How a drawing on a bar napkin led to a software platform that processes trillions of calculations
April 15, 2024
In 2007, while sitting at the pub Moran’s with a beer, I drew a sketch on a napkin that would change our business. I drew a software model that would allow an indie store to instantly show (and sell) thousands of products online—without any labor. (The secret sauce: The respective brand would do the product update work for the merchants.) The immediate goal was to help my two retailers more efficiently load products onto their websites (and save me the boredom of doing it).
Glassworks has gift ideas for Valentines Day! This week we are highlighting our selection of Valentines chocolates.
First we have Tabarra Chocolates' Sweet Bear, a milk chocolate bear holding a lollipop made of raspberry white chocolate.
Next is Tabarra's 9-Piece Valentine's Day Assortment, an assortment of 9 chocolate bonbons featuring the following flavors: pistachio, strawberry, raspberry, and hazelnut (rumour has it that we will also be gettng a 16-piece soon).
Then there is Tabarra's ...
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I often describe flatware as jewelry for the table, the accent that gives table settings a special flair.
Of course, unlike jewelry, flatware is essential. Used everyday, whether to savor a quick snack or enjoy a thoughtfully prepared meal, you put a spoon or fork in your mouth more often throughout the day than your toothbrush. For nearly two decades, I have worked in the metals division at Lifetime Brands, so I fully understand that choosing flatware relies on many factors. Our team has done ...
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The Extra Small Grazing Board feeds two to three people for grazing and is the ideal size for carrying to potlucks, office parties, and a variety of other events. The extra-small tray features a glass bottom that lets you display your treasured goodies while highlighting the tray's exquisite weaving details. Its organic, exotic vines' natural, golden-brown hues enhance any food presentation and make it look even more delicious. Approximately 14" L × 5" W x 1" H, with ...
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Step into a room transformed into a haven of tranquility and warmth with the right mix of lighting and decor. Our carefully curated pieces are here to uplift your homes and make an enduring statement.🧡
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Amazon and third-party delivery services have setup a “warehouse” outside the Astor Place USPS office. This is not a truck parking for five minutes. This a day-long, everyday occurrence. I’ve seen this same scene on a daily basis all around the city for the last three years.
This hurts local retailers. While the local businesses pay extra taxes to operate a store in southern Manhattan, it costs Amazon much less to park a delivery truck (permanently?), put ...
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What the retail industry can learn from Google and Amazon teaming up on technology standards.
September 19, 2023
Google, Amazon, and an array of home appliance companies are teaming up to make it easier for you to dim your home’s lights and lock your front doors. They are adopting a standard called Matter that allows devices to communicate and work together, shares The Wall St. Journal. This allows a giant like Amazon, creator of Alexa devices and Ring doorbells, and Tuo, a small home device tech creator, to use the same platform yet keep their internal, proprietary code base. This standard is like a...
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We are pleased to announce that Kalalou is ready to Sync products with authorized retailers. Syncing products is free for your business. There is no charge. (The brand pays for this service.)
Kalalou joins our stable of 110 premium brands that Sync products with 1,200+ fine indie stores.
View Kalalou's Synced products
View the 1,500+ products you can Sync from Kalalou here: kalalou.myshoplocal.com
View an example of a retailer's Store that is ...
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It was October 2021, and I had just finished my first in-person trends seminar since the pandemic impacted all industry shows. At the end of the image-packed program, an audience member raised her hand and challenged, “Do trends even matter anymore?”
It was a valid question. The pandemic had disrupted business, upended supply chains, transformed education, revealed vulnerabilities, altered priorities, and unexpectedly claimed many lives. The question was tinged with cynicism. Pent...
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I believe in what we do here at Bridge. That fervor manifests in me seeing our logo’s color all around me, including in last night’s Empire State Building lights. One day we hope to be the sponsor of that lighting ⚪️🟢⚪️🟢⚪️🟢🌃
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A medium coffee at McDonald’s is $1.99. When a brand syncs with a retailer on Shop Local, it costs the brand $1.40 per month.
For $1.40, we do these seven things for our brand partner:
We sync an unlimited number of the brand’s products to the retailer's Shop Local Store. All updates, including price changes and new introduction launches, happen in real time. The retailer never has to click “download”
The sale you can't miss runs from April 1 through April 11. From floor to ceiling, once-a-year savings: 20% off over a thousand items! The Home Sweet Home Sale Event includes ALL Furniture, Lighting, & Rugs and also selected other Decor. Sale begins this Saturday. Stop in at either store to place your order.
I was happy to see Tableware Today magazine share our experiences and lessons regarding the power of free shipping.
You're invited to read the article below:
.........................
THE LAST WORD
FREE SHIPPING PAYS OFF
by JASON SOLAREK
Most indie stores don’t have the technical ability or people power to track pricing and offer discounts like free shipping. Indie stores need this information or they’ll be left behind. This information can make a difference: in ...
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The famed, influential Medicis ruled Florence during the Renaissance, which was a time of prosperity in Florence. The traditional Medici coat of arms is beautiful and ornate. Vietri's new Medici collection takes a modern spin on it by highlighting one of it's components: the golden palle. At once historic and contemporary, Vietri's Medici Gold Dinnerware honors Italian heritage while also exuding fresh inspiration. Swing by the Shadyside store to see the collection.
In 35 states, Bridge Stores appeared on page one of Google when doing a wedding registry related search. In many states, Bridge Stores dominated the results. For example, for Georgia and South Carolina searches Bridge Stores claimed six spots on Google's first page.
Study Details:
We Googled "gift registry" and the state’s name.
We researched results for 48 states. (Bridge has clients in 48 states; the only states that don
Amazon issued a press release stating that it is fighting with 10,000 Facebook groups that sell fake Amazon reviews. It’s ironic, since Amazon has been a chief promoter of the avenue allowing this behavior: Section 230. Section 230 allows tech platforms to host and indirectly promote just about any type of bad behavior, including illegal behavior (fake review services and yes, human trafficking, murder-for-hire, etc.) and then say it’s just a community space and belatedly remove the ...
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In the movie Good Will Hunting, Matt Damon, who plays a handsome MIT janitor moonlighting as a math savant (can one say, “Hollywood career vehicle”?), woos a young lady (played by the actress Minnie Driver) by outmaneuvering a few competing, obnoxious cads. When Damon’s character gets the girl's telephone number, he proudly shows it to the other guys and boasts, with his South Boston access, “How 'bout ‘dem apples?” I imagine Tim Cook imitating this...
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