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We have been avoiding a true move into ecommerce for the last number of years and we are now being given a reason to put down a marker and start investing. We need to think differently about how we do this as a country, such is the severity of the problem ahead of us. Right now, we have the following ongoing problems:
Lack of skills for businesses to adopt technology
Lack of skills to understand the right technology at the right time
No tech investment strategy
Not enough people to do the necessary
A small, insular island economy with a penchant for importing
We have added new problems:
Immediate restriction of cashflow
Access to services is expensive
Importing will need substitution for indigenous products
Panic/fear/joblosses
We cannot hope this rectifies itself, by itself, it will not be able.
Amazon for Ireland
2 main ideas here - either we A.) Set up an amazon store and invite anyone with a saleable product and push it through the channels for them, using 15 years of experience.
B.) Create in quicktime - an all ireland department store using the best in technology and an approach that is slightly different. All services are aggregated - meaning we get the benefit of collective bargaining. Advertising will be done on site -meaning you "compete" for your brand in your area - like on the high st - we localise offerings using embedded facebook marketplaces or ebay or an equivalent and allow those who want to buy local to buy local.
Participants pay a nominal fee let's say €50 per month to participate plus a10% gross revenue contribution.
€50 per month also for marketing.
We want to get a minimum of 1000 retailers across the country on here.
We need - 2/3 warehouses - regionalised
We need carrier partners
We need well constructed commercial plans, built on a the "small piece of many" commercial model as opposed to high volume/high margin
A marketing partner
A platform partner/listing tool
People to deliver training
Political will to see this as a way to create jobs locally through delivery and service
Political support to offer grants to get this going.
As this next few months evolve and things become clearer, we need to have put in place the contingencies, that can scale and provide more instant results. This is a viable solution and one I first wrote about in 2011. If we can make this successful, we transition it to being a not for profit with an education arm driving this forward. We will hand this Co-Op back to an organisation who should emerge to provide a digital framework for the next generation of business owner. We owe it to them and to ourselves to provide a way forward for utilising tech already there.
Feedback welcome, I will refine this and put it into a working doc over the next 2 weeks. This has not gone to many people, just those I think who can/could contribute. It won't be easy, but has clarity, simplicity and deliverability in a short time frame. Please email your feedback ASAP.