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Virtual Downtown: Your Local Retail MarketplaceA virtual downtown is like visiting a shopping mall or downtown – but online.
Each participating retailer/tourist attraction operator/service provider will have its own virtual storefront. A visitor can browse along the pathway, and then explore products and services within a particular store, or search across stores in the same product category. In the past few years, there have been significant changes in Canada’s retail landscape. Some national chains have either closed their doors or merged with another company. Canadian consumers are turning more and more to retailers that offer products on-line. In some instances, consumers visit a brick-and-mortar store to view the product and then purchase the product from an on-line competitor. Or, some consumers will drive away from their local community to find a better deal. The Virtual Downtown provides you the retailer/tourist attraction operator/ service provider with an online branch-location to enable you to attract new customers and retain existing ones. Moreover, you will be part of a synergistic cluster of other retailers/service providers. You can direct online visitors to your physical location or make the sale online. How is the Virtual Downtown different than other on-line marketplaces? On a national retailer's page, the third party retailer typically appears as simply "sold and shipped by ..." along with a very brief vendor profile. Here, each retailer / service provider has a storefront to showcase / demo products, post a downloadable flyer, show a promo video and engage in conversation, and thereby build their brand. Your turnkey solution -- without a huge I/T investment. Contact us to learn more about renting a virtual storefront and e-commerce solutions. |
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