We used to be able to buy many things which were local or from neighbouring cities/countries. We were able to know who the farmers, producers, makers of the stuff we buy, not in a literal sense but in a way that we knew where things came from.
With the advancement in technology, it seemed that we should be able to have even greater access to the source, but it turned out otherwise.
Now, we have marketplaces of products sold by a myriad of distributors, who take from sources unknown. Perhaps it all came from the same source, the same farm, the same OEM factory? The Products then will all be the same and it only boils down to who does a better job at marketing.
We also have technology that allows us to abstract each layer of the supply chain. A buyer platform which commoditise the product or produce, a supply chain platform that levels the cost for shipping globally, a seller marketplace that equalises the value of products down to comparable features.
The true value of the product is lost.
The story behind the product, if exist, is buried.
The human behind the product is masked.
So, why then with technology are we not doing the reverse, ...
To bring the consumers back to the source.
To unmask the human behind the production.
To uncover the story behind the product.
To discover the value of products.
I recently made a purchase from Source.
Source is a producer of organic cotton designer tees, which are sold via e-commerce at affordable prices.
Source does a great job of explaining their supply chain, their product source, the factory that produces their tees and the cost of producing.
Consumers are empowered with the information and can make a conscious Hoi even when they purchase something as simple as a t-shirt.
Are we able to rediscover the source of the products we use?