MAPO

The challenge

Small stores in our neighborhoods are what make each city beautiful and unique. However, the pandemic was the latest example that showed that those stores and shops lack digital capabilities. Very often such shops lack the (marketing) expertise, financial means, and time which leads them to lack behind in the online world. While E-commerce giants try to implement platform strategies that include such stores, small shops simply lack the bargaining power to be successful. In short, small shops lack the capabilities to connect to customers online and provide modern convenient shopping experiences. However, while consumers are aware that small neighborhood shops need their support, they do not want to sacrifice the convenience of online shopping or simply don´t know that the shop around the corner sells the desired product.

The solution

We propose a platform solution to create a two-sided market place. The platform will work similar to food delivery platforms. Small shops will be able to register, provide information about themselves and upload their inventory / the items they sell. End-consumers on the other side can provide their address and determine a geographical range in which they want to search for the desired products. That way consumers can easily find out whether the desired product is in stock in a closeby shop, providing them with a convenient alternative to conventional online shopping.

MAPOS mission is to provide bricks and mortar shops with digital capabilities.