Everyone needs an Alice. Everyone needs a who?
Alice.com is new company whose value proposition is simple: “Never run out of toilet paper again (and lots of other things too)”
In the TechCrunch article about the company, they are described as being an,
“open, online retail platform for consumer packaged goods, focused primarily on linking manufacturers of essential household stuff like tooth brushes, toilet paper, trash bags etc. to end consumers directly.”
The company has not yet fully opened but you can a great feel for the kind of service you will get and what kind of company they are by reading their website, blog, and tweets. There are a lot of indicators you can look at to predict a companies success and a lot of great advice out there on the most important things to do when starting a company, these are just some thoughts I have on why Alice.com is a winner.
Reasons why I think Alice.com will be a great company:
They are already providing value.
Go to the Alice blog where they are talking about their company and their industry. I am a bit early on this as there is not a lot out there yet, but I see this growing into a helpful resource for savvy consumers. I think this will turn into something like the blog over at Mint.com.
They understand the value of loyal fan.
This ties into providing value but I have liked how Alice.com is using giveaways to create fans of their service. They are equipping everyday people to be the marketers for their brand. To enter one of their giveaways you need to tweet about the sweepstakes or blog about the contest. (I am not currently trying to win a contest.)
Traditionally when a company wants to give something away they make you give them your contact information. This way, they can contact you in the future hoping you will buy a product or at the very least, they can sell that information to a third party marketer. I appreciate how Alice.com is taking the road of consumer-centered promotion and providing a way for normal people to promote Alice.com to the people who trust them. This demonstrates confidence in what you are offering.
They are leveraging great people.
Alice.com was founded by Brian Wiegand and Mark McGuire who are proven entrepreneurs. The only reason I know about the company is because they hired Rebecca Thorman who blogged about her job switch.
I don’t know any of these people outside of having read their blogs and followed their tweets but they seem to be the kind of people you really do want to have a beer with, talk life and business with, and of course get a deal on toilet paper from.
3 Keys to Start Up Success – An Alice.com Case Study
- Create value.
- Nurture and equip loyal fans.
- Leverage great people.
My prediction is that Alice.com will be the website you will wish your friends told you about sooner.
Have you checked out Alice.com? What do you think?
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I love them too! I am one of those evangelists who come out of the woodworks to help promote because they gave me free stuff.
I honestly do love what they provide though, because they're so environmentally conscious.
That's a great reason to love them! It is always a good thing to see
companies figuring out a way to save consumers money, provide a valuable
service, and do so in a way that is good for the earth.
What free stuff did you win?
Thanks for the shout out Matt. We're launching very soon and I hope you like the service!
Mark – No thanks needed – its fun to watch the progress. Best of luck!
Yes, absolutely, I can't wait for them officially launch. I got Aquanotes (http://maryqin.com/2009/05/aquanotes-preserving...) and Pure Organics Lip Balm (http://maryqin.com/2009/05/perfect-organics-lip...). Now I'm trying to get a set of cleaning supplies from Better Life (http://maryqin.com/2009/05/better-life-cleaning...