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:
A retail client recently decided they'd like to delete some past wedding registries to "save money." This raises the question, "Does deleting old registries save money?" We assessed the question and found that deleting old registries likely doesn’t save a retailer money. The reason is that it costs more to replicate our automated marketing efforts with more costly manual efforts.
You can determine the quality of a shopping platform by looking at reviews from customers that used it. Below are excerpts from three reviews from shoppers that bought a gift using our software:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"Easy to view and choose from the registry..."
~ Blake Gustafson in OH
Mr. Gustafson made a purchase at White Peacock, an indie retailer that has used our e-commerce software since 2019.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"Wedding registry was quick, convenient...
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How to update your brands' wholesale terms by adding an opening order.
August 24, 2023
Your Shop Local Store has a new feature: A brand can now add an opening order amount to its Wholesale Terms.
In the example shown, we see the Wholesale Terms section for Juliska. In this section, Juliska can update the opening order amounts for both of the brands it distributes. These amounts will be shown to retailers that wish to add Juliska or Capucine de Wulf to their accounts.
If you are a brand, please follow these steps to add your opening order amount:
I was inspired to read that what we do today as a software company can be traced back 42,000 years to a bone in a South African cave. I realized this after reading The Wall St. Journal’s review of ‘Empire of the Sum,’ a book about pocket calculators.
Here’s the lineage: We’re in the software business, which is a relative of the computer business, which is a relative of the pocket calculator business (just ask Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, who ...
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A shopper, Laura Armistead, shared this review regarding her experience on our Shop Local platform:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“My online shopping experience at Elizabeth Clair’s was wonderful! The site was easy to navigate, and it took no time at all! As always, the customer service was excellent and pleasant! Thank you so much!”
Ms. Armistead made a purchase at Elizabeth Clair's, an indie retailer that has used our e-commerce software since 2018 and has two locations in ...
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How to access your built-in marketing tools via the Marketing Manager page.
July 12, 2023
Your Shop Local Store has a new feature: We've made it easier to view and manage your marketing tools. Your account includes several built-in tools and programs, which can now be quickly accessed through the new Marketing Manager page.
The Marketing Manager page displays the following promotions in a table:
Offer Free Shipping.
Display a "Thank you for shopping local" banner on the checkout pages.
Shop Local 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. Shop Local did this because a product's price, which is impacted by discounts, is often the leading factor when shopping online. 70% of the brands surveyed by Shop Local offer free shipping.
How pre-populating information saves clients time and speeds them along a process.
June 30, 2023
Each April, I scramble to send my tax information to my accountant so I can file my taxes before April 15. Since my friends confide that they do the same, there are likely millions of people like us racing to prepare our taxes. What if there was a way to avoid this painful rush—and even the cost of it? The WSJ shares that Japan, New Zealand, and much of Europe get such relief. The countries prepare tax returns for their citizens using existing data, and the citizen just needs to review it,...
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How to view private messages left by your customers.
June 5, 2023
Your Shop Local Store has a new feature: a customer can share a private message with your business when leaving a review on your Shop Local Store.
Previously, a customer could not share a private message when leaving a public review. The private message is only visible to your business.
In the example shown, we see a review notification email sent to a retailer. In the email, the store can see the customer's public review and private message. On the store's Reviews page, only the ...
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How we can acquire new prospects by leveraging our existing network of customers.
June 2, 2023
In Andrew Chen’s book The Cold Start Problem, he breaks the network effect into three parts: engagement, acquisition, and economize. At Shop Local, we rely on the network effect and its three parts. I feel that we’re succeeding in terms of engagement but need improvement in acquisition.
Engagement
We use the 64,000 products in our Syncing service to engage 1,200 our retail clients. We email them new intros, price updates, archived items for these synced products. Once they ...
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A shopper, Lisa Minor, shared this review regarding her experience on our Shop Local platform:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The website was easy to use, and I was thrilled to be be able to shop online with a local store. I wish more businesses offered this kind of service.”
Ms. Minor made a purchase on Babcock Gifts, an indie retailer that has used our e-commerce software since 2015.
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Read 1,500+ reviews from Babcock Gifts customers: https://...
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How registrants can invite friends to open a registry at your store via text.
May 24, 2023
Your Shop Local Store has a new feature: Registrants can now invite friends to open a registry at your store. The new "Help a Friend" feature on registry lists allows registrants to send a text message to their friends with an invitation to open a registry.
In the example shown, we see a registry list at Luxury Gift Shop. In the "Help a Friend" box, the registrant can click the "See Details & Invite Friend" link to refer their friend to your registry service....
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