Uber Meets Amazon
The New Kid in the Gig Economy
Before Uber, the opportunity to make a living chauffeuring passengers was limited to those who were willing to jump through the necessary hoops to become a taxi or limousine driver. Chauffeur exams, fees, and buying or leasing a car that met special requirements all stood in the way of a would-be driver. In many large cities, extremely expensive and supply limited permits are required, so seeking employment at an established taxi company was the only option.
Then came Uber and everything changed. Anyone with a normal car meeting a few basic requirements can sign up and start driving in a matter of a couple days. In addition to greatly easing the friction of entry, Uber drivers avoid the social stigma that has, unfairly or not, been bestowed upon taxi drivers.
Now, Gemstra brings social selling into the Uber and gig economy age with its novel blockchain-based protocol and Astra platform. Just as Uber did to transportation, Gemstra will turn a centralized direct selling industry on its head through smart usage of decentralized technologies and token economics. Gemstra’s platform allows sellers to create a unique store that combines multiple brands in a way that looks nothing like direct selling as we know it now. This platform is expected to encourage people who have been turned off by traditional direct selling to try the Gemstra way.
A Winning Combination
Gemstra meshes some of the best parts about selling on a traditional storefront like Amazon, with the low barriers to entry and freedom that Uber drivers enjoy. Gemstra takes these concepts a step further with the incorporation of blockchain technology to reduce payment friction, create a gamification layer, and achieve democratic governance. The Gemstra platform even allows for instant commissionable payouts so sellers no longer have to wait.
E-commerce revolutionized sales by supercharging data-driven selling. The power of the Internet and the technologies layered on it have created new avenues for data collection and analysis. As any successful online seller knows, data is where the real business value accumulates over time. The key to Amazon’s success is its use of data analytics to drive sales for its sellers. However, it’s not just Amazon who collects data. Amazon sellers themselves build up a rich customer database that is theirs whether or not they decide to sell their products elsewhere. Data retention by sellers is a concept foreign to direct selling until now. The incorporation of blockchain will enable Gemstra to break the chains off of a 180Bn dollar industry.
Running a successful Amazon business is hard. Principally because of the difficulty in finding good products and branding. Not to mention inventory management and other issues. This is why social selling via a direct sales company has traditionally been appealing. A successful product catalog with a known brand already exists. All that sellers need to do is leverage their social networks, online and in real life, to make sales.
Unfortunately, this arrangement has always come with a major downside. When social sellers partner with big direct marketing brands such as Mary Kay, Amway or Avon, these centralized billion dollar behemoths own and control all the sellers’ customer and network data. Sellers are locked in and essentially held captive since they can’t use that data to sell other brands that their customers might like.
Gemstra solves this. With Gemstra, sellers can reap the benefits of pre-made product catalogs, established branding, and easier inventory management while also creating and owning rich sets of customer data. It’s the ease of getting started with Uber coupled with the customer data retention of Amazon.
New Possibilities
Gemstra’s model fuses what is best about direct selling, decentralized technology, token economics, and e-commerce to create something fresh and attractive. Building on previous business successes, the team is primed to unlock even more potential from the direct selling industry. Just as Uber created a new job category for many thousands of people, Gemstra is poised to deliver similar possibilities to all of the world.
The road ahead is exciting! If you’d like to learn more about Gemstra, please visit our website (www.gemstra.com) and join us on Telegram (https://t.me/gemstra).