The Howdy Glossary

FastSpring is an e-commerce platform specially designed for selling digital goods and services. It handles critical aspects of online sales such as shopping cart management, payment processing, subscription handling, and order fulfillment for software vendors and online businesses. The platform supports a wide range of global payment methods and offers tools for localized checkout experiences to help businesses penetrate international markets. Additionally, FastSpring provides automated invoicing solutions compliant with local tax regulations across different countries.

Co-founded by Chris Lueck and Ken White, FastSpring aims to provide a comprehensive solution tailored to the needs of software vendors and online businesses. The co-founders envisioned simplifying the selling process of digital goods by offering extensive services from shopping cart management to global payment support. This vision materialized into FastSpring, a powerful tool enabling companies to optimize their e-commerce operations without dealing with intricacies independently.

The competitive landscape includes platforms like Gumroad, Paddle, and SendOwl. These competitors offer varied features catering to digital product sellers but FastSpring stands out due to its all-encompassing service suite including automated compliance with local tax laws which simplifies cross-border transactions. This specialization in digital product sales combined with extensive support for multiple payment methods globally positions FastSpring as a robust solution for software vendors aiming to expand internationally while maintaining compliance in diverse markets.