Claudine Cassar, managing director of Alert Communications Ltd, was invited to speak at the recent MCA E-Commerce Forum held at the Westin.

The topic of Ms Cassar’s presentation was the creation of a Public-Private Partnership between Alert Communications and the government that will create new opportunities for local businesses when it comes to online shopping through the launch of a new online shopping complex, an eMall –Trolleymania.com.

The government’s vision is to have a web-based virtual environment where sellers showcase and sell their products or services to consumers anywhere at any time. Moreover, the initiative is expected to motivate the consumer into seeking and experiencing the advantages of e-Commerce.

TrolleyMania.com provides a full-fledged store that can be used by any type of business. As Ms Cassar explained, TrolleyMania.com will remove the barriers that merchants currently face when wishing to set up their online store.

Local merchants are aware of the ever-increasing online community of shoppers, but are usually put off by the costs involved in setting up an online store. Trolleymania.com tackles every barrier to entry with a view to making it very easy for local retailers to set up shop online. The set-up process is easy and fast. Everything can be done online and there are no delays involved. Pricing is also very accessible. The set-up cost of the shop is only €250+ Vat, while the yearly fee is €232+ Vat. This also includes hosting. Retailers can make use of the existing templates or even buy new customised templates for their shop so as to keep it in line with their own site. What’s more, each shop will be connected to the Alert Payment Gateway, a PCI-certified gateway that offers a transparent and secure way of accepting online payments.

Consumers will be able to browse for products according to category or by shop. Anything that catches their fancy can be added to the shopping cart. Users can then checkout and pay for their items. The items will be delivered or picked up by the consumers as specified for each and every product.

Merchants can start setting up eShops on Trolleymania.com this month. The site will be launched to the public in October. More information can be obtained from www.trolleymania.com, [email protected] or by phoning 2060 1234.