How To Leverage Online Tools During The COVID-19 Crisis
ShopThunderBay.com is here to help local businesses set up a quick e-commerce shop, sell gift cards online, update your hours, expand your social media reach and offers many other important tools for online success.
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. To keep your business viable when foot traffic is reduced to near zero, you may be considering issuing gift cards, selling your products or services, or taking payments online 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.
ShopThunderBay.com is here to help and is making an effort to help all small businesses. We have several useful features that can be accessed at NO CHARGE for businesses that qualify (must be locally owned and operated). ShopThunderBay.com also offers upgraded profiles at nominal costs which can literally have you transacting business online in minutes.
E-Gift Cards
If you’d like to start selling online gift cards here’s how you get started:
1. Make sure your business is added to the ShopThunderBay.com directory here: shopthunderbay.com/add (if not done before).
2. Setup your online shop using these instructions: Activate Gift Certificates
3. Share the link to your new ‘eGift Cards” page on your ShopThunderBay.com profile with your customers.
Please note: For upgraded (paid) profiles, there is a 5% processing fee from gift card sales. For free profiles, the fee is 10% of the gift card purchase. This fee goes directly to covering payment processing fees, as well as costs to 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 15th of the month. Please take the time to read our Terms & Conditions during the activation process.
E-Commerce & More
To maximize your e-commerce ability and allow you to sell products and take payments online, you’ll need one of our upgraded offerings. Here are some steps you should take:
1. Make sure you’ve added your business to the ShopThunderBay.com directory here: shopthunderbay.com/add
2. If you're in a free package, contact us at darrin@shopthunderbay.com OR (807) 472-7228.
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.
5. Share the link to your new ‘Shop’ or ‘Products’ page on your ShopThunderBay.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. The transaction is made through PayPal’s secure online payment system, PayPal terms and conditions are in effect.
Bonus: Please remember to update your ShopThunderBay.com profile with opening hours if they are changing day to day. As always, you can always post updates to our Newsfeed on our homepage on the main Dashboard under “What’s New?”. We will be sharing links to our site to help keeping consumers informed.
#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.
Contact me at darrin@shopthunderbay.com, (807) 472-2778. I’m happy to help in any way I can.
