Balkanspring.com has just been launched to help local producers sell their consumer products online. The project has been built by the Norwegian software development company Athene Project Management with the support from the Norwegian government.
Think of the website as a smaller version of Etsy that one can promote in a similar way as fair trade products. There is much hope for the Kosovar diaspora from Switzerland, Germany and Scandinavian countries to promote the marketplace.
In his statement to Digjitale blog His Excellency Jan Braathu Norwegian Ambassador of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in the Republic of Kosovo said “Kosovo diaspora offers an entry point to markets all over Europe but especially in Switzerland, Germany, and the Scandinavian countries”.
The products sold via the marketplace include clothes, shoes, jewellery and souvenirs. Over 30 producers have signed up to use the marketplace, and Visa is an accepted payment method.
Of course Etsy is out there already, but it is not possible to filter through the suppliers by region if you decide to purchase from the manufacturer of a particular country. Another challenge – is availability of a credit card or a paypal account required to register on Etsy, not to mention a competition from all over the world that competes for buyer’s attention.
This is a brilliant in its simplicity and challenging in execution project was brought to my attention by Celik Nimani who occasionally contributes to GoalEurope on the subject of Internet entrepreneurship in Kosovo.
