Blog

Ashley's top five Halloween seasonal products
September 20, 2023
10 view(s)

Ashley's top five Halloween seasonal products

The mornings are foggy and the air is crisp. Leaves are changing color and covering the ground. The holiday season is upon us. Soon you’ll hear clattering and jingling along with the sound of hooves… Santa?! No silly, it’s not Christmas time yet. It’s the Headless Horseman, it’s Halloween Season!

The psychology of why we buy souvenirs to remember our favorite places
September 12, 2023
14 view(s)

The psychology of why we buy souvenirs to remember our favorite places

Each time we return home from our travels, we typically bring something special back with us to help recall the memories we made there. What is a souvenir? Regardless of what the physical product takes the form of, it is simply a tangible reminder of an experience that you have had, like a vacation or a daytrip or a special occasion. These souvenirs can help you relive the positive emotions that are tied to that memory.

June 22, 2023
112 view(s)

Case Study: Local Marketplace, PA Wilds

PA Wilds launches a local marketplace to connect socially-conscious consumers with products proudly made in the Pennsylvania Wilds Region.

June 19, 2023
115 view(s)

Community Marketplaces

An online marketplace is an eCommerce site that sells products and services from multiple sellers. In contrast with drop shipping, marketplaces operate through a revenue-sharing model and allow the customer to interact directly with the maker. Site owners curate and develop strong relationships with their sellers without having to hold and manage inventory or product listings.

Enterprise-level marketplaces can easily cost over a million dollars to develop. And, once they’re built, a team of developers and operational staff is needed to keep it running. MakerPlace, on the other hand, is an affordable eCommerce platform tailored specifically to regional and niche eCommerce needs.

June 14, 2023
112 view(s)

Sorting Product Categories by Diversity-Based “Relevance”

One of the first things users look for when shopping is catalog diversity. Users will quickly judge the category to determine if it is likely to have the product(s) they are looking for based on the first few products shown.

June 14, 2023
115 view(s)

My Marketplace Strategy: Go Niche

The a16z Marketplace 100 series explores the increasingly—more than ever over the past year - emergence of a narrower, fast-growing type of marketplace: verticalized marketplaces that succeed by better serving an industry niche.

June 14, 2023
109 view(s)

Marketplace Mayhem: A New Challenge for Brand Identity Kits

Marketplaces like Amazon struggled to attract high-end brands afraid of damaging their image or confusing customers. That is changing.

June 14, 2023
114 view(s)

The Importance of a Curated, Community-Driven Marketplace

We believe that curated, community-driven marketplaces are the future. And here's why.

Top 10 Gifts for the 2021 Holidays
October 5, 2021
139 view(s)

Top 10 Gifts for the 2021 Holidays

The 2021 holiday season will soon be here and retailers are already starting their holiday planning. To help you prepare for the upcoming holiday season we’ve compiled a list of trending products and a few tips and tricks to make this a year the best one yet.

Sourcing Products While Tradeshows Close
May 7, 2020
173 view(s)

Sourcing Products While Tradeshows Close

As the COVID-19 crisis continues to evolve, the commerce landscape is seeing tectonic shifts. From the International Home & Housewares Show in Chicago to the Natural Food Expo West, nearly every major 2020 tradeshow has been postponed or altogether canceled. These cancelations leave store owners in need of alternative sources for finding new products.