Zach Nelson Netsuite: NetSuite CEO Talks About Apple, Retail and Software Discussed

Zach Nelson Netsuite: Forbes.com contributor Tom Taulli recently sat down with NetSuite CEO Zach Nelson to discuss everything from the “future of the cloud” to retail trends and much more. As with many interviews that touch on tech inspired topics, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was soon at the center of the conversation.

Before we get into the details surrounding his thoughts on Apple, here is a brief overview from the article that gives you a good idea of what NetSuite is all about:

“Last year, the cloud continued to be red hot. But keep in mind that the industry is far from young. The roots actually go back to 1998, with the founding of NetSuite. The company made a big bet that enterprises would eventually access software via the Web.

“While NetSuite is far from a startup, the company continues to act like one. Just a year ago, the stock price was at $39.60. Now it’s at $69.20.”

After discussing the past year (2012) and the current cloud space, the conversation turned to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL).

When asked about trends for 2013, Nelson said:

“One is commerce as a service. I see this as a big trend in 2013 and for years to come. This is why we bought Retail Anywhere. The Point-of-Sale technology combined with our SuiteCommerce platform allows customers to sell through any channel, whether it be online, mobile, or even a screen on the car. Customers want a seamless integrated experience wherever they encounter your brand, and we aim to provide technology to enable that.”

“I think it is a misconception that retail is dead. If you look at Apple, the main reason for the company’s success was its integrated retail model. It was a big driver.”

While many people think of Apple as a tech company that churns out some of the best products in the world, its retail presence often times gets overlooked.

“Traditional retailers need to find a way to take the Apple approach. The problem is that they could not do it because much of the technology had been built before the cloud era. Apple, on the other hand, built its own system.”

Nelson doesn’t stop there regarding his praise of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). He was asked the following as a follow-up to the above: You also think there will be an “Apple Effect” on enterprise software, too?

His answer: