By FAY SIMMONS
jsimmons@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMIAN digital entrepreneurs used the first-ever Bahamas Charter Yacht Show to showcase their products and services to potential customers in the maritime industry.
Brooke Greene, Kanoo’s sales manager, said the company’s digital products can assist the yachting and industry. She added: “A lot of our businesses are still just using fiat cash, so our goal is to get a lot of them up and running into the digital space and into that digital currency, so they’re not losing money.
“There’s lot of room for growth, especially in our small to medium-sized businesses when they deal with tourists, as well as locals that are not interested in carrying around cash in this day and age.” Ms Greene said Kanoo’s app offers features such as invoicing and API integration so that merchants can conducting transactions throughout The Bahamas.
She said: “The invoicing feature allows merchants to send their clients an invoice through the app or by a static link. They can then enter in the payment funds, which instantly go into that digital wallet. We also have API integration. Our operations team can build the back end of your website and you’re able to accept payments through your website.
“Or we can build you a page within the Kanoo app and you can add goods or services that your clients can just go in and shop. These features can definitely make things easier for local business and we are working on turning the whole tourist experience turning into a digital experience.”
Denise Johnson, chief executive and president of Slipe Hospitality, a virtual marketplace for mariners, says the maritime industry should be as digitally accessible as other forms of travel. She said: “We have apps that cover most areas of travel so you can book your flights, cars and hotels online. I don’t see maritime travel any differently; we should be able to access that digitally as well.”
Slipe, a subsidiary of Hospitality Group, is attempting to digitise maritime travel through the services provided by its platform.
Ms Johnson explained: “Hospitality Group is a hospitality IT and marketing firm that develops software and promotes MSMEs [micro, small and medium-sized enterprises] in the tourism industry. Slipe is an online marketplace for everything marinas and boating.
“Similar to Expedia, persons would come on board and book a marina slip and any other services that they may need such as provisioning, housekeeping, maintenance and different services. Anyone who wants to market to the industry can come on our platform and sell their service or product to the user base, which will be boaters, boat owners, etc. “
Slipe, which is still in the testing phase, offers both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions. It is currently focusing on networking with other vendors prior to its planned launch in July.
Ms Johnson said: “We’re out here today to network with other vendors. Our services are B2B and B2C, and right now we’re more focused on the B2B, getting vendors to come on and sign up so that when we start promoting the app and the platform to the users, there will already be a database of services and products online.
“We have a soft launch going now, taking feedback from users. They let us know how user friendly the website is, whether it meets their needs, and just give us feedback to make it better so that in July users will have a fully functional platform.”
Ms Johnson asserted that Slipe is focused on partnering with Family Island businesses to promote the new app prior to launching it internationally. She added: “We are looking to partner with businesses on the Out Islands as well. We are focusing on the Bahamas first, then we will then go regional and then global.”
The Bahamas Charter Yacht Show was held via a partnership between the International Yacht Brokers, Association of Bahamas Marinas (ABM) and the Ministry of Tourism.
Commenting has been disabled for this item.