, our growth has stayed strong, with increases of five to seven percent every month,” Tuncer says. “That adds up to a growth rate of almost 200 percent to date, despite the challenging economic conditions. While Tuncer and Tuncer’s other web services businesses are holding steady, our SSL business continues to improve.”

“As soon as we became a VeriSign

partner and launched The SSL Store,

our sales jumped 42 percent over the

course of just one year. Since then,

our growth has stayed strong, with

increases of five to seven percent

every month. That adds up to a

growth rate of almost 200 percent

to date, despite the challenging

economic conditions. While Tuncer

and Tuncer’s other web services

business are holding steady, our SSL

business continues to improve.”

—John C. Tuncer, Chief Executive

Officer, The SSL Store

CASE STUDY

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Thanks to the partnership, The SSL Store has been able to expand its portfolio of SSL products and now offers 17 different certificates from VeriSign SSL, GeoTrust, and Thawte. Even though the company sells more types of certificates, The SSL Store has been able to use the VeriSign Reseller API to keep management costs low. “We’re always there to help people complete a transaction if necessary, but for the most part we don’t need to,” Tuncer says. “The VeriSign API has not only helped us keep our customers happy, but it enhances our profitability because we don’t have to hire a lot of customer service representatives. That’s a win-win situation no matter how you look at it.”

FUTURE: WORKING WITH VERISIGN PARTNER PROGRAM TO

CREATE MORE GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES

In the future, The SSL Store plans to expand even more by working with additional resellers and reaching further into the global marketplace for SSL security. “The VeriSign Partner Program has been key to helping us achieve this level of success,” says Tuncer. “We’re excited to continue working with the VeriSign Partner Program to see how our partnership evolves, and how we can work together to grow and see even better results.”

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