Shop Local Search: pricing

We track the benefits of automation, and this human error caught my eye. An employee at Citigroup incorrectly typed in a refund amount, and it nearly cost the bank $81 trillion. The bank spotted this error and stopped it. The bank replied that it's adding more automation to its processes to avoid such mistakes.

While the stakes aren't as high for our indie stores, each day we see our 1,500 indie retailers manually entering product data into their POS and online stores.

...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 1:57 PM • February 16, 2025

Walmart gains a 40% advantage over indie stores with automation ⚙️

Walmart gains a 40% advantage over indie stores with automation ⚙️

The Wall St. Journal shares this weekend that Walmart has automated 50% of its fulfillment process, bringing down fulfillment costs by 40%. This 40% in savings will thereafter be used as a pricing advantage against indie stores (and retailers of any size).

Walmart, like Amazon, is spending billions of dollars to accomplish this. The goal is to spend $1b today to save $1m tomorrow on labor and sell $1m more tomorrow. Long term, these numbers snowball and are in

...Read more of post

Abby Ramos-Dottin at Bridge 10:28 AM • February 6, 2025

New Feature: A Registrant Can Add Monogram Information to an Item on their Registry

New Feature: A Registrant Can Add Monogram Information to an Item on their Registry

Your Shop Local Store has a new feature: A registrant can now add their monogram or engraving information to an item's listing on their registry.

Previously, registrants could not add monogram details directly to the item's listing on the registry. Instead, they had to leave a comment on the item or add a note at the top of their registry. With this new feature, items eligible for monogramming or engraving will now display a "Monogramming or Engraving: + Add"

...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 1:53 PM • February 2, 2025

Pricing Explanations

Pricing Explanations

While at Best Buy to buy a Philips Hue light strip, I did some quick research on how product makers and digital service providers explain their benefits and pricing.

See Best Buys membership program here:
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/best-buy-membership/best-buy-membership-total/pcmcat1629315977983.c?id=pcmcat1629315977983

Read more of post

Abby Ramos-Dottin at Bridge 5:24 PM • January 21, 2025

Printers & Stationers Avoids $7,473 and 11 Weeks in Labor with their Shop Local Store

Printers & Stationers Avoids $7,473 and 11 Weeks in Labor with their Shop Local Store We are excited to announce that Printers & Stationers has joined Shop Local to grow its online wedding registry business! 🎉 Referred by sales rep Bitsy Sherlock at the Atlanta market, the store was able to sign up and launch a new online store with a gift registry service—before even leaving the market.

The store instantly received great benefits:

Customers and registrants can shop 7.4k+ products online.
The store avoids 11 weeks

...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 9:12 AM • January 20, 2025

Automation Is the Future of Retail

Automation Is the Future of Retail Today’s The Wall St. Journal shares that Walmart seeks to automate much of its business. Automation reduces costs and often makes customers happier because it lowers prices and speeds up processes.

Try to Automate Everything
Indie stores need to follow in Walmart’s footsteps ASAP and automate as much as they can, including:

Product information, pricing, pictures, and more (including website listings). (Inventory.)
Stock.
Marketing offers.

...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 3:38 PM • November 11, 2024

Your Potential is Unlimited …Let’s Not Let Software Limit It

Your Potential is Unlimited …Let’s Not Let Software Limit It I saw this pricing by an e-commerce provider and thought it was not smart on their part. They are placing lots of limitations on a merchant, including the amount of sales a store can receive, the number of staff a store can add, and the number of products a store can offer.

Shop Local places none of these limitations on merchants. All our plans allow a merchant to add unlimited staff and unlimited products and sell any amount it wishes. We want them...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 7:44 PM • September 16, 2024

My 10 Prime Reasons to Shop Local 💖

My 10 Prime Reasons to Shop Local 💖 I saw this poster on the website of Shop Local Raleigh. Thank you for inspiring us and other communities. (You’re invited to see the poster here:
https://shoplocalraleigh.org/care-2/why-shop-local/)

A notable thing on the above page is the poster’s reasons don’t match the text-based list below it. I liked the text reasons more.

If I were to make a top 10 list, I’d include:

Instant gratification. Don’t wait

...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 7:35 PM • August 5, 2024

Recession and Slow Hiring Will Require Need for Optimization Software

Recession and Slow Hiring Will Require Need for Optimization Software The economy is slowing due to myriad factors, including weak hiring. When retailers and brands don’t hire, they’re short-staffed. When they are short-staffed, they’ll need software and technology to fill in the gaps.

Brands and retailers will benefit from our digital service, the Syncing service, that updates online product pricing and pictures for pennies per product. With e-commerce continuing to grow and labor hamstrung, there won’t ...Read more of post

Amy Stavis at Tableware Today 1:42 PM • July 31, 2024

CHECK YOUR PLATES by JASON SOLAREK

CHECK YOUR PLATES by JASON SOLAREK The Wall Street Journal recently shared how the used car market has improved in the last 20 years because much of it is now conducted online. When car buyers use the web, they’re more likely to save money (about 2%) and dealers can, in theory, make more with dynamic pricing (about 2%) thereby giving each party a win. Unlike 20 years ago, when we didn’t have smartphones, today 95% of used car purchases start online. While 31% of used car purchases ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 9:51 AM • July 23, 2024

Our Retail Predictions Featured in Tableware Today Magazine

Our Retail Predictions Featured in Tableware Today Magazine Tableware Today’s Editor Amy Stavis invited me to pen the Last Word column for the August / September issue. I start by comparing e-commerce trends for selling automobiles to selling dinner plates. Online sales in both industries have swelled in the last 25 years. (I entered the e-commerce business at the right time—in 2001.)

I predict that 70% of wedding registry gift givers will never set foot in a physical store by 2030. Currently, that number is at ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 12:52 PM • June 10, 2024

Our 8 Year Journey from Bundled Pricing to A La Carte Pricing Back to Bundles

Our 8 Year Journey from Bundled Pricing to A La Carte Pricing Back to Bundles We follow pricing for bundles and tiers of services. Over the last decade, we've tried various pricing approaches, as well as ways to visually convey these service offerings. In this post, I share the pricing for our services for retailers since 2017. In some case, we took a step forward and a step back--it wasn't linear progress. We've drawn inspiration from many sources, including our competitors and Tinder.

Presenting bundles is not limited to signing ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 5:00 PM • June 8, 2024

Subscription Bundles

Subscription Bundles Recently, when booking a trip to Florida to see family, I was shown an array of bundles by American Airlines. There was the basic flight, and then:

Main Cabin Plus. Included a free checked bag, a more spacious seat, and boarding earlier.
Main Cabin Select. Included an even earlier boarding time and made it easier to change my flight.
First Class. Included the largest, most comfortable seat, priority boarding, two checked bags, and better drinks and

...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 5:47 PM • May 7, 2024

Check Your Plates 🚗

Check Your Plates 🚗 Jinjoo Lee in The Wall St. Journal shares how the used car market has improved in the last 20 years because much of it is now conducted online. When car buyers use the web, they are more likely to save money (saving about 2%), and dealers can, in theory, make more with dynamic pricing (about 2%)—thereby giving each party a win. Unlike 20 years ago, when we didn't have smartphones, today 95% of used car purchases start online. While 31% of used car purchases ...Read more of post

Abby Ramos-Dottin at Bridge 3:37 PM • April 23, 2024

View 10 Years of Price Changes by Syncing

View 10 Years of Price Changes by Syncing Stores that have a Shop Local Store use the Syncing service to save time and money on product maintenance. After a brand loads their products to their Shop Local account, the products are Synced in real-time to retailers' Stores.

The brands do their respective maintenance work by adding and updating the products—saving the retailer from having to do it. Part of this maintenance includes updating prices for items to ensure they are up to date. By updating ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 10:11 AM • April 7, 2024

💡Some e-commerce advice from Thomas Edison...

💡Some e-commerce advice from Thomas Edison... Thomas Edison famously said, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”

If he were in retail today, we venture he'd proclaim: "Retail success is 1% inspiration and a $99/month Shop Local subscription."

Shop Local offers free plans. No setup fee. No monthly fee (skip paying even $99/month). Pay a small commission on completed, successful orders.

Please find the plan that is right for your shop here: ...Read more of post

Josephine Dillon at Bridge 12:19 PM • March 20, 2024

Get Ready for the New York Tabletop Show

Get Ready for the New York Tabletop Show FOR BRANDS

As you know, The New York Tabletop Show starts in about three weeks (it's April 9 - 12).

Let's help you get ready! Now is the time to update your Shop Local assortment with new introductions, price changes, and missing data.

Please review your Shop Local account to ensure that these areas are current:

Product Assortment – Have you added or retired items? Please consider the last time the account was updated and

...Read more of post

Abby Ramos-Dottin at Bridge 3:42 PM • February 15, 2024

Updated Feature: Quickly Switch Between View Modes

Updated Feature: Quickly Switch Between View Modes Your Shop Local Store has an updated feature: You can now change your page view to view your Store as a customer without logging out of your account.

Your Shop Local Store has two view modes:

Admin Mode
- This mode is designed for administering your account. You can perform functions unique to owning your account, such as adding, editing, and deleting content.
Public Mode
- This mode is designed to see your account as a customer sees it or for use

...Read more of post

Amy Stavis at Tableware Today 1:19 PM • December 8, 2023

Kate Spade New York @ 20

Kate Spade New York @ 20 Kate Spade New York tableware and accessories has for two decades held a singular spot on retail shelves and on customers’ tables thanks to a timeless charm and chic stylings. Even after 20 years, the fun, fresh, playfully sophisticated, and refreshingly original collections from Lenox occupy a unique niche in the tableware pantheon.

Kate Spade’s contribution to fashion cannot be understated. She became synonymous with fashionistas everywhere when ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 1:15 PM • October 23, 2023

Shipping Prices Decline

Shipping Prices Decline The Wall St. Journal shares that the volume of shipped packages will be the lowest in four years, thereby providing some pricing relief.

Abby Ramos-Dottin at Bridge 12:13 PM • September 28, 2023

New Feature: Sell to Interior Designers

New Feature: Sell to Interior Designers FOR BRANDS AND DISTRIBUTORS

Your Shop Local Store has a new feature: Interior designers can now view interior designer pricing for your brands and make purchases. If an interior designer is approved by your business, they can log in to your account and buy items at the wholesale designer price set by your business.

In the example shown, we see an interior designer logged in to BIA Cordon Bleu's account. The interior designer can place wholesale orders at the ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 1:31 PM • September 26, 2023

Are You a Brand? Shopify Isn’t For You

Are You a Brand? Shopify Isn’t For You Brands may consider using Shopify for their online operations. It’s important to note that brands can’t do many things with Shopify. A key Shopify problem for a brand is that the brand has to have separate “stores” for retail and wholesale customers. The reason is that Shopify doesn’t know what to charge the customer because it doesn’t know if it’s a general public shopper (that pays retail) or a retailer (that pays ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 3:07 PM • September 25, 2023

Simplicity ⚪️

Simplicity ⚪️ When Apple launched its new iPhones this month, one of its most noteworthy updates was replacing its Lightning charging cable with a USB-C. This was not a voluntary move or extension of Steve Jobs’s love of simplicity. Apple changed it because the European Union required them to, according to Ben Cohen in The Wall St. Journal. Now, just about every mobile phone in the world (forget just little ol’ Europe) will have one charging solution (USB-C).

While this...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 5:09 PM • September 10, 2023

Zero Sum Networks ⚔️

Zero Sum Networks ⚔️ Disclaimer:
The views expressed in this article are intended to stimulate discussion and reflect personal observations about business strategies in competitive industries. This article is not meant to make definitive claims about any specific company or its practices, and no direct comparisons between specific businesses should be construed as factual statements. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research to form their own opinions based on their individual ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 12:08 PM • September 8, 2023

$500 Give-Get Promotion

$500 Give-Get Promotion FOR SALES REPS

We'll pay you and the store both $500 each.

Shop Local will pay you $500 for referring a retailer.
The retailer just needs to open a free Online Store.
You can sign the retailer up, or the retailer can sign up.
Shop Local will give the retailer a $500 credit.
The retailer can use the $500 towards a paid Gift Registry feature.
A retailer can choose to just use the free services and not a paid feature. It can choose to use the $

...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 12:33 PM • September 7, 2023

Love Those Margins 💖

Love Those Margins 💖 Dating apps are launching higher-priced premium tiers, according to last week’s The Wall St. Journal. Hinge offers a new $50/month plan, and Tinder is launching a $500/month plan. The League already offers a $1,000 plan. These pricey plans take the sting out of Bumble’s $60/month plan.

Why are companies offering such plans? Because even if Tinder only gets 10% of users, that's millions. Plus, the profit and margins are likely higher for customers using ...Read more of post

Joe Bernstein at Salisbury 2:35 PM • August 18, 2023

New Satin Finish Collection

New Satin Finish Collection New from Salisbury a collection that offers the same quality you expect to find from Salisbury, however at a better price point. Even better, the more you buy the better the price. This collection and special pricing is limited to the 22 items in this catalog.

Abby Ramos-Dottin at Bridge 1:01 PM • August 15, 2023

New Feature: Save Time On Accessing Credit Card Information

New Feature: Save Time On Accessing Credit Card Information Your Shop Local Store has a new feature: You can now more easily know what credit card a customer used to make a purchase.

Your Shop Local software now outputs the last four digits of a customer's credit card when used on an order.

This update saves your business time. Customers often inquire about with which credit card they made a purchase.

Previously, when customers placed an order through your Shop Local Store, we didn't show you the last ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 11:14 AM • July 6, 2023

$300 Give-Get Promotion

$300 Give-Get Promotion FOR SALES REPS

We'll pay you and the store both $300 each.

Shop Local will pay you $300 for referring a retailer.
The retailer just needs to open a free Online Store.
You can sign up the retailer or the retailer can sign up.
Shop Local will give the retailer a $300 credit.
The retailer can use the $300 towards a wholesale order with a Syncing Brand or $300 towards a paid Gift Registry feature.
Shop Local covers 100% of the above bonuses.

...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 10:52 AM • May 16, 2023

Syncing Costs a Retailer Less Than a Penny

Syncing Costs a Retailer Less Than a Penny We do the following seven things for a retailer that Syncs products. The retailer pays $0.00/month because the Syncing brand pays for the service.

We Sync an unlimited number of the brand's products to the retailer's Shop Local Store. The retailer doesn't have to touch Dropbox or Excel.
We give the retailer the ability to download any of the Synced product data (pictures, pricing, etc).
We send an email to the retailer highlighting new introductions,

...Read more of post

Josephine Dillon at Bridge 6:36 PM • April 12, 2023

Help Your Retailer for $1.40?

Help Your Retailer for $1.40? FOR BRANDS

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

...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 3:21 PM • March 20, 2023

Tableware Today: Free Shipping Pays Off

Tableware Today: Free Shipping Pays Off 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 ...Read more of post

Amy Stavis at Tableware Today 1:32 PM • March 14, 2023

Lenox Corporation Interview- Christine Bova

Lenox Corporation Interview- Christine Bova 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 ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 11:22 AM • February 23, 2023

Save the Date 🗓️

Save the Date 🗓️ When one thinks of shopping locally, some consider it an act of charity. One may pay more and get less selection. That’s not a recipe for success. In contrast, the world’s most successful retailers, Walmart and Amazon, operate on just the opposite principles: low prices and massive selection. When I’m in Walmart's Panama City Beach location, it’s so massive I feel like I’m in the Giants' stadium. Amazon sells 12m items on its website (350m ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 9:10 AM • January 27, 2023

Do You Agree Defaults Are Important? ✅ Yes ___ No

Do You Agree Defaults Are Important? ✅ Yes ___ No When you look at your driver’s license, it lists if you’re an organ donor. Twenty years ago, only 20% of people were donors, but today 80% are—thereby saving millions of lives. Did people become more kind? No, the question on the application was changed from opt-in to opt-out. People signing up for or renewing a license are now by default enlisted in organ donation. Lesson: the right default answer in medical care can save millions of lives. ...Read more of post

Abby Ramos-Dottin at Bridge 10:48 AM • January 17, 2023

Updated Feature: Your Alert to Customers About Paying via Telephone

Updated Feature: Your Alert to Customers About Paying via Telephone Some Bridge merchants do not accept credit cards online. The merchant calls the customer (after they placed the order) to collect the customer's credit card information. For merchants that do not accept cards online, your Bridge has an updated feature that makes it easier for customers to expect a call from the store. A customer will now see a banner with a green telephone icon on the final checkout page. The banner displays this message:

"After you ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 10:35 AM • December 1, 2022

The Price is Right 🛒

The Price is Right 🛒 When we talk about prices, there are two prices that are important:

The price that we charge clients.
The price our clients charge their customers.

We normally talk about the former, aka how our prices compare with other competitors, like Shopify or wholesale services like Faire.

Of increasing importance to us is what our retailers charge their customers. Walmart recently announced that it was taking brands to account and ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 9:07 PM • November 25, 2022

The Wall St. Journal: If the Price Ended in 99, You Probably Overpaid

The Wall St. Journal: If the Price Ended in 99, You Probably Overpaid We work in retail and may of the prices we see end in “.99.” Why? Read this article to find out: https://www.wsj.com/articles/if-the-price-ended-in-99-you-probably-overpaid-11669293972?mod=mhp

Abby Ramos-Dottin at Bridge 4:22 PM • November 2, 2022

New Feature: More Easily Invite Your Brands

New Feature: More Easily Invite Your Brands Your Bridge now makes it easier for you to connect with and sell your brands’ products. We have added a new page to invite brands to sync products. This page significantly reduces the number of steps that your store takes to invite a brand.

There is no charge for a member to send sync invites or sync products with a brand. Product Syncing is free for retailers, sales reps, trade marts, and interior designers. Participating brands pay for ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 11:18 AM • October 3, 2022

Are We Time Givers or Takers? ⌛️⏳

Are We Time Givers or Takers? ⌛️⏳ Scott Galloway, the NYU business professor and firebrand, pens a weekly, attention-grabbing article about business trends. In last week’s post, he noted the rise of the attention economy. (...Yes, my post is an attention-seeker writing about an attention-seeker writing about attention.) Comparing our current economy to those of the past, Mr. Galloway notes that today’s oil is time. He tracks the growth of digital companies like Netflix, Microsoft, ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 5:56 PM • September 8, 2022

Dollars and Sense Advice from Mom 👩‍🦰

Dollars and Sense Advice from Mom 👩‍🦰 When I was a kid, my mom instilled in me a lesson to always get paid for my work. When I went to mow a lawn or do my newspaper route, she’d remind me, “Be sure you get paid.” As an adult, these flashbacks are vivid like a scene from Citizen Kane—just swap out the Rosebud sled with my newspaper delivery bike. Today, this lesson still resonates when running Bridge. When calling a store that hasn’t paid its Bridge bill, I&...Read more of post

Abby Ramos-Dottin at Bridge 2:52 PM • August 26, 2022

New Feature: See a Product’s Price Changes

New Feature: See a Product’s Price Changes We've added a new feature to your Bridge account: You can now easily see the retail pricing history of a product.

Before this update, a member would receive an email alert letting it know that a synced product’s retail price had changed. But, this price change history was not shown on the product's Details page.

Now, the Details page shows any recent change as well as past changes. This feature helps retailers and sales reps charge the ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 11:01 AM • June 19, 2022

Swimsuits help reveal the costs behind retail goods

Swimsuits help reveal the costs behind retail goods 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—...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 2:45 PM • May 22, 2022

Businesses Should Want a Membership—Not a Subscription. Why?

Businesses Should Want a Membership—Not a Subscription. Why? When talking about memberships and subscriptions, these two business models are sometimes interchanged but actually are different. They often differ in their pricing, customers, and offerings. A subscription is often not a membership, but a membership often encompasses a subscription. A membership is often an elevated and more powerful subscription that collectivizes and leverages the subscribers.

What They Have In Common
With both models, you often pay a...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 5:38 PM • February 26, 2022

Amazon charged some customers more than others for the same item

Amazon charged some customers more than others for the same item In today’s Times, we learn that Amazon is raising and lowering the prices of items millions of times a day. We also learn that it has displayed different prices for the same item based on who you are. Imagine going in to a store and the paper towels are $3 for the person next to you but $4 for you.

I can attest to Amazon changing prices multiple times a day because Amazon crawls my retailers’ websites multiple times a day. It’s as if they...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 9:00 AM • January 5, 2022

Amazon Ships An Order in 45 Minutes. How About Your Store?

Amazon Ships An Order in 45 Minutes. How About Your Store? Scott Galloway, in his Chart of the Week email, shares that Amazon often ships an order within 45 minutes of receiving it. How long does it take your store?

For indie store to compete, we have to offer competitive pricing and shipping times. Bridge's goal is to help retailers offer the same or lower prices and offer the same or faster shipping.

Watch's video about Amazon's delivery here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SICT9lF3tSg Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 4:38 PM • September 17, 2021

Save Time: Place Wholesale Orders Via Bridge for 85 Brands

Save Time: Place Wholesale Orders Via Bridge for 85 Brands
We have exciting news: Retailers can now place wholesale orders via Bridge for 85 brands. If you are an authorized dealer, you can purchase from premium brands, including:

Abbiamo Tutto
Agraria
Anna Weatherley
Arte Italica
Arthur Court
Badash
Beatriz Ball
Bodrum
Bordallo Pinheiro
Bredemeijer
Calaisio
Capdeco
Carmel Ceramica
Casa Alegre
Casafina
Chelsea Clock
Costa Nova
Couzon
Cunill
Daum
Deruta Of Italy

...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 2:00 PM • September 5, 2021

Human Sell-cology

Human Sell-cology We work tirelessly to help our customers. A good spot to see this is on our sale site’s pricing page, which lists 60+ features that clients receive—often for free. (Sometimes I think that we’re philanthropists. Twenty-five percent of retail clients pay nothing each month.) Each feature is one that we’ve labored over.

But, ironically, our hard work may get overlooked and under-appreciated if key psychological insights are overlooked...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 5:00 PM • April 10, 2021

Expanding Bridge's Customer Base to Help More Brands

Expanding Bridge's Customer Base to Help More Brands Best of Thymes, an indie store in Iowa, just closed (https://bestofthymes.bridgecatalog.com/news.cfm?id=20645). Hopefully, they’ll continue to operate online and keep using Bridge. Best of Thymes is part of an industry-wide series of closures that is affecting large and small retailers. Due to this, brands are increasing their efforts to go D2C. Brands justify this by saying that there are fewer stores to show their wares. While this is true, surely they are ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 1:27 PM • February 5, 2021

How Netflix And Bridge Deliver Value

How Netflix And Bridge Deliver Value How much does Bridge cost vs other marketing tools? Let's imagine a printed catalog costs $10 to print and send to a customer. The customer uses it for 10 minutes. It therefore costs $1 per minute.

The Bridge Smart Products service costs a brand $9 per year per retailer. Over that year, a retailer interacts with that Smart Product data for 104 minutes. This number is approximately 2 minutes per week. (Please note: some retailers view Smart Product data at ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 11:00 AM • December 30, 2020

Place Wholesale Orders Via Bridge

Place Wholesale Orders Via Bridge We have exciting news: Retailers can now place wholesale orders via Bridge. If you are an authorized dealer, you can purchase from these participating brands:

Anna Weatherley
Beatriz Ball
Calaisio
Casafina
Costa Nova
Couzon
Herdmar
Kim Seybert
Mario Luca Giusti
Medard de Noblat
Meissen
Pickard China
Pickard Crystal
Pinto Paris
Portus Cale
Royal Crown Derby
Varga

Why is Bridge Wholesale Better?

Speed: Bridge Wholesale

...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 12:48 PM • December 6, 2020

NYT: Shopify vs Amazon

NYT: Shopify vs Amazon Yiren Lu shares her experience of setting up a Shopify store in the New York Times magazine. Ms. Lu reports the setup process was easy, but her online Shopify store failed because it lacked marketing, aka eyeballs and orders. In her next article, I hope Ms. Lu tries Bridge. Bridge Store helps members fill the marketing component that Shopify is missing. When a store joins Bridge, Bridge instantly points hundreds of links to the store from other Bridge members...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 2:29 PM • December 4, 2020

'Made in China:' MEISSEN x ADIDAS

'Made in China:' MEISSEN x ADIDAS The Meissen porcelain brand and Adidas have teamed up to create a pair of iconic tennis shoes. Art meets the street. Stay tuned for pricing and availability.

Read DeVine's news post about this:
https://devinetableware.bridgecatalog.com/news.cfm?id=20290

Meissen is a Smart Brand partner. Shop for Meissen here:
https://devinetableware.bridgecatalog.com/collections.cfm/Meissen Read more of post

Kelsey Wood at Maison3Amis 1:16 PM • December 2, 2020

MEISSEN x ADIDAS Collaboration Announcement

MEISSEN x ADIDAS Collaboration Announcement Dear DeVine Corporation Customer;

We are pleased to announce an historic collaboration between the prestigious Meissen porcelain brand and Adidas corporation in introducing what is sure to become a highly sought after pair of iconic tennis shoes. Art meets the street. Stay tuned for pricing and availability. Sipping champagne from a lady's slipper is now passe'.

Sincerely,
DeVine Corporation

Jason Solarek at Bridge 4:49 PM • September 19, 2020

Tableware Today: Vista Alegre Advertisements Feature Bridge Logo

Tableware Today: Vista Alegre Advertisements Feature Bridge Logo Retailers know that Bridge offers the easiest online tools to help them sell more. For this reason, the distributor Vista Alegre, which is Portugal’s largest producer of porcelain products, promotes Bridge in its advertisements. Retailers using Bridge and reading Tableware Today will see the logo and know that the products shown are already available to sell via the store’s respective Bridge Store. If the retailer does not use Bridge yet, it may join the ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 1:09 PM • May 16, 2020

How Much Does Building a Website Cost? A Comparison of Magento, Shopify, and Bridge

How Much Does Building a Website Cost? A Comparison of Magento, Shopify, and Bridge When a business offers a website, it's a costly venture. A business, such as an indie store, brand, or sales rep group, will build the site and then have to maintain it. On a day-to-day basis, it has to ensure the pages load quickly. This often requires the business use image-optimization software to reduce the page size and a CDN (content delivery network) to get the content closer to the visitor's geographic location. These costs add up.

Bridge and Shopify both ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 11:22 AM • April 20, 2020

Subscriptions Remove Friction

Subscriptions Remove Friction Many businesses are struggling during the state-mandated shelter-in-place orders. One industry that is weathering the storm well is technology. Technology companies often deliver services digitally, which obviously makes them ideal to side-step these orders--but they often utilize another feature that makes them profitable now and in general: subscriptions.

Scott Galloway, a business leader and host of an online business class called 'The Sprint,' recently brought to ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 2:07 PM • March 3, 2020

Training Video: Sales Rep 101 Training Webinar

Training Video: Sales Rep 101 Training Webinar Watch this webinar to learn:

How Bridge is helping indie stores sell 13% more.
How Bridge is filling retailer websites with thousands of products.
How Bridge is promoting sales reps.
How to use your account to view wholesale pricing, stock, and price lists.
How to help your stores.

Why watch?

Digital sales are growing while in-store sales are flat or falling.
Stay relevant in this 'age of Amazon.'

Webinar Quiz

...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 12:51 PM • February 18, 2020

Sales Rep Training

Sales Rep Training Bridge can help sales reps grow their business 13%. Join our free webinar and we’ll show you how.

Sales reps will learn:

How to view shared products, wholesale pricing, files, and news on a Bridge account.
How to connect with retailers on Bridge.
How to help a retailer increase its sales using Bridge.

Why attend?
E-commerce is the fastest growing part of retail--but most sales reps and their stores are ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 10:38 AM • February 6, 2020

We're an “E-commerce Community”

We're an “E-commerce Community” I think the phrase “E-commerce Community” is a good way to explain Bridge's offering. We're helping businesses share news, messages, pricing, files, pictures, and products.

Without Bridge, e-commerce is often a lonesome field. I believe this siloed nature is already starting to kill off traditional e-commerce operations. In its place, e-commerce platforms that bring together communities are flourishing. Platforms are the future--especially...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 4:48 PM • December 16, 2019

Constant Contact is 'Constantly' Misleading

Constant Contact is 'Constantly' Misleading I believe that Constant Contact is falsely promoting it is offering a free online store. I say this because the free service allows you to offer just 3 products and you must display a big advertisement for Constant Contact. Most retailers offer hundreds or thousands of products. A super small number of stores can offer just 3 products online. In addition, most stores don't want a big advertisement at the bottom of their website. Yet, if one were to visit Contact ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 2:32 PM • 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 ‘supply chains‘ 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...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 1:47 PM • November 2, 2019

Amazon is Winning Because of: Bots

Amazon most likely has lower prices than most stores--including yours, shares Retail Dive.

Excerpt:
"With the holiday sales season underway, Amazon is pricing 20% below other online retailers on average in key product categories, according to a study by Profitero."

You may ask, how is Amazon wining this online price war? I'll share my answer: Bots. Amazon has unleashed an army of bots to crawl and scrub all of your data and websites, and ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 12:01 PM • October 27, 2019

Does traffic seem worse? It may be your neighbors’ 1.5 million daily packages being delivered, shares today’s Times.

My neighborhood is bombarded by trucks—and delivery people often ringing every apartment buzzer in a building to contact just one apartment.

Interesting stats from the article:
+ Homes now get more packages delivered than businesses.
+ Traffic speeds have slowed over the last decade.
+ 2 million square Feet of warehouse space is being built in NYC.
+ ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 4:23 PM • October 23, 2019

Good news: Retailers can now sync with an unlimited number of Smart Brands for $28.

Details:
+ A retailer just needs to subscribe to a Bridge plan that is $28 or more per month. If you pay $28/month or more for Bridge service, your business qualifies.
+ If you are a retailer that is paying less than $28/month, you can sync with up to 10 Smart Brands.

Benefits of syncing with Smart Brands:
+ Save time and money. Let brands maintain products for you.
+ Sell more. Retailers ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 12:14 PM • October 22, 2019

What's on your store's holiday list? How about charging featured brands $500,000?

Bloomberg shares how Amazon and Walmart use a 'pay to play' scheme to charge brands:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-17/amazon-holiday-toy-list-slots-can-cost-brands-up-to-2-million

Excerpt:

What sets Amazon apart from other retailers is how much it charges for space on its toy page over the holidays. A narrow strip across the top of the web page costs $500,000 per month in ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 5:12 PM • October 3, 2019

Do you think that Dropbox is free? I thought so too until my 'free' account filled up and Dropbox wants me to pay $16/month--and $20/month if I want a 'team' account.

Dropbox's pricing page is a doctoral lesson in how to charge customers for oxygen.

There are at least four different pricing pages:

Here's a plans page:
https://www.dropbox.com/plans

There's the 'individual' pricing page:
https://www.dropbox.com/individual/plans-comparison

Here's the business pricing page:
https:...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 1:15 PM • August 11, 2019

Fifty percent of the U.S. book market is controlled by Amazon, while Barnes & Noble has 8%. This book market share split shows that shoppers value convenience and price more than customer service. Anyone that says retail can be helped, saved, or fixed by concentrating on anything but convenience and price is wrong.

For example, an HFN columnist whom I won’t name is often extolling the need to make the in-store shopping experience fun and interesting. Similarly, a market...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 5:04 PM • August 8, 2019

I read the New York Times and want to ask: Are we sharpening our executioner's sword? That is what FedEx wondered as it helped Amazon grow by delivering its packages. Finally, FedEx woke up and decided it's better to make less money tomorrow than help usher in its death in the near future. As the Times reports, FedEx is terminating its ground delivery agreement with Amazon at the end of August, thereby passing on the delivery of millions of packages.

Amazon has ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 9:38 PM • June 8, 2019

E-commerce is going to double in the next seven years, predicts FedEx. When that happens, how prepared will your business be? How will you prepare your website, your staff, your shipping procedures, your pricing, and your sales expectations?

When e-commerce grows that much, who will control the market? How will customers shop? Via their mobile? Via Alexa? If e-commerce is the dominant form of shipping, how will your online product selection and prices be kept up to date ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 12:57 PM • June 6, 2019

New Feature: Add and Edit Unique Pricing for Registry Items

New Feature: Add and Edit Unique Pricing for Registry Items You can now add special, unique pricing to items on a gift registry. For example, you can use this feature when an item can be monogrammed and you need to charge more for it. You can use this feature if a registry gift comes as a set but the item on your site only shows pricing for a single item. You can double the price using this feature and add a comment to the item saying it the gift includes two of the items.

Add special pricing to an item:
1. Login to your ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 12:27 PM • November 19, 2018

Rosenthal Launches New Wholesale Site
Powered By Bridge

*** PRESS RELEASE ***

Rosenthal USA, a subsidiary of Arcturus Group, launched a new wholesale website for its family of brands Rosenthal, Versace, Raynaud and other premium brands on November 1st, 2018. The company's retailers and sales reps can login to the mobile friendly website and view real-time stock levels, wholesale pricing, and price lists. The website adapts to the user's country and shows US or Canadian ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 6:28 PM • November 5, 2018

FOR RETAILERS:

Good news: we're allowing you to add an UNLIMITED number of items to your Bridge store.

Previously, Bridge had caps on how many items you could add manually. For example, in the past a plan may have let you add 5,000 items manually. Now, all plans allow you to add an unlimited number of items.

We've made some other updates to the pricing. The free plan now includes 10 Smart Brands (approximately 5,000 Smart Products).

We've also added a threshold to the ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 7:35 AM • May 9, 2018

FOR RETAILERS:

Please find our updated pricing for the Bridge service here. This updated pricing will take effect July 1st, 2018.

In some areas, Bridge is giving your business notably more. For example, in April of 2017 Bridge offered your business 10 Smart Brands for $59. In May of 2018, Bridge is providing your business with the product data from 40 Smart Brands for $49. In sum, you can receive 400 percent more product data yet pay 17% less.

If you are unsure how this...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 7:21 PM • April 27, 2018

FOR RETAILERS

How much does it cost you to add an item to your website? Most likely a few dollars per item.

In addition to the cost of adding new items, there is the cost of mispricing items. How much does it cost a store if an item's price isn't updated and a customer buys it at the wrong price? Let's imagine a clerk forgets to add a "0." A store could lose a few dollars or a few hundred dollars due to a typo.

Let's imagine a clerk has 99% accuracy in entering and ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 2:00 PM • March 8, 2018

Watch the Webinar:
Gift Registry 202 ~ Advanced Registry Features

In this webinar, I cover:

1. Recap of 101 webinar.
2. Confirming a registrant completed the five-step incentive program.
3. Utilizing the weekly emails that warn you about missing information and/or sales.
4. Using the Items requested page.
5. Using the Registry Administration page.
6. Using Registry ID # and special pricing.
7. Using Registry Accounting page.
8. Using the new Redemption ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 1:39 PM • March 8, 2018

BRANDS AND SALES REPS
Did you know: most of your stores pay about $2 to add one of your items to their website?

When a retailer adds 1,000s of items, that gets very expensive quickly. Therefore, most stores give up and don’t add your items online. That is horrible for your sales.

What if there was a way to cut this cost?
There is. Bridge puts your items online for retailers for $0.01 an item. As such, Bridge has cut maintenance costs for 100s of stores from $2.00 to $0.01. ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 4:36 PM • February 24, 2018

We're happy to share that Bridge is giving retailers access to 500% more Smart Products for free. If you're subscribing to a paid plan, you're now just paying $.01 per item.

Please check out this chart comparing our pricing from last year vs this year.

2018 Pricing Highlights:
+ Bridge is giving retailers 500% more Smart Products for free.

+ With $49/month plan, Bridge is giving retailers 200% more products for free and we reduced the price 17%.

+ Retailers can sync with 20...Read more of post

Carol Schroeder at Orange Tree Imports 6:37 PM • January 29, 2018

One of my favorite quotes from a retailer about the last edition of Specialty Shop Retailing is this one: “I have read, highlighted, marked up and re-read this book so many times it groans when I pick it up!” It’s been so much fun for me to hear from shopkeepers around the world about how helpful they have found the first three editions of my book, which sold over 40,000 copies and were translated into Russian. I am very happy to announce that the fourth edition has just...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 12:25 PM • January 3, 2018

Reminder: if a pricing mistake is made by yourself or a Smart Brand, you are not responsible for giving the customer the item as the lower mistake price. Your website's Customer Service page says this:

.........

If a product's price is higher than our stated (website) price, we will cancel your order and notify you of this cancellation. You are more than welcome to purchase the item again at the correct price.

We reserve the right to cancel any order we receive at our ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 1:25 PM • December 22, 2017

Are you ready for 2018? We’re getting ready here. We’re beefing up our staff and hardware to serve the rush to shop online. In 2017, orders via the network grew 89% year over year. 2018 will bring another 89% growth spurt if we work hard.

In 2018, you may ask: are your stores worth 48¢? We think so ;)
We’ll explain more below.

1. Bridge is updating its pricing for brands in 2018.

What are we doing with this subscription fee that brands pay? We’re reinvesting it into your...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 12:03 PM • November 8, 2017

Bridge is updating its pricing for brands in 2018.
Are your stores worth 20¢? We think so ;)

..............................

This year, sales on Bridge have grown 89% to $12M.

But the fight has just begun. In order to help independent retailers keep up the fight against Amazon, Bridge is updating its pricing for brands in 2018. We'll be reinvesting these fees into new features for you and your retailers.

1. In 2018, you’ll see:

A. More orders for your products. We’re launching...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 4:30 PM • August 8, 2017

How does your brand fight back against the discounting and gray marketers on Amazon.com? Take some inspiration from today's WSJ.

Luxotica is enforcing MAP prices and more brands are drop shipping.

Jason Solarek at Bridge 3:58 PM • June 8, 2017

Do customers ask you why your items cost more than items at big box stores? Do u wish u had a breakdown of costs and the quality that goes into items? Today's Times shares how some manufacturers breakdown the costs for fabrication in order educate consumers about quality materials.

Jason Solarek at Bridge 10:49 AM • May 30, 2017

Tired of getting shaken down by Dropbox? Me, too. Today I got an email from Dropbox that they'd like me to pay $100.

What if there was a free, better alternative to Dropbox? Bridge helps you share products and organizes the data as it was intended--vs. making the recipient reassemble it.

Jason Solarek at Bridge 2:36 PM • April 9, 2017

Main Street has been under fire for decades, shares today's Times. Going back to the 1930s, indie businesses have been competing with larger businesses that buy in bulk and are better connected to the global supply chain. In fact, MSRP pricing was started in the 1930s to help mom and pop stores fight back against growing chain stores.

Notably, the story's headline of the "Myth of Main Street" is misleading. The story acknowledges that Main Street existed, it's just ...Read more of post

Alicia at Live With It by Lora Hobbs 10:53 AM • March 17, 2017

We are sharing what we believe is VERY EXCITING NEWS !!!

All Waterford Stemware is Now On Sale @ 25% Off regular pricing. This is a once a year event that will last until March 26th ... and can be taken advantage of by calling us (toll-free @ 877-489-4060) or by Shopping Online right here on this Great Website --- for yourself or for one of our Registered Brides

Jason Solarek at Bridge 1:38 PM • February 17, 2017

Today, Shopify emailed me asking me to choose one of its paid plans. My free trial with it is expiring. As you may recall, last week I setup an online store to check out the service in order to compare it to Bridge. (Please read my review of Shopify here.)

What I find interesting is that most services offer a free account. A free account often lets you enter a limited amount of products. Shopify does not offer a free account. It offers a free 14-day trial. Thereafter, ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 2:37 PM • February 3, 2017

Curious how you're going to compete with Amazon? You're going to need to match or beat it in three areas:
1. Aggressive pricing
2. Wide selection
3. Speedy shipping

Bridge can help you beat amazon with selection. You'll need to offer speedier shipping by either shipping what you have in stock more quickly or by having quicker drop shipping from vendors. In terms of aggressive pricing, you'll have to get used to thinner margins and offering more sales.

What you have that ...Read more of post

Brenna Goldberg at Home Essentials 11:39 AM • January 17, 2017

Yes, I use my Finex 10 inch skillet at home. I thought I knew all of the reasons why Finex is a superior product . However, after participating and listening to buyers who carry Finex in addition to Chris Boyd, president ofsales explain the benefits , I understand more than ever why Finex is such an amazing product .
I want to share with you why Finex should be your go to cast Iron skillet .

1-Finex is made of premium American made cast iron and produced in ...Read more of post

Brenna Goldberg at Home Essentials 11:34 AM • January 17, 2017

Yes, I use my Finex 10 inch skillet at home. I thought I knew all of the reasons why Finex is a superior product . However, after participating and listening to buyers who carry Finex in addition to Chris Boyd, President of sales explain the benefits , I understand more than ever why Finex is such an amazing product .
I want to share with you why Finex should be your go to cast Iron skillet .

1-Finex is made of premium American made cast iron and produced in ...Read more of post

Bridge 9:52 AM • January 5, 2017

From the NY Times, Thursday Jan.5, 2017

Start-Ups Hope Couples Say ‘I Do’ to Online Wedding Planning

Read the full story below, or share it. http://nyti.ms/2j4wMxL

Planning a wedding remains a largely traditional pursuit. For many couples, it is a frustrating months long project that requires sifting through masses of details and costs on venues, services and products. Now, a variety of start-ups are trying to cut down on that information overload by harnessing new ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 1:13 PM • September 20, 2016

Is your store located in Canada?

Canadian pricing is now available for Rosenthal, Versace, Sambonet, Thomas, and Arzberg.

Shulan's Fairlawn Jewelers 11:40 AM • February 6, 2016

Since amethyst is the birthstone for February, we chose this natural green and purple amethyst pendant from Bizzotto for our item of the day. It is in 18k gold and accented with diamonds Please call store for pricing.

Shulan's Fairlawn Jewelers 1:31 PM • January 17, 2016

Garnets come in many colors! oday's item is this Tsavorite Garnet Ring and Earrings.

Please call for pricing.

Shulan's Fairlawn Jewelers 10:29 AM • January 16, 2016

Today's item is this beautiful Mandarin Garnet Ring. This is in Platinum and 18K Gold with a 3.91ct Garnet and 0.81tdw Diamonds. Please call for pricing.

Jason Solarek at Bridge 7:34 PM • May 26, 2015

Tableware Today: Jason Solarek Pens 'Last Word' Column

Tableware Today: Jason Solarek Pens 'Last Word' Column We're happy that Tableware Today asked Bridge founder Jason Solarek to share his thoughts about e-commerce. In this month's Last Word column, you can read about e-commerce trends that independent, Main Street stores are facing. Jason also shares some potential solutions.

Full article:

THE BRIDGE TO MAIN STREET

A Connecticut retailer recently told me that it lost a bride's registry worth $10,000. The bride reviewed the store's outdated website and online ...Read more of post

Jason Solarek at Bridge 3:55 PM • May 14, 2015

How does a Main Street store open an online gift registry service?

I thought of this question after reading about a similar project in this week's Wall Street Journal. The writer Joanna Stern asked how someone can setup a new, informational website quickly. (Please find the WSJ article here.)

The writer picked Squarespace as her favorite. If I could, I'd like to ask the writer Ms. Stern to do the same test amongst online bridal registry store providers.

In under 30 ...Read more of post

Maison3Amis 11:38 AM • May 5, 2015

The Royal Baby has arrived and Royal Crown Derby has officially launched their commemorative products. Please see attached for selling sheets for the product with retail pricing.

Jason Solarek at Bridge 10:51 AM • March 5, 2015

What does Bridge have in common with Hulu and HBO?
Answer: Bridge also offers a streaming service for just a few bucks a month. The difference is that unlike TV streaming services, Bridge makes you money.

Bridge Plans:
+ One Brand Plan: Bridge Store, Gift Registry, ability for the retailer to add all the items it wants from any brand, and syncing products with one Bridge brand: $8

+ Boutique Plan: Everything above and syncing with up to 15 Bridge brands: $59

+ Game Changer...Read more of post