Leveraging Narcity’s Audience To Build A Unique E-commerce Platform
This article was originally posted as a LinkedIn Pulse article: Leveraging Narcity’s Audience to Build a Unique E-Commerce Platform by Simar Dosanjh
I started my very own business at the age of 16. It was a small barbershop in my parent’s garage, but it sparked something in me that has followed me throughout my life and career. In fact, if it wasn’t for that small business, I would have never opened myself up to entrepreneurship. I would have never found myself at Narcity Media, building its first e-commerce platform.
That’s right, the same Narcity Media that reports on urban news and produces travel guides for the most interesting cities in the world. We’re calling our e-commerce initiative Narcity Market.
Narcity Market is a new and better way to discover and purchase quality Canadian products that our readers care about. It’s a destination where Narcity’s readers can find trending products that fit their lifestyle. We have curated some of the best brands and products from across the country - over 120 brands and approximately 10,000 products at launch, with more to be added in the months ahead. Over time, we’ll also put together curated collections and exclusive drops that you’ll only be able to find on Narcity Market.
Naturally, many of you may ask why Narcity, a media company, is starting its own e-commerce platform. There are several reasons. Let me explain.
Reason #1: We weren’t satisfied with e-commerce in Canada and that dissatisfaction was amplified when COVID-19 hit. We noticed there were issues with available stock, extremely long shipping times and the overall customer experience was lacking. We felt that we could make a greater impact for both Canadian shoppers and businesses by creating a platform that connects the two so that local shopping could be done efficiently and safely.
Reason #2: With Narcity Market, we are bringing together brands that our readers on Narcity.com and MTLBlog.com care about all under one digital roof. We are in a unique position to understand our readers because we interact with them online on an hourly basis. We know what our readers want, and which brands and products they are interested in. The Narcity brand affords us the ability to source and negotiates with merchants which means the best price and service for our readers.
Reason #3: With e-commerce, businesses are faced with challenges across a variety of functions - the main one being marketing and finding a consistent source of traffic and sales. By hosting their products on Narcity Market, businesses can open their doors to millions of virtual shoppers through Narcity's network of readers and brand lovers. They can worry a little less about marketing their products and generating sales.
Reason #4: We at Narcity Media firmly believe that our readers live in the most interesting places in the world. Narcity Market offers our readers new ways to engage with their cities by connecting them with the businesses that operate there. Plus, by shopping through Narcity Market, shoppers are buying Canadian brands, helping stimulate our economy.
Reason #5: COVID-19 has devastated our economy. With Narcity Market, our merchant partners get access to Narcity’s built-in, dedicated and passionate audience. And our readers can shop till they drop from the comfort and safety of their homes.
Narcity Market is a big step forward for Narcity Media. We are leveraging our existing networks and audiences to build an entirely new platform and part of the business. I hope that our audiences and merchant partners will derive tremendous value out of it. And I hope local businesses will see Narcity Market as a valuable addition to their existing sales funnel.
Our commitment to our merchant partners is that we will continue to offer them access to some of the most engaged audiences around the internet. And for our readers and customers, we will continue to populate Narcity Market with fresh brands and products that they care about.
I want to personally invite everyone in my network to visit Narcity Market and check out what we have on offer. Who knows, you may even discover your new favourite brand or product.