Hi all, I’m Naomi Burgess and this is a quick post about a recent big change to the ecommerce London scene and its implications. The event I’m talking about is Amazon Web Services’ launch of Pop-Up Lofts in London that occurred earlier this week.
Online Business in London
Amazon Web Services Pop-Up Lofts are places for start-ups to get free in-person support and guidance on the Amazon Web Services system and to network with fellow professionals. The Pop-Up Lofts is not a novel concept, but it’s the first of its kind in Europe. London isn’t too far behind Silicon Valley in terms of ecommerce entrepreneurship, and the launch of Pop-Up Lofts in the city would likely put it on equal footing with many other technology hubs of the world.
Why Lofts on Amazon became substantial
The Lofts are centers of Amazon Web Services’ technology and include training courses, seminars, lab sessions, conferences, one-to-one tutorials, and other industry-related events. British entrepreneurs from all over the country would be attracted to those events and they would help them develop and expand their start-ups. They would be able to get guidance on all the services available with Amazon Web Services, resolve any technical issues they might have, find out more about third-party applications involved, and receive many other answers to any questions they might have about Amazon Web Services.
Amazon’s Loft gone great
The Pop-Up Lofts could possibly be the answer to the UK’s lack of ecommerce resources available to budding entrepreneurs. While I’m not familiar with all the technological advantages provided by Amazon Web Services, statistics tell me that it’s currently used by many ecommerce start-ups in the UK including Shazam, JUST EAT and Citymapper. The introduction of the Pop-Up Lofts would mean that the technology becomes more readily available and entrepreneurs can get answers to the questions that interest them right away, without waiting for hours for a customer service e-mail.
Lofts advantages
The Lofts aren’t just limited to technology-related tutorials and events. They would also invite guest speakers with industry experience who would share with budding entrepreneurs their tips on product marketing, and funding options. If an entrepreneur is lucky, he or she might even be able to secure funding right there. This is a very significant concept for start-ups, many of which are struggling to get funding for their projects.
Lofts can take you long way
The Pop-Up Lofts aren’t just targeted at start-ups, however. While everybody involved in ecommerce and new start-ups is welcome, many major corporations and ecommerce retailers also use Amazon Web Services’ technology, and the Lofts would be their chance to ask any questions they might have and secure opportunities for future collaboration, both commercial and charity work. For those corporations who don’t yet use the technology, it would be a chance to learn more about it and to begin to facilitate their operations with the help of Amazon Web Services.
This Pop-Up Loft would be opened from the 10th of September until the 29th of October, and during that time, industry professionals and entrepreneurs would be able to receive free guidance and support from the Amazon Web Services’ members of staff. It’s not yet known when another event like this would take place in the UK, but if it is to become a regular thing, it could very well transform the landscape of British ecommerce within the next few years.
