How Shop Local’s software helps an indie store in Natchitoches, Louisiana save $11,797 and 17 weeks in labor on website product maintenance.
February 15, 2024
We are pleased to announce that Brick and Row Merci Beaucoup, a retail store in Natchitoches, Louisiana has chosen the Shop Local software platform to grow its online business.
Brick and Row Merci Beaucoup is an interior décor and gift store offering a mix of traditional and non-traditional design styles. Located in the building where Natchitoches’ Historic Hotel once was, customers visit Brick and Row Merci Beaucoup to find exclusive gifts, seasonal items, and beautiful ...
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How a local shop quickly opened an online store with a gift registry and saved $955 in costs, all from a flyer in their Casafina shipment.
February 6, 2024
We are pleased to announce The Square Gift Co. has joined the Shop Local community of retailers. The Square Gift Co. is a retail store in Fulton, Mississippi. The store owners, Jessica Howell and Keely McMillen recently placed an order with Casafina. When their shipment arrived, it contained a flyer promoting Shop Local. The flyer helped them more easily market and sell what was in the box online. The Square Gift Co. currently has a Shopify online store but was looking for a Gift Registry ...
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We believe in offering a great online shopping experience through our platform. Below are excerpts from three reviews from shoppers who bought a gift using our software:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"Love your website. Made shopping a breeze and was easy to navigate from start to finish..."
~ Anne Ragsdale in VA
Ms. Ragsdale made a purchase at Schiffman's, an indie retailer in North Carolina that has used our e-commerce software since 2011.
How a local shop quickly opened an online store with a gift registry and saved 3 weeks and $1800+ in costs.
January 31, 2024
We are pleased to announce that Atkinson Floral has joined the Shop Local community of retailers. Atkinson Floral is a florist and gift shop in Atkinson, NE. The store owner, Curie Mincer, has owned and operated the business since 2016. Over the course of time, she has expanded the florist shop gift area and added a gourmet coffee shop. Her passion for her business and her community led her to expand her services to include a gift registry program, which is lacking in their small town. Curie&...
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I often describe flatware as jewelry for the table, the accent that gives table settings a special flair.
Of course, unlike jewelry, flatware is essential. Used everyday, whether to savor a quick snack or enjoy a thoughtfully prepared meal, you put a spoon or fork in your mouth more often throughout the day than your toothbrush. For nearly two decades, I have worked in the metals division at Lifetime Brands, so I fully understand that choosing flatware relies on many factors. Our team has done ...
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It’s hard to believe that MEPRA’s sophisticated technicolor collection FANTASIA is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year because its incandescent chromatic complexion is as fresh today as its 1989 debut.
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The brilliantly-hued fantasia comes from the Italian silversmiths Mepra, post-war business founded in 1947 by the Prandelli family, four generations fashioning flatware in the industrial Lumezzane Valley, about 90 minutes east of Milan. ...
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Designer Don Estabrooks just may have the most compelling flatware portfolio ever. The longtime Towle Silversmiths designer joined the company in the mid-’60s and has created hundreds of flatware patterns in an almost six-decade (and counting) tenure.
Perhaps his greatest achievement is Wave, which debuted in 2004 to rousing fanfare and has been at the top of the charts ever since. Chris Wile, another longstanding staffer (33 years), is president of Lifetime Brands/Metals (which owns ...
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You can use a free PDF flyer to help your retailers more quickly sell what they just bought from you.
January 18, 2024
FOR BRANDS AND SALES REPS
Were you at the Dallas or Atlanta shows? If so, you want to help your stores sell what they just bought from you.
We have a solution to increase your post show re-orders:
As you know, your customers bought from you at the show.
They will return to their shop and be adrift about getting these products on to their website. That hurts your future re-orders.
Let's help them sell what they just bought. Why? This will help them re-order from you more quickly.
How Shop Local’s software helps an indie store in Kentucky immediately open an online store and registry service.
January 18, 2024
We are pleased to announce that The Persnickety Pig, a retail store in Cadiz, Kentucky, has chosen the Shop Local software platform to grow its online business.
The Persnickety Pig is home to eclectic gifts, antiquities, gourmet foods, and more. They offer a comprehensive wedding and shower gift registry service that takes the stress out of gift-giving for any special occasion.
By joining Shop Local, the store instantly receives great benefits:
How a local shop quickly opened an online store with a gift registry and saved $18,000+ in costs.
January 12, 2024
We are pleased to announce Serenite Home has joined the Shop Local community of retailers. Serenite Home is a retail store and design studio in Daphne, Alabama. The store owner, Laura Downing, recently relocated her business from California. Her passion for interior design led her to expand her services to include a retail store with home furnishings, gift and tabletop offerings.
Within a very short time, Laura had a live Shop Local Store:
How to track packages in real-time in order to save time and make customers happier.
January 11, 2024
Your Shop Local Store has a new feature: You (and your customers) can now easily see real-time shipping status for an order. Your Store displays the current shipping status (in transit, delivered, etc.) and the complete tracking history for the order.
Before this update, one had to view the shipping service’s website (e.g FedEx.com) to view its status. Now, you or shoppers can view all orders' real-time status on your Shop Local Store and in emails.
You can determine the quality of a shopping platform by looking at reviews from customers who have used it. Below are excerpts from three reviews from shoppers who bought a gift using our software:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"Your online site is the easiest way to shop for wedding gifts..."
~ Tracy Mcbride in FL
Ms. Mcbride made a purchase at Occasions Tampa, an indie retailer in Florida that has used our e-commerce software since 2018.
The Atlantic shares how Chinese factories have found a new way around U.S. retailers and into our homes: Chinese apps. SHEIN and other Chinese apps are bypassing Amazon to be a new leader in Chinese goods. In addition to Amazon, Target, Walmart, and indie shops now have a new group of digital competitors embedded in customers’ pockets.
Except from The Atlantic article:
MATERIAL WORLD
IS THIS HOW AMAZON ENDS?
An open embrace of cheap foreign products has helped ...
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A recent study conducted by Jungle Scout reports that many consumers prefer to support small and local businesses for their holiday shopping. 20% reported they will buy holiday gifts from indie stores, up from 10% last year. The report ranks independent retailers in 4th place for in-store shopping, surpassing Costco, Walgreen's Best Buy, Sam's Club, Macy's and Home Depot.
The article shares 53% of consumers bought online from independent stores on Small Business Saturday as reported by ...
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I recently saw a car with the license plate: WHYWRK. I had a sad feeling for the driver, who perhaps wasn’t as lucky as I to have the best job in the world – getting paid to shop for the most beautiful goods in the world – which I am now retiring from. After 40+ years as a buyer of tabletop and gifts in Buffalo, I have the opportunity to put the dishes away, polish the flatware, and store the stemware. As a small specialty store, we’ve been through our share of ups and ...
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Kate Spade New York tableware and accessories has for two decades held a singular spot on retail shelves and on customers’ tables thanks to a timeless charm and chic stylings. Even after 20 years, the fun, fresh, playfully sophisticated, and refreshingly original collections from Lenox occupy a unique niche in the tableware pantheon.
Kate Spade’s contribution to fashion cannot be understated. She became synonymous with fashionistas everywhere when she started her fashion ...
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It’s a 40th anniversary for the company founded by Colin Riggs (left) and Ned Voelker’s parents, Abigail and Ed Voelker. Over the last four decades, the entire family has created a curated collection of handmade tableware and giftware for the nation’s independent store retailers.
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Congratulations on a milestone 40th year in business. Are you surprised Abigails has endured? Ned Voelker: We are surprised. It’s a tribute to Ed and Abbie ...
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I have a friend who recently took a job with a respected women’s clothing retailer after 13 years of retirement. My friend, Leslie, a former school teacher, wanted to be of use and knew that retail was a great opportunity for seniors. She was all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed her first week. She loved that the manager asked her to try on clothes she liked and then suggested outfits that would look good on her. Leslie even purchased a few of those suggestions, couture she never would have ...
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Part of my job is to review registry software. I ensure it works well for retailers, registrants, and gift-givers (family and friends). I also assess whether it offers good value (price vs. results).
When looking for registry software, some retailers consider MyRegistry.com for their registry service. I reviewed a retailer's site using MyRegistry.com and assessed how a customer would make a registry purchase. For privacy purposes, I blurred the store's name in the screenshots shown.
According to a recent RetailDive report, online and mobile purchases for Black Friday sales were the strongest, with smartphone sales leading at 54% of online sales. The article states consumers spent a record $9.8 billion online on Black Friday, according to data from Adobe Analytics. That’s up 7.5% from last year.
Industry experts forecast that consumer spending will be up 2-3% year over year. The National Retail Federation projects 3-4% year over year. Consumers are cautious about ...
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