community engine makes it easier to talk to customers and do business with them online. It’s like a personal noticeboard and newswire, connecting businesses to their customers by showing them relevant businesses and special offers.

1. Changing the way we do business
Wednesday, 21 March 2012

2. Small business and the internet
“The internet has become a major place for trade and we need to
ensure that it is a fair place and does not become a place where big
business can use their power to unfairly dominate sales.”
~ Peter Strong, Council for Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA)
community engine and the internet
We build software with a purpose.
We’re Australian made, have strong roots in the community, and we
have built a place where the local store has equal footing with the big
brands. A place where everyone can be heard.
Wednesday, 21 March 2012

3. Small business and the internet
60 to 80% of australian businesses still don’t have a website
- but Australian consumers will spend $33B online this year.
$22b $24b $27b $30b $33b $37b
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Source: Forrester Research
Wednesday, 21 March 2012

4. Small business and the internet
62% of the population use social media...
but only 14% of small businesses use it to talk to them.
Source: Sensis, May 2011
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5. Problem: The internet is full of noise,
vying for ATTENTION
Wednesday, 21 March 2012

6. I just want some tools ‘off the shelf’ to:
• communicate with my customers
• buy and sell stuff
Make it affordable, with ways that I can
find new customers too. So I have time to
see my family at the end of the day.
BUT the average small business owner
has too many responsibilities to know
how to break through the noise.
Cleaner
Labourer HR
Estimator Sales
Manager Receptionist
Courier Marketing
Accountant Project Manager
Business owner and member of the local community
Wednesday, 21 March 2012

7. Small business marketing on the internet
ADVERTISING eCOMMERCE SOCIAL GROUP SOCIAL
MEDIA BUYING COMMERCE
• Pay for ‘share of • You pay for cost of • You can build customer • Sell high volumes of • Pay only for transactions
attention’ (mass website design, build, relationships online prepaid inventory online
audience, or ‘pay per ongoing maintenance • Self-serve offers
click’ etc) • The data does not • Reliant on discounting
• You still need to belong to you • Own and manage your
• No customer relationship advertise and promote • Low sales margins customer/ member data.
your site • No transactions occur
• No guarantee of • No ongoing customer • Your business and offers
transaction • You receive direct • You need to promote and relationships (the data are ‘recommended’ to
transactions and advertise your social does not belong to you) potential customers
• High cost to acquire new customer relationships. presence
customers • Reliant on the group • No advertising costs
• social media is still buying site advertising
considered a ‘personal and promoting their
space’ where businesses brand
may not be welcome
• Capacity to handle sales
volume can be an issue
Wednesday, 21 March 2012

8. Why is ‘social commerce’ different?
Social Commerce is about
connecting people only to the
things that we know they might
be interested in and nothing more. Stuff I like Things I buy
That means no advertising, and
less noise.
We provide these
‘recommendations’ based on our
knowledge of things they like, SOCIAL
things they purchase, and what COMMERCE:
other people ‘just like them’ have Recommending
in common. more of this to the
individual
Stuff that 'people like me' like and buy
Wednesday, 21 March 2012

9. The noticeboard
Connect Communicate Transact
Invite both new and existing Communicate in real-time with Sell memberships, create
customers to interact with your customer or member customised offers, accept
you online. database via their personalised payment online without complex
community noticeboard. merchant account paperwork.
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10. The noticeboard
Businesses you follow, or ones
that might be of interest.
Public notices you might be
interested in (events, lost/found,
FREE,For Sale etc)
Offers you might be interested in
purchasing (one click to buy)
Wednesday, 21 March 2012

11. A business profile
Collect membership fees
Information about the business,
association, or community group.
Post updates, comments, photos
Notices relevant to your
organisation appear here
Recommend member events,
businesses, offers to your own
audience
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12. community engine is the place online
where you will do business, run errands
and purchase as simply as you would at
your local shops. Because you'll be
dealing with the businesses and
community organisations that mean the
most to you.
Wednesday, 21 March 2012

13. How it works Your personal noticeboard
YOU MEMBERS CUSTOMERS RECOMMENDATIONS
Your organisation Invite your members and Your members upload their Each individual receives recommended businesses,
other contacts. customer lists, then offers, and notices based on their likes, interests, location
communicate with them and and what other people "just like them" are doing
Communicate send special offers
Collaborate Businesses find new customers
Collect membership fees Associations find new members
The community as a whole becomes connected
Wednesday, 21 March 2012

14. To get started, visit
www.communityengine.com.au
For more information, call
1300 COMMUNITY
or email
enquiries@communityengine.com
Wednesday, 21 March 2012