Companies today need to continuously reimagine themselves to stay relevant. In a hyper-competitive, fast-moving business landscape wherein technology is flipping traditional business models, brands cannot rest on their laurels or put off digital transformation projects for a better time. They need to focus on things like managing and securing customer data, and honoring authenticity in an increasingly virtual world. This mindset is critical to surviving, and while navigating this new paradigm brings new challenges, an experienced partner can see your brand through. You need a partner to help you face today’s ecommerce challenges—internal and external—head on. From staying agile, to overcoming legacy hurdles, to meeting growing consumer expectations and demand at scale, you deserve a partner you can trust who will stay the course.

Astound recognizes that the ecommerce landscape is constantly evolving, and is committed to forging strong, dependable, and lasting partnerships that enable its clients to stay ahead of the curve even as the industry shifts. When the founders of Astound started the venture in 2000, their dream was to help companies reimagine themselves and to demonstrate how digital commerce could take their brand everywhere—literally. Over the past two decades, Astound has implemented award-winning digital commerce solutions, executing more than 3,000 successful digital commerce projects and 400 end-to-end website launches—building storefronts that generated nearly $10 billion in revenue last year alone. The company has worked with clients across a diverse set of industries, including retail, fashion, beauty, healthcare, luxury, and consumer goods, to name a few. Regardless of the industry, Astound's global team of specialists brings the same level of expertise and commitment to every project.

The company works with clients to build a long-term strategy that maximizes return on investment and drives their business forward. "At Astound, earning your partnership is about delivering lifetime value,’” says Michael Kahn (MK), Global CEO of Astound. "We are dedicated to your success from day one and strive to bring value and insight to every engagement to help your brand realize its vision and goals—because, in the world of ecommerce, every day is filled with opportunity."

The Astound team sets itself up as an extension of its clients’ organizations. Astound's high standards for success include prioritizing efficient execution, achieving client objectives, and delivering both immediate and lasting value for its clients—and their customers. "Maximizing the value of every digital commerce touchpoint is the bedrock of our strategic partnerships, and it’s there for the long haul," notes MK.

Astound aims to build long-term customer relationships, and does so by remaining committed to earning clients' trust and cultivating it through every touchpoint, relationship, and initiative, day in and day out. "We understand that trust cannot be acquired off the shelf. Transparent communication is foundational to each and every partnership we nurture at Astound. We believe in being open and honest with our clients and we’re not afraid to say the difficult thing when needed, from project pitch to post-launch optimizations," explains MK.

Growth is at the core of Astound’s consulting practice. As a result, its specialists never shy away from an opportunity to be upfront with clients about the digital tools and trends that will or will not move the needle for their unique business. It is this transparency and honesty that has helped Astound further its collaboration with clients such as rag & bone, one of the world’s leading luxury fashion retailers. As Melanie Masterson, VP of Ecommerce at rag & bone, notes, “Trust is not always something you find in a vendor. And I think that’s what sets Astound apart—the team feels not like a vendor, but a true partner. We are not only excited about our website but our continued strategic partnership with the Astound team. The trust they’ve helped build has allowed us to be transparent around our long-range planning so they can ensure the right executional strategy for us.”

Maximizing the value of every digital commerce touchpoint is the bedrock of our strategic partnerships, and it’s there for the long haul.

_{- Michael Kahn (MK), Global CEO of Astound Commerce.}

Everyone at Astound lives by the company’s core values of integrity, respect, passion, commitment, teamwork, and continuous improvement.

Trust is not always something you find in a vendor. And I think that’s what sets Astound apart—the team feels not like a vendor, but a true partner.

_{- Melanie Masterson, VP of Ecommerce at rag & bone.}

Astound's team understands that digital transformation doesn’t happen overnight, which is why the company is intent on providing ongoing support and education to help clients thrive well beyond project completion. More than 90% of its clients sign ongoing strategic support agreements after their initial engagement, gaining access to key Astound executives as well as its Customer Advisory Board, a panel of peers on the brand side who can provide insight into the current ecommerce climate based on their own shared experiences.

Beyond true partnership and transparency, one of the key factors that sets Astound apart from its competitors is its technology expertise. The company has a team of highly skilled developers, architects, and engineers who are well-versed in the latest technologies and platforms. Whether it's building a custom ecommerce website or integrating with a third-party platform, Astound's technology experts ensure that clients receive the best possible solutions that can be easily scaled or modified as business and customer needs evolve.

Take the company’s work with leading arts and crafts retailer Hobbycraft, for example. Astound partnered with Hobbycraft to build a modern, intelligent platform capable of adapting quickly to customer and industry demands while delivering exceptional online shopping experiences. On working with the Astound team, Hobbycraft’s IT Director, Matt Louth, shared, “Our exceptional ecommerce growth during lockdown made clear the importance of placing digital transformation at the heart of our multichannel offering to ensure we have the right capabilities in place to support and grow the business. We chose to partner with Astound Commerce because of their unparalleled experience and knowledge, and they were a trusted partner in every way—working as an extension of our team and providing the highest levels of technical and delivery expertise.”

Astound's technology expertise is not limited to ecommerce platforms alone. The company has also developed several proprietary tools and technologies that help clients improve their online presence, enhance customer relationships, and drive sales. These tools include Launch360, Astound’s best-in-class suite of accelerators that span commerce, marketing, customer service, and operations. Launch360 is a one-stop solution that allows brands to unlock the full potential of the Salesforce ecosystem and power faster, more flexible commerce experiences.

Another key aspect of Astound's success is its commitment to customer satisfaction. The company believes that the success of any ecommerce project depends on how well it satisfies and motivates customers. Astound's team of experts works closely with clients to ensure that their ecommerce solutions are optimized for user experience, functionality, and accessibility. The company's focus on customer satisfaction has helped to further establish Astound’s long-term client relationships and cement its reputation as a trusted digital commerce partner.

When you talk to any Astounder, enthusiasm, ambition, and a hunger for deeper knowledge of everything they do is palpable, from top to bottom of the organization. One can quickly sense the team’s genuine love for digital commerce and helping other brands realize their full business potential through the use of technology and services. Everyone at Astound lives by the company’s core values of integrity, respect, passion, commitment, teamwork, and continuous improvement. Of all Astound’s values, shared success is among the most important—and the heart of the company’s winning strategy. These qualities are what have set Astound apart from the rest, propelling the company—and its clients—forward as they collaborate to drive demand and remain ahead of the curve within an ever-changing digital commerce environment.

Michael (MK) Kahn is Global CEO at Astound Commerce, a role he took on in September 2020 as part of an aggressive growth strategy to make Astound the global market leader in digital commerce. He brings four decades of experience in global operations and talent leadership; business strategy, development and expansion; and branding, marketing, and communications.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he earned a B.A. in Journalism, MK started his career at high-profile advertising agencies including Campbell Mithun Esty, DDB, Ketchum, and J.Walter Thompson, where he was responsible for account and client services leadership. After several years at these top firms, he joined and led a creative agency startup, Mitchiner, Ross & Kahn.

After holding CMO and CEO roles during the late ’90s and early 2000s at a series of B2C and B2B digital startups, he joined Performics, a leading digital performance marketing agency. Beginning in a role as the head of strategic account management, he ultimately became Global CEO in 2014. In this role, MK saw the build-out of Performics from a team of 300 in Chicago to 3,400 teammates in 57 countries, a six-year organic growth rate of more than 15 percent, and operating income margins of more than 20 percent.

In 2017, MK became global brand president at Digitas Worldwide, The Connected Marketing Agency. He built a unified go-to-market strategy and team that led expansion of the Digitas network from 27 offices in 13 countries to more than 50 offices in 30 countries in a two-year period, driving an international growth rate of more than 6 percent.

His leadership approach is to connect, listen, learn, evaluate, ideate, synthesize, actualize, and execute via ongoing collaboration and commitment. He’s a strong believer in open feedback and embracing integrity through a 360-degree view of performance inclusive of managers, peers, and employees, and he champions a growth mindset, continuous improvement, and embracing the idea that our best days and best work, as a company and as individuals, lie ahead.