When it comes to online shopping names like Amazon and Ebay come to mind but here in Trinidad and Tobago there is a brand that is owning the online space while bringing entrepreneurs, artisans and small business owners together in one digital place. Introducing Tootoolbay, an online mall that sees itself as “a local Amazon with a focus on local entrepreneurs”. I caught up with Brian Gayapersad, Managing Director of Tootoolbay for the full brand scoop.

When I asked Brian how the journey to Tootoolbay began, his answer was simple. “Necessity is the mother of invention. May still sound so very cliche, but when looking for items to buy, we tend to look at the big foreign guys like Amazon and Ebay, but there was no local version. I could find items locally by looking on Facebook where there may be some sellers that had better pricing than that of the big box guys and their delivery time was better but this did not look like to me like a sustainable business model for businesses. It had more of a hustle feel.”

So Brian registered the name tootoolbay.com back in 2016, had a soft launch in 2017, then in 2018 scrapped the entire base of the website, and built from ground up the way I wanted it, not just a cookie cutter solution. “In 2019, I started to dedicate some resources to the business, finally hiring our Operations Manager and senior reps on board. So by 2020 we had a full all hands on deck approach. That paid off and now we are perfectly poised in the online shopping space to help these same businesses in surviving during the COVID 19 pandemic we are going through now.”

Sellers who join the Tootoolbay community are assigned a personal rep that helps them with the design, set-up and training aspect of their new online store. They have full control over pricing, sales, campaigns and other details. “When a sale is made and they just prepare it for delivery. Our courier comes to them collects, delivers to their customer and deposits the funds. So it’s that simple.”

Buyers can browse generally or look at particular categories or even search the site for a particular item. They simply add items to cart after any particular customization available such as size, colour and quantity. They then input their billing and shipping details. Finally they select how they would like to pay. “Right now we offer cash on delivery as an option as well as Wipay Credit Card and Wipay Vouchers.”

As for the name “Tootoolbay’, Brian says “Tootoolbay is a very Trini word meaning to be head over heels in love with someone or something. That’s the nice neat version of the meaning of the word but you know in our local way of saying things its more like you “chupid” or “dotish” over someone or even something. So we encourage customers to come fall head over heels with the Tootoolbay.com shopping experience.”

With many entrepreneurs and small business owners juggling their brand with a full time job, Brian puts in a full one hundred. “This is our full time job. I do have interests in other companies but are all very well managed with competent people there to assist. Managing a website requires a level of dedication that a lot of people overlook and not expecting the amount of time it demands. A website is very fluid and has a lot of moving parts.”

Of course along his journey, Brian has experienced many milestones and learned many lessons. Starting the business still remains a top milestone as he sees the brand as changing the way we shop here in Trinidad and Tobago. When it comes to lessons learned, Brian says “Staff is key. Ensure there are no square pegs in round holes and you are on your way. Your staff keep you motivated and they help reassure you that you are all a team. With harmonized teamwork I feel we can conquer all.”

Another piece of advice Brian offers is simply to have a plan. “Make sure you have a development plan as well as one to scale. Focus on the resources available to you and make the maximum use of them. Try to focus on systems that work and get away from the “you do it all” mindset.”

Brian sees one of his top priorities being the sellers on Tootoolbay. “We do it all for the seller. We are a people oriented brand, always pleasant and happy to deal with anything which may arise. We also have a SSL Green lock site ensuring Trust and Security and we have our own managed dedicated server and this is all to create a safe space for our seller and buyers to do business.”

Tootoolbay has more than 70 brands from around Trinidad and Tobago online, both big and small. Names like Den For Men, Kenny’s Sport Centre, Noelia’s Paper Jewellery, Shock N’ Stock, Amara’s Global Imports, Maharaj Publishers Retail Outlet and Jabili Rahway and more.

Contact information

Website: www.tootoolbay.com
Facebook: tootoolbaytt
Instagram: tootoolbaytt
Email: tootoolbaytt@gmail.com