Worcester Business Journal

www.wbjournal.com February 1, 2016 • Worcester Business Journal 7 N ot too long ago, getting Girl Scout cookies to out-of-state friends and family involved buying and ship- ping them out yourself. But today, Thin Mints and Samoas are just a click away. The Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts council is in its second year using Digital Cookie, an Internet portal for cookie ordering created with the idea of introducing girls to safe online business practices. Using a digital platform has allowed Girl Scouts in the Central and Western Massachusetts council to sell more easily to their friends and family, some of whom live as far away as California. Selling cookies has always been about teaching Girl Scouts confidence and busi- ness skills, and this is a digital extension of that, said Sara Rowan, director of program for the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts. "With the world of e-commerce these days, having our girls as young as Daisies and Brownies -- kindergarten, first grade, second grade -- being able to be online with their parents or their guardians, almost setting up a little shop online, it's just a fun, unique thing that the girls get to do," Rowan said. Digital economy By launching Digital Cookie, the Girl Scouts are now part of the constantly shifting digital narrative. This is in some sense a sign that electronic retail is now the center of business, rather than on the outside, said Catherine Tucker, the Sloan distinguished professor of management and professor of marketing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management. At the same time, Tucker said, what is and what is not available digitally is still constantly changing. "In 2000 we thought that many busi- nesses, such as pet food, would be digital. That turned out not to be the best idea," she said. "However, recent developments like Uber shows us that many more tradi- tional businesses can take advantages of the improved logistics inherent in being a digital business." According to seasonally-adjusted num- bers from the U.S. Department of Commerce, e-commerce sales have increased steadily over the past 10 or so years. Internet sales in the third quarter of 2015 accounted for more than 7 percent of total sales. In quarter three of 2010, that number was just more than 4 percent. BUSINESS LENDING WITH MORE GREEN LIGHTS AND LESS RED TAPE. "WHY NOT?" Webster • Dudley • Oxford • Auburn • Worcester • Shrewsbury Business loans from Webster Five come with easy qualifying requirements, fast approvals and an experienced lending team. So nothing will hold you up or weigh you down. You can choose from a wide range of lending solutions to meet any need, with loan amounts up to $12 million. It's banking at the speed of business. And another Webster Five "WHY NOT?". Learn more at web5.com/businesslending. NMLS# 523049 KHJ22174_WEB-239_BIZ LEND_6.5x8.5_MECH 2.indd 1 1/21/16 1:43 PM Learning the digital economy, the Girl Scout way Last year, the Girl Scouts of the USA piloted Digital Cookie, an online cookie ordering platform, to teach girls about digital business. The Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts is one of more than 50 councils nationwide using the portal. BY LAURA FINALDI Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer >> Continued on Page 9 P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y

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