News from Bridge

  1. News from Bridge
  2. News from Members
  3. Bridge Events
  4. Training Calendar
  5. Training Videos
  6. New Software Features & Updates
  1. News from Bridge
  2. News from Members
  3. Events
  4. Training
  5. Updates
+ Bridge in the News - Bridge in the News
January 5, 2023 New Feature: Easily Access Important Product Syncing Content
Chalk 22262 picture
New Feature: Easily Access Important Product Syncing Content
January 5, 2023
Your Bridge has a new feature: We've made it easier to navigate to important Product Syncing pages in your Bridge Store. Hovering over “Syncing” at the top of the page reveals a drop-down with links to view your Syncing brands and view new Syncing products and their price changes. 

With this update, one can use the links in the Syncing drop-down to get to the desired content more quickly.   

In the example shown, we see the drop-down list for a retailer with ...
Read More
January 4, 2023 New Feature: Easily Access Wholesale Information
Chalk 22259 picture
New Feature: Easily Access Wholesale Information
January 4, 2023
Your Bridge has a new feature: We've made it easier to access wholesale information for the products on your Bridge Store. Viewing an order's Details page displays wholesale information for products purchased by your customers.
 
Previously, when your store viewed a retail order's Details page the information displayed was limited to just details about the product’s brand.
 
With this update, the Order Details page includes:
  • Wholesale price of the product. 
  • Stock
...
Read More
See You in Atlanta Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023 - Friday, Jan. 13, 2023
Chalk 22258 picture
See You in Atlanta Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023 - Friday, Jan. 13, 2023 We'll be at the Atlanta show: Wednesday, January 11 - Friday, January 13.

Let's grow your business in 2023. Please contact us to:
  • Review your account.
  • Learn about time-saving Bridge features. 
 View Post
January 3, 2023 Networking in Dallas
Chalk 22257 picture
Networking in Dallas
January 3, 2023
At the Dallas trade show this week, I’ll be sporting our new Shop Local t-shirt.  In flight to the show, I’ll be reading how network effects help businesses, including retail shops. Indie shops and network effects go hand in hand. Retailers can effectively grow via network programs, including Bridge’s Product Syncing service and referral and affiliate programs.   To learn how networks can help your business, I recommend picking up a copy of The Cold ...
Read More
See You In Dallas Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023 - Friday, Jan. 6, 2023
Chalk 22253 picture
See You In Dallas Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023 - Friday, Jan. 6, 2023 Join Bridge in Dallas this week. We're there this Thursday, January 5th, and Friday, January 6th.

Let's grow your business in 2023. Please contact us to:
  • Review your account.
  • Learn about time-saving Bridge features. 

RSVP » View Post
December 28, 2022 Referrals: Johnny Softwareseed 👨‍🌾 🍎
Chalk 22245 picture
Referrals: Johnny Softwareseed 👨‍🌾 🍎
December 28, 2022
In the book The Cold Start Problem, Andrew Chen says that the 'network effect’ is really three effects: 
  • The acquisition effect 
  • The engagement effect
  • The monetization effect 

In the beginning, a business seeking to build a network has to concentrate on acquiring users, even if they are non-paying. Companies often give away the service, especially software companies, and we can see that with Facebook, Slack, TikTok, and many others.  Bridge didn’t do ...
Read More
December 28, 2022 New Feature: Easily Access Key Content
Chalk 22242 picture
New Feature: Easily Access Key Content
December 28, 2022
Your Bridge has a new feature: We've made it easier to navigate to important pages on your Bridge account. Hovering over the user profile icon at the top of the page reveals a drop-down list with links leading to your business profile settings, retail orders you’ve received, wholesale orders you’ve placed, and products you’ve liked.

With this update, one can use the links in the user profile drop-down to get to the desired content more quickly.   

In the example...
Read More
December 26, 2022 Ride the Shop Local Movement
Chalk 22239 picture
Ride the Shop Local Movement
December 26, 2022
We think that biking (and walking) and shopping local go hand in hand. We'd like to create an e-bike to display at trade shows.

PS - Thanks for our friends at MOD Bikes for making such a cool e-bike:
https://mod-bikes.com/products/mod-easy-electric-cruiser-bike-and-sidecar View Post
December 26, 2022 Congress Aims to Stop the Online Sale of Stolen Goods
Congress Aims to Stop the Online Sale of Stolen Goods
December 26, 2022
Thieves have increased their activities since the pandemic started. In 2021, retail theft was up 40% shared The Wall St. Journal.  Many stolen goods wind up on for sale on Amazon and Ebay. To combat this, two Congress people have proposed requiring sellers of more than $5,000 in goods or 200 transactions to reveal more information about themselves. 

Learn more about the INFORM Consumers Act here:
https://www.americanactionforum.org/insight/inform-consumers-act-a-measured-step-to-...
Read More
December 26, 2022 New Feature: Easily Access Bridge Features with Search Shortcuts
Chalk 22237 picture
New Feature: Easily Access Bridge Features with Search Shortcuts
December 26, 2022
Your Bridge has a new feature: We've made it easier to navigate to different pages of your Bridge site with search shortcuts. Searching for a keyword in the gray search bar at the top of your account populates a shortcut button that is linked to a page related to that keyword.

Previously, one would have browsed the site's navigation to find what they wished to view. With this update, one can use the search field to get to the desired content more quickly. 

In the example shown, we see...
Read More
December 21, 2022 Barnes & Noble Opening 30 Stores in 2023
Chalk 22227 picture
Barnes & Noble Opening 30 Stores in 2023
December 21, 2022
Read the full article: 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/barnes-noble-store-expansion-leads-big-box-real-estate-revival-in-2023-11671454054 View Post
December 21, 2022 Wall St. Journal: Amazon Agrees to Play Fair in Europe
Chalk 22226 picture
Wall St. Journal: Amazon Agrees to Play Fair in Europe
December 21, 2022
Read the full article: 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-agrees-to-settle-eu-antitrust-cases-avoiding-fines-11671538014 View Post
December 21, 2022 The Nicolette Mayer Collection – Whimsy, colorful, and now available as a Product Syncing brand on Bridge
Chalk 22225 picture
The Nicolette Mayer Collection – Whimsy, colorful, and now available as a Product Syncing brand on Bridge
December 21, 2022
We are pleased to announce the Nicolette Mayer Collection is ready to sync products via Bridge's Product Syncing service.

Produced by dedicated artisans in America, the Nicolette Mayer Collection offers over 1500 Art de la Table items. Nicolette Mayer is a lifestyle brand whose product categories include:
  • Placemats,
  • Coasters,
  • Acrylic trays,
  • Dinner and Cocktail Napkins,
  • Murals,
  • Candles,
  • Candy Dishes,
  • Pillows. 
Placemats are available in both round and rectangular ...
Read More
December 20, 2022 65% of Brands Offer Free Shipping vs.14% of Indie Stores ...Where Would You Shop?
Chalk 22221 picture
65% of Brands Offer Free Shipping vs.14% of Indie Stores ...Where Would You Shop?
December 20, 2022
More than 65% of brands surveyed by Bridge offer free shipping, while just 14% of indie stores do. Brands often charge just $118 to quality for free shipping, while stores charge $190 (a $72 difference). Where would you shop?

Bridge analyzed the websites for the top-40 selling brands in the tabletop and giftware industry. We assessed what promotions and discounts, such free shipping, brands offer. Bridge did this because a product's price, which is impacted by discounts, is often the leading ...
Read More
December 20, 2022 Drink Local - the Happy Brother of the Shop Local Movement
Chalk 22220 picture
Drink Local - the Happy Brother of the Shop Local Movement
December 20, 2022
While buying a beer this past weekend in Philadelphia, I spotted this cool beer can with a ‘Back to the Future’ themed design.  I was happy to see on the can, which is brewed by Three 3’s Brewery, a “Drink Local” campaign. Supporting local businesses, whether they are breweries or gift shops, is a mission dear to us. 

Visit our friends:
https://www.three3sbrewing.com/
  View Post
December 19, 2022 New Feature: Display Existing Gift Givers to Encourage Future Gift Givers
Chalk 22219 picture
New Feature: Display Existing Gift Givers to Encourage Future Gift Givers
December 19, 2022
Your Bridge Store has a new feature to encourages customers to complete a registry purchase.  Your Bridge Store now displays gift givers' names on a registry's list. This strategy is designed on two principles:
  1. Consumers are more likely to make a purchase if they see that others have made a purchase.
  2. Consumers are more likely to make a purchase if they know the name of an existing gift giver.  
 
How this Feature Works:
  1. When a customer checks out with a
...
Read More
December 19, 2022 Retailers Big and Small Try to Plow Through the Holiday Season- Retail Dive Looks at the Results
Chalk 22218 picture
Retailers Big and Small Try to Plow Through the Holiday Season- Retail Dive Looks at the Results
December 19, 2022
With our retail members in the throes of the holiday season, it was nice to read an article by Retail Dive providing some insight into Q4 2022. Retail Dive, a retail industry publication, informs readers that big-box stores share much of the same friction as our indie retailers do. I appreciated the acknowledgement that independent stores may feel disruptions quicker and may even have an edge on providing a more superior customer experience to gaining loyalty. The good news is that there are ...
Read More
December 19, 2022 New Feature: Easily Navigate Between Registry Lists
Chalk 22217 picture
New Feature: Easily Navigate Between Registry Lists
December 19, 2022
Your Bridge has a new feature: We've made it easier to navigate between registry lists. A Registry list now has forward and backward arrows so you can navigate to nearby registries with one click. 

Previously, to see another registry list a merchant had to click on the back arrow in the browser, find the registry it wished to view, and then click it. The merchant would repeat these steps every time it wished to view a different registry list.  

Please follow these steps to ...
Read More
December 17, 2022 Shop Local in the wild
Chalk 22211 picture
Shop Local in the wild
December 17, 2022
Seasons greetings from the PNW everyone! I was out shopping today and came across a sign in the wild promoting Shop Local, a concept near and dear to us and something we have believed in from the inception of the company..helping support local businesses in a way that's beneficial to all. So much so that we began transitioning Bridge to ShopLocal earlier this year.

This particular sign was in a mall similar to one that you may have near you. Having been decimated by big name brands pulling up...
Read More
December 17, 2022 What Do the Founding of the Internet and Bridge Have in Common? ...Drawing
Chalk 22210 picture
What Do the Founding of the Internet and Bridge Have in Common? ...Drawing
December 17, 2022
Internet pioneer, Vint Cerf, made a big break through by drawing it on the back of an envelope in 1983. This story, shared in today’s The Wall Street Journal, hit home because I first drew the concept for Bridge’s Product Syncing solution on a napkin at a Chelsea bar in 2007. That concept now helps 1,100 indie shops sell 60k+ products from 100+ premium brands, including Le Creuset, Baccarat, and Versace.  Since that drawing, I’ve become a big fan of drawing processes to ...
Read More

Next page

Bridge in the News
Bridge Helps Indie Stores Rank on Page 1 of Google in 76% of States
Bridge Helps Indie Stores Rank on Page 1 of Google in 76% of States
October 2022

HFN: Bridge Experiences Record Growth
HFN: Bridge Experiences Record Growth
August 2021

Press Release: Bridge Membership Surges 50%
Press Release: Bridge Membership Surges 50%
July 2021

Four Trade Publications Report on Bridge's Growth
Four Trade Publications Report on Bridge's Growth
July 2020

HFN Editor Praises Bridge
HFN Editor Praises Bridge
March 2020

Seminars Offer Strategies for Independent Stores
Seminars Offer Strategies for Independent Stores
January 2020

Tableware Today Article: Chart Your Future Before Big Tech Does
Tableware Today Article: Chart Your Future Before Big Tech Does
November 2019

HFN Publishes Jason Solarek's 'Letter to the Editor'
HFN Publishes Jason Solarek's 'Letter to the Editor'
May 2019

HFN Shares Juliska is Joining Bridge
HFN Shares Juliska is Joining Bridge
March 2018

HFN Reports Bridge's Product Syncing Service Helps Indie Stores
HFN Reports Bridge's Product Syncing Service Helps Indie Stores
January 2018

Bridge Brand Conference
Bridge Brand Conference
June 2017

HFN Magazine: Bridge Crosses $2 Million in Registry Sales
HFN Magazine: Bridge Crosses $2 Million in Registry Sales
December 2016

...