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Douglas Orr, chief executive of Sccope.com
Douglas Orr, chief executive of Sccope.com, explains how the economic downturn presented him with his business idea and how he landed Vodafone as a business partner despite having yet to launch.
Explain your business so my mum would understand it
When you are look at buying gifts, new appliances, toys, books, games or DVDs, you want to make sure you’re getting the best price for that item. Sccope.com is an online and mobile price comparison site that makes it easy 
to see who has the best available prices.
To make it as easy as possible for everyone to use our service we’ve also developed an easy to use text service where people text the product name to 62555 and then it replies with the best prices - which means that everyone’s mum could use it!
Why did you start a business in the first place?
Our sister company, Cogenta, has many years experience working with retailers to provide price information. As the news of a recession loomed, it became clear that the experience, knowledge and software at the heart of Cogenta could form the basis for a new service to consumers and so Sccope.com was created.
What surprised you most about starting up?
That there is such range of potential partners for Sccope.com. Together we can deliver a better shopping experience for our users. We are progressing developments now with some of these organisations and plan to have a release date of spring 2009 for an enhanced version of Sccope.com.
Is there anything you would do differently now?
Yes, we would hire more marketing people ahead of launch! We’re working very hard to keep up with all the opportunities and are consequently putting some effort into expanding our marketing team.
What was your strategy at launch, and have you stuck to it?
We wanted to create a ‘cleaner’ price comparison experience for users with quality pricing information from quality retailers. It is the ‘low noise’ level of our content that in turn enables the mobile Sccope.com experience. We want to deliver clear, complete and current information that’s easy to access - for everyone
And, yes we will continue to focus on only those retailers who have significant user recognition. We want Sccope.com to be a trusted utility that anyone can use at home, at work, in the shops and at any point in between.
What’s been your biggest hurdle or stumbling block so far?
Our biggest challenge is letting potential users know that we offer a unique source of retail pricing. Did I mention that we need more experienced marketing people?
…And your luckiest moment?
A week after launch we had an introduction to Vodafone who have created an exciting new mobile application platform. Three weeks later we were part of the initial launch! The most recent feedback is that Sccope.com is one of three most popular Vodafone widget applications.
Where are you now with the business?
We launched just eight weeks ago – so, we’re up and running and growing faster than expected. The service is taking off as we had hoped and as a result of the feedback and user comments, we continue expanding and changing the features.
Anyone can access the service to find the best prices, at retailers that they trust, which during our present financial climate is a great thing.
What does the future have in store?
We recently launched a webapp for the iPhone, and a widget for selected Vodafone handsets – in the future, we hope to widen our mobile presence to other devices making it even easier for anyone wishing to use the service.
We are constantly reviewing our categories and the demand we see from the market – so although we currently mainly cover consumer electronics, home appliances, console and PC games, books and children’s toys watch out for new categories and product lines being added to the search function in the future.
What’s your best piece of advice for someone who’s about to launch?
Focus, focus, focus. Have a clear and comprehensive plan of what you want to achieve and in what time frame. Listen to all the feedback and refocus if necessary, but never lose sight of what it is you want to achieve in the long run.
www.Sccope.com
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