Suelen Vale
OneTwo helps stores that are not online connect with customers
OneTwo is an app that allows consumers to find the desired clothing at nearby stores, query the available sizes and even book the product for 48 hours. The system is possible through partnerships with retailers that allow the installation of a tablet with the OneTwo system in their establishments. When the request is sent by the consumer, the seller verifies if the product is in stock and informs the client through the same system.
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“It is not an e-commerce platform, since the customer must go to the store to buy. We want to offer to the seller the opportunity to bond with the customer and try to sell other products beyond what was requested in the system, “explains the application developer, Petrus Gomes.
But the business idea of these entrepreneurs from the state of Sao Paulo was not always this way. OneTwo has undergone a transformation since the early acceleration at Abril Plug and Play, in June, according to the startup co-founder, Fabio Matsumoto. The original idea was to find offers for consumers only within shopping malls in Brazil.
“We studied the market and saw that the mall was limiting, since there are fewer than 700 malls in the country. Also, to get to the retailers, we had to negotiate with the malls’ administration, which ended up hindering the process, so we decided to go to the street retailers “says Matsumoto.
The current idea, according to them, came from surveys taken during the acceleration process. “We realized when chatting with establishments owners, that many of them were using WhatsApp to warn its customers of new products. So we thought it would be a good business opportunity to offer a professional platform of communication between them, “says the designer of OneTwo, Vinícius Dourado.
OneTwo’s app is still being tested and the retailer system works in only 20 stores in São José dos Campos, São Paulo. The startup is focused on offline stores, as an option to face the competition against establishments with online presence and e-commerce.
TraktoPRO is a system of budgets and management for freelancers in the creative industry
TraktoPRO is a startup that provides a platform for freelancers in the creative sector, which assists them in setting prices charged for their services, and helps in the communication with customers and management of deadlines.
“I consider the freelancer ‘the one man band’, who has to find a way to live as self-employed. I worked for 15 years as a freelancer and I know that the main difficulty of this professional is to know how much to charge. Hence the market opportunity for TraktoPRO “explains the co-founder and CEO of the startup, Paulo Tenório, who started the business as an iPhone app and is already on the web in Portuguese and English.
The 10 month old startup works professionally, yet its members have learned a lot during the acceleration process in the Abril Plug and Play program. “We learned to work. We left the stage of doing things as possible for a more planned and organized style. We learned techniques for customer acquisition, research methodology, people management. When I arrived in the Valley, I saw that I had still a lot of homework to do. “explains Paulo Tenório.
And Tenório knows his market has potential. According to research carried out by himself, there are 53 million freelancers in the United States and 10 million in Brazil.
“We launched in the United States just two weeks ago and we already have more than 300 users. In Brazil there are more than nine thousand users, with about 1,200 of them utilizing the platform every month. We want to make TraktoPRO the number one budget tool in the world, “concludes the startup’s CEO.
Zase helps shop, bar, and restaurant owners to better understand their customers
Zase is a loyalty tool, which works through check-ins made by consumers, via Facebook, at shops and entertainment places. Zase’s app users can earn points and redeem rewards according to the number of check-ins. In addition, the startup functions as a CRM tool for businesses owners, providing them contact information, gender and customer frequency in their establishment.
According to the co-founder and CEO of Zase, Leandro Mesquita, the startup wants to help retail and entertainment companies to retain more customers, through access to information about them.
“We see that in Brazil the communication with the client is not thoughtful. Retailers use the same channels for new and old customers. There is no differentiation,” he explains.
According to the co-founder and CPO of the startup, Jaime Tadeu de Paula, the acceleration at Abril Plug and Play contributed to Zase find the best business model.
“The acceleration at Abril pointed out new paths. The mentors brought valuable insights and in the second month of acceleration, we had remodeled our project and, before arriving in the Valley, we were working already on this new model, which aggregates the information tool for business owners, “he explains.
But Zase founders do not get scared with unforeseen. Leandro Mesquita, Jaime de Paula and Marcos Monferdini had already created three startups before the current, one of them a delivery website that was sold to Peixe Urbano.
“We want to bring to Brazil what we have experienced in Silicon Valley. One of the things is the culture of learn fast and test fast. Another point is to focus on the product’ qualities and sell it to the consumer, taking off attention from what is not yet satisfactory, “concludes Leandro Mesquita.
Zase’s app works anywhere, since the check-in is done via Facebook, but for now, the startup has partnered with establishments only in the states of Minas Gerais and São Paulo.
