How To Leverage Online Tools During the COVID-19 Crisis

Use ShopBrantford.com to make a quick e-commerce shop and sell gift cards online

COVID-19 will change our lives in countless ways over the next few weeks. For all of us as small business owners, there is a pressing economic concern. Our customers will, appropriately, be changing their shopping habits. Some of those changes will be temporary, and some might become a “new normal” over time. 

It’s more important than ever that we communicate effectively with customers online. You may be considering selling online or taking online payments for home delivery. You may be looking for more ways to communicate your business updates, in-stock items and changes you’ve implemented to make your business safe and welcoming during this time.

ShopBrantford.com is here to help.

E-Commerce, E-Gift Cards, Newsletters & More

We are offering the complimentary use of our platform including five e-commerce listings, newsletter tools, online payment options and e-gift cards for local business for at least 30 days of the COVID-19 crisis. 

If you’d like to start selling online right away here are the steps you should take:

1. Make sure you’ve added your business to the ShopBrantford.com directory here: https://shopbrantford.com/add/
2. Email info@shopbrantford.com to ask us to give you free access to our Intro package. 
3. Setup your online shop using these instructions: How to Add a Marketplace Item
4. Arrange for delivery or pick-up of the items in your store (this part we can’t help you with).
5. Share the link to your new ‘Shop’ or ‘Products’ page on your ShopBrantford.com profile with your customers (see an example here). 

Please note: we do not collect a portion of online sales made through our site. We do use PayPal for payment processing and they collect 2.9% from each sale.


If you’d like to start selling online gift cards here are the steps you should take:

1. Make sure you’ve added your business to the ShopBrantford.com directory here: https://shopbrantford.com/add/ (if not done before).
2. Email info@shopbrantford.com to ask us to give you free access to our Intro package (if not done before). 
3. Setup your online shop using these instructions: Activate Gift Certificates
4. Share the link to your new ‘eGift Cards” page on your ShopBrantford.com profile with your customers. (see how it looks here)

Please note: We do take a 5% processing fee from gift card sales – this fee goes directly to paying for the staff who distribute payments from the gift cards to you and our support team who are here to help you verify gift cards when they are redeemed. Gift cards are not paid out as they come in, we process bulk payments for gift card sales on the 15^th of the month. Please take the time to read our Terms & Conditions during the activation process. 


Your profile also includes access to our posting tool (with forwarding to Twitter and Facebook), business e-newsletter functionality, featured status in our  search engine, a link to your website and more. 
 

Webinar on ShopBrantford.com Tools

ShopBrantford.com Owner Avery Moore Kloss will be hosting a free webinar on how to get the most from the ShopBrantford.com profile we are offering to you at no cost for the next 30 days. Tune in at 2:00pm on Tuesday, March 17^th at this link: join.me/brantfordbrantbiz. We will post the link to the webinar recoding here after the live cast is over. RSVP to the webinar on Facebook if you want reminders ahead of time –  Yes! I’m in the for the Webinar. 
 

#CommunityFirst

We know how unsure and scary things are right now – we are living it too as small business owners. We will be busy with requests, but we will do everything we can to support small business in our community. We have to put community first right now, so please let us know how we can help. 

Wishing you wellness and community in tough times. 

Avery Moore Kloss & Jamie Carnegie