"Unfortunately, over time we found that while people used the site once or twice, they quickly reverted back to emails and phone calls. We always knew that people bought this wine for fun."
Do you know why is that? It's not only about 'fun'. It's about knowing about the wine.
For the technically minded people it is easy to assume this 'wine talk' is BS (I'm not saying there isn't BS) but most of it isn't.
So the experience of buying it with someone who understands it is superior to seeing lists of pictures, prices and generic descriptions.
Also, I bet most wine consumers that would go for this service don't care to learn an iPhone app.
1st lesson for startups: Know your market! I can't make a "disruptive marketplace removing inefficiencies" for selling sand at a beach (absurd example, but you get the spirit)
How is it done today? Remove the pains, but don't take the good things out.
Another analogy. People won't exchange eating pineapples for bananas because bananas are easier to eat, rather, remove the pain of peeling the pineapple, but sell pineapple.
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Well, this is a very interesting writeup
"Unfortunately, over time we found that while people used the site once or twice, they quickly reverted back to emails and phone calls. We always knew that people bought this wine for fun."
Do you know why is that? It's not only about 'fun'. It's about knowing about the wine.
For the technically minded people it is easy to assume this 'wine talk' is BS (I'm not saying there isn't BS) but most of it isn't.
So the experience of buying it with someone who understands it is superior to seeing lists of pictures, prices and generic descriptions.
Also, I bet most wine consumers that would go for this service don't care to learn an iPhone app.
1st lesson for startups: Know your market! I can't make a "disruptive marketplace removing inefficiencies" for selling sand at a beach (absurd example, but you get the spirit)
How is it done today? Remove the pains, but don't take the good things out.
Another analogy. People won't exchange eating pineapples for bananas because bananas are easier to eat, rather, remove the pain of peeling the pineapple, but sell pineapple.