Launched in October 2021, the Corning, New York Shop Where I Live marketplace went live in partnership with the Corning Area Chamber of Commerce and Corning’s Gaffer District. The Gaffer District downtown has approximately 250 small businesses and is the global headquarters of Corning Incorporated. On Small Business Saturday, it was announced that Corning Enterprises, the community and economic development arm of Corning Inc. was going to be providing a $100,000 matching grant for each transaction up to $5,000 per business to help boost holiday local shopping and support small businesses. The newly launched Shop Where I Live marketplace was used as the source for those transactions, giving residents a convenient way to easily browse and support multiple local shops at once.
The Member Marketplace team worked closely with the partners and businesses to help make the program a success:
- Within just a few weeks, quickly onboarded close to 60 businesses with 400+ products and services so they could take advantage of this amazing opportunity.
- A large number of businesses listed a gift card for varying amounts, with our team providing hands-on assistance for individual setup.
- Set up the site to highlight specific businesses and products that were eligible for the program so shoppers knew they were contributing to the match program.
- Ensured order payout to all businesses, monitored order fulfillment, and managed customer/seller communications, making it easy for the Chamber and Gaffer District to implement the program without requiring extra work for their staff.
- Provided detailed transaction reporting to partners per business in order to properly distribute matching funds
The matching program ran through December and January, bringing in over $96,000 in sales through the site and, infusing nearly $170,000 to Gaffer District small businesses in just two months.
“Thanks to our extraordinary corporate partners, our Chamber of Commerce and customers who love our downtown, Gaffer District businesses saw a tremendous surge in holiday shopping,” said Coleen Fabrizi, Executive Director for the Corning Gaffer District. “The team at Member Marketplace is a tremendous addition to the partnership equation benefitting our businesses and therefore the destination of Corning’s Gaffer District. We are truly stronger, together!”
Member Marketplace, Inc. is a new wave of economic development, making it easy to shop small, local businesses, online.
Now operating in 18 states, our clients include state and local government organizations, tourism bureaus, chambers of commerce, Small Business Development Centers, and other business support organizations throughout the U.S. We empower organizations to unify their businesses online and connect them with customers through one local marketplace. We manage the platform, support and train businesses, and provide customer service to shoppers. Our partners can now market one website and bring exposure to all of their local businesses, while making it easy for consumers to buy products and services through one site.
Member Marketplace operates these local, online, small business marketplaces.
