Tracey Baker didn’t know what was about to hit the retail sector — and the world, for that matter — when she set out on a path to increase the digital footprint of her Zuzu Fashion Boutique in downtown Barrie.
Her goal was not to set up an e-commerce store, but to increase Zuzu’s profile on Instagram and Facebook.
“It was my intention to keep growing the number of followers,” she said. “It’s very experiential here.
“I knew I had to up my game, but I wasn’t sure how to do it.”
When COVID-19 resulted in a global pandemic, forcing widespread closure of everything deemed non-essential, Baker had just started on Digital Main Street, a program supported by the provincial and federal governments to help small businesses work on their digital presence.
Through a $2,500 grant, Baker was able to get some training and help to expand the store’s presence beyond Barrie, throughout central Ontario and some points farther out.
When the store closed and Baker was unable to welcome customers and hold her customary events, she was equipped to continue her events through Facebook Live and continued to work daily.
Her first event, Jewelry Jam, was a hit, even though she accidentally used her personal Facebook account instead of Zuzu's. So, she held another she called Jewelry Jam 2.0 on the Zuzu account and attracted just as many people, and sales.
“We ended up selling a lot of jewelry,” said Baker, adding that she happily delivered little packages to customers.
That was followed by Dress It Up, a Facebook Live event highlighting the dresses in the store that were on sale, and three others, each focusing on products that she carries.
And with audience sizes of around 30 people, many remaining on until the end, the Facebook Live events were able to attract more than the 20 or so people the store can comfortably accommodate.
Baker didn’t make bucketloads of money; the store still lost out because of the closure. But her goal was to keep Zuzu relevant to its clientele. Baker didn’t want to be forgotten during the closures.
Even with reopening, Baker intends to continue doing videos and live shows on social media.
While she has embraced the interactive approach available through the internet, other shop owners, downtown and elsewhere, are being encouraged to sell their wares online or at least increase their online presence.
And there’s help available.
Through a partnership with Digital Main Street city officials launched the ShopHERE program in Barrie. As part of Barrie’s COVID-19 Economic Recovery Action Plan, the federally funded program is meant to provide 50,000 business owners across Canada with an e-commerce capable website, for free.
The city’s Digital Service Squad has also launched a virtual learning series. The three-part webinar focuses on social media, website development and visitor analytics.
A third program, Going Digital, aims to provide free digital assessments to business owners. It connects them with local digital agencies that could help with their online presence.
The Downtown Barrie Business Association is also encouraging member businesses to use the HeyLocal platform to sell their wares online with the help of some seed funding. Local merchants took part in their first webinar this week to get an introduction to the platform.
“We will help our members get on the platform, it’s free for them for the first year,” said BIA executive director Kelly McKenna.
Given the increased reliance upon online shopping since so many shops were so abruptly closed in March when the governments declared a state of emergency, traditional shops are learning they can expand their reach by going online.
McKenna suggests it’s almost critical for stores to at least have some kind of internet presence.
“I think online is going to be a really key part with businesses,” she said. “They really need to adjust how they sell. A lot of people are shopping online.”
A Barrie businessman has another option available to merchants.
David Sopuch runs Avetti Commerce, which focuses on providing an ecommerce platform for large, worldwide companies.
During recent months the company has expanded upon that concept and developed an opportunity for smaller shops to sell up to 100 items online through openforbusinessmarketplace.ca. Avetti had funding from the Canada Summer Jobs program for five students to help get the word out, said Sopuch.
The idea is to provide the first 1,000 shops access for free in hopes that it will expand.
“This is our first attempt to talk to businesses in Canada,” he said. “This is so much more fun.”
Its pages are simply organized, providing links to farmers' markets, retail stores, restaurants, businesses, and sellers.
“As this grows, this will become an extension of our business.”
Zuzu, meanwhile, has reopened, extending from its initial limited hours. But Baker intends to continue presenting events through Facebook Live and videos.
“It’s a much more integral part of my business,” she said. “It gave me an opportunity to get to people farther afield.
“For me, that’s been a huge shift.”
