We took some time to talk to Colton Wiles, owner of SoftwareCW, a website for digital-only purchases of software for audio/video editing, creative design, business and office. His business joined XCHANGE earlier this 2024 year in January and has already made impressive sales numbers without being a dedicated music retail site. Learn about his experience and business practices that have proven him successful on our platform. 

Q. Hi Colton, thanks for doing this reseller spotlight with XCHANGE. Can you please tell us a little about yourself and your work history?

Colton: I have been in the Software industry for about 15 years. Started initially in the physical boxed days utilizing Amazon, Newegg, Walmart, eBay and various smaller 3rd party marketplaces. Now for over the past few years have completely transitioned into Digital Download Software solely through our Shopify website, www.softwarecw.com. Thus, eliminating the need for warehousing, shipping, and logistics. 
 

SoftwareCW started in Iowa, while now being headquartered in Texas, while I live in Chicago. Being that the company is solely Digital Download, relocating as I please is a breeze.
 

I sort of fell into this space without any related schooling or degrees. Ive learned and taught myself everything I know about business and E-commerce, with several hard lessons and setbacks along the way.

 

Q. What’s it like operating out of Texas, US? What is the US market like for software?

Colton: US market for Computer Software is solid as expected. The market is still in the transition phase from physical boxed Software to Digital Download but is constantly gaining acceptance that the Physical Disc days are a thing of the past.

 

Q. How did your website ‘softwarecw.com’ get started?

Colton: Without divulging any brand names, in High School, I took alot of  Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) courses as I enjoyed the experience. Turns out I was quite skilled at it so I was sent to alot of competitions ranging from regional/state/nationals and certain brands would be sponsors. I ended up winning alot of CAD software that I would in turn sell on eBay. In summary, in 10th grade, I would walk out of school at 3:10pm and return phone calls to several established companies, slinging tens of thousands of dollars in CAD Software.

Q. You joined XCHANGE back in January 2024 and were trained by Michael in February 2024. How was the training experience with him?

Colton: Michael was very efficient and helpful. Any questions I had were immediately answered.

 

Q. XCHANGE is primarily focused on audio and music software, was it difficult to integrate with your current product lineup?

Colton: It was not difficult for us. XCHANGE’s reseller portal is simple to use and navigate.

 

Q. How has XCHANGE impacted your business?

Colton: XCHANGE has made reordering inventory a breeze. I want to order 20x Licenses of XYZ? Boom, done. Alot of our other vendors still rely on PO’s by email which ends up taking days.

 

Q. How are you making purchasing software an enjoyable experience for your customers?

Colton: Our main focus is making the purchase of Software as simple/streamlined/quick as possible. Most companies want you to spend as much time as possible on their website. We want you to spend the least amount of time on our website. That tells us you found what you wanted, checkout, downloaded, and then off to enjoy your purchase.

Q. How could we improve your experience with XCHANGE? Do you have any criticisms?

Colton: Only thing that comes to mind is, I'd love to see XCHANGE bring on other categories besides Multimedia.

 

Q. In your opinion, what is the most useful feature of our platform?

Colton: Granted we have not implemented this yet, we are excited to use the direct integration with our Shopify website for orders. 

 

Q. Do you have advice for anyone trying to get into the software retail industry?

Colton: Be careful of who you use for a Software supplier. The Software industry is flooded with counterfeit/inauthentic Software. If it seems too good to be true, it is. Believe me, been there.