Investor Relations
Dear friends,
thank you for your interest in the Italianbox.
I created this service for all those friends and acquaintances around the world that would often ask me where to find that particular product that they had seen in Italy or that regional specialty they enjoyed on our weekend get away or a name and a place of that small, fantastic hotel.
At some point I realized that with the exception of a few known luxury brands, Made in Italy has a problem: not only Italian products are not easily found, but also often what can be seen around the world is false Italian, products presented under Italian name or Italian flag, but that would have nothing to do with our country. Not to mention the fragmentation: a myriad of small vertical e-commerce sites specialized in a single category of products, such as food, for example, without any marketing potential needed to emerge in the global market.
To overcome this I created Italianbox.com: a single site, one store, a single window, a benchmark for refined products and services that are truly Italian ... a kind of gateway to the Made in Italy, to facilitate ' consumer experience for those in love with our country.
The site offers products and services, not readily available elsewhere, in a variety of merchandise categories. The products and services will be offered individually as well as in product Selections to respond to market demand for gifts. We are just starting out and hope to expand the availability of products very soon. In the meantime, let me briefly describe some of the elements of this business that I think make it interesting:
Opportunity
Ride the growth wave of e-Commerce, the market segment worth already over $680 billion dollars, as well as the growth of e-export Made in Italy: +19% in 2010, despite the economic downturn.
Initially our focus will remain on the European Markets. Based on extensive market research we have identified 7 European countries with highest growing e-commerce sector: Great Britain - the country that drives growth - Germany and the German-speaking countries, the Netherlands, Denmark, Scandinavia and Sweden - one of the "biggest buyers" for the Made in Italy online. Our entry into these markets will be through a combination of the cost-effective on-line marketing campaigns supported by a number of off-line promotional programs created in partnerships with local marketing and communications companies. Time to market is one of the critical elements of our success.
Competition
Although currently there are no so-called "direct competitors", we know that we enter a crowded space, populated by mostly those who sell vertical specialties, such as food, wine, fashion, outlet. To effectively compete we have to focus on a widest range of categories, yet offering the depth compatible with any of the best vertical retailers.
Strategy
Going from fragmentation to aggregation. Become a point of reference for all possible categories of the Made In Italy universe.
Barriers
We have worked hard to establish some barriers to entry for other potential competitors, and we will be happy to discuss them with you in any subsequent in-depth discussions.
Financial aspects
Given that the e-Commerce business is driven by the on-online traffic and conversion of visitors into consumers, the focus of the initial investment will be in the online marketing and promotional tools. Our virtual inventory process allows us to keep initial investments as well as ongoing operating costs very low, allowing for high scalability and attractive margins/returns to investors.
Ideal investors
We look for active hands-on investors who bring their energy and enthusiasm to help us grow this business to its fullest potential. We are flexible in the investment terms and structure.
Recently we have been selected amongst 10 finalists in the startup initiative of Banca Intesa - ICT arena.
If you are still here to read my note, it is because we share a passion for the new ideas.But for an idea to evolve into a profitable reality, it not only has to have a great potential, but must also be practical, feasible and quick to develop.Just like the Italianbox.com
We want the best on board. Let’s talk.
Nicola Santoro