The tension rises...

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 places 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 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 view 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 look forward to 09/11/2017, when the winner of the Anton Award will be announced as part of the A-COMMERCE DAY in Vienna.

What makes Spotlike interesting as a concept 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. That relieves the buyer, gives small brick-and-mortar retailers a new chance in digital competition, and creates direct communication that online marketplaces do not offer in this way.

That syreta is nominated for the Anton Award with this concept – alongside companies of a significantly larger scale – shows that innovation does not come only from the metropolises and not only from the big players. We are looking forward to November 9.

The Anton Award – why this recognition is particularly significant for syreta

A nomination for the Anton Award means more than a formal acknowledgment. A-Commerce Day is the most important platform for Austria's e-commerce and digital industry – the nomination thus places syreta in the same league as the best-known names in Austrian online retail. That Spotlike as a product for brick-and-mortar retail is nominated also shows that innovation in retail does not necessarily have to come from the purely online sector. Brick-and-mortar retail needs its own digital solutions that address its specific challenges – and that is exactly the approach syreta is pursuing with Spotlike. We are eager to see how November 9, 2017 turns out.