The suspense is building...

Since 2014, Austrian companies that are committed to customer-friendly solutions and thus drive the Austrian eCommerce and digital landscape forward have been honored by A-Commerce with the Anton Award. Submissions in the Agency & Service Provider category are evaluated by an independent jury consisting of industry experts and decision-makers, and the winner is determined.

Shopping, but different! With the new service shopping platform Spotlike, a new way of shopping has been realized. The platform enables direct online communication between customer and company. Comparable to an online marketplace, the customer posts a specific product or service request on the website or in the app—such as a red sweater in size 36.

This purchase request is sent to all clothing stores participating in the service platform. Retailers who are interested in the request send their offer to the potential customer via messenger, tailored to the customer’s requirements. The customer can compare the offers based on the product descriptions, photos, etc. that are sent, and then reserve the preferred product with the retailer and arrange purchase terms directly with the seller.

Spotlike was developed specifically for brick-and-mortar retail. In light of changing purchasing behavior and the online boom, it needs new service and sales concepts in order to be successful in the long term.

We are excited and looking forward to 09/11/2017, when the winner of the Anton Award will be announced as part of A-COMMERCE DAY in Vienna.

What makes Spotlike as a concept interesting in 2017 is the reversal of the classic online purchasing process. Normally, the customer searches actively—they enter a term, get results, compare. With Spotlike, the customer states their wish, and the retailers respond. This takes the burden off the buyer, gives small brick-and-mortar retailers a new chance in the digital competition, and creates direct communication that online marketplaces do not offer in this way.

That syreta is being nominated for the Anton Award with this concept—alongside companies of a much larger scale—shows: innovation doesn’t come only from the metropolises and not only from the big players. We’re looking forward to November 9.