TSTT has put the artisans of TT, and eventually the Caribbean, on the international market with its new e-commerce platform, Parlour.
Through its partnership with the Export Centres Company Ltd (ECCL), Parlour will be home to the national digital craft store CraftHubTT, showcasing a range of local crafts and making transacting within the Caribbean simpler and more effective.
The aim is to help its vendors build and transform their businesses by providing a digital ecosystem to support its vendors in modernising how they promote and sell their products.
Speaking at Parlour’s launch at the Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain on Saturday night, TSTT chairman Sean Roach said he was certain the e-commerce platform would be a significant milestone in the realisation of government’s 2030 vision and digital transformation operational plan.
“Parlour’s ambitious and attainable vision is, and I quote, ‘To be the number one e-commerce marketplace in the Caribbean, a brand synonymous with online and mobile shopping in its markets.’ Our long-term goal is to partner with 100,000 sellers and enable them to attract millions of consumers towards their products.”
Export Centres Company Ltd interim CEO Kaisha Ince said 20 “craft ambassadors” from both Trinidad and Tobago, as well as their products, were being featured on CraftHubTT, including the Drag Brothers.
TSTT assistant general manager, emerging services and innovation, Keino Cox said in the future, Parlour would be more than a platform to sell craft. It would also be about services, art, cuisine, and more.
The Parlour University online learning portal would provide sellers with the opportunity to grow their business. And TSTT expected to launch its online wallet, PAYPR, to integrate no-cash payments with Parlour to provide users with a simple, safe and affordable way to complete transactions.
Also, in October, Parlour will extend its network to the regional and global marketplace allowing millions of customers, including those from the diaspora markets of the US, Canada and the UK, access to the Caribbean’s diverse range of products.
In his address, Minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales expressed confidence that the restructuring of TSTT would benefit TSTT.
[caption id="attachment_972786" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Shenelle Fife, right, CEO of De Jeunesse Bath and Body showcases her products to Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Symon de Nobriga, second from left, and TSTT CEO Lisa Agard and director Howard Dottin at the launch of Parlour at the Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain on August 27. Photo courtesy TSTT -[/caption]
“TSTT is an important stakeholder in the communications sector in TT and they represent who we are as the red, white, and black – the people of TT. And, therefore, we have to walk with them. Even though they are going through some challenging times, I believe, and we all should believe, that TSTT will remain on the national landscape providing telecommunication services to the people of TT.”
Speaking of Parlour, he said he
