An Irish Market in the digital age

The recent reports of a surge in Irish exports is one of the good news stories of an otherwise difficult past year for Irish business. Now that the Irish have woken from the inflated property illusion, it is heartening to see the emergence of a real market culture – a market defined by people selling real products to people who really want them.
The value of Irish exports reached €161 billion in 2010, the highest annual figure ever recorded. In 2011 the Irish Exporters Association predicts export sales will be worth €173 billion. Sales to the US were up 18%, sales to Canada up 27% and sales to Germany rose by 42%. The vast and emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, India, and China (the BRIC countries) shot up by 12% last year. The potential is obvious.
What may seem less obvious is the role digital tools can play in assisting Irish manufacturers, particularly small manufacturers with no chance of getting their products to market in these economies. What’s needed is an e-commerce platform specifically tailored to small, independent manufacturers, farmers and crafts people (especially those outside the Paddy Whackery economy).
What would it look like? Well, a very good template is already thriving across the great pond in New York. The e-commerce site Etsy has seven million registered users, will earn €50 million in 2011 and caters for people with an interest in small food producers, local clothing designers and artisan crafts.
Robert Kalin, the co-founder and chief executive of Etsy says simply, “You will find things on Etsy that you won’t anywhere else, things that are entirely unique.”
In the era of eBay, Etsy proves that start-up, niche e-commerce sites can emerge and be successful. Such sites can also drive business for small producers. Ireland is rich in small producers and rich in technological know how. Ireland has also been badly hurt by the Great Property & Credit Illusion. Combine all three of these elements and you have a recipe for potential success.
In this new age where people want their buying habits to reflect their values, a site like Etsy shows what can be done. There is no reason it can’t be done on this little island too.
http://www.etsy.com/