New idea

[Youngdude]

Good morning
What do you guys think about starting a business like AMAZON thats online and does delivery to residences within 2 or 3 business days but everything except restaurants. does anyone know any IT guys who can help in creating the website and maintaining it and adding items to the website. Or is DR too small for online delivery and people prefer to just go to retail shops(brick and mortar) directly and buy them

Thanks for the feedback

 

[etolw]

Selling online is all about logistics and not much about IT in my mind.

Orders tracking is imperative for consumers’ expectations. Since orders do not materialize at the time of purchase, consumers expect immediacy in the information monitoring.

Warehousing, rotation of the goods, time on the shelfs and delivery to the customer are fundamental. Furthermore, the rating of online feedbacks should be carefully evaluated. If online sales do not have a solid basis, speaking about marketing, user experience, browsing and merchandising will not be enough.



I would not invest in your idea, but you might have something up your sleeve to outcompete Amazon?

I am a happy customer of ebay/amazon/aliexpress and have been that for more than ten years.

When I order from Amazon the goods arrive in one/two days at my courier in Miami, and usually two to three days later arrives here at EPS in Cabarete.

Very satisfied with the service I got, as long as I do not order heavy items that costs a lot to ship. Usually I get free delivery to Miami and EPS charges typical 60 to 500 pesos depending on weigth of the shipment.

 

[Youngdude]

Yes....exactly...but the only difference is since the company is new i dont want to invest in merchandise and warehouse but instead sell the products of other companies and handle the logistics part and receive a percentage of comission....the difference is i dont want to compete with amazon or ebay or aliexpress.....i want to do with the companies that are in DR like sirena jumbo and clothing stores and home decor

Selling online is all about logistics and not much about IT in my mind.

Orders tracking is imperative for consumers’ expectations. Since orders do not materialize at the time of purchase, consumers expect immediacy in the information monitoring.

Warehousing, rotation of the goods, time on the shelfs and delivery to the customer are fundamental. Furthermore, the rating of online feedbacks should be carefully evaluated. If online sales do not have a solid basis, speaking about marketing, user experience, browsing and merchandising will not be enough.



I would not invest in your idea, but you might have something up your sleeve to outcompete Amazon?

I am a happy customer of ebay/amazon/aliexpress and have been that for more than ten years.

When I order from Amazon the goods arrive in one/two days at my courier in Miami, and usually two to three days later arrives here at EPS in Cabarete.

Very satisfied with the service I got, as long as I do not order heavy items that costs a lot to ship. Usually I get free delivery to Miami and EPS charges typical 60 to 500 pesos depending on weigth of the shipment.

 

[windeguy]

The problem will be that you are competing with lower quality more expensive goods from local suppliers versus Amazon, Ebay, Aliexpress, etc. You might offer faster delivery, but people normally buy on price and you will not have an edge there because Dominican customs has already removed your profit margin.

 

[drstock]

I think the idea may have some positive points if you can make the delivery faster than 2 or 3 days. If I am on the north coast and there is something I need urgently which can only be found in the Capital, for example, and it can be delivered the next day, it would be better than ordering it online from the US and waiting for it to be delivered first to Miami and then here. If you have to wait 2 or 3 days, there is really not much advantage over ordering in the US.

 

[Uzin]

This is a good idea, but need to take into account a few things:

- Firstly allow sellers to advertise and sell their stuff, more like eBay than Amazon (for you to start an Amazon requires a lot of capital and infrastructure).

- Need to have a good delivery system, DR post is useless, must start with a good delivery company, reliable and trustworthy, hopefully one day can start your own delivery. Or just start with your own moto crew in SD and expand.

- The feedback and review system must be excellent, this is the single most important thing that matters and can make or break it, should be audited manually first. People can this way find the reliable suppliers and weed out the bad ones. Nothing worse than a scammer or bad supplier putting off buyers.

- Now the last and most important thing, in a poor country (by western standards) not many people have CC or are prepared to risk their money and pay online. Need to have "cash on delivery" service. You might be surprised to hear this but I have seen this to work perfectly in Asia - the only reason Amazon is kept out of some of those Asian countries.

I order things there and like the idea, the delivery man collects the cash but does not let me open or touch the goods before paying, imagine the mess if they want to open and then not like item etc. and not pay... Also users/accounts are black listed if they refuse to pay. Works very well, and I don't have to worry about scammers much, no delivery no pay.


Unfortunately the corruption and unreliability of workforce and theft is so bad here, I don't think "even" that model can work here. But check a few of these Asian companies and learn from them - the biggest one is Lazada that operates in quite a few countries over there.

 

[Youngdude]

But the thing i want to know is how many people order stuff from amazon usa and get it shipped.....i am thinking if its within santo domingo...it can be done in 1 day or same day... but if its a next city, we need to wait till there are more orders to make a transport to the next city as the tolls and gas prices are high

I think the idea may have some positive points if you can make the delivery faster than 2 or 3 days. If I am on the north coast and there is something I need urgently which can only be found in the Capital, for example, and it can be delivered the next day, it would be better than ordering it online from the US and waiting for it to be delivered first to Miami and then here. If you have to wait 2 or 3 days, there is really not much advantage over ordering in the US.

 

[Youngdude]

This is a good idea, but need to take into account a few things:

- Firstly allow sellers to advertise and sell their stuff, more like eBay than Amazon (for you to start an Amazon requires a lot of capital and infrastructure).

- Need to have a good delivery system, DR post is useless, must start with a good delivery company, reliable and trustworthy, hopefully one day can start your own delivery. Or just start with your own moto crew in SD and expand.

- The feedback and review system must be excellent, this is the single most important thing that matters and can make or break it, should be audited manually first. People can this way find the reliable suppliers and weed out the bad ones. Nothing worse than a scammer or bad supplier putting off buyers.

- Now the last and most important thing, in a poor country (by western standards) not many people have CC or are prepared to risk their money and pay online. Need to have "cash on delivery" service. You might be surprised to hear this but I have seen this to work perfectly in Asia - the only reason Amazon is kept out of some of those Asian countries.

I order things there and like the idea, the delivery man collects the cash but does not let me open or touch the goods before paying, imagine the mess if they want to open and then not like item etc. and not pay... Also users/accounts are black listed if they refuse to pay. Works very well, and I don't have to worry about scammers much, no delivery no pay.


Unfortunately the corruption and unreliability of workforce and theft is so bad here, I don't think "even" that model can work here. But check a few of these Asian companies and learn from them - the biggest one is Lazada that operates in quite a few countries over there.

This is really detailed and i really appreciate for putting time and effort for giving me reply.....cash on delivery is a 100% compulsory option in RD or any other developing countries.....i am worried about the ethics of these delivery guys and workforce.....i dont know if i should hire my own team of drivers or should i just do it on contract basis like uber or delivery RD.....you get paid 95 or 100 pesos delivery fee when you make the delivery....the more deliveries you make, the more you gain.....

 

[Uzin]

But the thing i want to know is how many people order stuff from amazon usa and get it shipped.....i am thinking if its within santo domingo...it can be done in 1 day or same day... but if its a next city, we need to wait till there are more orders to make a transport to the next city as the tolls and gas prices are high

Very few of DR population do this on Amazon US, many on this DR1 board, but I think very low percentage of Dominicans, they don't even have a means of online payment on Amazon, let alone experience of online shopping.

I can see a big need for this and someone will start it up soon, but it must be adopted to the infrastructure and condition and situation here, not your ideal western environment....

 

[Youngdude]

This is a good idea, but need to take into account a few things:

- Firstly allow sellers to advertise and sell their stuff, more like eBay than Amazon (for you to start an Amazon requires a lot of capital and infrastructure).

- Need to have a good delivery system, DR post is useless, must start with a good delivery company, reliable and trustworthy, hopefully one day can start your own delivery. Or just start with your own moto crew in SD and expand.

- The feedback and review system must be excellent, this is the single most important thing that matters and can make or break it, should be audited manually first. People can this way find the reliable suppliers and weed out the bad ones. Nothing worse than a scammer or bad supplier putting off buyers.

- Now the last and most important thing, in a poor country (by western standards) not many people have CC or are prepared to risk their money and pay online. Need to have "cash on delivery" service. You might be surprised to hear this but I have seen this to work perfectly in Asia - the only reason Amazon is kept out of some of those Asian countries.

I order things there and like the idea, the delivery man collects the cash but does not let me open or touch the goods before paying, imagine the mess if they want to open and then not like item etc. and not pay... Also users/accounts are black listed if they refuse to pay. Works very well, and I don't have to worry about scammers much, no delivery no pay.


Unfortunately the corruption and unreliability of workforce and theft is so bad here, I don't think "even" that model can work here. But check a few of these Asian companies and learn from them - the biggest one is Lazada that operates in quite a few countries over there.

Ofcourse i would allow the individual retailers and sellers to advertise and sell it....but also i want to sign agreements with big box stores like jumbo sirena and nacional as it would be more easier and more reliable with the merchandise and ethics and quality of goods

 

[Derfish]

Ofcourse i would allow the individual retailers and sellers to advertise and sell it....but also i want to sign agreements with big box stores like jumbo sirena and nacional as it would be more easier and more reliable with the merchandise and ethics and quality of goods

Marvelous idea,run with it!

 

[drstock]

But the thing i want to know is how many people order stuff from amazon usa and get it shipped.....i am thinking if its within santo domingo...it can be done in 1 day or same day... but if its a next city, we need to wait till there are more orders to make a transport to the next city as the tolls and gas prices are high

I used to be in the express delivery business back in the UK. Any company doing such a service will start off making a loss, but as business builds up it gets more efficient and profitable. I think you have to offer next day delivery nationwide to make the service attractive. You could employ drivers with their own vehicles who will work hard to make their money.

 

[RDKNIGHT]

not a bad idea... but you need capital to run things here...

 

[johne]

Where is the "edge"? I don't see the rewards for all the risk. And there are many risks here that make we question
Why? Oh, of course you can walk away from the DR in time, with a million bucks in your pocket. But are you going to start with two million?
I'm not being snarky. Just trying to see where and how you can score big. Good luck.

 

[Youngdude]

not a bad idea... but you need capital to run things here...

What kind of capital are we looking at?.....if the website and tech support is taken care of?.....how much would be good amount for advertising and taking care of logistics....i will not be investing any money in buying merchandise nor selling at a competitive price than pricesmart or any other retailers.....all i will be doing is listing company products and delivery them to people houses and take a 15 to 25% comision from the retailers

 

[Youngdude]

Where is the "edge"? I don't see the rewards for all the risk. And there are many risks here that make we question
Why? Oh, of course you can walk away from the DR in time, with a million bucks in your pocket. But are you going to start with two million?
I'm not being snarky. Just trying to see where and how you can score big. Good luck.

I dont expect to leave the island with a million dollars....i am just trying make something that will give help me cover my expenses here

 

[Seamonkey]

So you want to compete against Amazon??? Good luck. I hope you have deep pockets.

 

[Ecoman1949]

Do you have DR citizenship? If you don’t, its an expensive lengthy process but necessary to open a business in the DR. Also be aware that if you run a successful business, you can expect competition from locals setting up copycat companies. Your also trying to run a business in a very corrupt country. Be prepared for the pitfalls that come with that. Your idea is a good one. The execution of it in the DR will put many hurdles in your way. Good luck.

 

[Cdn_Gringo]

Here is the challenge:

I go to make my morning coffee and discover to my horror the coffee maker doesn't work. I blame edenorte and swear at them repeatedly as I make my way to my computer.

I log on to Amazon and search for a decent cheap replacement. I'm not planning to buy a complete coffee making station with frothy milk and more dials & switches than a 747 because I am sure edenorte is going to eventually kill my new coffee maker too.

I find what I need for $17.00. It weighs 5 pounds so the courier shipping from Miami to my door is going to be about $20 for a total of $37.00 and a three day wait for delivery.

I know that the cheapest coffee maker I can find locally is about $3000 pesos or $60.00. Your business challenge is to make available a similar product that doesn't cost me more than the Amazon option, delivered to me in the same amount of time. Can you pull that off here in the DR. I don't think so.

I might pay a little more if there is a clear benefit of doing so such as for faster delivery of a comparable product but I won't pay $20+ more as the product is not an immediate necessity as say an insulin pump would be. I can heat water on the stove and pour it into my old coffee maker while I wait for the new one to arrive.

You need access to products of sufficient quality or at least sellers who have these products and then you need to provide a means to get those products from where they are being stored to my door at a price that is not significantly more expensive than other currently available retail options. You need to ensure that the service you are providing or that your suppliers is providing is consistently reliable or customers will not change their purchases from Amazon to your site.

If such a business was feasible in the DR, someone would already be doing it. First you have to overcome the lack of quality name brand products available on this island. I know who Black & Decker or Mr. Coffee is, but I don't know who Zorjurishui is. Moving an infinitely diverse variety of products to all corners of the island daily is a logistical nightmare without a post office and cost prohibitive using existing couriers who might not be able to consistently handle this volume and diversity of packages day after day at a level that would keep customers coming back to your site.

It may be possible to provide this type of service within Santo Domingo or Santiago but I doubt it can function everywhere that a potential customer is located. Basically, unless I can get a new coffee maker from your site, cheaper or faster than Amazon, I have no real interest in changing my purchasing habits and even less interest having to hound you asking why my package hasn't been delivered yet coming from a place 6 hours away...

 

[MoeP]

I like the idea of utilizing the army of motoconchos for deliveries as it is pretty much an untapped resource readily available. Like uber eats but for supermarkets and department stores.

A nice app with GPS tracking, free lance workers etc. Very little overhead besides marketing and customer service.

Larger deliveries are another story.

Payment needs a smart solution, too. I dont know how popular digital payment is in DR.