RetailSpeaks Expands Based on Retailer Requests

By Staff -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 9/25/2007 5:00:00 AM

Minneapolis-- Just five weeks out of the gate, RetailSpeaks -- an online community for independent gift and stationery retailers -- has moved into a new development phase, expanding into two additional forums.

The new forums include three separate niches: Bricks I, for storefront operations with at least three years’ experience; Bricks II, for storefront operations with less than three years’ experience; and Clicks, for retailers whose presence is entirely online.

The three forum groups will operate separately, with the benefits of password protection and privacy. Bricks I and II members will also be granted territory protection.

"As applications began to roll in [for RetailSpeaks] a pattern quickly emerged," said founder Cinda Baxter, explaining the developments. Baxter, owner of Details Ink., said "Many interested retailers hadn’t yet reached their third anniversary." Baxter, who is also a columnist for Gifts & Decorative Accessories, added that it became obvious to her that there was a need for support for this group as well. “As ironic as it is for me to say this as a brick and mortar retailer, online merchants would also benefit from collaboration with their peers,” she noted.

While at the same time admitting that the two business models —- storefront and online-only -— are radically different, she noted that they do compete for the same consumer dollars. “In that regard, they’re just as direct a competitor as the store down the street.”

Baxter said RetailSpeaks will differentiate among the retailers. While Bricks members are able to have websites in addition to physical stores, Clicks members must be solely Internet based. And in accordance with the site’s original membership terms, no home studios will be admitted. Additionally, the three-year requirement will continue to apply to Bricks I members, but upon their third anniversaries, Bricks II members will be elevated to Bricks I status.

Future RetailSpeaks plans include special online events, such as ‘mixers’ for Bricks I and II members, and Cafe Conversations giving members an opportunity to visit with industry guests.

Baxter said amenities will be created, including ‘board room’ reservations for private online member gatherings. She added that talks are already underway regarding yet another evolution: RetailSpeaks/Canada.

Baxter, active in the stationery community, has served on the boards of several industry organizations and founded two other online communities: Brilliant
Ink, a consortium of retailers and vendors dedicated to original design and The Print Lab, a collaborative project with Epson America.