BT sought to leverage the popularity of social networking for business use. BT Tradespace provides a platform for small and medium enterprises combining a business directory, marketplace, and online community. BT partners with other companies to offer services like booking and payments. BT Tradespace has grown significantly with over 350,000 members.

1. CLUE Case Study
British Telecom’s Tradespace
Connected Life Experiences at Work
Challenge/Opportunity
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Social networking has enjoyed a great deal of popularity and
COMPANY PROFILE
BT, headquartered in London, England is membership for personal use to connect families, friends, and
a provider of communications solutions and various communities of interest. BT sought to leverage this personal
services operating in 170 countries. Principal
activities include networked IT services, local, networking trend to a business application and resource, enabling
national and international telecommunications
services, and higher-value broadband and Internet small and medium enterprises (SMEs) the opportunity to compete with
products and services.
bigger firms, connect with niche audiences, and target local markets.
COMPANY HISTORY
BT Tradespace is an Internet application that provides a platform for
BT is the world’s oldest communications company,
with a direct line of descent from the first SMEs that combines a business directory, a marketplace, and an
commercial telecommunications undertaking in
the world. On 2 April 1991, the company unveiled online community. As the BT Tradespace network grows, BT will
a new trading name, BT, a new corporate identity create community channels that link buyers and sellers through
and a new organizational structure, focused on
specific market sectors, reflecting the needs of different communities of business interest.
different customers—the individual, the small
business or the multinational corporation.
Alliances/Partnerships
BT has partnered with a number of service and commerce application
vendors such as Libersy, Pay-Pal, Signposter.com, Xero, etc. to create a single location for SMEs such that they
can use a social media platform for commerce. BT has recently partnered with Google Adwords to provide digital
marketing services via BT Tradespace.
Strategy
● BT Tradespace
◦ Offers a comprehensive directory of SME products and services, which provides consumers with
the opportunity to get to know a business before buying from it.
◦ Offers a secure and safe online marketplace trading platform where consumers can buy goods.
◦ Enables SMEs to have an ongoing open and honest dialogue with customers, colleagues, suppliers,
and partners.
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2. CLUE Case Study
◦ Allows members to use the latest social media tools (e.g., podcasts, videos, and blogs) to promote
themselves and engage with customers, partners, and suppliers.
◦ Provides a new online booking and payment system, Book It Now.
◦ Allows service-based companies to add booking facilities to their Tradespace site.
● BT helps SMEs
◦ Set up a BT Tradespace site and receive expert support.
◦ Get the most from their sites.
◦ Access Google’s base of millions of UK users and receive professional, full-service digital marketing
account management help
● BT Tradespace has an intuitive, easy-to-use interface, which provides SMEs with a comprehensive bundle
of services that they need to do business in the current Internet-driven economy.
“Social commerce is clearly on the rise, and we are always looking for
ways in which we can help the BT Tradespace community make the
most of this upward trend. It’s not only important to be able to display
your services, it’s also vital to interact with your customers. BT Book It
Now is just one of many value-added services that we aim to introduce
for members to help them do just this, and we’re delighted to partner
with Libersy on this particular one.”
—Ivan Croxford, General Manager, BT Tradespace
Success Factors/Metrics/Monetization
● As of July 2009, BT Tradespace has 350,000 members.
◦ 400 percent year-on-year membership growth over the past year, with an average of up to 500 members
joining each day since the launch.
◦ In the past two years, nearly 3000 different communities have been set up by BT Tradespace.
● The basic Tradespace package is free.
◦ Basic service supports the upload of up to 50 photos, 50 products and services, and 10 videos, and allows
members to join an unlimited number of communities of interest
● For the “Contact” package, with free “Click-to–Call” and text messages, the charge is £15 per month.
● BT Book IT Now is a BT Tradespace service, offered in partnership with Libersy, that provides an online
booking/appointment service. Three levels of service include a free version that allows online
bookings/appointments, a basic version for £10/month that also allows online payment(service offered by
PayPal), and an advanced version for £30/month.
● In addition, BT Tradespace has partnered with several other partners such as Signposter.com (for external-
poster advertising; SMEs are offered 10 percent discount on affordable poster advertising of their choice),
ooVoo video conferencing (using webcam, the service is offered free for first three months and then costs
£24/month), Xero online accounting (initial 30 days free, followed by £19/month).
● The Online Starter service is designed to create an online presence for businesses via a professionally-built
website and profile in the BT Tradespace for £199, including 12 months of web hosting.
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3. CLUE Case Study
Company Background
● BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, Openreach, BT Retail,
and BT Wholesale.
References
www.bttradespace.com
www.prlog.org/10255812-bt-tradespace-marks-second-anniversary-with-350000th-member.html
www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/bt-tradespace-and-libersy-help-smes-sign-up-customers-via-social-
networking-102087.php
www.ecommerce-journal.com/news/15877_bt_tradespace_offers_a_new_payment_system_
for_social_commerce?drgn=1
www.btbusinessexperience.com/sp/media/direct/btbe/files/TradeSpace_final.pdf
Printed in USA FLGD 08867 02/10
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