E-Commerce

This week provided me with an opportunity to talk about a business that I helped create. Several years ago while snowmobiling with my father, he began tracking all the trails we had ridden on around the state using a handheld GPS. I told him it could be a great business opportunity to collect GPS maps of the whole state and sell them to other snowmobile riders in New England. He continued to collect data for a couple years and in 2010 created a website, www.gpstrailmasters.com. The website targets a niche market of riders who use Garmin GPS units while snowmobiling, and is restricted to the states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont for the time being. The site takes advantage of both B2C and B2B strategies. The B2C end comes from selling digital copies of the trail maps to consumers. There is also incentive for customers to submit unmapped trails in exchange for an extended "upgrade period" in which the customer will receive free copies of updated maps. The B2B aspect comes from the opportunity for local clubs to submit data for their trails in exchange for localized maps for use exclusively by the club. Trail services such as gas, food, and lodging are also encouraged to have a GPS waypoint added for their locations. I believe this business model is viable because the current system of paper trail maps for recreational vehicles is outdated and inconvenient. Digital maps that incorporate a uniform legend and an all-in-one package are increasing in demand along with the use of GPS units on recreational vehicles. Since the business also harnesses collective intelligence through tail submissions, the maps will continue to get more accurate and include more local trails and services.