The Tribune

By DANIELLE BARNES

dbarnes@tribunemedia.net

Bahamian women are continuing to make major strides in the world of entrepreneurship, coming up with innovative ideas and utilising modern technology to unlock new businesses ventures.

Two such women are Parris Barnes and Jerchovia Moxey, who have taken their love of shopping as the inspiration to create a new digital hub designed specifically for Bahamian companies in the areas of fashion, beauty, lifestyle and technology.

The online hub is called Product Joint (http://www.productjoint.com) and came about when Parris and Jerchovia noticed that most local businesses lack exposure. From there, they came up with the concept of providing a digital platform to showcase products that can be purchased right here in the Bahamas.

The idea behind the site, which officially went live on July 12, is to give Bahamians something that every modern shopper craves - convenience. The hub makes it easy for persons to access the merchandise of local businesses all in one spot, to browse their wares and place orders.

The site offers everything from digital cameras to fun novelty fashions, jewellery, hand-crafted candles and soaps, and even false lashes.

The hub also aims to highlight businesses that may only operate on social media by helping them expand their market.

Its founders hope the site will become the trendy go-to site for small businesses and online shoppers alike - a site that increases local brand recognition.

The name Product Joint, Parris and Jerchovia said, is intentionally straightforward. They wanted a name that was catchy; something that people would remember.

"The day we came up with that name I remember us literally plugging in names we thought would clearly explain our idea - a place for products," said Parris. "When we searched the website domain name, 'Product Joint' was available, so we were super excited."

While picking a name for the site was easy, the actual putting together of the hub proved more challenging.

For Product Joint's launch to be successful and immediately give people the desired shopping experience, support from local businesses was crucial. Therefore, the co-founders had to find ways to sell their brand by highlighting the increasing popularity of the online shopping experience among Bahamians.

"There's no reason to shop abroad without considering what we have to offer right here at home," said Jerchovia.

"We searched tirelessly for brands to be a part of the Product Joint team," Parris added. "We scheduled countless meetings with companies and brand owners. Though we did get a few rejections, we landed quite a few amazing businesses."

With Parris' focus on fashion and technology, and Jerchovia's focus on beauty and lifestyle, they managed to land companies like Crab Toes, YNG DGRT$, The Collectibles by Shop the CC, Dell's Natural and Trinkets, and Treasures.

The website was designed from the ground up by Jerchovia, who serves as the creative director.

This process took some time, but she said she wanted to get it just right, providing a site that shoppers can access and navigate with ease.

"It's always hard when you break into a new industry," she said, "We have such a great idea and wanted everyone to see its value, so we focused our efforts on explaining what Product Joint is and assessing its need in our community."

Parris and Jerchovia said they have received great support from family, friends and participating businesses who all believe in the vision of Product Joint.

Their hope for the future is that more Bahamians take an interest in digital platforms. As trends change, they plan to adapt their services accordingly. Eventually, they hope to expand their business by hosting events like shopping parties, trade shows and online initiatives to capture the attention the modern-day Bahamian shopper.

"It is our expectation that as the internet moves and grows, Product Joint (will) to do the same," they said.