Private listing #72642

In 2006 I started to research the idea of developing an online business, tapping into what was the upcoming ‘new’ method of shopping – e-commerce. We quickly came up with the idea of wedding favours and party keepsake gifts simply due to the lack of availability, not only online, but also within local brick and mortar stores. There weren’t any places at the time that offered party favours/gifts in large quantities to supply a wedding or large event without having to order them months in advance. Also, it was rare to find favours or gifts that were prepared in elegant gift boxes ready to hand to guests – with no work to be done! The idea was to offer small packaged favours/gifts that people could easily purchase in volume online and have shipped direct to their homes. After preparing a comprehensive business plan, the business took off and grew. The idea was a great success for myself as an owner-manager and have reaped benefits and balanced lifestyle.

As it grew, I introduced my own brand of giftware (the wholesale component) and grown the SKU count over time. This brand enjoys strongest margins and adds unique products to the shop that are in demand.

Simply, the sales process goes like this (drop ship model): *Customer places online order > order accepted and placed with supplier > order ships from supplier to customer

Automations are in place to provide all order confirmations and customer tracking information. Customer pays at time of order so there are 0 accounts receivable - ever. Most suppliers are paid monthly so the cash flow remains excellent.

I have done well in this business and now with children and another family business, I'm in the fortunate position to stop working "formally". As a young entrepreneur, this business was an excellent livelihood over the last 15 years. I would love to see another young(er) entrepreneur do that same for her/him self and their family on an even greater scale. We’d love to see our retail business continue with a person or group that is passionate about its future and that have a creative vision beyond what it has grown to be today. Note: There is an opportunity to also purchase a wholesale component of this business (for which sales figures are not included here, but can be shared). * The owner is happy to support the purchaser with some transitional help and guidance as requested/agreed. *** The website itself is beautiful and simple, fast and customized for success and EASY use for both visitors and owner! Infinite design opportunity to add your touches or add capabilities. ****This is a "day 1" profitable opportunity that the current owner has done well with and likely undervalued. Her intent is to find a buyer to enjoy the success she has had and harness the opportunity ahead in the market. Coming out of COVID, it's exceptional. Energy and creativity will mean success!

Daily tasks include monitoring order status (accepting new orders and fulfilling them as they come) and handling any customer inquiries (most come in online). Order fulfillment needs to be simply overseen, as it’s largely automated (orders approved simply “push” to the suppliers/warehouse who ship the orders). Beyond that, marketing and sales growth activities are what will drive growth (expand and market sales channels).

Many opportunities to pursue growth. 1) Tap into sales/marketing channels not leveraged to date (either at all or meaningfully). Eg.:

Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook Increase email marketing to list of thousands of contacts/customers Greater focus on SEO and online campaigns across channels/platforms 2) Increase site capabilities (further leverage personalized tags; more product personalization) 3) Develop/grow "in house" branded products at higher margins 4) Add new suppliers and scale infinitely with more product that are similar and complementary (Eg. more wedding supplies, add gift baskets, Holiday gifts, etc). 6) Maintaining up to date site with new products and fresh content (blog); improve product categorizations and populating products 7) Targeting the USA market (and international) for retail sales, which has not been pursued (Canada focused to date) 8) Leverage more tools within Shopify to promote sales across channels 9) It is very much time to increase prices as the shop offers the lowest prices as it stands and can keep doing so while increasing (and customers are not as sensitive to these increases)

Ideally, web and digital/social marketing savvy. Positive attitude communicating with customers. Obviously, someone with experience in ecommerce would benefit, however, the transition will be easy (we’re on the best/easiest ecommerce platform already fully set up and automated for fulfillment). With a will to learn and have some savvy computer, organizational and customer service skills, the new owner will excel. Work remotely anywhere - simply requires a computer/internet and phone.