grassrootsy

Storenvy…it’s like Facebook for Vendors

As a writer for this blog, I get so excited when I come across a new “grassrootsy” resource for musicians. Storenvy has dubbed itself “the social store community.”  Not only do they provide a platform for independent artists and creators to sell their merchandise, but they do it free of charge, they integrate social networks like facebook and twitter, and they offer customers a chance to donate to charity. It’s social trending at its best.  Thanks to singer-songwriter Aaron Hale for passing it on, whether he knows it or not.

I spent the weekend setting up a holiday store for my personal merchandise and took some time to familiarize myself with what they do. So here’s what you need to know about Storenvy…

1. It really is like Facebook for Vendors. Storenvy has created a beautifully woven network of customers.  Shoppers can “like” or retweet items to appear in their social networks. But that’s only a very tiny piece of the pie.  With the use of features such as their own unique follow button, shoppers are informed anytime you update your store with new product.

2. Storenvy opens the door to new fans. By way of a feature they’ve called “markets”, shoppers can learn about your merchandise simply by showing interest in a specific genre of swag. For example, if a shopper subscribes to the  ”Small Business” market, they become part of a community of entrepreneurs who are selling their merchandise through the site.   If they subscribe to the “Singer-songwriter” market, they become part of a community of singer-songwriter sellers.

3. You don’t have to make fans to sell merch. Keeping with #2, customers can buy your merchandise simply because they clicked the “Men’s Apparel” category and found you among all the other men’s clothing on the site. When you’re setting up the store, you can even get as specific as listing whether your bands T-shirt is V-neck, long-sleeve, crew-neck…etc.  The more specific, the better chance a customer has of buying your stuff.  The idea is a pretty cool one because you and I both know that in most cases, fans usually only visit our store because they’ve found it through our website(s) or have been to a show.

4. Excellent Stats! I’m a stats junkie so this sold me (along with #6). Storenvy’s stats are right on the money. They’ll tell you how much dough your store has brought in, rank your items according to what’s been most-viewed and most-bought, they’ll keep track of page hits, page referrals, and more.

5. User-Friendly. Make no mistake. It will take some time to set up your store, but setup is straightforward. The site is html-friendly so if you know your code, you can really hook it up. They use Paypal…so even though they don’t charge a fee, Paypal will take its standard percentage.  On the other end of things, Storenvy is a shopping center that is just as easy for customers to sift through.

6. They’re not selfish. This was the other selling point for me. At the checkout counter, customers have an opportunity to donate $1 to a charity. Its a simple thing that will create alot of change. Seeing as there are thousands of stores on this site, my assumption is that they’ve raise alot of mula.

Here’s an example of what my store looks like.

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