CRE Loaded Validated by the Payment Card Industry

Atlanta (Gawkwire.com) Assessors certified by the Payment Card Industry (PCI), a coalition of the world's leading credit card companies, have validated that the CRE Loaded ecommerce system is compliant with the newest data security standards.

These standards were enacted in response to the growing number of expensive data breaches. Starting Oct. 1, online retailers will no longer be allowed to host credit card transactions in non PCI-approved environments. Stores that aren't compliant can be fined, have their transaction fees raised, or even have their merchant accounts frozen.

CRE Loaded, which was validated May 8 by Coalfire Systems, a PCI-approved "Qualified Security Assessor," helps retailers:

- Manage their online stores.
- Accept secure Web-based credit card transactions.
 

CRE Loaded is now the world's first open-source PCI-compliant ecommerce system.

CRE Loaded is PCI compliant because it's integrated with the new CRE Secure™ payment system, which safely connects online stores to the major banks and merchant processors. Both systems are flagship products of Atlanta-based Chain Reaction eCommerce, a provider of innovative products for small- and medium-sized online retailers.

CRE Loaded is also the first ecommerce system that offers a payment page that automatically evolves to mirror any retailer's website design.

When online retail sites are powered by CRE Secure HTML Clone™ technology, shoppers never know they left the store…even though their transactions are hosted in a secure, PCI-certified data center.

The newest CRE Loaded, available in three versions--including a free one--offers features that made the previous versions so popular, including customizable online website templates and the ability to optimize merchandise for search engine rankings.

Greg McGraw, a serial entrepreneur who became CEO of Chain Reaction eCommerce in 2009, says he's seen an uptick in demand for PCI-compliant ecommerce solutions. In addition, he says, online spending is still increasing--regardless of current economic conditions.

Research firm Forrester in April 2009 forecasted U.S. online sales would increase 11 percent in 2009 and 13 percent in 2010. These expected gains, McGraw says, are the result of:

  The fact that better deals can often be found online.
Opening an online store is not as expensive as launching a "brick and mortar" store.
More shoppers are increasingly getting used to submitting credit card info online.
 

When Chain Reaction eCommerce began to work on a PCI-compliant version of CRE Loaded that could accept payments, McGraw says, the team heard one resolute complaint from customers: The fact that PayPal and Google Checkout offered merchants little control over their own stores.

"Chain Reaction eCommerce listened to our customers when we developed the newest CRE Loaded," says McGraw. "Developers approached the newest version with four main goals in mind: Security, flexibility, cost-effectiveness and branding."

CRE Loaded and CRE Secure are backed by $5 million in venture capital and years of development. For more information, contact 800.609.2141.