Vendor Buddy Program
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Become a Vendor Buddy
Online Store & Event Vendor Pickup Location
Open to All Brick & Mortar Owners & Spirit of the Fair Online & Event Vendors
Currently Southern Oregon
Vendors
Benefits
- No Upfront Costs
- Increased Sales
- Personal Touch
- No Shipping Hassles
- Less Expensive than Shipping
- Faster than Shipping
- Safe from Theft & Damage
- Better Customer Service
- Happier Customers
- Easier Returns & Exchanges
- Virtual Storefront Management Available
- Social Media Marketing & Advertising Available
Brick-and-Mortar Businesses
Benefits
- Increased Visibility
- Increased Traffic
- Increased Sales
- Increased Revenue
- Impact the Local Community
- Grow the Business
- Very Little Extra Work
- Fundraising Opportunities
- Marketing & Advertising Available
- A Lot More!
How It Works
For a Brick-and-Mortar (B&M) business, there are many ways to drive traffic to the storefront. One great way is to become a Local Spirit 365 Vendor Buddy Pickup Location. Online store and event vendors typically don’t have a way to serve local customers and local B&M businesses always have a need for more foot traffic to their storefront. The more potential customers, the better.
For those online and event vendors who do not have a physical storefront, this is the opportunity to partner with a local B&M business for the purposes of conducting business in-person safely and conveniently.
Each participating B&M Vendor Buddy will allow for a limited number of Spirit of the Fair Online & Event Vendors to utilize their space to drop off and pick up products that are sold online through the Spirit of the Fair website, Facebook Store, Facebook Marketplace and Google Listings.
Customers will purchase products and initiate returns online. They will also contact the vendors directly for any customer service related issues. Whenever necessary, the vendors will meet the customers at the designated B&M location to serve them better.
Most customers will choose the free next day pick-up option so that vendors only have to drop off items once per day (most of the time). Customers can also pay a fee to pick up their items on the same day as the purchase (TBD).
Vendor Buddy Program Details
Costs
Vendors
Vendors will receive the First Month Free. After that, the cost is $50/month. No contracts. Cancel anytime.
Brick-and-Mortar
This is a Free Program for B&M Businesses to help local online and event vendors sell more merchandise locally safely, securely and easily and they will receive the many benefits previously mentioned for helping their local community.
Choosing Vendors
Each B&M will have the choice as to which types of vendors they would like to have as a buddy. If they are open to any type of vendor, this will be an option also.
Length of Partnership
Each partnership will be on a month-to-month basis. If a partnership isn’t working out for whatever reason, each partner will have the opportunity to cancel the agreement at any time. Unless there is an escalated reason for terminating the partnership, each partner must give the other a 30-day notice so the other may find a suitable replacement.
Finding Replacements
As long as a 30-day notice is given, there is no need for the notifying partner to find a suitable replacement for the other. However, if both partners agree, and a suitable replacement has been found, there will be no need to fulfill the entire 30 days.
B&M Responsibility
B&M participants will have very little responsibility with regards to time but their role is very important. They will verify each vendor transaction with each customer using an online portal (or shared Google spreadsheet) that’s updated real-time for each pertinent buddy to see. They will check the customer’s ID and/or proof of purchase.
They will mark the items as picked up or returned. Then they will hand over merchandise (or receive for returns). If there are any issues with the order, they will immediately refer the customer to the vendor buddy and will have the option to hand over the merchandise or keep it until the issue is resolved.
B&M Vendor Space
Each participating B&M location must have enough space for each vendor to store only products already sold and/or being exchanged/returned. No vendor merchandise will be stored at the B&M location without the owner’s consent. All returned merchandise must be picked up from the B&M daily.
Vendor Space Requirements
There are two options available. Each vendor shall receive the equivalent of 25 square feet (5’x5’) empty floor space. The other option is a commercial shelving unit with at least 4 shelves if the B&M already has one for the vendor buddy to use or is purchased by the vendor.
Vendor Packaging
Vendors will be required to place merchandise in stackable containers/boxes unless there is a shelving unit.
Package Labeling
All packages must be properly labeled with the customer’s full name, phone #, address and # of packages in the order.
Shipping Outside of the Local Area
Depending on the B&M business type, shipping and receiving may be done at the B&M location or separately. This will be a case-by-case basis since this will not be the responsibility of the B&M.
Number of Vendors at Each B&M
Each B&M may partner with as many vendors as they wish, but it’s highly recommended to stay at less than five in the early stages. Each vendor will not only need at least 25 sq. ft., they will also bring in more traffic to the vendor buddy. Unless the B&M has the staff, too many vendors and customers will not be good customer service on either side.