I had been waiting for the right time to move over to our new domain for a while now.  The old domain, as you know, was a Beta site where we set up a number of tools for our members to try out and see what they liked and disliked.  We showcased the community, the video channels, the food network, the country guides, the marketplace, the directories, et all.  We threw the kitchen sink at you, our members, so that we could get your feedback.   I am so grateful to all of you who took the time to send feedback and suggestions.  Whether you run a vegan shop, a vegan hotel or restaurant, a vegan blog, or, if you are just a member of our community, OhSo was built for you with love and hope our endeavour can help vegan business get more people to adhere to our way of life.

This new domain is the result of your feedback.  So, allow me a moment to walk through some of the changes.

You want a community that is primarily based on media.  So, we’ve done that.

In the new community, we’ve made it so that your images, videos and podcasts pop out.  Your feedback fits in with what others are noticing – people are more likely to interact with an image or a video than they are with an article. *

Media is front and centre in our community and, with a small test group of loyal members, we immediately noticed that interaction raised by 114%. People are likelier to want to follow someone over an image or video rather than an article, for example.

You want a full-on vegan marketplace.  We’ve got that done too.

Our new marketplace is already up for you to visit.  And we’ve added what you asked for:

• A store for our vendors to showcase their products.   Anyone who sells vegan products is welcome to open a store in our marketplace.  Learn more.
• A local store, where people can find products in their own country.  With more and more people aware of their own consumer footprint, we have now made it easy for our visitors and members to find local products sold in your country.  It just makes sense.
• A second-hand shop.  There’s a huge amount of good stuff out there that can be re-used – music, books, clothes, furniture, pet accessories, you name it.  And there’s a lot of people who are looking for a place to sell their unused stuff.  We’ve got that covered.
• An auction room.  In the main store as well as the second-hand store, vendors can also choose to run an auction.  Second-hand stuff like old vinyl, for example, a vintage piece of furniture, a jewel….good stuff will get bidders.  Auctions are also a fantastic way to garner attention to a new brand, for example.

All that will be ready to roll on 15 September.  As we begin our promo for Christmas 2020.  And before you say anything, you should know that, during the pandemic, e-commerce has broken ALL previous records! **

At OhSo, we have big plans for a truly people-friendly, animal-friendly and eco-friendly Christmas, putting the spotlight on all the creative recycled, sustainable, original, vegan products our vendors have to showcase.

But there’s plenty more to talk about.  Next week, we’re opening GreenTV – a green version of YouTube, if you like.  Anyone who is a video content creator can open a channel, add videos and monetize the content with products from our marketplace, in exchange for a 10% commission.  Sign up to our newsletter below and stay tuned!

As always, your feedback is imperative to make this platform work for you.  If you run a vegan business, or blog, or if you’re just a member of our community, drop me a line and give me your feedback.

Sign up to our newsletter and stay in touch with all the changes we are working on for you.

* https://www.smartinsights.com/digital-marketing-platforms/video-marketing/video-marketing-statistics-to-know/

** https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/30/coronavirus-retailers-report-record-online-sales-during-pandemic.html