The SOCOM Digital Hub: Find the Right Partners, Faster

So I think one of the things that's really important to call out initially is just kind of where we are today.

You know, this is one of the things that hasn't changed dramatically in a positive way.

If anything, it's just expanded, right? I remember seeing those graphs as we all have seen them, you know, David, with the thought leaders of all of these different marketing technology solutions.

Yeah.

And I was reading that there's something like 15,000 plus recognized marketing solutions, which is a hundred times the size of what it was in 2011.

So this is a new thing and the landscape is growing and it is very hard to find the right vendor, the right partner, the right agency to fill your needs.

So that is where this hub comes in.

Yeah, I think, you know, look, it's think about the last time you chose an agency.

You know, you talk to your friends.

You probably got some referrals because those are more valuable than listings.

And then you're like, OK, I'll bet like two or three of these and maybe four or five if you're lucky.

And then you made a selection rather than have, you know, a verified hub where there's a rating service and you can sort of pick from known quantities that have already been vetted from people who are, you know, in this space and verifying what's going on out there.

Yeah, one of the things that sits in my mind is how many times I've picked a vendor and it's just been the wrong vendor for that specific need case.

And I've spent two or three months on a pilot with them and then only have to rip it out and switch.

And that process is easier than it ever has been to get a new vendor onboarded, but that means it's also easier than it ever has been to make up a stake.

And the main thing we want to talk about is this is a velocity accelerator, right? Social commerce is already really fast, but if you can quickly get linked up with the right vendors, then that's going to allow you to accelerate your progress quickly.

Now, there's a lot of vendors to start.

I think the number was like a thousand plus.

So it's definitely a good starting library, but We're talking about a real problem.

And I think when you look at the entire social commerce ecosystem, one searchable destination that brings together all of the companies, the technologies, the expertise, that's incredibly valuable.

Yeah.

And I think that finding the right partner shouldn't be harder to solve than the problem you're trying to solve.

So, you know, we're, you know, say you're trying to find somebody for live shopping, not a social agency that says it does live.

Um, you know, you want to kind of meet the ones that actually run the shows and, you know, can help you measure that.

And so, or you need a fulfillment partner that can handle a spike and, you know, help you plan inventory when a creator takes off.