Our e-commerce platform helps 1,500 indie stores sell $22 million a year. Perhaps surprising is that more than 90% of these orders are wedding registry gifts. Our stores offer tens of thousands of goods for sale online, with the lion’s share being wedding gifts. Why are wedding registry sales 90% of online sales ...Read more of post
Let's Lead Together by Jason SolarekMoney is tight for many indie retail shops. Owners often ask themselves: What brands and products should I invest in to get the best return for my business? We have an answer to this question. Welcome to the Leaderboard. In each issue through this new column, TOP OF THE CHARTS, I’ll be sharing with you the best performing wedding registry brands and products according to my company’s data. There’s something for brands and sales reps as well: we’ll...Read more of post
By using their Shop Local Store, Table Matters saved $30,983 and 45 weeks in labor on website product maintenance. Through the Syncing service, the store will expand its online collection of fine gifts and home accessories. ...Read more of post
Tableware Today Column by Jason Solarek 📝I'm happy to share the first column in an on-going series to appear in Tableware Today magazine. This article, which appears in the magazine's current October/November 2024 issue, explains our inspiration for the Leaderboard--a new tool to help retailers, brands, and sales reps. ..............
TOP OF THE CHARTS
LET'S LEAD TOGETHER by JASON SOLAREK
Money is tight for many indie retail shops. Owners often ask themselves: What brands and products
should I ...Read more of post
Tableware Today: New Leaderboard Column from Shop LocalGreat news: Tableware Today, the bi-monthly print magazine dedicated to our industry, will be publishing our Leaderboard results on the last page of each coming issue.
This article below will appear in the October/November 2024 issue of Tableware Today and explains our inspiration for the Leaderboard.
Shop Local Globally 🛍️🌎As I was looking for inspiration for an intro for our weekly team report to combat my writer's block (props to Jason because I don't know how he comes up with something new every week), I came across a Forbes article about Ace Hardware celebrating 100 years in business. The article's title caught my attention, so I decided to give it a read.
From Local Roots to Global Reach
The title of the article, "From Local Roots to Global Reach," resonated with ...Read more of post
If you're a retailer, you can view the status of multiple shipments from different brands on one page. Without this feature, you'd need to visit, say, five different brand websites or carrier websites, log in, and search...Read more of post
By using their Shop Local Store, Caroline & Company saved $11,585 and 17 weeks in labor on website product maintenance. The store will expand its online collection of gifts and home decor through ...Read more of post
Speranza Design Gallery saved $10,837 and 15 weeks in labor on website product maintenance by using their Shop Local Store. Through the Syncing service, the store will expand its online ...Read more of post
Our Retail Predictions Featured in Tableware Today MagazineTableware Today’s Editor Amy Stavis invited me to pen the Last Word column for the August / September issue. I start by comparing e-commerce trends for selling automobiles to selling dinner plates. Online sales in both industries have swelled in the last 25 years. (I entered the e-commerce business at the right time—in 2001.)
I predict that 70% of wedding registry gift givers will never set foot in a physical store by 2030. Currently, that number is at ...Read more of post
MacKenzie-Childs, a Shop Local brand partner since 2016, uses our Syncing service to display this planter and more than one thousand other products in its authorized dealers’ online stores.
Whittington Gifts & Decor Saves $9,339 and 13 Weeks in Labor with Shop LocalWe are pleased to announce that Whittington Gifts & Decor has joined Shop Local to grow its online business. Located in the heart of Starkville, MS, Whittington Gifts & Decor offers a unique and fun shopping experience with a great selection of products for bridal registries, men, babies, kids, and general gifts.
Whittington Gifts & Decor saved $9,339 and 13 weeks in labor on website product maintenance by using the Shop Local platform....Read more of post
The Gift Shop Saves $10,354 and 15 Weeks in Labor with Shop LocalWe are pleased to announce that The Gift Shop in Thomasville, GA, has joined Shop Local to grow its online business. The Gift Shop is a Thomasville tradition offering fine gifts, elegant home decor, and exceptional small-town, individualized service.
The Gift Shop saved $10,354 and 15 weeks in labor on website product maintenance by using the Shop Local platform. Through the Syncing service, the store will expand its online collection of fine gifts and home ...Read more of post
Duluth Kitchen Co. Saves $1,168 and 2 Weeks in Labor with Shop LocalShop Local welcomes Duluth Kitchen Company in Duluth, MN. Duluth Kitchen Company has joined the Shop Local software platform to grow its online business. This locally owned store offers a wide assortment of kitchen tools, gadgets, and gourmet food items.
The Duluth Kitchen Company brings specialty kitchen to Duluth. Located on the shore of Lake Superior in Northern Minnesota, Duluth is a favorite destination. Visitors come to enjoy the beautiful scenery, shop, dine, ...Read more of post
Health is Wealth: Healthy Websites 🍎When you pick up a package of Oreos or yogurt at the grocery store, you can see the nutrition (or lack of it!) on the nutrition label on the back. Health advocates are encouraging the FDA to make warnings more obvious on packages—such as by placing information on the front of the package, shares The Wall St. Journal. Advocates have looked abroad for inspiration. In Mexico, you’ll find labels with a black octagon, resembling a stop sign, on the front of ...Read more of post
Sabi Boutique Saves $3,020 and 4 Weeks in Labor with Shop LocalShop Local welcomes new member Sabi Boutique in College Station, TX. Sabi Boutique has joined the Shop Local software platform to grow its online business. This fashion, accessories, and home decor shop is a destination for women to indulge and pamper themselves.
Sabi Boutique saved $3,020 and 4 weeks in labor on website product maintenance through the Shop Local platform. They have chosen Shop Local to expand their online store’s home decor and tabletop ...Read more of post
Olive Branch Gardens saved $2,740 and 4 weeks in labor on website product maintenance through the Shop Local platform. They have chosen Shop Local to expand their online store assortment and offer a ...Read more of post
Exponentially Better: The Math Behind Our Shopping Platform 🔢In 2007, while sitting at the pub Moran’s with a beer, I drew a sketch on a napkin that would change our business. I drew a software model that would allow an indie store to instantly show (and sell) thousands of products online—without any labor. (The secret sauce: The respective brand would do the product update work for the merchants.) The immediate goal was to help my two retailers more efficiently load products onto their websites (and save me the ...Read more of post
FairyTales saved $2,740 and 4 weeks in labor on website product maintenance through the Shop Local platform. They have chosen Shop Local to expand their online store assortment and offer a gift registry program.
Alternatives to MyRegistry.comAs a store owner, you know how important it is to choose a registry service that works well for you, your employees, your registrants, and gift-givers (family and friends). In addition to working well, the registry service should offer your store good value (price vs. results).
When looking for registry software, some retailers consider MyRegistry.com for their registry service. MyRegistry.com offers gift registry creation and management features that integrate ...Read more of post
Home Tonic Saves $4,120 and 6 Weeks in Labor with Shop LocalWe are pleased to announce that Home Tonic in historic Newton, Pennsylvania, has joined the Shop Local software platform to grow its online business. This home furnishings, accessories, gifts, and design shop is conveniently located between New York City and Philadelphia. They are a favorite of Bucks County residents and visitors.
Home Tonic saved $4,120 and 6 Weeks in labor on website product maintenance through the Shop Local platform. They have chosen Shop Local to...Read more of post
Alternatives to Gift ReggieAs a store owner, you know how important it is to choose a registry service that works well for you, your employees, your registrants, and gift-givers (family and friends). In addition to working well, the registry service should offer your store good value (price vs. results).
When looking for registry software, some retailers consider Gift Reggie for their registry service. Gift Reggie offers gift registry creation and management features that integrate with a ...Read more of post
Shop Local Saves Adler’s $44,907 and 64 Weeks in LaborWe are pleased to announce that Adler’s, a jewelry and gift store in New Orleans, Louisiana, has joined the Shop Local software platform to grow its online business. Adler’s saved $44,907 and 64 weeks in labor on website product maintenance through the Shop Local platform. They have chosen Shop Local to revamp the Gift Registry service they have maintained since their early days.
For over 100 years, Adler's has held its position as the leading jeweler in ...Read more of post
Drive Local: Join Shop Local and Get a Free Tesla 🚗No one likes to pay for gas—just ask Tesla drivers. Chris Kornelis, a reporter for The Wall St. Journal, shares this week how he switched to a Tesla to save $100 a month ($1,200 a year!) on gas.
This story is important to us because if someone will pick a car to save $1,200 a year, we should be able to find what they need to save in order to pick Shop Local’s Online Store. Let’s learn from Chris and his Tesla choice.
Shop Local Saves Breed & Co. $37,435 and 53 Weeks in LaborWe are pleased to announce that Breed & Co., a retail store in Austin, Texas, has joined the Shop Local software platform to grow its online business. Breed & Co. made the decision to switch from their previous registry provider and recreate their registry program using Shop Local. Since revamping their registry program 3 weeks ago, Breed & Co. has saved $37,435 and 53 weeks in labor on website product maintenance through the Shop Local platform.
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.
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...Read more of post
The Square Gift Co. Gift Shop Saves $955 and 1 Week in Labor Using Shop LocalWe 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 ...Read more of post
Atkinson Floral Saves $1.8k Using Shop LocalWe 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 ...Read more of post
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:
Serenite Home Saves $18k Using Shop LocalWe 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:
Tableware Today: Three Brands Promote Shop LocalWe'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.
A Date With Calendars 📆One of the main problems that businesses have is efficient use of time. A retailer (or brand or sales rep) seeks on a daily basis to manage their time and optimize results. (I was reminded of this while reading a The Wall St. Journal article about time management for the family.) Businesses use a variety of tools to manage and save time, including email, texting, and Zoom.
Shop Local helps businesses in their quest to save time. We offer businesses a ...Read more of post
Are You a Brand? Shopify Isn’t For YouBrands may consider using Shopify for their online operations. It’s important to note that brands can’t do many things with Shopify. A key Shopify problem for a brand is that the brand has to have separate “stores” for retail and wholesale customers. The reason is that Shopify doesn’t know what to charge the customer because it doesn’t know if it’s a general public shopper (that pays retail) or a retailer (that pays ...Read more of post
The store owner heard about the service from their Ivystone sales rep and signed up online.
In just a few minutes, the store used the Brand Syncing Service to Sync with Casafina. It instantly had data for 955 products to create an online store and gift registry filled for free.
The owner saved $1,000+ in labor on adding products to a website.
Zero Sum Networks ⚔️Andrew Chen shares in 'The Cold Start Problem' that many times, networks are competing in a zero-sum game. One network gets a customer to join their network and thereby not participate in another. For example, when a driver used Lyft instead of Uber, Uber, which Chen helped, lost. And it lost in two regards: Uber lost the revenue from the lost ride, and Lyft gained the revenue. Chen’s team was tasked with getting drivers to use all their time driving for Uber and ...Read more of post
New Milestone: 1,300+ Retailers Use Our Online StoreWe're happy to share that we've reached a new milestone: more than 1,300 indie retailers use our Online Store. As a reference, in 2015 just 100 stores used the platform.
Thank you to all our retailers and brand partners for making this growth and success possible.
Jugaad’a Do What Jugaad’a Do 🚀India last month joined three other countries in the exclusive club that has put a craft on the moon. What’s unique about India’s accomplishment is that it did this at a fraction of what the U.S. spends on space exploration, shares Ben Cohen in The Wall St. Journal. While the U.S.’s NASA program has a $24b budget, India’s ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) budget is just $1.3b. India, which started its space program in 1963, is able to do ...Read more of post