First expected last fall, the transactional version of the Blue Basket should finally be announced in Quebec City in June. It is still unclear, however, when exactly it will be available, and according to an expert, the site will have a long way to go up to get rid of the image of “Yellow Pages” that sticks to its skin. Not to mention the rivals who have had time to appear since.
Posted at 6:00 a.m.
And there are retailers, already struggling with many supply and labor challenges, who are showing some skepticism about this future platform, without seeing a remedy for their problems.
“In the first months of the launch of the Blue Basket, there was this notoriety. Except that, over time, it did not hold because it did not meet the expectations of Quebec cyberbuyers, analyzes Bruno Guglielminetti, specialist in digital communication. The experience of visitors to the Blue Basket, when it has been widely talked about, was akin to consulting a large directory of Yellow Pages. And people still have that in mind. »
A pleasant shopping experience, a simple payment method and an efficient delivery system, these are the three criteria that the new marketplace will have to meet. “Le Panier bleu must respond to these requests,” adds the specialist. The bar is set by Amazon. It has to be as good, as pleasant to use. »
According to a study carried out by NETendances, in 2021, 48% of online purchases by Quebecers were made on the Amazon site, compared to 19% at Quebec online merchants. However, nearly 46% of respondents said they intended to shop on the Panier bleu site when it becomes transactional.
Go back. Le Panier bleu was launched at the start of the pandemic by the government of François Legault to stimulate local purchasing. The concept, which essentially made it possible to list Quebec merchants and products, had been heavily criticized since it did not allow consumers to carry out transactions directly on the site. Nearly nine months after its creation, in January 2021, the non-profit organization (NPO) Le Panier bleu announced the establishment of a Quebec online shopping platform bringing together all local retailers who would like join it. This market place was supposed to allow consumers to do their shopping there in the autumn of the same year. The project did not materialize.
But now in June, Quebec will announce the establishment of a transactional platform, we confirm. “The objective now is to make a first digital marketplace operational over the next few months. To do this, we are working with partners to create a transactional platform that will allow retailers to be more competitive in the context of the globalized digital economy,” said Romane St-Laurent, press officer for the Minister Delegate for the Economy, Lucie Lecours.
However, it is impossible to know the exact moment of the implementation of the platform or to know what the sums invested will be. Since its creation, the NPO has received $4.4 million in grants from Quebec.
Skepticism
If she assures that she is not “100% against the idea of the Blue Basket”, Marie Beaupré, co-founder of the company Les Mauvaises Herbes – which specializes in particular in the preparation and sale of natural body care products and households –, believes for its part that this platform will not solve the problems faced by entrepreneurs since the start of the pandemic.
PHOTO MAXIME PICARD, LA TRIBUNE
Marie Beaupré, co-founder of Les Mauvaises Herbes
She is also one of the instigators of a letter – published in The Press recently and signed by 300 companies – denouncing the fact that buying local is in danger.
“There doesn’t seem to have been any discussion with small business owners about whether this is really what they need. That’s not what we need, she argues. We need concrete measures that will have an impact on our daily lives. »
And in terms of setting up the platform, Mme Beaupré points out that there are still many unanswered questions. His company was contacted in April by Le Panier bleu. The organization selected Les Mauvaises Herbes to be part of the introductory phase of the platform. And since then, nothing. “I didn’t follow. We don’t have too much information. I remain skeptical, but open to the idea. »
Existing sites
In addition, the co-founder of Les Mauvaises Herbes recalls that many transactional sites have already emerged. This is the case of Le Bon Panier, created in September 2021 and which currently brings together more than a hundred Quebec merchants.
“We had already had the idea during the pandemic to launch a platform, explains Audrey-Ann Jean-Weisz, web developer and founder of Le Bon Panier. We were disappointed with the Blue Basket, which is still not transactional. We thought we were going to get started too. »
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Audrey-Ann Jean-Weisz, web developer and founder of Le Bon Panier
The small team of four developers set their project in motion after a year of work. If she refused to give information on the number of visits, Mme Jean-Weisz aims to attract 10,000 users per day. The possible implementation of the blue Basket transactional platform does not scare the founder of Le Bon Panier.
“If it ever happens, great. They will have met expectations. But that doesn’t scare us. We can already imagine new functionalities that Le Panier bleu will probably take a long time to implement,” she believes.