First read:
There are millions of indie stores in the world who don’t get to succeed online. They get ripped off by web designers and coders, pay more in local taxes than big tech companies, don’t have access to cheap money from Wall St. (like big tech companies), and can’t protect themselves from hackers looking to steal credit cards. They are prevented them from running their business, helping their customers, and servicing their communities. Due to these expenses and obstacles, their websites often don’t survive for more than a few years. They may even give up and close their e-commerce site. They may just have an informational page on social media. They won’t be able to help their customers make purchases online, view past orders, and become a digital, omni-channel business. They are stuck in an analog world where they can only sell to customers in their neighborhood, and these customers increasingly don’t want to shop in store and instead prefer digital. This sets the store owner up for failure because it’s not where its customers want to shop. The small store owner and its employees who may take over the business are stuck in a cycle of ‘digital poverty’ and disadvantage. What if there was a way to fix this poverty, help level the playing field, and nurture indie businesses online?
Bridge seeks to remove the barriers facing indie stores. We seek to add 'strike throughs' to the traditional model and bring this vision to light.
Second Read (without strike throughs):
There are millions of indie stores in the world who succeed online. They can protect themselves from hackers. They are running their business, helping their customers, and servicing their communities. Their websites survive for years. They help their customers make purchases online, view past orders, and become a digital, omni-channel business. They are in a world where they can sell to customers in their neighborhood, and these customers shop in store and digital. This sets the store owner up for where its customers want to shop. The small store owner and its employees are in a cycle of digital advantage. There was a way to level the playing field and nurture indie businesses online.