Peloton’s new CEO, Barry McCarthy, was recently interviewed in the New York Times (Read the article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/19/business/dealbook/barry-mccarthy-interview-peloton.html). The authors asked Mr. McCarthy if he thought that everyone who needs a workout bike already had one. They questioned where else a company making stationary exercise bikes can go (…an ironic question for a bike product that literally can’t move). The Times wanted to know what ...
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I recently saw an advertisement for Windows 11 in Wired magazine. I thought: “Wow, finally something from Microsoft that someone can understand: a logical name for their software offering.” I recall a time when Microsoft had a confusing litany of software names including: NT, 98, 2000, Millennium (ME), Windows XP, and Vista--before finally relegating those clumsy names to the desktop recycle bin and adopting a simple, progressive number system. Apple has been naming its ...
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Good news for indie stores: Florida will require out-of-state sellers shipping to the state to charge tax. Taxes are a big deal in Florida: since Florida has no income tax, it has a notable state sales tax (6%, compared with New York’s 4%), with Florida municipalities adding up to another 1.5%. The incentive to buy online from out of state 'saved' the Florida buyer about 7.5%.
Now, this Florida law will level the playing field and remove the incentive to dodge taxes as everyone ...
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While waiting for breakfast, I noticed this ‘Boycott Amazon’ sticker. I think that getting customers to stop something—or start something—is a tough practice. There are fields of science (psychology) and marketing (branding) dedicated to this. Is it easier to get someone to start or stop (boycott) something?
I think that offering a solution (start something) is easier.
I recommend that stores encourage customers to choose them over Amazon because the ...
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Good news: Bridge is helping your business make more sales and stop Amazon's growth. The reason: your Bridge team has gone to great lengths to ensure your Bridge software loads very quickly for your shoppers. A report shares that 41% of shoppers jump to Amazon when a site is slow. The report shares that the fastest site tested loaded in 2.2 seconds and the slowest was 43.9 seconds. Bridge's sites often load within 2 to 3 seconds, which places your Bridge Store at the front of the pack in ...
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Zola's slowdown is good news for indie stores--but Zola will likely be back. While it is over-leveraged with venture capital and over-valued, the wedding registry business will rebound next year.
Indie stores are not the only ones to get a reprieve: market buildings were playing defense against Faire, the wholesale ...
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Good news: Bridge will pay10% of your advertising costs.
For example, if you pay $1,000 for a Tableware Today ad, we’ll give you $100. If you pay $2,000, we’ll give you $200.
Benefits:
+ Save money. Make your advertising budget go further.
+ Sell more. When retailers join you on Bridge, they report selling 13% more product.
+ Show more of your product on your retailers' websites.
Shown here are two examples:
+ Waterford print ad in Tableware Today.
+ ...
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October 23, 2019
October 23, 2019
Good news: Retailers can now sync with an unlimited number of Smart Brands for $28.
Details: + A retailer just needs to subscribe to a Bridge plan that is $28 or more per month. If you pay $28/month or more for Bridge service, your business qualifies. + If you are a retailer that is paying less than $28/month, you can sync with up to 10 Smart Brands.
Benefits of syncing with Smart Brands: + Save time and money. Let brands maintain products for you. + Sell more. Retailers report selling 13% more due ...
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August 29, 2019
August 29, 2019
Amazon and Chinese companies have teamed up to bypass Main Street and ship goods directly to doorsteps. This is hurting American manufacturing as well as local city governments. To accomplish this, they're misleading Americans by putting out press releases that cherry-pick statistics.
Follow these 3 steps to see the issue at hand:
1. In an Amazon press release last week, Amazon claimed:
"Independent third-party sellers – primarily small and medium-sized businesses – ...
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July 29, 2019
July 29, 2019
Thanks to Matt Hullfish, national sales director at Casafina, for sharing this good news about brick-and-mortar stores:
Excerpt:
Retailers with brick-and-mortar and e-commerce operations continue to benefit from having both, according to a recent study from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).
...The average consumer makes 2.1 transactions in-store with that same retailer within 15 days. Similarly, following an in-store transaction, the average consumer makes 1.3 online ...
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July 2, 2019
July 2, 2019
Good news: your indie store just gained some ground on Amazon.
About 60% of Amazon sales are via third-party sellers. They pass thru what it calls the 'marketplace.' These Amazon purchases have not historically been taxed because the purchase is made from a business in one state and shipped to another state. But that loophole started to close last year when the Supreme Court ruled that states can collect tax on these types of Internet purchases.
Many state laws have acted on that Supreme ...
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May 31, 2019
May 31, 2019
OH BABY!!! Bobbleheads, t-shirts, water bottles, ... we ALL HAVE THEM!!! But do you own a pair of baseball rattle socks??? The good news, these adorable WADDLE Rattle socks are the perfect accessory for any Cardinals game and they are available at Mary Tuttle's... the bad news...babies only... no adult sizes! ?
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April 23, 2019
April 23, 2019
Good news: your Bridge 2.0 is launching tonight.
Your upgrade 2.0 software is free and automatic--you do not need to take any steps.
Your site will be down while the Bridge teams makes the switch from Bridge 1.0 to 2.0.
1. You will wish to learn what is new in 2.0. I will be sharing a video about what is new in Bridge 2.0.
2. You may also wish to tweak the appearance of your Bridge account. I will share a video about how to update your site's appearance.
Tomorrow our office will be open to take ...
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February 5, 2019
February 5, 2019
For Retailers: Good news: the wedding registry season is here! Consider these facts:
1. This year 2.5 million weddings will occur in the U.S. That's 2.5 million potential gift registries for your store. :)
2. Amazon, Zola, and Crate & Barrel make millions from gift registry purchases. You will, too.
3. The average gift registry purchase is $142, and the average registry receives over $1,000 in gifts.
4. The online gift registry business is the one spot where indie stores are winning online.
Good news for small retailers: Amazon will pay 9% - 12% more to ship packages in 2019--and a new commission's report suggests it pay even more, reports today's WSJ.
Excerpt: The Postal Service faces significant financial challenges. It has been losing money for more than a decade and is on an unsustainable path, the report says. The USPS is forecast to lose tens of billions of dollars over the next decade and currently has $89 billion in liabilities versus $27 billion in assets, for a net ...
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November 5, 2018
November 5, 2018
FOR RETAILERS:
Good news: we're allowing you to add an UNLIMITED number of items to your Bridge store.
Previously, Bridge had caps on how many items you could add manually. For example, in the past a plan may have let you add 5,000 items manually. Now, all plans allow you to add an unlimited number of items.
We've made some other updates to the pricing. The free plan now includes 10 Smart Brands (approximately 5,000 Smart Products).
We've also added a threshold to the number of staff account one...
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Stores are hungry to know stock levels from their manufacturers. The brands that make knowing this information easy are the brands to which stores drive business.
Ask yourself: how can a store sell something it doesn't have in stock or for which it doesn't know the stock level?
Good news: Bridge now allows you to easily upload stock to your Bridge account. Only your authorized retailers ...
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