The thing I really appreciate about TripleClicks is that it is a global system, which also helps to boost the local economy.
There are many other online shops available, but what makes TripleClicks unique is the fact that it is linked to a marketing system through SFI, where there are people who specifically want to help the shop owner to promote and sell the goods available for sale.
In order to make the most of this system, I believe each one of us who is aware of SFI and TripleClicks should take time to brainstorm about the types of shops or business opportunities in our own town or city, which could attract buyers and make 'TripleClicks' a household brand name in our own area. Since you would be one of the first people to start promoting this brand, people will soon know to contact you if they are looking for something! Become known in your home community as the 'Go To Guy' or 'Go To Girl' to sell ANYTHING on the Internet. Don't be shy to tell people about TripleClicks. You are REALLY doing them a favour by telling them about it!
Here is a brainstorm of businesses that I believe could be very successful ECAs on TripleClicks:
1) ANY BUSINESS WHICH SELLS THINGS WHICH WOULD MAKE PEOPLE'S LIVE EASIER, IF THEY WERE DELIVERED AT HOME
Especially in areas where many people are dependent on public transport, I believe an online shop such as TripleClicks can create huge opportunities for existing shops to provide a delivery service to help save time. I would love to have a 'standing order' for fresh, organic vegetables and dairy products every week. Or for coal or gas every month. TripleClicks could even be the place where people could place a standing order for their weekly or monthly groceries. Time is very valuable in the 21st Century and I can think of a lot of better things to do, than to push a trolley in a supermarket or carrying heavy bags home. I would also appreciate it if I could order clothing and shoes from a shop I know in my area, instead of having to go into the shop to try it on first. Of course, the shops who start shifting to handling online orders and home deliveries need to make sure they have a proper packing and delivery system in place, but especially in urban areas this should not be too difficult and this could create extra jobs.
2) CULTURAL INDUSTRIES VIA DIGITAL MEDIA
The other thing that is so amazing about the times we live in is that we can have access to so much knowledge and great music at the click of a button, by promoting items that can be sent by email or may be downloaded directly to our smartphone or laptops or tablets. Access to books has always been a big issue for children in developing countries, and now they are becoming relatively easily available. So digital media is another very interesting product to market on TripleClicks and any local band can now put up their music, and any local writer can now publish their own ebook, in their own language, instead of having to wait to be 'discovered' by a publishing house or record company. The same goes for movies, although in some areas download costs might still be an obstacle. But who wouldn't love to buy a DVD with a movie featuring their mother-tongue? We live in a time where any aspiring moviemaker can start putting together a local movie, featuring indigenous languages, and then make them available on DVD or for digital downloading. Also, with so many people having to work in 'foreign' countries, living far away from home, being able to order a 'local' movie would be heartwarming. I have a background in publishing, and there is a HUGE market gap for children's eBooks and songs in indigenous languages, based on traditional cultural stories. The Internet and cellphone technology, with good video cameras and sound recording, really open doors to make sure that all these languages 'of the heart' do not disappear. The main challenge is to produce a quality product and always strive for EXCELLENCE! (Cultural industries also include unique items of clothing, jewellery and home decor or functional items, based on traditional crafts and culture, that may be of interest globally.)
3)AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
The other business that I believe could do extremely well on TripleClicks is about selling spare parts for cars and actually secondhand cars, trucks, bicycles and motorbikes. Again, because TripleClicks makes it possible to sell to a local audience, finding the right part for a car online, instead of having to walk from one second-hand car parts shops to another, can be a huge relief in a country, where for many people the first car is a second-hand car, because new cars are simply too pricey. In fact, if you have an interest in cars, you could strike a deal with a second-hand dealer or spare parts shop in your area, and create a whole new job for yourself to take photos and list cars or spare parts on TripleClicks! Yes, it is a big job, but always needed and hugely popular in classified newspaper sections.
4) HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
Another use of TripleClicks is to market local guesthouses and accommodation, hotels and restaurants. I own a day spa and I use TripleClicks to market vouchers for treatments at the spa. Similarly, anyone who owns a guesthouse, hotel or restaurant could package a 'Special Weekend' or 'Mid-Week deal' and produce a booking voucher, so that people can buy the voucher online and then contact the establishment to make their booking. These vouchers could be limited to e.g. 4 rooms for a particular date. It is so easy to just design a voucher in PowerPoint, save it as a picture and upload it on TripleClicks. The great thing about it is that you can upload the voucher and remove it easily, just bearing in mind the short time that it takes for TripleClicks to check your product. Once you have your standard voucher design, you just change the value, the offer or the date.
5) EVENTS
Another cool use of TripleClicks would be to market local, national or even international events. Just imagine advertising a local event, that has always just attracted local people, on TripleClicks. You might be able to attract tourists from all across the world, who would travel especially to come and take part in a 'local traditional' experience. If you then work together with people in your village to provide accommodation and also advertise this as part of the 'event package', you are contributing to the economic opportunities in your village. Take some videos and put them on YouTube and promote the next event again on TripleClicks.
You will see that I have focused on products and services that LOCAL businesses can market via TripleClicks. Of course the joy of living in the 21st Century is that we have access globally to things we can't find 'at home' or which are simply produced better and cheaper in another part of the world.
Actually, I can't think of any type of shop which could not sell at least SOME of its products through TripleClicks - either to a local, national or global audience.
We are living in HUGELY exciting times!
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