Gold Coast startup: Indirectory founder Emma Patterson launches ‘low risk’ online solution to trade show cancellations

When trade shows were cancelled around the world due to coronavirus, Gold Coast entrepreneur Emma Patterson decided it was the right time to launch her “low-risk” software solution.

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WHEN trade shows were cancelled around the world due to coronavirus, Gold Coast entrepreneur Emma Patterson decided it was the right time to launch her “low-risk” software solution.

Trade shows normally provide an opportunity for product brands to connect with retail buyers looking for the latest stock. However, in February thousands of these shows were cancelled worldwide – leading to a massive void in the market for networking tools.

Enter Ms Patterson, who in late 2017 pitched an app “like Tinder, but for connecting product brands with stores” at a Global Startup Weekend Competition hosted by GC Hub, which she won.

The Indirectory app was an idea she conceived after she launched her own homewares brand and ran lifestyle trade shows in Melbourne and Sydney. Ms Patterson said she could see the returns were not there for either the brands or the buyers.

Indirectory founder Emma Patterson has launched a “low risk” solution to trade shows. Picture: Glenn Hampson

“The brands have to pay $6000 a hit to exhibit and it’s not a guaranteed return on investment,” she said.

“It is the same with the retailers, who take time out to attend the shows and spend money for flights and accommodation.”

Ms Patterson said retailers such as Kmart and Target had “upped their game” when it came to the middle market for fashion and homewares, leading to less of a focus on the trade shows that serviced this industry.

She said attendance figures were also declining, which created a “vicious cycle”: because fewer brands were attending the shows, the same effect was happening with retailers.

Traditional trade shows like this one have been cancelled because of coronavirus fears.

“It just made sense to solve the problem online and winning the start-up weekend by landing paying customers in three days gave me the validation I needed to go all in,” Ms Patterson said.

Indirectory works through retail buyers “swiping right” on the profiles of brands they would consider stocking in their stores. If the feeling is mutual, “it’s a match” and the businesses can chat and share ordering information.

The app was launched on the Australian market in August on iOS. Ms Patterson said the response had been highly favourable.

In two months the app facilitated 8000 connections between buyers and brands and attracted 1200 active users.

Ms Patterson said product brands that used the app included Al.ive Body, a company owned by Alisa and Lysandra Fraser known for appearing on The Block television show.

A head buyer from popular online fashion destination The Iconic has also come on board.

Ms Patterson said the app was a freemium model, which offered additional features such as better promotion to brands on the premium model. Thirty-six have already signed up paying $495 (including GST) for six months.

Ms Patterson said face-to-face contact at trades shows “remains the ultimate” and she in no way wanted to replace that format.

She said Indirectory was a networking tool like LinkedIn, designed to create more connections between brands and buyers.

With COVID-19 hitting the trade show sector, she said she had an opportunity to create an app that could be used worldwide and not just for the homewares and fashion sectors.

For more information go to indirectory.io.

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