Kulturely, a UK-based platform, is providing small businesses with an opportunity to monetize their cultural knowledge and skills by turning them into bookable experiences for customers. The platform is designed for independent businesses such as restaurants, salons, cafés, fashion studios, and makers to package their existing operations into structured sessions for guests. This allows businesses to showcase their unique cultural assets, which may include traditional recipes, beauty practices, craftsmanship, fashion techniques, music, local history, and community knowledge.
According to Genesis Etoroma, co-founder of Kulturely, many small businesses possess distinctive knowledge and cultural assets that are often not reflected in conventional transactions. Kulturely enables businesses and individual hosts to turn these activities into experiences that guests can discover and book. For instance, a restaurant could host a regional food tasting and share the history behind its dishes, while a salon could run a session exploring beauty traditions.
The platform allows businesses to identify an area of existing expertise and develop it into a clearly defined experience, with a set group size, price, schedule, and duration. Businesses do not have to alter their core operations to take part, making it a low-risk opportunity to attract new customers and build stronger relationships with them. By offering experiences, businesses can communicate what makes them different and give guests a more personal reason to visit.
Kulturely advises businesses to begin with manageable formats and to be clear about what guests should expect. This includes identifying the target audience, planned activities, duration, price, location, and any other requirements before an experience is listed. Businesses also decide when an experience runs and how it fits within their existing capacity and working schedule.
While the business or host delivers the experience, Kulturely provides the marketplace through which guests can discover and reserve available sessions. This model offers small and medium-sized businesses another way to stand out beyond conventional products and services. For many, the knowledge already present in their team, space, or community may be the starting point for a new customer experience.
The development comes as independent businesses look for new ways to differentiate themselves. Kulturely's platform is particularly relevant in today's competitive market, where businesses need to find innovative ways to attract and retain customers. By leveraging their unique cultural assets, small businesses can create memorable experiences that set them apart from larger competitors.
Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha, an Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, notes the importance of innovative approaches to business. While not directly related to Kulturely, her work highlights the value of creative storytelling and experience in engaging audiences. As businesses continue to seek new ways to connect with customers, platforms like Kulturely are likely to play an increasingly important role.
Key points
- Kulturely enables small businesses to turn their cultural knowledge and skills into bookable experiences for customers.
- The platform allows businesses to identify an area of existing expertise and develop it into a clearly defined experience.
- Kulturely provides a marketplace for guests to discover and reserve available sessions, helping small businesses attract new customers and build stronger relationships.
