Necessity is the Mother of Reinvention

Ancient Greek philosopher Plato wrote in the Dialogue Republic, “A need or problem encourages creative efforts to meet the need or solve the problem.” This statement led to the phrase “Necessity is the mother of Invention." These words could very well describe Shop Local and how we came to exist. Over time, some have suggested the phrase could be tweaked to read “necessity is the mother of reinvention." This phrase also parallels Shop Local's ethos of supporting our brick-and-mortar clients. We provide the means for an indie store to reinvent their business with digital e-commerce and gift registry programs. Our online solutions transform a retailer's business to increase their visibility and build on their sales. With Shop Local, a small store suddenly has hundreds more products to sell and a global reach, reinventing the brick-and-mortar model to include other means of sales and marketing. This meets their need for sustainability and growth.

The landscape of retail has dramatically changed, especially since the pandemic. Customers have learned to shop differently. They have experienced the delight of finding anything they want online and receiving it almost immediately—instant gratification (thank you, Amazon!). Much to the chagrin of our Retail clients, this mindset has translated to their businesses as well. Many customers place an order on a retailer site and expect that it is in stock and readily available for pickup or immediate shipment. As we know, this is not always the case. Shoppers do not always visit a store, sometimes never, so malls and physical locations as we have known them are not the same. A mall may be vacant, sparsely occupied, or offer other business types. These may include fitness centers, government offices, and clinics, as is the case with Southdale Mall, located in Edina, Minnesota. Independent retailers have also been forced to close their doors, losing sales to Amazon and others, to a point they could not recover. We fight for our indie retailers to give them a chance to keep their doors open and find options to build their business; to expand and grow.

For a retailer to remain competitive, they must consider all aspects of their business and what they offer. This evaluation often leads to reinvention. We learned this week that our client, Breed and Co., is being purchased by Ace Hardware. Breed and Co. is a great example of a retail store being reinvented. As a long-standing hardware business in Texas, Breed had the vision to expand its product offering well beyond the average hardware assortment. They built a robust gift area, complimented by a thriving gift registry service. Breed recently brought their registry service to Shop Local, and with the help of our Brand Syncing service, they have grown their business significantly. Since they started in January 2024, Breed has added over 43 registries and sold over $46,000 through their Shop Local store. The reinvention of this small-town Texas hardware store has helped it become a chain with 5 locations. They now have a great online business and a diverse product assortment. They are a go-to destination for gift-giving in their community and beyond.

Since we learned that Ace is buying Breed and Co., I found it interesting that Retail Dive published an article this week about how Ace Hardware is “prioritizing innovation and community” through their new experiential store model named “Elevate Ace." Retail Dive reports, “Key changes include adding store-in-store brand showrooms; new product assortments; a flagship store model featuring an outdoor space with a live goods display; and enhanced customer service.” This is a cool and exciting concept. “[We] wanted to create more than just a space where customers could come shop but a space in which they could connect,” Dale Fennel, the company’s vice president of merchandising, said in an interview with Retail Dive. “We think that Elevate Ace is a fundamental change in our store model.” Ace is using Experiential commerce to go beyond traditional retail and provide their customers with a greater experience. Since Ace Hardware is a large chain, they can easily grow and re-invent themselves, but it is more difficult for indie stores to do so on a larger scale. Indie stores can provide experiential commerce by adding art, live music, events, cafes and lounges, and more. 

Our indie stores face many challenges as they seek to find ways to remain competitive against the behemoths of the world (aka Amazon, Walmart, Target, etc.) while maintaining their identity and hands-on customer service. The good news: Retail Dive reports that the in-store experience is still winning with consumers. According to their report, “consumers still value in-store experiences, even as AI-powered improvements elevate online shopping experiences.” While the in-store experience remains strong, savvy brick-and-mortar stores will seek to reinvent their business by adding Omnichannel sales strategies. With Omnichannel marketing, the goal is to give the customer a wide range of choices when buying a product. This can be accomplished through brick-and-mortar stores, digital marketplaces, social media, e-commerce websites, and apps. Each sales channel offers the customers a greater product assortment combined with more flexibility and convenience. Customers may order online and visit the store to pick up the item. The store can wrap the purchase, ship the purchase, or provide concierge services to the customer to enhance the sale. The goal is for the retailer to translate the in-store experience to any of their channels. These options also save the retailer time and money. Enter Shop Local.

Shop Local facilitates the transition from in-store to online, increases the product assortment, and enables customers to easily shop via their mobile, tablet, or desktop devices. We automate and streamline the sales process with tools to help our retailers save time. With features such as our Leaderboard, Wholesale Ordering, order tracking, file sharing service, Shop Local performance statistics, live chat, and more, Shop Local has become a one-stop resource to help our retailers build their businesses.

The Shop Local technology is also subject to reinvention. We constantly update, upgrade, and add new functions. We work diligently to provide our clients with a better program and more services. Shop Local works hard to differentiate from the competition, enable our platform to work well with other technologies, and be the ultimate resource for e-commerce and registry solutions.
Reinvention comes from looking outside the walls, thinking outside the box, and exploring the many options available to enhance a business. What has been built is already great; why not make it better? We ask, how will you reinvent?

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