Show Cloud is an online showroom which offers a tailored solution to conducting business remotely. John Baulch finds out what the platform has to offer toy companies.

The past few months has seen many standard business practices having to be abandoned or curtailed: most trade shows and buying events have been cancelled, while previews have migrated online.

As the industry has adapted during lockdown, suppliers and buyers have been turning to new technology to fill the gaps. One exciting platform which perfectly fits the new way of working is Show Cloud, an online showroom which was developed by UK toy industry doyen Chris Jones and his business partner Ian de Kretser.

Show Cloud has been helping toy companies across the globe to cope with the disruption caused by the pandemic, although it was never designed to replace face to face interactions and meetings, but rather as a complimentary resource to support international toy companies. Combining speed and simplicity, Show Cloud helps to maximise opportunities in a world of virtual selling, enabling buyers to buy, sellers to sell and brand managers to manage brands.

Since Show Cloud launched four years ago, it has been growing organically, with new features constantly being added and existing processes being refined. For example, the team is currently in the process of embedding in video messaging, a valuable addition to the platform.

In addition to its core function, Show Cloud also offers the opportunity for users to host virtual events: for example, Eolo recently used the platform to host its first-ever virtual toy show, an event which has been hailed as a success and one which many other suppliers are currently looking to replicate over the autumn season, with the traditional buying trips to Hong Kong and Los Angeles looking increasingly unlikely to happen this year. With question marks hanging over the likelihood of everything being back to normal by January, virtual events may become ubiquitous in the coming months.

Chris and Ian would be delighted to demonstrate Show Cloud to interested toy companies and highlight what it can do: to learn more, simply book a demo at showcould.com.

To read the full article, which was published in the August issue of Toy World, click here.