In our Shop Local article series, we talk to retailers, town centre managers and passionate people about what makes their local area unique and how they’re spreading the word within and beyond their community.
We spoke to Hellen Wilkins, Manager at Destination Orewa Beach, about the unique coastal lifestyle of Orewa and the shop local initiatives in the area, as well as how they are responding to their evolving environment and audience. (more…)
GoRetail is a collaborative programme of strategies to keep the Gore CBD strong and ensure Gore remains a great place to do business.
The initiative certainly has the town talking. Watch the video to see the positive impact GoRetail is having towards making Gore the most commercially resilient provincial town in New Zealand. (more…)
Storbie is passionate about people finding and buying local products and services. In our Shop Local article series, we talk to retailers, town centre managers and passionate people about what makes their local area unique and how they’re spreading the word within and beyond their community.
With nearly a third of Kiwis now using a smartphone to find local information, Howick Village in Auckland knows it is important to provide local businesses, residents and visitors with a tool that facilitates local engagement on mobile devices. We spoke to Jenny Foster, Howick Village Business Association Manager, about how exciting town events combined with digital channels work together to promote Howick’s unique combination of heritage town and boutique shopping destination. Read on to see the types of town promotions that are working for Howick. (more…)
Retailers whose business and products are more visible online attract more customers into their store. It’s not just about online sales.
88% of consumers who search for a type of local business on a mobile device call or go to that business within 24 hours.
How can retailers be visible online in ways that support physical retail? (more…)
Storbie is passionate about people finding and buying local products and services. In our Shop Local article series, we talk to retailers, town centre managers and passionate people about what makes their local area unique and how they’re spreading the word within and beyond their community.
Consumers want to purchase locally-made goods and support local businesses, and they are doing more and more product research online and on-the-go before stepping in store to purchase. These are two trends that business associations can take advantage of in their marketing, says Sandy Turner, General Manager of the Hamilton Central Business Association (HCBA). Turner says digital channels are a vital way to get these products in front of consumers and influence buyer behaviour. She explains how HCBA’s marketing efforts combine digital and traditional methods and why the new Hamilton Central online marketplace website is a key part of the Hamilton digital strategy.
A common perception is that online is just a sales channel that detracts from brick-and-mortar sales, however research shows that digital interactions in fact have a huge influence on in store sales (called web-influenced sales) and buying behaviour. (more…)
Why do competing businesses the world over cluster together in the same place? Go to New York’s Fifth Avenue and you’ll find Saks, Abercrombie & Fitch and Gucci all vying for your attention. Head down to the waterfront in Auckland and you’ll find a line-up of restaurants complete with an eager maître d’ trying to entice you in.
Less glamorous but equally relevant, if you are looking to tile your bathroom in Wellington, you’ll head down to the ‘tile mile’ at the bottom of Ngaio Gorge where you’ll find a whole swag of tiling businesses parked right next to each other.
The reason for this is that when competing or complementary businesses band together in a cluster, whether that be Fifth Avenue, the Auckland Waterfront or even the tongue-in-cheek ‘tile mile’, everyone benefits from increased sales. The best of these clusters become brands in their own right. (more…)
Business collectives (i.e. when competing or complementary businesses band together) are trending. A recent notable example is New Zealand craft breweries with Wellington brewers Yeastie Boys and Tuatara Breweries, Renaissance Brewing from Blenheim, 8 Wired Brewing Co from Warkworth and Three Boys Brewery from Christchurch recently forming the New Zealand Craft Beer Collective to help market their brands to Asia.
So what can retailers do to ensure they are ready to take advantage of this trend? (more…)
Credit: Colin Taylor, NZ Herald
Storbie has been featured in an article which looks at how online shopping is changing the retail landscape, as retailers must evolve in order to service the ‘omni-shopper’. Storbie’s development of the Hamilton Central marketplace is a leading example in the evolution of retail which sees a merge between the physical and online worlds. (more…)
Credit: Retail News
Retail News has shared Shane’s insights into why retailers need to build an online presence in order to support their physical stores. Shane explains that with easy-to-use online tools, retailers can focus efforts on increasing visibility and using smart marketing tactics to increase sales, online and offline. (more…)
There is an increasing need for pharmacies to build an online presence, with a particular focus on ensuring a superior mobile experience, says Shane Bartle, CEO of ecommerce company Storbie.
If pharmacies do not have an adequate online presence, they could be missing out on sales through their physical store.
“People think an online store is just another channel to make money. Don’t think of it that way – think of it as much more integrated to the buying habits of your customers.”
A survey found 69% of smartphone owners would use their device for shopping while on holiday, including 62% using their phone to find store locations and 50% getting product information, he says.
Bartle was a speaker at the 2015 Pharmacy Business Network (PBN) and will be speaking at PBN again in 2017, drawing on his expertise and knowledge in the field of ecommerce and multi-channel retail to inform pharmacy owners and managers as to the importance of having an online presence.
His insights are informed by what is happening in the consumer health market, looking at how it is changing and how pharmacies can adapt in order to attract and retain the modern consumer. (more…)
