MARIPOSA HAS ADDED A NEW CATEGORY WITH THE CLEVERLY TITLED TRAYCHIC, A COLLECTION OF 50 STYLISH HEAT-SAFE TRAYS COMPOSED FROM A STATE-OF-THE-ART RESIN COMPOUND APPROVED FOR FOOD AND SAFE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.
MARIPOSA – the Massachusetts brand launched almost 40 years ago by Livia Cowan, who had a vision that tableware could be created from 100% recycled glass and aluminum – brings that same sustainability agenda to a new category, TrayChic! (exclamation point all theirs). “...
Read More
It’s a formidable task, overseeing product development for all of Lenox’s flatware brands, which includes Lenox, Kate Spade, Oneida, Cambridge, Hampton Forge, Reed & Barton, and Gorham. Your tenures at Oneida and Bed Bath & Beyond, as the tabletop buyer, provide a solid foundation for this position.
Prior to Oneida, where I was senior product marketing manager when Lenox acquired us, I was at Bed Bath & Beyond for 12 years, most recently as the tabletop buyer. My whole ...
Read More
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 ...
Read More
Work With the Nation's Leading Brands and Indie Shops to Support Main Street
Shop Local is a fast-growing e-commerce and gift registry platform providing services to leading independent retailers and premium brands. Based in New York, NY, Shop Local is seeking candidates to support the existing software and build out new services that will change the retail industry.
Shop Local has an opening for an entry level web developer to update the existing code base and write new applications. We are...
Read More
While drinking Athletic, a non-alcoholic (fake!) beer, I noticed that its box proclaims that it gives back 2% to local trails. I love walking trails, and I thought: the next time I venture to have a sober night, I’ll pick up another box of Athletic. (Thanks, Athletic, for giving out $2.5m in trail grants.) Warby Parker gives a pair of eyeglasses for each pair bought (they've given 10m pairs!), while Bombas does this for socks. Bookshop.org gives a percent back to small ...
Read More
I was happy to learn that our friends at Savannah Bee and Ivystone have expanded their relationship. Savannah Bee, a partner in our Bridge Product Syncing service, has expanded its representation with Ivystone, also a Bridge partner, to cover more sales regions. Ivystone will now cover the honey brand across the country, supplementing the brand with 85 sales reps. (Previously, Ivystone only represented the brand in the Northeast.)
In the early 2000s, the board game Cranium became a hit. The game combined elements of Scrabble and Pictionary with the goal of helping more people enjoy playing a game. Richard Tait, who created Cranium and sold it to Hasbro in 2008 for $77.5m, passed away in July. Like Mr. Tait, I had been a paperboy, but he went beyond what I ever offered: he came up with a new service that sold breakfast sandwiches along his newspaper route. He increased profits and made customers happier. ...
Read More
Retail Dive reports on Amazon's lazy claims that it cares about stopping counterfeits. Counterfeiters on Amazon may steal a brand's product design, name, and product pictures. When a brand reports this to Amazon, Amazon often does: nothing.
This is an issue for American brands. For example:
A brands creates a product. The brand pays for research and development.
Brand may pay to have it made in America.
Brand takes professional pictures of the finished product.
Do you love a great deal on a t-shirt or TV? Sure, we all do. Yet, sometimes when we shop, the lower the price we pay, the less we pay: people. People that make the goods (factory workers) and people that sell the goods (aka indie store owners) are the victims in the discount-pricing rush.
Today’s Times shares that making a bathing suit in Sir Lanka costs about $4 per unit while in Portugal it may cost $16. In NYC, the minimum wage is $15/hour—making production in NYC ...
Read More
The Menagerie, a fine jewelry & gift store in Texas, recently reached out to Bridge to find a gift registry solution for their business. Within minutes, the store had over 24,000+ items available online using our Product Syncing service. Customers and registrants can shop for these products. Additionally, Google will rank the store higher. The store saved months of web development time and thousands of dollars in labor.
The store is currently syncing products with 27 Product ...
Read More
Jim Collins, in his book BE 2.0, explains how purpose and mission are important to companies. To help explain this, he uses the metaphor of crossing a mountain range and seeing a star on the horizon. Your purpose is to reach the spot on the horizon below the star. The current mission is climbing up the mountain you’re on. The next mission is climbing up the next mountain and so forth in order to get closer to the spot on the horizon. You will have many missions, and may never ...
Read More
Today’s Times shares that Amazon Prime members often spend twice as much compared to those that aren’t members. This led to me ponder: What if a first step to reducing Amazon’s monopolies is just canceling a $119/year ‘membership’? Prime may be Amazon’s strength—as well as its achilles. If we can find a way to undermine it, I believe one can save money and our communities.
Bitsy Sherlock, a sales rep for Werner Frank, helped her store and her brands on Friday.
Bitsy signed up SheaLeigh's, a gift and home goods shop in Alabama. Within a few minutes, the retailer had a live Bridge Store with 15,800+ products. Customers and registrants can shop for these products. Additionally, Google will rank the store higher due to these products. The store saved months of web development time and thousands of dollars in labor.
Pat Hensley, a sales rep for Ryan Associates, helped her store and her brands this morning.
Pat signed up Canterbury Court, a gift and antique shop in Texas. By just spending a few minutes, the retailer has a live Bridge Store with 1,800+ products. Customers and brides-to-be can shop these products. Google will rank the store higher due to these products. The store saved months of web development time and thousands of dollars in labor.
Costa Nova and Casafina commit to 100% recyclable and biodegradable packaging
Costa Nova and Casafina proudly announce the use of 100% recyclable and biodegradable packaging in the US.
First orders with “plastic-free” packaging were delivered at the beginning of April, for both B2B and B2C customers. The biggest change to this new policy is the use of eco-friendly starch peanuts to use as void fill.
Startch TM peanuts are an environmentally-friendly ...
Read More
February 5, 2020
February 5, 2020
Macy’s will be moving its flagship store and building a massive tower on the site. Then it may move back in or permanently leave site.
View Post
November 25, 2019
November 25, 2019
Sometimes we are critical of Macy's and the whole Federated chain. But perhaps we should take another look. They give us the legendary fireworks in July and the upcoming Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. But more recently they along with Tishman Speyer have taken on the incredibly complicated restoration of the old Abraham & Strauss cast-iron facade building in Brooklyn. Perhaps this Thanksgiving we should be more thankful.
From the NY Times:
New Yorkers are all too familiar with the wholesale ...
Read More
November 14, 2019
November 14, 2019
How can you promote your store's gift registry?
Take some inspiration from The Flower Shop in Auburn, Alabama. The florists and gift shop sent their clients an attractive email announcing their Bridge Registry.
By using Bridge, The Flower Shop was able to quickly create an online store with a gift registry--and have it filled with 13,000 products. Their Bridge Store was instantly populated with 4,500 Herend products, 1,800 Vietri products, 400 Arte Italica products, and 300 Annieglass products. ...
Read More
I developed Bridge Network, an e-commerce platform, that is not included in this article. Here are some things I have learned over the last 20 years of e-commerce development:
1. The article’s ranking criteria includes themes and templates. I believe you don't need an assortment of templates to have a functioning (or successful) e-commerce site. Just look at ...
Read More
March 6, 2019
March 6, 2019
There are some notable statistics and developments in this article including: + More than 10% of Target’s sales came via digital channels. + Stores are promoting in-store pick up. + Stores are shrinking their sizes. Kohl’s is subleasing space to Planet Fitness. + Stores continue to create new private labels—a strategy that is very popular with Amazon. + Stores are benefitting from other stores failing. For example, Toys R Us closing helped Target and Kohl’s.
View Post