Amanda Alexander, founder of Giddy Goat Toys in Didsbury, credits online marketplace DownYourHighStreet (DYHS) as having saved her business.
Like many thousands of others, her small independent shop (left) had to close, a year ago today on 23 March 2020, when the first UK lockdown was announced.
According to the retailer, the business was ‘ticking over nicely’ prior to the announcement, with the majority of toys and book sales being made in-store. Less than £100 a month came from online sales.
Fast forward a few weeks later and, by April, sales via DYHS were reportedly ‘through the roof’.
DYHS’ omnichannel approach means it’s only available to retailers with a physical shop. The free to join, low commission online marketplace, was founded by Dan Whytock to support the high street’s independent outlets. Since the start of the pandemic its added over 200 retailers to its platform.
Alexander said: “Our sales started to hit £4,000 – £5,000 per month – all direct from DownYourHighStreet.com.
“We were rushed off our feet – and utterly thrilled. We went from worrying that the business may have to close, to having our best month ever.
“The feedback we got from DYHS customers reflected that they liked being able to buy off an independent business. In particular, they loved that they could actually speak to me via the ‘phone if they needed advice or receive an email response to any stock or delivery queries quickly.
“DownYourHighStreet saved my business.
“The online sales via the site generated enough to cover the revenue we lost when we had to close the shop for lockdown. But it’s more than just the sales, I also love being part of something again, of being able to call Dan and his team to chat or ask questions.
“For many small businesses, lockdown became a very lonely place – I was lucky to have DYHS to support me and be my ‘team’. I really like the ethos of the organisation and the people within it, it’s made a big, and positive, difference to my lockdown experience.
“Funnily enough it’s also meant I had to recruit extra people to help out once we reopened after the first lockdown, as we had to run both a shop and an online business.
“Thanks to the flexible furlough scheme I hope that we will be able to keep all our staff on going forwards, as we continue to serve both local people and deliver to our online customers too.”
Dan Whytock adds: “Working with indie retailers like Amanda is what we love doing. Every small shop needs an online presence but trying to create and manage that yourself can be prohibitive.
“Since the start of the first lockdown we’ve signed up over 200 independent retailers to the platform and helped to save many of them from having to close permanently – which would be a disaster for our High Streets.”
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