Yes, that's exactly what Spamly is – good stuff!
Not only are the simplest things in life often the best, but they’re usually full of good karma too. This is the very mindset with which we created Spamly.
We live in a world where our lives are increasingly busier and more complex while simpler things are becoming more and more of a luxury. “Fabulous” these days is more about enjoying a simple pasta dish barefoot in a sunny garden with friends than a gourmet meal in an expensive restaurant at an exclusive country club!
We’ve changed quite a bit this last decade, and the internet’s had a phenomenal impact on our lives. Most of us didn’t even own a computer ten years ago and now we can’t do without one! We love the fact we can look up anything in seconds, shop when the high street’s shut down and chat when there’s no one around.
We've made some sacrifices, however, as well. We’ve traded in the “hello, darling!” from the lady behind the counter to the “click here” from the automated reply. We no longer expect a service with a smile, but a process without errors.
In fact, many of us at Spamly are entirely responsible for these small sacrifices. You see, we were the ones that worked on setting up successful internet businesses for companies keen to capture more customers on-line. The numbers were staggering, you can only greet so many customers in a shop, but you can channel millions into a site.
This quickly became the expectation and as if by stealth, online companies started referring to customers as “UVs” (which actually sounds more like a virus) and monitoring their habits with measures such as “Bounce Rates” which made them sound more like tennis balls. These terms rapidly caught on as the norm, and the obsession was now more about winning web statistics than winning customers!
In reality we actively encouraged a way of business which increasingly treated people like numbers. The idea of having to deal with the very same automated machines we’ve all come to hate as paying customers, was a little bit disconcerting.
Why couldn’t business on the web have the same charm of a Mediterranean market? There are enough shops online, so why can’t you haggle? Isn’t it fabulous when the customer really is king and the store owner makes a great effort to make the sale?
As customers, we have the power. We choose to give our business to one store or another. The problem is there are so many stores, we’re often too busy or too lazy to find the one that’s going to make the best effort. We often just choose the brands that spend the most on convincing us they’re the best instead of brands that spend the most on delivering their best.
Our very behaviour actually encourages companies to spam. As “web statistics” we show it works when companies force their brands in front of our noses. All too often, brands brainwash us we should buy from them so well they get too big to deliver decently to individual needs. If we don’t fit the mould, we’re a nuisance.
Well, all it takes is a little good stuff to get things to change. That's what Spamly is about.
It’s our little attempt to get us to see we’ve got the power. We want customers to have the power to ask all business and give all businesses the power to compete. We want to give customers the opportunity to express themselves freely and get business to respond with more than an automated reply.
How about a web where customers can say:
“Can anyone get me a better price on these flights to India?”
“Is there any printer that can do this in a week?”
“Do you have any 2 bed flats in Soho available to view tomorrow?”
“Which airline to Berlin will let me take my dog on board?”
“I am in a bit of a situation at work. How much would legal advice cost me?”
And how about a web where companies only get your details once you’ve seen they’ve made an effort to win you over. After all, we're humans, not web statistics and maybe a little good stuff is just what we need. Maybe it will stimulate more some more competition, exactly what's needed in tougher economic times.
Maybe give Spamly a whirl?
You got the power.