News from Bridge
Bridge in the News
December 2016
HFN Magazine: $2 Million Milestone
HFN shares that Bridge has doubled year-over-year sales processed for clients.
November 2015
HFN Magazine: $1 Million Milestone
HFN highlights Bridge's handling of $1 million in online gift registry sales in 2015.
May 2015
HFN Magazine: E-commerce Update
Allison Zisko interviews Jason Solarek about Bridge's new services.
December 2016
HFN Magazine: $2 Million Milestone
HFN shares that Bridge has doubled year-over-year sales processed for clients.
November 2015
HFN Magazine: $1 Million Milestone
HFN highlights Bridge's handling of $1 million in online gift registry sales in 2015.
May 2015
HFN Magazine: E-commerce Update
Allison Zisko interviews Jason Solarek about Bridge's new services.
Wednesday, July 24
UPS and FedEx now both offer Sunday delivery, in an effort to stay competitive with Amazon. And if you’re not sure this is about Amazon, UPS just launched a new drone delivery service like Amazon. These business choices are likely near-term money losers but that is the spot in which Amazon has placed delivery companies: invest, bleed money, and try to hold your breath until profitability at the end of the pool. Or, it may be ocean. It’s possible that the time to recoup investments will be too ... ...
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UPS and FedEx now both offer Sunday delivery, in an effort to stay competitive with Amazon. And if you’re not sure this is about Amazon, UPS just launched a new drone delivery service like Amazon. These business choices are likely near-term money losers but that is the spot in which Amazon has placed delivery companies: invest, bleed money, and try to hold your breath until profitability at the end of the pool. Or, it may be ocean. It’s possible that the time to recoup investments will be too ... ...
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Wednesday, July 24
Need help creating social media posts? Read Diane Seidle’s Tableware Today article to learn about Canva, Wave, and Stencil.
https://tablewaretoday.com/
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Need help creating social media posts? Read Diane Seidle’s Tableware Today article to learn about Canva, Wave, and Stencil.
https://tablewaretoday.com/
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Wednesday, July 24
Amazon makes returns easy. Macy's has followed suit and now does the same. What are you doing to make returns easier?
Check out this handy chart showing what department stores do for delivery and returns. Ninety-two percent of stores send a shipping confirmation email, but only 31% tell you the estimated delivery day. Regarding returns, 69% email a customer that a package has been received, but only 38% email a customer when the refund has been processed.
L2 shares some best practices for ... ...
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Amazon makes returns easy. Macy's has followed suit and now does the same. What are you doing to make returns easier?
Check out this handy chart showing what department stores do for delivery and returns. Ninety-two percent of stores send a shipping confirmation email, but only 31% tell you the estimated delivery day. Regarding returns, 69% email a customer that a package has been received, but only 38% email a customer when the refund has been processed.
L2 shares some best practices for ... ...
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Monday, July 22
Think your rent is too high? Ask Barney’s. San Francisco, Miami, and Manhattan rents amongst others are toppling retailers, shares today’s WSJ.
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Think your rent is too high? Ask Barney’s. San Francisco, Miami, and Manhattan rents amongst others are toppling retailers, shares today’s WSJ.
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Sunday, July 21
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 store’s ... ...
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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 store’s ... ...
Read More
Sunday, July 21
New feature:
Your product pages now look better. Previously, when a customer viewed items that lacked product pictures, your software would show a 'coming soon' image placeholder. Now, your software shows the item's brand logo.
In the example shown, the software is outputting the Tizo, Match, Chilewich, and Grainware logos.
If a brand does not have a logo in our system, then a coming soon picture will still appear for an item lacking a picture. Since Babcock Exclusives brand does not have a logo ... ...
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New feature:
Your product pages now look better. Previously, when a customer viewed items that lacked product pictures, your software would show a 'coming soon' image placeholder. Now, your software shows the item's brand logo.
In the example shown, the software is outputting the Tizo, Match, Chilewich, and Grainware logos.
If a brand does not have a logo in our system, then a coming soon picture will still appear for an item lacking a picture. Since Babcock Exclusives brand does not have a logo ... ...
Read More
Thursday, July 18
Do you offer college students a gift registry? Allison Zisko encourages you to in this month’s HFN. The average college room decorating bill is $942, just shy of what the average wedding registry produces in sales. Ms. Zisko shares that Amazon is making big inroads and investments in the college market. What are you doing to keep pace?
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Do you offer college students a gift registry? Allison Zisko encourages you to in this month’s HFN. The average college room decorating bill is $942, just shy of what the average wedding registry produces in sales. Ms. Zisko shares that Amazon is making big inroads and investments in the college market. What are you doing to keep pace?
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Thursday, July 18
Is Amazon abusing its power? The EU is going to investigate, shares today’s WSJ.
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Is Amazon abusing its power? The EU is going to investigate, shares today’s WSJ.
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Wednesday, July 17
What is your abandoned cart rate? This and other factors arose in a shipping survey conducted by BigCommerce.
Some survey findings:
+ Fifty-eight percent stopped shopping certain retailers because of a negative shipping experience.
+ Amazon Prime has set a high bar with free two-day shipping. In the past 12 months, 84 percent of global survey respondents made an online purchase specifically because it offered free shipping, and half said they avoid shopping with retailers that don’t offer free ... ...
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What is your abandoned cart rate? This and other factors arose in a shipping survey conducted by BigCommerce.
Some survey findings:
+ Fifty-eight percent stopped shopping certain retailers because of a negative shipping experience.
+ Amazon Prime has set a high bar with free two-day shipping. In the past 12 months, 84 percent of global survey respondents made an online purchase specifically because it offered free shipping, and half said they avoid shopping with retailers that don’t offer free ... ...
Read More
Monday, July 15
Is offering a big sale in July a good idea? With the competition offering this, I don’t know that a store can afford not to. Today’s Times ponders this (theoretical?) question, which can be read here:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/07/15/business/amazon-prime-day.amp.html
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Is offering a big sale in July a good idea? With the competition offering this, I don’t know that a store can afford not to. Today’s Times ponders this (theoretical?) question, which can be read here:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/07/15/business/amazon-prime-day.amp.html
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Saturday, July 13
Thank you for attending our July gift registry seminar. A special thanks to Kathy Pitts and Diana Duffy at Skyros for hosting us. Nice to see you: Susan, Hal, Tish, Bob, Laura, Melinda, and many more :)
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Thank you for attending our July gift registry seminar. A special thanks to Kathy Pitts and Diana Duffy at Skyros for hosting us. Nice to see you: Susan, Hal, Tish, Bob, Laura, Melinda, and many more :)
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Friday, July 12
What if we could remove all the no’s and can’ts? I think we can ? See you at tonight’s seminar to share how.
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What if we could remove all the no’s and can’ts? I think we can ? See you at tonight’s seminar to share how.
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Sunday, July 7
Here’s a new idea: a wedding website after the event can become a ‘thank you’ site and share what happened. This idea and more can be gleamed from this weekend’s Times article about building a wedding website.
The Times suggests a couple could self-host a website and have a website designer custom build it, but I’d highly discourage that as it’s very time consuming and expensive. Aren’t weddings already enough of this? :)
Using a wedding site platform that is hosted by the provider is the way to ... ...
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Here’s a new idea: a wedding website after the event can become a ‘thank you’ site and share what happened. This idea and more can be gleamed from this weekend’s Times article about building a wedding website.
The Times suggests a couple could self-host a website and have a website designer custom build it, but I’d highly discourage that as it’s very time consuming and expensive. Aren’t weddings already enough of this? :)
Using a wedding site platform that is hosted by the provider is the way to ... ...
Read More
Tuesday, July 2
There are millions of indie stores in the world who don’t get to succeed online. They get ripped off by web designers and coders, pay more in local taxes than big tech companies, don’t have access to cheap money from Wall St. (like big tech companies), and can’t protect themselves from hackers looking to steal credit cards. They are prevented them from running their business, helping their customers, and servicing their communities. Due to these expenses and obstacles, their websites often don’t... ...
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There are millions of indie stores in the world who don’t get to succeed online. They get ripped off by web designers and coders, pay more in local taxes than big tech companies, don’t have access to cheap money from Wall St. (like big tech companies), and can’t protect themselves from hackers looking to steal credit cards. They are prevented them from running their business, helping their customers, and servicing their communities. Due to these expenses and obstacles, their websites often don’t... ...
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Tuesday, July 2
Good news: your indie store just gained some ground on Amazon.
About 60% of Amazon sales are via third-party sellers. They pass thru what it calls the 'marketplace.' These Amazon purchases have not historically been taxed because the purchase is made from a business in one state and shipped to another state. But that loophole started to close last year when the Supreme Court ruled that states can collect tax on these types of Internet purchases.
Many state laws have acted on that Supreme ... ...
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Good news: your indie store just gained some ground on Amazon.
About 60% of Amazon sales are via third-party sellers. They pass thru what it calls the 'marketplace.' These Amazon purchases have not historically been taxed because the purchase is made from a business in one state and shipped to another state. But that loophole started to close last year when the Supreme Court ruled that states can collect tax on these types of Internet purchases.
Many state laws have acted on that Supreme ... ...
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Tuesday, July 2
Carol Shroeder, owner of a gift shop, a retail expert, and a Bridge member, shared this advice about inventory:
....................................
Markdowns = Money
“Don’t let inventory become family” is one of my favorite retail sayings. We all know the feeling of bringing in merchandise because we love it, hoping that just the right customer will come in who loves it too. It’s sometimes hard to accept the fact that it is costing the shop money to hold onto an item that isn’t selling.
This ... ...
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Carol Shroeder, owner of a gift shop, a retail expert, and a Bridge member, shared this advice about inventory:
....................................
Markdowns = Money
“Don’t let inventory become family” is one of my favorite retail sayings. We all know the feeling of bringing in merchandise because we love it, hoping that just the right customer will come in who loves it too. It’s sometimes hard to accept the fact that it is costing the shop money to hold onto an item that isn’t selling.
This ... ...
Read More
Friday, June 28
Amazon may falsey report low stock and raise prices after you add an item to your shopping, shares David Streitfeld in today’s Times.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/06/28/reader-center/amazon-counterfeit-book-browsing.amp.html
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Amazon may falsey report low stock and raise prices after you add an item to your shopping, shares David Streitfeld in today’s Times.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/06/28/reader-center/amazon-counterfeit-book-browsing.amp.html
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Friday, June 28
Amazon is trying to make online ordering addictive, so that it partnered with a drug store for pick up is appropriate.
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Amazon is trying to make online ordering addictive, so that it partnered with a drug store for pick up is appropriate.
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Wednesday, June 26
I’m just back from the Dallas show. I met with some wonderful people from the mart and they’re ready to go digital.
In general, I’m seeing that more market buildings are finally taking digital seriously. Why are they finally doing so? Because Amazon is nipping at their retailers heels? Because Zola is stealing the indie store’s registry business? No. Sadly, the main thing that brought the markets up to speed on the weather outside is: their own livelihood. Faire, a startup tech company ... ...
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I’m just back from the Dallas show. I met with some wonderful people from the mart and they’re ready to go digital.
In general, I’m seeing that more market buildings are finally taking digital seriously. Why are they finally doing so? Because Amazon is nipping at their retailers heels? Because Zola is stealing the indie store’s registry business? No. Sadly, the main thing that brought the markets up to speed on the weather outside is: their own livelihood. Faire, a startup tech company ... ...
Read More
Tuesday, June 25
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 ;)
Visit our friends at The Containery:
https://thecontainery.bridgecatalog.com/
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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 ;)
Visit our friends at The Containery:
https://thecontainery.bridgecatalog.com/
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Bridge in the News
December 2016
HFN Magazine: $2 Million Milestone
HFN shares that Bridge has doubled year-over-year sales processed for clients.
November 2015
HFN Magazine: $1 Million Milestone
HFN highlights Bridge's handling of $1 million in online gift registry sales in 2015.
May 2015
HFN Magazine: E-commerce Update
Allison Zisko interviews Jason Solarek about Bridge's new services.
December 2016
HFN Magazine: $2 Million Milestone
HFN shares that Bridge has doubled year-over-year sales processed for clients.
November 2015
HFN Magazine: $1 Million Milestone
HFN highlights Bridge's handling of $1 million in online gift registry sales in 2015.
May 2015
HFN Magazine: E-commerce Update
Allison Zisko interviews Jason Solarek about Bridge's new services.