The Material blog

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The latest news from Material, stories from independent retailers, and all things retail. Grab a cup of coffee and jump in.

Cover Image for How Independent Retailers Can Survive, and Thrive During a Recession
Feb 13, 2023
How Independent Retailers Can Survive, and Thrive During a Recession

There’s been a lot of talk lately about economic uncertainty and what it could mean for the retail industry. Co-CEO Elliot shares four ideas you can implement today to make your business leaner and more profitable during an economic downturn.

Cover Image for 23 of Our Favorite Online Resources for Independent Retailers in 2023
Feb 9, 2023
23 of Our Favorite Online Resources for Independent Retailers in 2023

From blogs to social media to podcasts, here are 23 of our favorite online resources helping independent retailers better compete and scale their businesses.

Cover Image for 5 Tips We Use to Jumpstart Our Boutiques’ Marketing Efforts
Jan 26, 2023
5 Tips We Use to Jumpstart Our Boutiques’ Marketing Efforts

Every week we tackle new design and marketing challenges for dozens of boutiques across the US. And in this article, I want to share 5 fundamental marketing tips my team uses to get big results for our boutiques.

Cover Image for Shoptiques Business Has a New Name: Introducing Material
Jan 19, 2023
Shoptiques Business Has a New Name: Introducing Material

Shoptiques Business is now Material. We’re changing our name, but our mission is the same: to help independent retail businesses operate more efficiently by providing tools for selling in-store and online and on our marketplaces.

Cover Image for Learn how Material’s Retail Toolkit changed the game for a community-oriented boutique in Arkansas
Jan 4, 2023
Learn how Material’s Retail Toolkit changed the game for a community-oriented boutique in Arkansas

This is a story about a boutique owner in Arkansas, and how she was able to grow her community-oriented business using Material’s Retail Toolkit.

Cover Image for How Independent Retailers Need to Think About Zero and First Party Data
Dec 9, 2022
How Independent Retailers Need to Think About Zero and First Party Data

As an independent retailer, it’s important to understand what zero and first party data is, how to collect it, and what to do with it.

Cover Image for Why Retailers See Success with Commerce Platforms (+ 7 Key Features to Look For)
Oct 17, 2022
Why Retailers See Success with Commerce Platforms (+ 7 Key Features to Look For)

Some retailers rely on separate applications to power their business. With an all-in-one commerce platform, retailers unify their businesses and accelerate revenue.

Cover Image for Introducing Material Retail Dumps, a new short form podcast from the Material team
Oct 15, 2022
Introducing Material Retail Dumps, a new short form podcast from the Material team

When creating Material Retail Dumps, we asked ourselves the same central question we ask when building our software.