Is Amazon “steel dumping”? Scott Galloway suggests that Amazon is using profits from its AWS hosting service to lose money on its retail operations. I think this analogy may be accurate.
Excerpt from Scott's newsletter email:
Amazon. The Seattle firm is actively engaged in information age steel dumping, using the profits from AWS to subsidize losses on the retail platform, neutering other retailers’ ability to compete. The result is that good firms are being euthanized prematurely, and startups ...
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Indie Retailers Get Sales Boost from Product Syncing Service
Sales increases ranged from roughly 4.5 percent for brands such as Arte Italica and Spode to more than 13.5 percent for Beatriz Ball and Vietri
January 2, 2018, Allison Zisko
NEW YORK—Main Street retailers are benefitting from a tabletop product-syncing service offered by Bridge, an e-commerce platform that includes file sharing and a social network.
Indie Stores Report Double-Digit Growth in 2017 by Sharing Products
Forty-two brick and mortar Main Street retailers that participated in Bridge’s annual survey said their sales grew up to 50% for a brand by using Bridge’s product-syncing service.
"I do about 20% more business a year by being a part of the Bridge network,” said Mary Beth Wood, owner of the Crystal Plate in Gainesville, Georgia, and a user of the Bridge software. "It gives me more time to sell ...
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November 8, 2017
November 8, 2017
Bridge is updating its pricing for brands in 2018. Are your stores worth 20¢? We think so ;)
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This year, sales on Bridge have grown 89% to $12M.
But the fight has just begun. In order to help independent retailers keep up the fight against Amazon, Bridge is updating its pricing for brands in 2018. We'll be reinvesting these fees into new features for you and your retailers.
1. In 2018, you’ll see:
A. More orders for your products. We’re launching new features on ...
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August 28, 2017
August 28, 2017
Did you miss our seminar in NYC? Here's our press release below for the event:
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Press Release August 28, 2017
Bridge Helps Indie Stores Fight Amazon at NY NOW
New York, NY – On August 21st, 2017 Bridge hosted its ‘Your Store vs. Amazon’ seminar at the NY NOW show in New York City. Bridge, an e-commerce platform for businesses in the retail industry, hosted indie store owners from across the Northeast.
"Retailers are under the gun to compete against Amazon and ...
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July 27, 2017
July 27, 2017
4 Indisputable Signs Little Local Retail Is Becoming A Goliath
Local retailers are not going the way of the dinosaur.
The biggest competitor on the retail horizon is more likely to be called David than Big Department Store, and he’s got a slingshot full of technology to help him stand his ground.
As major brands from Macy’s to Foot Locker wrestle with competition from Amazon, small independent merchants are gaining a foothold on the retail landscape. More than half (54%) of U.S. sales are generated...
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July 16, 2017
July 16, 2017
"Websites are dead. The future belongs to platforms." This was my take away from a meeting with Coton Colors in Atlanta. A Coton Colors marketing director recalled how when she was at McGraw Hill publishers were aghast when someone said "Printed textbooks are dead." I think that declaring anything dead sounds a little dramatic, but it can be prescient and help people understand a larger trend.
The attached line chart graphic is something that I did a few months back. One of the chart lines ...
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Thanks to HFN and Allison Zisko for covering our Bridge Brand Conference ;)
Please find the article below:
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Bridge Gives Indie Retailers Tools to Compete with E-Commerce Giants Brand-supplied product info can boost Google search results
Thank you for joining us last Thursday for the first annual brand conference. Here is our press release on the event. And thanks to Diane Seidle for helping. ;)
Bridge Creates a Stronger Community in First-Time Conference
New York, NY – On May 18th, 2017 Bridge hosted its first annual Bridge Brand Conference at the 41 Madison Merchandise Mart in New York City. Bridge, an e-commerce platform connecting 100's of brands, ...
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May 1, 2017
May 1, 2017
Did you miss this column in Tableware Today, DOES YOUR BRIDAL REGISTRY WORK?
You can read the entire column here:
SOME PEOPLE READ COOKBOOKS OR mystery novels. I read bridal registries. In my consulting gig for Bridge Catalog, an e-commerce platform for the tabletop industry, my role is to train subscribing retailers on how to utilize the platform for better sales. Since wedding registries are the cornerstone of online sales for many independent retailers, I thought I should know what brides are ...
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March 10, 2017
March 10, 2017
The Bridal Council interviewed Andrew Pickard Morgan about the historic manufacturer's history and future. Please find the interview below:
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10 Questions with Andy Pickard Morgan, President of Pickard China
1) Pickard China is made in America a fine china company since 1893, what kind of china are you known for?
Pickard China is a fine porcelain china company best known for luxurious gold, platinum and cobalt-based china patterns.
A special thanks to Matt Hullfish at Casafina. He penned this invitation below to Bridge's upcoming webinar for sales reps. Matt summed up the issues facing our retail industry better than we could:
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Casafina Sales Reps:
Independent brick and mortar stores that do not have an effective e-commerce website that is easy to manage will struggle to survive. Most will not make it with brick and mortar sales alone. Bridge is an excellent option for an independent store owner to capture e...
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January 6, 2017
January 6, 2017
We're pleased to announce out newest Smart Brand is ready for syncing. Available at Neiman Marcus and other independent retailers, B By Brandie is not your grandmother's china. Read more about the company here:
With a love of entertaining and a passion for design, Brandie Gehan created B by Brandie. The legacy of sophisticated, high-quality home accessories offered by the brand comes from Brandie’s own upbringing. Her vision was inspired by the glamorous dinner parties her mother would host in ...
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Neil Cohen applies his serendipitous and playful style to designs in metal, crystal and lighting for Nambé. Cohen's product designs for Nambé are cohesive in functionality and aesthetic. His refined designs are works of art that can be used every day ...
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December 18, 2016
December 18, 2016
Are you still offering FREE gift wrapping this holiday season? According to the Wall St. Journal, stores are doing cheaper versions of the wrapping or charging for it. If you're one of the Independent retailers still doing it, keep it up. Service is what we're all about. Amazon and the big box retailers are cutting corners and it shows.
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October 27, 2016
October 27, 2016
New Voluspa Candles at Glassworks! Voluspa's candles are poured with a luxurious, extremely clean burning, coconut wax blend. This proprietory formulation was developed after years of research and development, and is truly an innovation in the industry. Voluspa is one of the first candle companies to use coconut wax commercially.
Independent lab tests show that voluspa's coconut wax blend burns up to 90% cleaner than a 100% soy wax candle of the same size and fragrance. Beautiful creamy white ...
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October 10, 2016
October 10, 2016
Have you ever wondered why snowflakes look so gorgeous? Their shape has always been mysterious, but also impressive to all as we catch them in the air in winter. Well, it seems snowflakes are more than just a meteorological change that happens in the atmosphere. There are many stories about snowflakes and the beauty of their structure. Two National Geographic’s articles from the beginning of the twentieth century, featuring the real snowflakes’ structure and beauty inspired Mottahedeh to design...
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September 12, 2016
September 12, 2016
Michael Aram's products will be ready in Bridge by September 20th. Below please find our press release on this new Smart Brand partnership:
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For Immediate Release Michael Aram Partners with Bridge Catalog
Luxury giftware designer to join e-commerce platform to help U.S. retailer base
New York, NY- Michael Aram, a designer of premium tableware, lighting, and giftware, has joined a new sales platform to help authorized retailers increase their online sales.
Back in the day (aka 2000s) people thought that everyone would setup their own personalized web pages...and they started to. We had lots of blogs, and MySpace, which let you customize your page and set backgrounds, etc.
But then ...something stopped this trend in its tracks: Facebook. It standardized everyone's web page. And if you didn't want to join in, you were left out.
What if there was a service like Facebook, but for businesses? In other words, do we need all these...
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