News

Direct Global / Direct Co-ops announces the launch of its Direct Local mobile app, giving every small and medium-sized business and co-operative in N. America and The UK a free ecommerce website and app, unified inventory control, wholesale buying platform and unfettered communication among all business segments and communities. The Direct Local app will be launched in phases as part of The Direct Initiative, starting January 1st, 2020, aimed at levelling the playing field for Small and Medium Sized Businesses, by helping them become more competitive with the Big Box stores and online retailers.

Over the last several decades, we have witnessed a rapid decline of small and medium-sized businesses not only in North America, but around the entire world. As astonishingly, and at the same, as frighteningly, today, 60% of every dollar spent online goes to one online company, 33% of every dollar spent goes to one big box company. Automation is set to disrupt industries forever, with rideshare platforms preparing to replace their drivers with self-driving vehicles, to cut down on costs.

“Learning from the incumbents and their mastery of economies of scale, it’s time for us to realize that, collectively, we can have a greater buying power that would enable all our members to compete head-to-head, and not just survive, but thrive”, said Ahmed Attia, President and CEO of Direct Global / Direct Co-ops and CWEIC Advisory Council Member.

Direct Global / Direct Co-ops has created an ecommerce platform and marketplace for SMEs and co-ops, providing them with a free membership with a fraction of the transaction fees charged by the incumbents and no monthly commitments or fees.

Businesses and co-ops are able to setup their storefront and association portals (both web and mobile), upload up to 5,000 products and start selling within minutes. Members can also nominate products for joint-purchasing, where other members can “vote” to purchase as little as one unit of any product, as part of a large buying group.

The Direct Initiative works together with the largest SME and co-operative associations in Canada and the USA.

Through the Direct Local app, consumers will be able to purchase all their products and have them delivered to their doorstep at a fraction of the cost of the incumbents. This is done through a driver-owned and operated co-operative, where drivers receive 90% of the revenue and ownership in the delivery platform, a strategy which significantly lowers delivery fees and offers a win-win situation for businesses, consumers and drivers alike. In addition and through the Direct Initiative, drivers can plan their future when automation kicks in, where they will have access to driverless vehicles and delivery robots, allowing them to continue earning income and providing for their families.

Direct Global / Direct Co-ops

Headquartered in Toronto, Direct Global / Direct Co-ops (https://directglobal.world/) is an e-commerce company focused on developing and operating platforms that allow purchasers to leverage their collective purchasing power to reduce the cost of procuring raw materials, finished goods and services. The company’s proprietary web-based platform enables medium and large corporations to harness their collective purchasing power to reduce purchasing and shipping costs. The company’s subsidiary, Direct Co-ops, focuses on helping small and medium-sized businesses.

Direct Co-ops (https://www.directcoops.com/) has developed a web-based platform that works with local business associations and others to connect local small and medium enterprises and enable them to aggregate orders for goods and services from local and national manufacturers, suppliers and service providers. By consolidating shipping, the company helps participating businesses reduce the environmental impact of their supply chains. Direct Global / Direct Co-ops has been featured on Bloomberg-BNN, Yahoo! Finance, Business Insider and received mention in “Everything for Everyone”, Nathan Schneider’s seminal text on the modern business cooperative movement.

In 2019, Direct Global / Direct Co-ops joined CWEIC as a Strategic Partner as well as the exclusive platform for the US Pacific Rim Chamber of Commerce, representing over 200,000 businesses in 48 countries (https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/direct-globaldirect-co-ops-and-pacific-rim-business-council-sign-exclusive-e-commerce-platform-agreement-2019-09-20).