bake - November 2016 - 12

management

A New Way to Sell
What if an easier way to prosper in the online marketplace
existed without requiring your bakery spend a lot of money
in development costs? A new concept called SharedMall is
being touted by Chambers of Commerce in 15 US states for
small businesses to enhance online capabilities through instant
access to advanced shopping cart capabilities for local sales
and marketing, at no additional cost.
Several bakeries already are participating. In Vermont, The
Southern Pie Company in Chester offers 16 kinds of pies from
its online shopping cart, where local shoppers can conveniently
buy a delicious 9-inch pie for $20 and schedule a pickup time.
"This is a great perk for any (Chamber) member," says Scott
Blair, owner of the Southern Pie Company and a member of the
Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Select chambers in Arizona, California, Nebraska, Texas and
Vermont are fast-tracking their mall development by partnering
with SharedMall to further incentivize up to 50 businesses from
each state with zero-cost online storefront setup services. To
learn more, visit www.sharedmall.com.

"If there's ever going to
be a credible challenge to
Amazon's leadership in
online retail, this is it."
Dr. Michael Sanders, director of West Texas TMAC

Bakery pre-orders for Forest Fairy Bakery in Washington are
one example of the diverse range of business industries that
are now able to tailor a common e-commerce platform to
their speciﬁc needs, and simultaneously participate alongside
retailers in an online marketplace for the ﬁrst time ever. Based

Select chambers are also pursuing a bold vision to build a

in Issaquah, Washington, Forest Fairy Bakery specializes in

real-time database of all local businesses, goods, services,

artisan breads, cookies, cakes, granola made with whole grains

and promotions, and to launch their community's own search

and local ingredients.

engine, local deals marketplace, loyalty program, and local
shopping mall through the chamber's SharedMall.

Dr. Michael Sanders, who is the director of West Texas
Manufacturing Assistance Center (TMAC) and a master strate-

"SharedMall brings groundbreaking innovation for chambers

gist in consumer-driven business practices and business growth

to increase relevance in the community. It ﬁts our needs to

models, recommends that local businesses and their communi-

provide beneﬁts to our members that do not require in-person

ties come together as one, locally and nationwide, in order to

participation," says Anne Glasscock, chief executive officer for

thrive online in a consumer-driven economy.

the Kaufman Chamber of Commerce in Kaufman, Texas.

"SharedMall brings a new ray of hope for local businesses by

Kaufman Chamber of Commerce and the Okemo Valley

enabling exactly that," Sanders says of the program. "If there's

Regional Chamber of Commerce are among the notable

ever going to be a credible challenge to Amazon's leadership in

chambers leading the pace of innovation with an accelerated

online retail, this is it."

approach to launch their respective SharedMall.

12 < NOV 2016 | bakemag.com
http://www.sharedmall.com http://www.bakemag.com
bake - November 2016

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