Concepts
What is South Bay Streets?
South Bay Streets (a.k.a. “SBS” or just “Streets”) is a web application that will improve commerce in the South Bay of California. It will do this by linking customers with businesses in ongoing, fulfilling relationships.
In the first release, there are two main components:
1. The commerce Maps. These maps let customers (residents and visitors) explore and understand what’s in their commerce community (malls, shopping centers, streets, etc.)
2. The Planner application, which helps customers to create goals, define projects to complete or maintain their goals, and identify needs: things to purchase (or to do) to complete projects. As a client, the Planner application is your database.
In the first release, these two components aren’t connected. But consumers can use the maps, and they can start planning.
In the next major release, we’ll (1) make the Maps more interactive and (2) connect these two components -- the Maps and the Planner app -- to link customers with the businesses on these maps. So, consumers can form deep relationships that allow the businesses to fulfill needs automatically and efficiently. We call this “Community Commerce” or “Purpose-Driven Commerce,” also known as “Rational Purchasing” or “Automated Buying.”
Is Streets a Social Network? In Streets, clients and sellers can engage with each other, and advisors may act on behalf of either or both. So Streets provides networking between the parties, but it’s all business. In a social network, anybody can connect with anybody. In Streets, you can do that, but most connections will be between clients and businesses. It’s all about getting the products and services you need when you need them at the best prices. It’s not a “Social Network,” it’s a “Commerce Community.”
Also, it’s not about tracking or data analytics or using algorithms to try to figure out what you might want and induce you to buy things, whether you really need them or not. Instead of stalking you, you will actually talk to each other. It’s cooperative. It’s about developing relationships.
Why Use South Bay Streets?
The Maps
The Maps are described in the document called Streets Intro – for Maps.
The Planner App
The Planner app provides a database and a way to define, store, and execute your goals. You can work with any kind of goals in Streets, and if you want to define all kinds of goals and store them in Streets, we encourage you to do that. But Streets provides the most value for goals that require purchases, because we can connect those with sellers.
VOTE for your businesses: DesignArtesia and DesignTheGalleria
The Planner app also provides a way to “vote” for businesses you want in your maps (your city or neighborhood). We’re taking this to a higher level. Rather than just say you want another florist or gas station or XYZ store, you define your goals and your projects. You can also define as many needs as practical (things you must buy). Then, we anonymously share this information with merchants: both existing merchants and potential merchants (who might want to move to one of your maps).
So, go ahead and dream big about your goals. And maybe you’ll need to get them fulfilled from some place far away, or maybe you can’t get them filled at all (yet). But maybe we can get the seller you need to move in right down the street!
For Prospective Businesses
Note that, from the point of view of a prospective business, the “Design” sites can provide a very valuable perspective. Rather than just learning demographics, income, etc. your prospective customers will actually be telling you what they want to buy. Even further, you can instantly connect to their shopping lists of planned purchases.
Future Map Benefits
Parking: Utilization Efficiency
We can combine modern parking solutions with the Maps to use existing spaces much more efficiently. For more information, ask the author.
Signage Reduction
The more maps are used, the less the need for signage. Like burying power lines, reduced signage can beautify an area, as well as reduce merchant costs, electricity use, etc. For more information, ask the author.
The Planner App
In the first phase of Streets, the app allows you to plan your Goals, Projects, and Needs. So let’s go ahead and start doing that. There are benefits to planning alone. But the giant benefit will come when clients can link with sellers to get their needs fulfilled and their goals achieved. More on that later. First let’s get back to basic planning.