I hate to be the bearer of bad or good news, but the magical words “Would you like to buy some Girl Scout cookies?” could one day disappear. On December 1, the non-profit organization announced their new Digital Cookie program, which will allow its customers to buy Girl Scout cookies online.
That’s right; the yummy treats that make over $800 million in profits a year will be sold online for the very first time in the organizations history. Yes, it took them a really long time, but the Digital Cookie program is finally here.
Almost everything we do or use is online or supported by a digital platform. The execs hope to give the girls a modern look at how to run a business in today’s world.
“Online is where entrepreneurship is going, and it’s hard to think of brick and mortar without having that online component,” says Kelly Parisi, chief communications executive for Girl Scouts of the USA. “Girls are digital natives, and they’ve been telling us they want to go into this space.”
Don’t you just love those ambitious little go-getters?!
You Still Need To Know a Girl Scout In Order to Buy
Although the selling of Girl Scout cookies has moved online, you will still need to know a girl affiliated with the organization. According to wired.com, this is how it all goes down:
“On the Digital Cookie platform, girls can set up their own webpages, with a unique URL. They can customize it with a photo and write an introductory letter to customers about what they’ll do with the earnings and what they hope to learn from the experience. The girls also have access to a sales dashboard, where they can track year over year sales, manage their sales goals, and track orders that customers have placed through their website. Before any of this goes live to the public, however, it must be approved by the girl’s parent, to ensure no risky identifying information, like her last name, phone number, or address, is on the page”.
No fear, if girls want to sell their cookies the old-fashioned way they still can.
“Booth sales on a busy Saturday afternoon on a college campus or in front of your local grocery store are big business for girls,” says Parisi. “That’s still a corner stone of the Girl Scout Cookie program.”
No cash? No worries.
Sorry everyone. Not having cash is no longer your excuse not to buy cookies as mobile payments will now be accepted.
If the mini-Tycoon has a credit card reader hooked up to their iPad or tablet, one swipe is all you need to make your purchase complete.
I am intrigued by the execs stance on teaching these girls how to run a business at a young age. Can anyone say Girl Boss in training?
Images courtesy of GirlScouts.org and Wired.com.
