CLUE Case Study

© 2010 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 1 of 3

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

COMPANY PROFILE

BT, headquartered in London, England is a provider of communications solutions and services operating in 170 countries. Principal activities include networked IT services, local, national and international telecommunications services, and higher-value broadband and Internet products and services.

COMPANY HISTORY

BT is the world’s oldest communications company, with a direct line of descent from the first commercial telecommunications undertaking in the world. On 2 April 1991, the company unveiled a new trading name, BT, a new corporate identity and a new organizational structure, focused on specific market sectors, reflecting the needs of different customers—the individual, the small business or the multinational corporation.

British Telecom’s Tradespace

Connected Life Experiences at Work

Challenge/Opportunity

Social networking has enjoyed a great deal of popularity and

membership for personal use to connect families, friends, and

various communities of interest. BT sought to leverage this personal

networking trend to a business application and resource, enabling

small and medium enterprises (SMEs) the opportunity to compete with

bigger firms, connect with niche audiences, and target local markets.

BT Tradespace is an Internet application that provides a platform for

SMEs that combines a business directory, a marketplace, and an

online community. As the BT Tradespace network grows, BT will

create community channels that link buyers and sellers through

different communities of business interest.

Alliances/Partnerships

BT has partnered with a number of service and commerce application

vendors such as Libersy, Pay-Pal, Signposter.com, Xero, etc. to create a single location for SMEs such that they

can use a social media platform for commerce. BT has recently partnered with Google Adwords to provide digital

marketing services via BT Tradespace.

Strategy

● BT Tradespace ◦ Offers a comprehensive directory of SME products and services, which provides consumers with

the opportunity to get to know a business before buying from it. ◦ Offers a secure and safe online marketplace trading platform where consumers can buy goods. ◦ Enables SMEs to have an ongoing open and honest dialogue with customers, colleagues, suppliers,

and partners.

CLUE Case Study

© 2010 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 2 of 3

“Social commerce is clearly on the rise, and we are always looking for ways in which we can help the BT Tradespace community make the most of this upward trend. It’s not only important to be able to display your services, it’s also vital to interact with your customers. BT Book It Now is just one of many value-added services that we aim to introduce for members to help them do just this, and we’re delighted to partner with Libersy on this particular one.” —Ivan Croxford, General Manager, BT Tradespace

◦ Allows members to use the latest social media tools (e.g., podcasts, videos, and blogs) to promote

themselves and engage with customers, partners, and suppliers. ◦ Provides a new online booking and payment system, Book It Now. ◦ Allows service-based companies to add booking facilities to their Tradespace site.

● BT helps SMEs ◦ Set up a BT Tradespace site and receive expert support. ◦ Get the most from their sites. ◦ Access Google’s base of millions of UK users and receive professional, full-service digital marketing

account management help

● BT Tradespace has an intuitive, easy-to-use interface, which provides SMEs with a comprehensive bundle

of services that they need to do business in the current Internet-driven economy.

Success Factors/Metrics/Monetization

● As of July 2009, BT Tradespace has 350,000 members. ◦ 400 percent year-on-year membership growth over the past year, with an average of up to 500 members

joining each day since the launch. ◦ In the past two years, nearly 3000 different communities have been set up by BT Tradespace.

● The basic Tradespace package is free. ◦ Basic service supports the upload of up to 50 photos, 50 products and services, and 10 videos, and allows

members to join an unlimited number of communities of interest

● For the “Contact” package, with free “Click-to–Call” and text messages, the charge is £15 per month.

● BT Book IT Now is a BT Tradespace service, offered in partnership with Libersy, that provides an online

booking/appointment service. Three levels of service include a free version that allows online

bookings/appointments, a basic version for £10/month that also allows online payment(service offered by

PayPal), and an advanced version for £30/month.

● In addition, BT Tradespace has partnered with several other partners such as Signposter.com (for external-

poster advertising; SMEs are offered 10 percent discount on affordable poster advertising of their choice),

ooVoo video conferencing (using webcam, the service is offered free for first three months and then costs

£24/month), Xero online accounting (initial 30 days free, followed by £19/month).

● The Online Starter service is designed to create an online presence for businesses via a professionally-built

website and profile in the BT Tradespace for £199, including 12 months of web hosting.

CLUE Case Study

© 2010 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 3 of 3

Company Background

● BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, Openreach, BT Retail,

and BT Wholesale.

References

www.bttradespace.com

www.prlog.org/10255812-bt-tradespace-marks-second-anniversary-with-350000th-member.html

www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/bt-tradespace-and-libersy-help-smes-sign-up-customers-via-social-

networking-102087.php

www.ecommerce-journal.com/news/15877_bt_tradespace_offers_a_new_payment_system_

for_social_commerce?drgn=1

www.btbusinessexperience.com/sp/media/direct/btbe/files/TradeSpace_final.pdf

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