On February 18, 2009 at 8:30am the Central Vermont Economic Development Corporation (CVEDC) and 7th Pixel presented the Market Vermont project to a group of 12 Vermont artisans and producers of Vermont products. CVEDC and 7th Pixel are applying for a Federal grant to implement the project. The following is an summation of our presentation.
About Market Vermont
Market Vermont is an ecommerce engine for Vermont vendors. It’s a catalog for displaying products made in Vermont combined with a shopping cart that allows visitors to select those products for purchase and check out using one or more online methods of payment.
What was Market Vermont?
Market Vermont used to be a State of Vermont program. Christine Werneke – Chief Market Officer for the State of Vermont – noted that the program was still a part of the Vermont Statutes – see Vermont Statutes 2502, 2503, 2504, 2505. I remember it as an RFP to develop an ecommerce portal similar in concept to ours. The difference between then and now is that our approach vastly improves the concept for participants and has the support of various professionals and funding to help it succeed.
What is Market Vermont now?
This incarnation of Market Vermont is privately held by Blueberry Publications, Inc. – the parent company of 7th Pixel. It’s a project that myself and Chip Bacon have talked about at length over the past 10 years. In our experience we saw many Vermont businesses that wanted to get online and sell their wares. These were largely small cottage industries that had tight budgets. Spending $5000 – $20,000 to get an ecommerce website up just wasn’t a realistic option.
In my professional experience working with clients at 7th Pixel, about 20% came to me because they were frustrated and felt disappointed from their experiences with their previous website designer/developer. They’d spent thousands of dollars and weren’t seeing any return on their investment. What happened was typically a combination of a lack of knowledge on both their parts. Back in the late 90s you could put up a website and almost be guaranteed traffic if you knew how to write good copy and META Data. The online world is a lot more complex and difficult to compete in now. It takes a lot more knowledge and work to develop success. This is one of the reasons we created Market Vermont. Because we know that many small cottage industries don’t have the time or desire to learn what it takes.
Market Vermont is reaching out to many different organizations and State entities in the interest of working together to make this project a success. Some of the contacts to date have been Deidre Healy of Frog Hollow, Christine Werneke of Agency of Commerce and Community Development, and Warren Kitzmiller member of the House of Representatives and Chair of the House Committee on Commerce & Economic Development. I’m looking to forge more relationships.
How Is Market Vermont different from an Amazon, Etsy, eBay, etc..?
It’s focused on a niche market space.
Market Vermont caters to people who love the Vermont brand and want the quality and lifestyle associations that come with owning a piece of Vermont.
It ties into a well established and ready made brand
The State of Vermont has worked hard to establish the brand associated with the name Vermont. The brand is know well throughout the United States and in other parts of the world.
It capitalizes on similarity and community
One of the many qualities Vermonters are known for is a sense of community. We all live and work here and it’s to our benefit to work together and help our neighbors. As professional service provider I have often referred clients to other professional service providers – typically people I have worked with in the past that I know and trust. And I have benefited from referrals in exchange. In this spirit, our intention is to foster communication and sharing among the vendors who join Market Vermont. There is a lot to learn and share by working together.
It’s a local service
Our service is based right here in Montpelier in the offices of 7th Pixel and RavenMark. We’re your neighbor and we’re a accessible in any number of ways including walking into our office.
It’s personal service and support
You’re not a number – you’re a neighbor. The community of Vermont is a great place to live and work. The State is small enough that we can make a difference by working together.
The Process
- We set up your account
- We do the marketing and advertising
- We process the sales
- You do the fulfillment
- We track the package
- We send you a check once a month
What do you get out of it?
Increased volume of potential buyers
We do this for clients in our professional lives. We bring our skills, experience, and knowledge to this project. We know how to acquire potential buyers and bring them to Market Vermont.
Expanded market reach
Our team has experience in many of the different techniques for putting a client message in front of a target audience. We’ll use traditional print media as well as online media outlets to deliver our message.
Simple – little/nothing to learn or manage
We do all of the setup and management work on the site. From adding products to managing the security and monitoring the statistical information, we are doing what we do best so you can do what you do best.
Low/no risk entry
We’re asking for $150 to get you setup. This goes to cover the expense of getting your account setup, adding products, writing or editing product descriptions. We guarantee you will make this money back one way or another.
A team of professionals working for you
We provide these services to clients on a daily basis. By focusing our efforts on one website where many vendors participate, we spread the costs of our work so that everyone can afford to participate and benefit
What do we get out of it?
We’re supporting our community
We live and work here and we see a way to do what we know how to do and use it to support our friends and neighbors.
We make money when you make money
We are in the business of making money. And, because our profits are tied to a percentage of sales, we have incentive to succeed.
Why will this work?
Simple, reliable, and effective
There are several studies backed by our own experiences that clearly indicate ecommerce stores succeed when they are simple to use, function reliably, and effective. What makes them effective? Effectiveness is combination of having products buyers want, at a fair price, and a bullet proof interface that allows the user to make the secure purchase without surprises and without fuss.
Strength in numbers
Multiple vendors selling through a common storefront offer a potential buyer more options than a single vendor storefront. Variety is appealing.
Strength of the Vermont brand
The brand is strong and well known.
Supported by years of experience
We’ve done this before. We have many years experience in:
- Marketing and advertising
- Online business strategies
- Setup and managing ecommerce storefronts
- User interface design and conversion
- Online technologies, metrics, and security
What’s next?
We have to get the Grant paper work completed and have letters of commitment from at least 15 vendors. Here are the costs to you.
- $150 one time setup fee
- 25% commission on each sale
There are other details that need to be worked out like defining quality of the products and what constitutes Vermont made. And you’ll need to work with us to include shipping costs into the published pricing of your products. Buyers will intuitively know that shipping is included but we want them to know that the price they see on the website is the price they pay. The only additional expense we foresee is the Vermont State sales tax (when applicable).
The Grant
CVEDC and 7th Pixel are working together to complete the application for an Implementation Grant that seeks to launch Market Vermont with funding of approx. $100,000. The duration of the grant will be one year. The focus of the grant is Washington County in the State of Vermont. The project is open to all areas of the State but success is measured by how well this project helps the participating businesses of Washington County. The types of businesses we’re looking for are producers of Vermont made products. The Set-up Fee is not due until the Grant has been awarded, which should be in the April-May timeframe. We hope to begin the project as soon as we receive the award.
If you meet the above requirements for the Grant and are interested in learning about how to participate, please contact Sam Matthews of CVEDC at 802-223-4654 (cvedcevp@sover.net) as soon as possible. Our deadline for letters indicating commitment from interested businesses is by Feb. 27, 2009.
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