Brands and sales reps display the Shop Local decal in their showroom windows in Atlanta and Dallas. The decal lets authorized retailers know they can display their products online quickly.
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How partnerships can be used as a marketing tool to elevate a company's brand and reputation by associating with quality partners.
August 7, 2023
I’m at Sweetgreen, a salad-focused restaurant, and I spotted this sticker on the preparation window. Sweetgreen is promoting Sullivan Street Bakery. Why would it dare do that? I believe it’s because it benefits Sweetgreen: people use a brand’s name to quickly deduce information, such as quality and value. People know that Sullivan Street Bakery is good. And, even if they don’t know it, they know that a bakery provided it and that it’s not from some stale loaf....
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THIN AND SIMPLE says it all, a perfect moniker for Pampa Bay’s latest juggernaut, a throwback to the shapes and looks the company achieved in stainless steel, its one-time material of choice, a decade ago. Then, in 2016, Carlos Barbagallo, president and owner, decided to segue into the dishwasher-safe, tarnish-free porcelain that looks like metal, using a proprietary, state-of-the-art technology that’s neither painted nor glazed. “Thin and Simple is our homage to the looks we ...
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I don’t own a car, yet I have a strange desire to read Dan Neil's car column each weekend in The Wall St. Journal. Why would someone who doesn’t own a car, won’t be buying one soon, and hasn’t owned one in 25 years read a car column? It's a mix of enjoying the design and technology of automobiles, wanting to know what Dwayne Johnson may be buying next, loving Dan’s witty writing style, and, confession, simply being 13-years old at heart. Cars are ...
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We've added a new feature to your Bridge: customers and staff can now more quickly access your Bridge.
We've given you QR codes that point to your important pages.
Over the last two years, QR codes have grown in popularity. QR codes are a quick way to access websites--especially sub pages of a website.
Without QR codes, customers and staff have to Google your website. Then, once they find it, they have to navigate to the correct page, such as the registry home page or the reviews
I recently bought a pair of jeans from the bike-lifestyle company Rapha. I find Rapha's stores, emails, and mission to be inspiring to Bridge, and I'll explain why.
First, you may ask, "What is Rapha?" Rapha is a product company that sells goods for biking, including shirts, shorts, helmets, and accessories. What is unique is the lengths it goes to foster a community (and sales!) by having a coffee shop in it, organizing riding events, offering members-only clothing...
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When a retailer wants to pick a line to carry, it often wants to carry a brand that is easy to work with. When a store sees the Bridge decal, it knows the brand is easy to sell. In this example, a store knows that Teakhaus is easy to sell because it’s a Bridge product syncing brand. This means that all of the brand’s products will sync to an authorized retailer’s online store. Kitchen 2 Table, the owner of the showroom shown, offers a wide variety of brands that participate in ...
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I am sending the Ivystone sales rep Laura Zanone two $200 checks. Bridge gives sales reps a finder's fee when they sign up a retailer for a Bridge Store. The rep promotes Bridge Store because it helps the store sell more--which is good for the store and the rep.
Laura helped her stores save thousands of dollars and weeks of time. In total, she saved her stores over $6,000 and 10 weeks in labor.
While walking on 9th St. in Manhattan, I noticed an American Express sidewalk decal. This decal inspired me to create a Bridge sidewalk decal for indie stores.
I think that stating 'shop local' or 'shop small' misses many of the key desires by shoppers. I think that customers want low prices, lots of selection, and fast delivery. Those are the reasons they shop at Amazon and at other big box stores. Ask yourself: would you shop at a store that has less selection? Higher prices? Slower ...
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While waiting for breakfast, I noticed this ‘Boycott Amazon’ sticker. I think that getting customers to stop something—or start something—is a tough practice. There are fields of science (psychology) and marketing (branding) dedicated to this. Is it easier to get someone to start or stop (boycott) something?
I think that offering a solution (start something) is easier.
I recommend that stores encourage customers to choose them over Amazon because the ...
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December 10, 2019
December 10, 2019
Indie retailers are being hunted online by Amazon, Zola, and brands using their direct to consumer sites. They are triangulating around their prey. These entries are picking off their online customers and thereby their βsupply chainsβ that keep them afloat online. Without online sales, the indie stores are starved of the one area in which the retail industry is growing.
Amazon and brands target general public orders. Due to the lower prices, brand name, and marketing, they'll get those ...
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September 11, 2019
September 11, 2019
How can you increase traffic to your website? Place a free Bridge decal on your checkout countertop. In the example shown, there’s a Bridge decal on a checkout countertop.
These decals are double-sided, have a very light adhesive on one side, and can be easily moved.
To receive your free decal, please message or call us.
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September 9, 2019
September 9, 2019
How do you compete with Amazon on its own turf? Seattle-based retailer Timothy De Clue promotes its website offering thousands of products. The store displays its Bridge decal on its front door: "Shop 1,000's of Gifts Online."
Need a decal? Just ask us. We'll mail you a 'Shop 1,000's' decal for free.
I believe that offering greater online selection is increasingly important in retail.
Greater selection is important for many reasons including:
1. Giving shoppers more choices. More choices lead to more sales.
2. Helping stores be more competitive. Shoppers know that big online retailers like Amazon offer millions of products, and thereby millions of possible price points and features. Offering something similar is the natural route to get those orders back from Amazon.
3. Boosting a ...
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June 25, 2019
June 25, 2019
Thanks to Courtney at The Containery in Texas for this pic of her store displaying the Bridge decal. She placed the decal promoting her Bridge website next to her existing 'Shop Local' decal. Good idea ;)
Thanks to our retailers for sharing pictures of their Bridge decals. Store owners Timothy De Clue in Seattle and Kathi Davis in Scranton shared these picture of their stores with the "Shop 1,000's of Gifts Online" decal.
We sent hundreds of stores these free decals. We invite you to share a picture of your store. :)
Please visit Timothy at his store in Seattle and Kathi at her store in Scranton: