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  1. News from Us
  2. News from Members
  3. Events
  4. Press
  5. Dollars & Sense
  6. Profile Stories
  7. Updates
  8. Training Calendar
  9. Training Videos
  10. Jobs
+ Bridge in the News - Bridge in the News

51 Results:

July 10, 2023 70% of Brands Offer Free Shipping
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70% of Brands Offer Free Shipping
July 10, 2023
Shop Local analyzed the websites for the top-40 selling brands in the tabletop and giftware industry. We assessed what promotions and discounts, such free shipping, brands offer. Shop Local did this because a product's price, which is impacted by discounts, is often the leading factor when shopping online. 70% of the brands surveyed by Shop Local offer free shipping.

Brand Study Findings: 
  • Of the 40 brands, 28 (70%) offer free shipping. 
  • For brands that offer free
...
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May 31, 2023 Shopper Review 😊
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Shopper Review 😊
May 31, 2023
A shopper, Lisa Minor, shared this review regarding her experience on our Shop Local platform: 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The website was easy to use, and I was thrilled  to be be able to shop online with a local store. I wish more businesses offered this kind of service.”

Ms. Minor made a purchase on Babcock Gifts, an indie retailer that has used our e-commerce software since 2015. 

.................
Read 1,500+ reviews from Babcock Gifts customers:  
https://...
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Join a Live Seminar for Sales Reps & Help Your Stores Tuesday, May 2, 2023
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Join a Live Seminar for Sales Reps & Help Your Stores Tuesday, May 2, 2023
Location: Online Seminar

For Sales Reps:

We’re hosting a live seminar for sales reps.  You’re invited to join us and reps from the industry: 

Tuesday, May 2nd at 9:00 EST
Please RSVP to: [email protected] 

Once you RSVP, we’ll email you a link to the seminar.

You’ll learn:
  • How does the Shop Local e-commerce platform work?
  • What stores use the platform?
  • Which brands use the platform?
  • How do indie retailers and brands use it?
  • How does the platform benefit
...
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March 20, 2023 Tableware Today: Free Shipping Pays Off
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Tableware Today: Free Shipping Pays Off
March 20, 2023
I was happy to see Tableware Today magazine share our experiences and lessons regarding the power of free shipping.  

You're invited to read the article below:
.........................

THE LAST WORD
FREE SHIPPING PAYS OFF
by JASON SOLAREK


Most indie stores don’t have the technical ability or people power to track pricing and offer discounts like free shipping. Indie stores need this information or they’ll be left behind. This information can make a difference: in ...
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March 7, 2023 67% of Brands Offer Free Shipping
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67% of Brands Offer Free Shipping
March 7, 2023
Bridge analyzed the websites for the top-40 selling brands in the tabletop and giftware industry. We assessed what promotions and discounts, such free shipping, brands offer. Bridge did this because a product's price, which is impacted by discounts, is often the leading factor when shopping online. More than 67% of the brands surveyed by Bridge offer free shipping.

Brand Study Findings: 
  • Of the 40 brands, 27 (67.5%) offer free shipping. 
  • For brands that offer free
...
Read More
February 6, 2023 For Brands: Save 15% On Your Print Ads
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For Brands: Save 15% On Your Print Ads
February 6, 2023
Bridge will pay 15% of your advertising costs for ads in Tableware Today and other applicable publications. For example, if you pay $2,000 for a Tableware Today ad, we'll pay you $300 towards the ad.

Benefits:
  • Save money. Make your advertising budget go further.
  • Get more retailers to sync your products.
  • Sell more. When retailers join you on Bridge, they report selling 18% more.
  • Show your indie retailers you support the shop local movement. 
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December 20, 2022 65% of Brands Offer Free Shipping vs.14% of Indie Stores ...Where Would You Shop?
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65% of Brands Offer Free Shipping vs.14% of Indie Stores ...Where Would You Shop?
December 20, 2022
More than 65% of brands surveyed by Bridge offer free shipping, while just 14% of indie stores do. Brands often charge just $118 to quality for free shipping, while stores charge $190 (a $72 difference). Where would you shop?

Bridge analyzed the websites for the top-40 selling brands in the tabletop and giftware industry. We assessed what promotions and discounts, such free shipping, brands offer. Bridge did this because a product's price, which is impacted by discounts, is often the leading ...
Read More
December 19, 2022 Retailers Big and Small Try to Plow Through the Holiday Season- Retail Dive Looks at the Results
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Retailers Big and Small Try to Plow Through the Holiday Season- Retail Dive Looks at the Results
December 19, 2022
With our retail members in the throes of the holiday season, it was nice to read an article by Retail Dive providing some insight into Q4 2022. Retail Dive, a retail industry publication, informs readers that big-box stores share much of the same friction as our indie retailers do. I appreciated the acknowledgement that independent stores may feel disruptions quicker and may even have an edge on providing a more superior customer experience to gaining loyalty. The good news is that there are ...
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August 3, 2022 The Everything War
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The Everything War
August 3, 2022
An East Village Artist’s Death Prompts a Reflection on the State of Indie Retailers Today

…….

While thumbing through the Times, I noticed a smiling young woman’s picture in the obituaries. In the black and white photograph, she's standing on a fire escape with a historic building and a bridge in the distance.  I was initially attracted to Ronni Solbert’s 1959 picture, yet I was even more drawn in by what I noticed next to her photo: a children&...
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June 22, 2022 Messermeister backpack in action with my chef friend
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Messermeister backpack in action with my chef friend
June 22, 2022
Happy to see my buddy, who just opened his first restaurant in Dallas. using a Messermeister backpack.  Messermeister is a Product Syncing brand on Bridge. Messermeister uses the service to instantly share its product line online with its indie retailers.   View Post
March 30, 2022 How Does Bridge Compare to Faire?
How Does Bridge Compare to Faire?
March 30, 2022
Stores and brands sometimes ask us: How does Bridge compare to Faire?

I thought we'd compare the two service providers.

Similarities: Bridge & Faire
  • Audience. Both service the retail industry. In particular, both service brands and retailers. Bridge also services sales reps, and Faire tries to steer clear of them--which is one reason reps don't like Faire much.
  • Delivery method. Both are online platforms.
  • Service offered. Faire is a wholesale marketplace. It
...
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December 4, 2021 AmEx: Shop Small Stats—On a Clever Receipt
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AmEx: Shop Small Stats—On a Clever Receipt
December 4, 2021
This cool graphic of a receipt shows the impact of shopping small. AmEx’s shop small campaign, which overlaps with the shop local movement, encourages customers to shop at local, mom-and-pop businesses.  Shopping at indie businesses allows customers to get items quickly and discover new finds.  

We support the shop local movement and the AmEx shop small campaign. Bridge helps this movement by filling the websites of America’s best indie shops with thousands of products, ...
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July 30, 2021 Press Release: Bridge Membership Surges 50%
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Press Release: Bridge Membership Surges 50%
July 30, 2021
For Immediate Release

........................................................

MEMBERSHIP SURGES 50% IN E-COMMERCE COMMUNITY
Online Shopping Boom Drives Retail Industry to Team Up On Bridge

NEW YORK, NY, July 30, 2021 – Bridge, an e-commerce community, reported a record increase in membership as the pandemic continued to rattle the retail landscape. In the last 12 months, 275 retail stores joined Bridge, bringing the total membership to more than 826 stores—a 50% increase. ...
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April 10, 2021 Expanding Bridge's Customer Base to Help More Brands
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Expanding Bridge's Customer Base to Help More Brands
April 10, 2021
Best of Thymes, an indie store in Iowa, just closed (https://bestofthymes.bridgecatalog.com/news.cfm?id=20645). Hopefully, they’ll continue to operate online and keep using Bridge. Best of Thymes is part of an industry-wide series of closures that is affecting large and small retailers. Due to this, brands are increasing their efforts to go D2C. Brands justify this by saying that there are fewer stores to show their wares. While this is true, surely they are motivated by: 2x the margins. ...
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November 16, 2020 The Four Forces Eating Indie Retailers
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The Four Forces Eating Indie Retailers
November 16, 2020
Our indie retailers are being hunted by four major forces:
  1. Amazon
  2. Big-box stores
  3. Brands (selling direct)
  4. Zola
While we've known about Amazon and big-box stores for some time, they are becoming more sophisticated. Amazon is so powerful now that it's the focus of anti-trust inquiries by the government. Big-box stores are spending millions on their digital operations.

Bridge's goal is to give indie stores great software that reverses the gains being made by these forces. 
...
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November 3, 2020 13 Reasons Why 600 Indie Stores Beat Saks Fifth Avenue
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13 Reasons Why 600 Indie Stores Beat Saks Fifth Avenue
November 3, 2020
Saks Fifth Avenue just launched a new website. Since more than 600 stores rely on Bridge Store to power their websites, I decided to compare the new site, which likely cost millions of dollars, to an indie retailer's Bridge Store software. An indie store pays pennies compared to Saks' millions, so the Saks site must be a million times better, right?

After a careful review, I'm happy to share that our indie stores have the better website. And, it sort of 'saks' for Saks that it spent millions ...
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December 10, 2019
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December 10, 2019
Indie retailers are being hunted online by Amazon, Zola, and brands using their direct to consumer sites. They are triangulating around their prey. These entries are picking off their online customers and thereby their ‘supply chains‘ that keep them afloat online. Without online sales, the indie stores are starved of the one area in which the retail industry is growing.

Amazon and brands target general public orders. Due to the lower prices, brand name, and marketing, they'll get those ...
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November 26, 2019 Amazon & Thanksgiving
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Amazon & Thanksgiving
November 26, 2019
Many of us will be with our family and friends this Thursday. I'll take a moment then to give thanks to all the indie retailers that enrich our communities. I'll thank the indie designers that fill our stores and homes with beautiful products.

When I'm in my friend's kitchen, someone may say they need a new spatula from Amazon, or after dinner ask Alexa to turn on Amazon TV. When they do, I'll consider those actions in light of the holiday. I'll share why this is important to consider.

Today...
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November 24, 2019 ¡Vive la Indie-pendencia!
¡Vive la Indie-pendencia!
November 24, 2019
I find the poem 'The Low Road' by Marge Piercy to be inspiring. It's originally meant to be a political call to arms, but I find it just as motivational for indie retailers to team up.

Watch the poem 'The Low Road' by Marge Piercy be read:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=zveWE6I3M2g&feature=emb_logo

Join our retail resistance movement. ;)

PS - Thanks to Meliza Weir and UCC church for introducing me to this poem :)
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October 26, 2019
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October 26, 2019
Wonder how prices are so low on Amazon? Yes, many items are stolen (at the time of purchase) or counterfeit, but there’s another reason: they’re bought after you buy them using stolen credit cards. In other words, they’re stolen after the ‘legit’ purchase. Recently, a retailer reported that it was being asked to ship Versace items to far off locations, only to have the credit card holder say it didn’t order them. They say their credit card was stolen. The reason the scammer ordered the goods ...
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Next page

Press: Shop Local & Bridge in the News
Tableware Today Column: Saying I Do To Registries
Tableware Today Column: Saying I Do To Registries
October 2024

Tableware Today: New Leaderboard Column from Shop Local
Tableware Today: New Leaderboard Column from Shop Local
August 2024

Shop Local Helps Indie Merchants in Florida Get Google Sales Leads 🔍
Shop Local Helps Indie Merchants in Florida Get Google Sales Leads 🔍
April 2024

Shop Local Helps Indie Merchants in Tennessee Get Google Sales Leads 🔍
Shop Local Helps Indie Merchants in Tennessee Get Google Sales Leads 🔍
April 2024

Shop Local Helps Indie Merchants in Louisiana Get Google Sales Leads 🔍
Shop Local Helps Indie Merchants in Louisiana Get Google Sales Leads 🔍
April 2024

Shop Local Helps Indie Merchants in Delaware Get Google Sales Leads 🔍
Shop Local Helps Indie Merchants in Delaware Get Google Sales Leads 🔍
April 2024

Shop Local Helps Indie Merchants in Pennsylvania Get Google Sales Leads 🔍
Shop Local Helps Indie Merchants in Pennsylvania Get Google Sales Leads 🔍
March 2024

Shop Local Helps Indie Merchants Get Sales Leads in Mississippi
Shop Local Helps Indie Merchants Get Sales Leads in Mississippi
March 2024

Shop Local Merchants Are 60% of Google Page 1 Results in South Carolina
Shop Local Merchants Are 60% of Google Page 1 Results in South Carolina
March 2024

Shop Local Merchants Are 50% of Google Page 1 Results in Georgia
Shop Local Merchants Are 50% of Google Page 1 Results in Georgia
March 2024

Shop Local Helps Indie Merchants Get More Sales Leads than Big-Box Stores Using Google
Shop Local Helps Indie Merchants Get More Sales Leads than Big-Box Stores Using Google
February 2024

Shop Local Retailers Rank on Page 1 of Google in 60% of States
Shop Local Retailers Rank on Page 1 of Google in 60% of States
February 2024

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