Sincerely, Miss Nev

We're going to highlight 2 key points from the worldwithanedge post about trends for 2014 that also applies for the small businesses in our local network.

Content Advertising

"Customers don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it"

It is ironic sometimes that small businesses, despite so much personality and unique character, fail to demonstrate those qualities in their online communications. Too often we see local shops being too commercial-like and formal.

Stop that! ('cuz it's not who you are!) Start telling your customers about your passions and the special flair you bring to the community.

That's why every Miss Nev video shares the story of the owner and not just what they do. We try to tell why you love what you do and why we should love it to. Share the love!

  Emphasis on Experiential 

Despite not having HUGE budgets to create events or street performances, as a small business, you are by very nature, an experience. 

Most business owners overwhelmingly ranked in-person interactions as the best form of engagement with a customer. Small businesses know that what makes customers a truly loyal customer is a trust and confidence in the staff and the experience they have when shopping or doing business there.

Yup, this is shipping in a nutshell...

When we first looked at the residential landscape of New Yorkers, we realized that it wasn't pretty. We know that finding apartments in the city is a nightmare and even when you finally sign the lease, issues arise like electricity, cable, pest control, shipping, etc.

But we also know that New York isn't just about your apartment; it's about your neighborhood. There is such excitement in knowing the cafe owners, restaurants, little shops in your area. There is a love that exists among those who live in the UWS, the LES, Williamsburg, DUMBO, etc.

We knew that. That's why all we try to do is patch up the not so nice parts of living in New York starting with shipping and receiving packages. Through that, we hope that residents will build unique relationships with the sweet shop owners in the network.

We're not some mega commerce company with an agenda and terminator-like machines faking to be real people. We are, simply put, human. That's why we're named Miss Nev and not "GetBox" or "ShipDirect". Let Miss Nev help build a cozier neighborhood...starting by never missing a package again.

When your tracking says the item is out for delivery so you wait all day and it doesn’t come.

(source) 

When I get the missed delivery slip instead of my package...

(source)

"F***ing Fed.Up."

(source)

Make it. Print it. Pack it. Ship it. F it.

Even Granny's had enough!

(source)

On the spectrum of hipster-dom we all are relative against each other. But we all have a friend who we all compare ourselves. Here's are some gift considerations for that friend this holiday season:

1) Portable record player

2) Spinning Wheel ala Rumpelstiltskin

3) Fence Bike

4) Beanie Ear Hats

5) Partial Fence Skateboard

Local dissonance: (n.) when you know that shopping locally greatly benefits your community and neighborhood, but don't trust the real independent shops enough and end up compromising by shopping at a mega-chain that stamps "local" on the box

Sometimes we reach an impasse in our judgement. We love the idea of supporting our community's local businesses, but they are sometimes just...subpar.

The Whole Foods and Trader Joe's brands are trustworthy and they do great things for the local farmers by stocking their products--which makes us feel good and want to shop there. Nothing wrong with that at all. But we tend to forget that Whole Foods have pushed a lot of independent grocers and co-ops out of business.

There is nothing wrong with shopping at a large chain--especially one as socially conscious as Whole Foods. They are incredibly well managed, clean, and bright--which, and let's be honest here, some of the local shops are not.

But is there a way we can support our neighborhood shop owners with not just our money, but advice and feedback to help them stay competitive? We can be a bit candid and say to a shop owner, "Hi, I live around the corner and I would love to shop here if you could just..." (i.e. clean up your aisles...or, tidy up your shelves,...or not have so much things cluttering the space"

After all, if our local shops get better and more competitive, don't we all benefit?

-------

ps. If you think that this is too confrontational, that's true. It is. But really good shop owners will take the advice to heart and appreciate it. Others might curse you off (but then you wouldn't shop in that store anyway...and with local competition as it is...they wouldn't be in business much longer). 

Danbo (ダンボー) in a Miss Nev story.

As part of our market research, we surveyed a lot of people -- some off the street, some at our partnered local stores -- on how they receive packages, and it turned out life is far from perfect. Here are a few interesting ones:

Have to send to the office

"I like to buy cute clothes on Singer22 and Asos."

"My super refused to take my packages so I had to send stuff to my Manhattan office, which annoyed my boss and I had to carry them home. If you guys can hook me up with my neighborhood cafe it'd save my life" -- Phoebe C., Marketing Analyst, Forest Hills

Have to send to the super

"I like to buy nutritional supplements on Vitacost."

"The UPS guy sometimes takes my packages to my live-in super. But not always -- often they just leave with a door tag! The super is grumpy and acts like I owe him something. I'm afraid of him."

-- Lisa H., Account Manager, Hell's Kitchen

I stopped buying online

"I suppose there are cool gadgets on ThinkGeek I want to buy."

"Package delivery is the biggest reason I'm not a big fan of online shopping. There's just no way I can get them while I'm out and about. And my work schedule is erratic."

-- Xander L., Freelance Programmer, Astoria

Have to go to package facility

"I just bought a pair of wired vases on Fab.com"

"I'm at school a lot and often miss my deliveries. Going to and waiting at the UPS package center for pick-up is a total nightmare! Sometimes they can't even tell whether it's in a truck or in the warehouse."

-- Azure L., Design Student, Astoria