Discover small businesses easily .
DirectBiz is an iOS directory app where users can discover multiple businesses/creators in one place. I aim to enrich the consumer’s journey when shopping online, but for smaller businesses.
The reason.
I came up with the idea of DirectBiz during the first phase of quarantine and saw how the pandemic drastically affected many small business owners causing them to shut down. Although small businesses suffered, online shopping was at an all-time high. I myself was guilty of excessive online shopping.
The problem.
As I decided to consider supporting small businesses/creators, I realized it was a difficult task as I didn’t know where I could discover such businesses. I resorted to Twitter threads and TikTok while occasionally looking through Etsy and Depop. However, it came to the point where I couldn’t keep them organized. I didn’t appreciate having to open multiple apps to find products I liked from a small business. So I wondered if I was alone and accumulated a poll of the issue at hand. Out of 33 responses, 58% of users found it difficult to discover new small businesses to support.
The solution.
Consumers want to support small businesses and creators, but don’t know where exactly. Many of them will use e-commerce applications or social media to discover businesses however, not all of them are organized the same way, and not all businesses are located in those apps. This problem led me to the idea of an iOS application where a consumer can discover multiple businesses in just one place at ease. Small businesses do not have the funds for marketing and many of them do not use Depop/Etsy as they generate profit from the owner. Many rely heavily on social media and other outlets. This is where DirectBiz comes into play.
