Zola is offering free shipping on all items. Are you offering free shipping on all items? If not, you're going to lose business to them. I advise you to offer free shipping and make less margin on the order vs lose the entire order to Zola.
In general, margins are smaller on online orders. This is well documented--and now accepted--as a business practice. Accept this fact and you'll survive and grow. Don't accept it and you'll lose orders and struggle online and likely fail.
Nordstrom is opening two mini-spots the size of a Dunkin Donuts to act as pick up locations for online orders and offer some small services like tailoring, shares today’s Times. This is a vote for online and not a vote for physical retail space.
I have a confession: I think Amazon can teach us something.
While I lead a fight to stop Amazon, I believe we can learn something by watching its massive growth.
We first have to accept this fact. Ready for it?
Here it is: you're in the software business.
Retail is becoming a software business for a few reasons, including:
1. Convenience: It’s easier to shop on your mobile vs. drive to the store. Proof: mobile sales are up 40% year over year. Indie stores have to close each night. Amazon is always ...
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You can now easily see what percent of your online orders are registry related.
To view this new feature, you'll:
1. Login to your Bridge.
2. Roll over "Management" at the top and from the drop down click on "Reporting Overview."
3. On the Reporting Overview page, look for this area: "Online: Registry vs Non-Registry (Online and mobile orders only)."
Most indies stores will get the majority of their online orders from registry sales. The ...
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February 14, 2018
February 14, 2018
Thanks to Michael Brezicky at Kitchen 2 Table for sharing this article about omnichannel commerce:
"In order to facilitate a customer’s independent research in the initial phases of their buying journey, a retailer must have their full catalog of shoppable inventory available online."
Bridge: Sounds like they need our Smart Product service :)
Excerpt:
"...high shipping costs accounted for 54 percent of online shopping cart ...
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March 21, 2017
March 21, 2017
When you receive an order via Bridge, you will want to follow a few best practice steps to ensure that you and your customer are happy with the process.
1. Check your email everyday. You do not want to get behind on an order. You can also see all orders that you receive online in case you miss an email. Every day that you delay shipping an order increases the customer's anxiety by 30%. If a customer has not heard from you after three days, he or she is likely about to cancel the order.
I spoke with a retailer today and he was remarking about the lack of sales this month. I looked at his sales and I saw that his sales were in line with past years. He didn't realize that year over year, February is one of the slowest months for his store. As you can see in the attached image, his store's busiest month is September. September had 15x more online orders than February.
Stores go thru the sales cycles. Since Bridge helps a lot of indie ...
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November 28, 2016
November 28, 2016
Walmart said that 60% of online orders came thru mobile--which makes sense considering so many people are traveling.
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May 10, 2016
May 10, 2016
Fiskars added its Bridge logo to an upcoming advertisement that will appear in Tableware Today. Fiskars also placed the Bridge logo in its upcoming Town & Country magazine ad.
Fiskars is putting the Bridge logo in ads to let retailers know that they can easily sell the items shown.
Why add your Bridge logo to your industry ads? 1. Make it easier for retailers to sell your advertised items. 2. Make it easier for retailers to re-order from you. 3. View your retailers' online orders in real-time.
• How does a customer make a purchase from your retail Bridge Store? Most stores assume they know...but do they? • How do you best process this order? • What tricks exist to better manage your online orders? • What is the best way to manage online gift registry purchases? • For your brides, learn how to create digital copies of orders that occur in your physical store.
Are you curious about how customers make a purchase on your site? Do you want to know how to save time in processing online orders?
Join us next Tuesday:
April 5, 2016 / Tuesday @ 2 pm EST Processing Orders: Tips to manage online and in-store purchases Audience: for retailers Topics: + How does a customer make a purchase from your retail Bridge Store? + How do you best process this order? + What tricks exist to better manage your online orders? + What is the best way to manage online gift registry ...
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August 16, 2015
August 16, 2015
N.Y. show special - 10% discount on online orders only, during N.Y. Gift show! Coupon code: ny815
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February 11, 2015
February 11, 2015
Taking Online Orders Now! Join us Friday, February 13, 2015 from 10a.m.-3p.m. for a special celebration and book signing! Sister Schubert & Betty Sims present the new cookbook "Celebrations from the Heart" and will both be at Jimmy Smith Jewelers for a book signing event - All proceeds go to The Sims Family Foundation for ALS Research, Sister Schubert Foundation for Children's Charities of the World and Nall Art Scholarship Foundation.