Target now sources 80% of its online orders from stores, not warehouses, shares the Wall St. Journal.
Stores have less foot traffic (foot traffic to U.S. stores fell about 6.2% on Black Friday ) and more online shopping (online sales reached $7.4 billion on Black Friday, up from $6.2 billion last year), forcing stores to convert 'floor' employees into roles dealing with e-commerce and shipping. "At the Brooklyn store around 80 workers handle internet orders, collecting products from shelves or...
Read More
August 31, 2019
August 31, 2019
Bridge helps 450 brick-and-mortar, Main Street stores in the U.S., Canada, and Caribbean. Our ‘bricks’ are HTML and our ‘mortar’ is hard-working store owners.
PS - Thanks to the New Yorker for this clever cartoon.
View Post
How important is adding a picture to a couple's wedding registry?
Bridge’s research found that registries with a couple's picture generated $260 more in sales than those without a picture--a 21% sales boost.
Bridge reviewed 1,883 registries that occurred in 2017 and 2018 from 15 U.S.-based indie retailers with brick and mortar locations. We found these trends:
1. If a registry has a picture of the couple/registrant, the average purchase was $13 more--a 9% sales boost.
Interesting to see “online brands” open physical stores. This trend shows us that brick and mortar is important.
View Post
February 19, 2018
February 19, 2018
Are you a local shop? Then these stats here from Carol Schroeder show why you’re important to your community.
$48 of every $100 stays in the community when you shop at an indie store. $14 of every $100 stays in the community when you shop at a chain store. Indie stores contribute: 3X MORE :)
For every $10 million in sales at a brick and mortar store, they employ 47 people. For every $10 million in sales at Amazon, it employs 19 people. Indie stores contribute: 2X MORE to local employment :)
Indie Stores Report Double-Digit Growth in 2017 by Sharing Products
Forty-two brick and mortar Main Street retailers that participated in Bridge’s annual survey said their sales grew up to 50% for a brand by using Bridge’s product-syncing service.
"I do about 20% more business a year by being a part of the Bridge network,” said Mary Beth Wood, owner of the Crystal Plate in Gainesville, Georgia, and a user of the Bridge software. "It gives me more time to sell ...
Read More
December 20, 2017
December 20, 2017
The new tax bill is good news for traditional brick and mortar retailers. Companies like Amazon that may use off-shore tax strategiesay lose some leverage.
View Post
November 17, 2017
November 17, 2017
The fight continues between Wal-Mart and Amazon with Wal-Mart standing it’s ground. This may bode well for other brick and mortar stores, too.
View Post
Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017
Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017
You're invited: Tuesday, October 17th, 2017 at 4:30 pm
Black Barn Restaurant 19 E. 26th St. (Across the street from 41 Madison, about mid-block on 26th St.) New York, NY 10010
Your Store vs. Amazon
..........................
Why attend? 80% of shoppers shop online, but 75% of indie stores don't sell online. Meanwhile, Amazon is spending heavily to put your store out of business. It recently purchased Whole Foods for $13 billion and setup a relationship with Kohl's. Your customers are going online. Your ...
Read More
June 20, 2017
June 20, 2017
Your brick and mortar store just got a bit of relief this holiday season, reports today's WSJ.
View Post
May 26, 2017
May 26, 2017
Has brick-and-mortar retail turned a corner for the better? Today's WSJ shares some good news about Best Buy.
How does this news relate to us? Bridge helps indie stores sell online alongside the big dogs. We help customers that want to "showroom" buy online from your "web room." Bridge can give your online business up to 58k products instantly, as well as first-in-class e-commerce software.
View Post
May 13, 2017
May 13, 2017
Here are a few pieces of news that relate to retail in today's WSJ: brick-and-mortar retailers are still seeing year over year loses and Amazon is trying to grab more market share from kitchen stores.
View Post
May 1, 2017
May 1, 2017
Did you miss this column in Tableware Today, DOES YOUR BRIDAL REGISTRY WORK?
You can read the entire column here:
SOME PEOPLE READ COOKBOOKS OR mystery novels. I read bridal registries. In my consulting gig for Bridge Catalog, an e-commerce platform for the tabletop industry, my role is to train subscribing retailers on how to utilize the platform for better sales. Since wedding registries are the cornerstone of online sales for many independent retailers, I thought I should know what brides are ...
Read More
March 27, 2017
March 27, 2017
Think Amazon has the best deals? Think again. Resellers on Amazon are often driving prices up. Items sometimes cost much more on Amazon than a brick and mortar retail store--which makes sense because "free shipping" isn't free. The article also shares stories of Amazon taking over hot product categories and creating its own private label products that will always be listed first and at lower prices.
View Post
February 16, 2017
February 16, 2017
This week's HFN encourages you to connect offline and online with customers.
Ms. Fernandez highlights a key advantage that indie stores have: customers prefer to make returns in-person to brick and mortar locations.
View Post
February 13, 2017
February 13, 2017
A special thanks to Matt Hullfish at Casafina. He penned this invitation below to Bridge's upcoming webinar for sales reps. Matt summed up the issues facing our retail industry better than we could:
................
Casafina Sales Reps:
Independent brick and mortar stores that do not have an effective e-commerce website that is easy to manage will struggle to survive. Most will not make it with brick and mortar sales alone. Bridge is an excellent option for an independent store owner to capture e...
Read More
November 18, 2016
November 18, 2016
Wal-marts online sales are up. It's investing heavily in online operations and cutting new store openings.
View Post
November 18, 2016
November 18, 2016
Nice to see brick and mortar stores competing online successfully
View Post
August 4, 2016
August 4, 2016
Where do Millennials go to shop? Your physical store. This month's HFN confirms that brick and mortar stores are the leading spot to shop.
View Post
March 12, 2016
March 12, 2016
Amazon's brick and two mortar stores are profiled in today's Times. Too bad Amazon's two stores and its online business come at the cost of hurting 1,000s of physical locations.
View Post