How Shop Local helps 3 retailers rank higher than Target on page 1 of Google.
February 28, 2024
Indie stores have the best chance of ranking highly in Google when they use Shop Local. Proof: Our indie shops beat big-box stores in Google search tests.
Example: We recently conducted a Google study for wedding registry purchasing in Alabama. We Googled "wedding registry Alabama."
Search Results
Stores using Shop Local in Alabama ranked on page 1 of Google ahead of national chains and other registry services, which often have larger customer bases and bigger website
Shop Local’s software helps an indie store in Mer Rouge, Louisiana save 2 weeks in labor by quickly populating 1,748 items in their online Store.
February 20, 2024
We are pleased to announce that Cotton Bale Market, a retail store in Mer Rouge, Louisiana has chosen the Shop Local software platform to grow its online business.
Cotton Bale Market is a favorite local Home Store and Gift Shop. They offer a wide variety of items for decorating, gift giving, and more. Cotton Bale Market also offers a complete wedding and shower gift registry service that simplifies gift-giving for any special occasion.
By joining Shop Local, the store instantly ...
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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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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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How to view information about your registry service on one page.
January 23, 2024
Your Shop Local Store has a new feature: We've made it easier for your store to view an overview of your registry service. The new Registry Overview page displays information about your store's registries at a glance.
Previously, you would need to visit different registry-related pages to view many of these links. This feature reduces the number of clicks needed to access pages.
The Registry Overview page displays the following information:
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:
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.
We're happy to see Vista Alegre, Bordallo Pinheiro, and Carmel Ceramica promote the Shop Local platform in Tableware Today's December/January 2024 issue.
In the advertisements, the brands displays our ShopLocal.org logo.
A brand shows the logo so that retailers know they can easily sell the products shown.
When a brand offers our Brand Syncing service, a retailer can instantly display the brand's entire product catalog online.
How to help your registrants share their registry with family and friends.
November 20, 2023
Your Shop Local Store has a new feature: We've made it easier for gift registrants to share their registries. There is now a new "Share Your Registry" card on the Overview page that allows registrants to share their registry via mobile or email.
The registrant can share their registry by doing the following:
If a registrant wishes to share their registry via mobile, they can scan the QR code with their mobile phone and share the generated link with their family and friends.
How to quickly view all active registries by registry type.
October 26, 2023
Your Shop Local Store has two new features to help you keep track of your registries: On the Registry Reporting page, you can now view your active registries by event type. On the Registry Lists page, you can view the current registries by registry type for a specific year.
With these two updates, your store can easily identify the number of active registries by event type.
In the examples shown, we see the Registry Reporting page for a store.
How to view popular gifts to add them to a registry.
October 4, 2023
Your Shop Local Store has a new feature: We've made it easier for gift registrants to view and add gifts to their wedding registry. There is now a new "Add Gifts" page that showcases popular gifts that a registrant may wish to add to their registry.
The Add Gifts page is tailored to the registry type. For example, the Add Gifts page for a wedding registry displays the following content:
Marion Samuel, who manages Babcock Gifts, a Tennessee-based gift shop, pens Tableware Today’s Last Word column in this month’s issue. She shares how they have grown over the last 50 years and run their store.
I was pleased to see her tout the store’s Bridge software. Babcock Gifts, which has been a client for 10 years, uses Bridge’s Shop Local gift registry service and Brand Syncing service. Using our service, they showcase 400+ couples’ gift registries online ...
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How to view key performance statistics to determine how Shop Local is helping your business.
September 11, 2023
Your Shop Local Store has a new feature: We've added a new Performance Statistics page to your account. This page makes it easier to access your account's stats.
Previously, this page was titled "How Shop Local is Helping My Business?" Now, the page is titled "My Account's Performance Statistics."
For Retailers, the stats displayed on the Performance Statistics page include: