Home SMART 100 2015 WhichPlug.com

WhichPlug.com [SMART 100, 2015]

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This SMART 100 profile and the information it contains is a duplication of content submitted by the applicant during the entry process. As a function of entry, applicants were required to declare that all details are factually correct, do not infringe on another’s intellectual property and are not unlawful, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. Some profiles have been edited for reasons of space and clarity.

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1. THE BEGINNING

This innovation initially came to life when…

My fiancee and I were planning our honeymoon and needed to find out which electrical plug adaptors were needed in Thailand and Malaysia. A quick search brought us to some webpages that informed us of the plug type used in these countries, but the information was not easy to follow, nor did it inform us of the exact adaptor we’d need if coming from Australia. I also saw a missed opportunity for them to direct people to make an adaptor purchase online. Bringing these ideas together led me to develop WhichPlug.

2. WHAT & HOW

The purpose of this innovation is to…

…provide an easy-to-use tool for identifying which electrical travel adaptor will be needed when travelling overseas and connect travellers with places to purchase these online.

It does this by…

…allowing the user to select his/her country of origin and the travel destination, then it will determine the types of electrical travel adaptors that would be required to use devices from the origin in the destination country. Finally, it provides online shopping results, where possible, allowing the user to immediately purchase the required adaptors.

3. PURPOSE & BENEFITS

This innovation improves on what came before because…

…it factors in the user’s origin country in order to determine the adaptor type they’ll need at their destination, and it does this in one simple step without having to click through several pages. Additionally, it advises on other considerations such as the voltage and frequency differences between the two countries, and it provides online shopping results for the adaptors.

Its various benefits to the customer/end-user include…

Origin field is pre-populated if known; Results can be found after submitting just one form; Factors in all possible adaptor combinations in one simple page; Compatible with mobile devices; Locates online shopping results; Provides other electrical advice for the destination.

4. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

In the past, this problem was solved by…

Difficult-to-navigate “wizards” requiring several clicks to reach any results, then abandoning the user at the end with no links to purchase products, leaving it up to the user to go elsewhere to search for these. Use of overly technical jargon that average users would not understand.

Its predecessors/competitors include…

Several sites provide a list of plugs used in different countries, but not the specific adaptors needed when coming from various other countries. Other sites take users through a “wizard” but contain overly technical terminology and provides no purchase options for adaptors.
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5. TARGET MARKET

It is made for…

…travellers. Anyone travelling overseas will be able to use this service, no matter where they’re coming from or where they’re going. Typically, the audience will be aged 18-65 years as this age group is capable of making purchases online and comfortable doing so. The audience will also understand English, which is the sole language of the website.

It is available for sale through…

It’s freely available online via www.whichplug.com.

Our marketing strategy is to…

Search engines will be the greatest source of traffic, with SEO being a strong focus (XML sitemaps submitted and relevant words used in pages). WhichPlug also has social media profiles and there are plans for a blog to post regular articles on travel tips. Paid advertising via Facebook, targeted at travellers, is also planned.

FINE PRINT: This SMART 100 profile and the information it contains is a duplication of content submitted by the applicant during the entry process. As a function of entry, applicants were required to declare that all details are factually correct, do not infringe on another’s intellectual property and are not unlawful, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. Some profiles have been edited for reasons of space and clarity.