Small and local businesses are a big deal! JPMorgan Chase reports that over 99% of America’s 28.7 million firms are small businesses, and they make up an incredibly wide range of opportunities for distributors and decorators.
About Local Business
Learning how to service small and local businesses can be a big win for distributors and decorators. Not only is it a business opportunity, but it’s a chance to service the industry, support local, and build lasting relationships in the community.
Local businesses are an essential part of the economy, and they employ nearly half of the American population. The sense of community with small and local businesses makes them a great fit for fostering relationships and providing 1:1 expertise.
Local businesses to consider servicing could include:
- Cleaning services
- Lawn care and landscaping
- Gyms and fitness studios
- Restaurants, pubs, cafes, bars, and markets
- Lawyers, CPA’s, and insurance agents
- Animal groomers, daycare facilities, and shelters
- Local competitions and events
- Educational and tutoring services
- Local artists, musicians, and comedians
- Shelters for youth, women, and homeless
- Churches and religious organizations
- Sport, youth, and summer camps
- Salons and spas
Online Store Use Cases
Small and local businesses are often overlooked for online store opportunities. Stand out against the competition by offering online stores (or online pop-up stores) as a viable technology solution for a variety of circumstances. Here are a few of the most common use cases we’ve seen for online stores with local businesses:
Merchandise Sales: Customers of local businesses may want to purchase items that help them rep their favorites, like gyms, coffee shops, and camps.
Employee Appreciation: Reward employees with a holiday store or employee appreciation gifts after a well-deserved quarter or year.
Rallying Community: Support local businesses and rally the community around a cause by offering fundraising opportunities.
Seasonal Options: Keep up with changing seasons and shifting trends by offering limited-time seasonal or trending apparel and products.
New Branding: Support local businesses updating their branding with an easy online store containing newly-branded products for employees to order.
Updating Items: Take orders for business cards, client gifts, banners, and other business-related items in limited periods of time to encourage sales and simulate bulk orders.
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Product Suggestions
Comfy, layer-worthy apparel performed best across small and local business stores, followed closely by business-specific items (i.e. aprons and closed-top cups for restaurant employee stores). Marketing these online stores as limited-time products and sprinkling in trending items with top-performers will help to drive sales.
The following products are top-sellers across all online stores for local businesses, according to OMG data:
- Fleece pullovers
- Hoodies
- Soft tees
- Long sleeve tees
- Workout tanks
- Caps and hats
Additional products that could be considered for these online stores include:
- Polos, vests, and cardigans
- Backpacks, totes, and duffle bags
- Pet accessories
- Blankets
- Tumblers
- Earbuds or headphones
- Laptop or tablet sleeves
- Luxury items
Sample Stores & OMG Features
As generally smaller order sizes, bulky and high-cost websites may not be the most cost-effective option for servicing local businesses. OMG’s low-risk, low-cost platform makes it easy to offer online stores as an eCommerce solution to any client (especially small and local businesses), which will help you stand out against the competition.
Click on the sample stores below to take a look!
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| Java Moon Coffee |
Zen Yoga |
Luxury Cleaning Services |
OMG features specifically designed to support online stores for local businesses include:
Product Bundles: Simple product bundles make it easy for customers to grab what they need in a snap! Whether it’s new employee uniform packs or fan-favorite bundles, there are a variety of ways to streamline the shopping experience with this feature.
Shipping Options: Make it simple for customers to choose how they want to receive their order by offering shipping options like drop-ship location, pick-up in store, or ship-to-home at checkout. Shipping discounts can also be applied as a discount marketing strategy.
Store Deadline: Create urgency to get orders in and maximize sales by setting a store deadline. Not only will this maximize your sales, it will also support you in meeting product minimums, and keeping product order and fulfillment costs low.
Fundraising Tracker: Use powerful social proof to encourage customers to fundraise towards a cause or inspire last-minute purchases. Plus, OMG’s per-product fundraising, countdown timer, and report functionality makes it super simple to include fundraising on any store.
Gift Cards: Show appreciation or provide employee incentives with online stores. Encourage gift cards as a way for companies to appreciate or incentivize employees, while giving employees the chance to purchase additional products on their own dime.
Keep an eye out for our next Industry Insight topic – coming soon!
About OrderMyGear
OrderMyGear is an industry-leading sales tool, empowering dealers, distributors, decorators, and brands to create custom online pop-up stores to sell branded products and apparel. Since 2008, OMG has been on a mission to simplify the process of selling customized merchandise to groups and improve the ordering experience. With easy-to-use tools, comprehensive reporting, and unmatched support, the OMG platform powers online stores for over 3,000 clients generating more than $1 billion in online sales. Learn more at www.ordermygear.com.
Media Contact: Lauren Seip | lauren.seip@ordermygear.com | 281-756-7915
