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~ We Are Pentagon ~

THE ART OF A

MARKETPLACE:

AZNEO.COM

Text: WeArePentagon // Photos: Azneo.com

“Better the balance, better the world” is the theme of this year’s International Women’s
Day, taking place on March 8th. For some female e-commerce experts from Bulgaria,
creating balance in the world is not just about equal opportunities between the sexes, but
bridging the disparity between people from diff erent countries and uniting to protect the
environment in which we all live.

ast summer, Polina Valcheva, Zornitsa Dobre- cutting out the middle-man, Azneo knows that both creators
va, Vitaliya Kaleva and Dilyana Gramadarova and customers are receiving a better deal. A recent Nielsen
Lbegan to discuss how they could use their pro- survey revealed that 66% of customers were willing to spend
fessional backgrounds and knowledge to build a new more to ensure they were shopping sustainably. For millen-
online experience. Their aim was to level the playing nials, this rose to an impressive 73%. Shoppers are becom-
field for small artisans and independent labels from ing more discerning, wanting authentic items to evoke their
countries where production has become monopolised favourite destinations and express their individuality. At the
by big corporations. At the same time, they wanted to same time, they want to know the origin and ethical creden-
create a business which was eco-friendly and built on tials of their purchase. With Azneo, artisans and consum-
sustainable practice. The result was Azneo.com, an ers empower each other and show the world that no matter
ethical marketplace aimed at the ever-growing army where you are from, you can change the life of somebody
of shoppers who care about the impact their purchas- thousands of miles away.
es have on the world.
Th e Azneo mission is summed up by the team on their site,
By using the marketplace model made famous by Etsy and “We’ve got big dreams, dreams of making the world a better
eBay, Azneo off ers a broad range of products from all over the place. But for now, we’re focused on making the world of
world. Th e site is currently in beta phase but gives a fl avour retail a healthier, happier environment, where shoppers and
of things to come, with pachinko paper artworks from Japan artisans both win. We’re bridging the gap between talented
and handmade ceramics from northern Th ailand; the kinds creators the world over and our ethical shoppers, both of
of things the Azneo customer might have spotted on their whom deserve more than the old retail landscape is off ering.”
travels but not had room in their backpack to bring home.
While the Azneo site works to give small, independent
Th e care taken by the sourcing team is woven into every artisans and fashion labels a fairer crack of the whip, there is a
product on site - it’s a consciously curated collection with question mark over the environmental impact. A cross-border
the millennial shopper in mind, and the makers at heart. By marketplace will, by design, involve sending products from

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