BT Tradespace sets new standard for ‘social commerce’

Communities area added to fast-growing web site gives a more interactive relationship between businesses and their customers

BT Business has celebrated the sign-up of more than 30,000 Tradespace businesses by launching a new interactive area - BT Tradespace Communities – which enables users to try out and contribute to its future development.

This beta version of the Communities area brings advanced social networking capabilities to BT Tradespace, allowing small businesses and consumers to converse within user-defined groups and environments. Community members can create or join interest groups, ask questions and gain recommendations from other members.

The Communities zone, http://communities.bttradespace.com/, is linked to businesses’ BT Tradespace profile, allowing users to drill down into detail, comment on or endorse a service, see the company’s extended network or make purchases. The result is a unique service in the business world – a social utility which helps organisations and businesses not only connect and converse but also engage in commercial relationships.

Ivan Croxford, head of BT Tradespace at BT Retail, said: “We all know how successful the social networking sites in the consumer world are, but small businesses have never had the same opportunities in this area – until now.

“With the beta launch of BT Tradespace Communities we can allow an even greater level of online interaction between businesses and their target audiences. Consumers, on the other hand, get unrivalled exposure to small business services, products and expertise, plus advice and recommendations from other members of the public.”

“We feel this type of ‘social commerce’ service lends itself perfectly to the small business arena. Smaller companies do so much of their business through relationships and referrals that they are past masters at it. However, they often struggle to replicate this in the less personal online environment. The enhancements we have made to BT Tradespace will help them to play to their strengths wherever they interact with customers, suppliers and business partners,”

The announcement follows a recent deal with PayPal, allowing BT Tradespace users to add transactional capabilities to their individual Tradespaces, an enhanced search function and a major design overhaul - making the platform much more intuitive and user friendly.

Croxford continued: “BT Tradespace now has over 30,000 small business users with profiles, which is a real endorsement of our approach and our roadmap. We’ve moved from a directory-based approach to a community marketplace in a short period of time, and we know from feedback that early adopters are already reaping the benefits of our service. By launching Tradespace Communities in beta we can give users immediate benefits but also allow them to contribute to our ongoing development.”

To visit Tradespace Communities go to: http://communities.bttradespace.com.