Hi, Darin here. I'm taking the reigns for this blog. You'll be returned to your regularly scheduled broadcasting after this.

This won’t be the standard Coronavirus, COVID-19 newsletter, we promise. We’ve all been well-served by those messages, and the responsible actions by so many have been reassuring. We can’t improve upon those messages, so we’re not going to try.

Stand Tall. Lead. Be confident. Generosity and abundance. Wartime sense of urgency but peacetime spirit. Those are the behaviors we should be expecting of ourselves right now. If our businesses are doing well or poorly, if we’re healthy or (heaven forbid) ill, we can still demonstrate all of those traits - each and every one of them. Nothing prevents any of us from Standing Tall, whether times are good or bad. Leadership is leadership, in good times AND bad (plus, it's more important in times of challenge).

We’ve been trying to Stand Tall ourselves - forward momentum creates forward momentum. So we’ve been working on a few initiatives that help us feel good about our company and our fellow Titans.

1. WE ARE OPEN FOR BUSINESS, intentionally capitalized because that’s the message I’ve been personally communicating to our clients and prospects. We moved forward with a new hire last week and 4 (yes, 4) more this week. If we give our clients confidence that we will take care of them in these tough times, that might be one of many data points that help them invest in their own employees and businesses, which then pays forward to their suppliers, and it snowballs from there, helping people retain their jobs, supporting families, and ultimately investing in our economy.
2. “Head/Heart/Hands” is the mantra we’ve developed internally for our efforts to use our ecommerce agency “powers for good” (“head”), raise funds for those in need (“heart”) and physically help those in need (“hands”). Those efforts are rapidly taking shape for us, and we'll be sharing more as they firm up.
3. We've helping spearhead the national www.offline2on.com portal, where mainstreet stores can quickly standup an ecommerce store. For example, think about a restaurant manager whose side hustle was selling cool, crafty, homemade decorations. Well, now that restaurant manager might be out of a job, so their previous side hustle is now their ONLY hustle www.offline2on.com are both efforts to help those people.
4. Like everyone, we’re trying to ensure that we maintain culture and engagement with our temporarily remote workforce. So we’re doing weekly all-Titan video Zooms, twice-daily Titan management team video slacks, bi-weekly me/Titan touch bases, weekly management/Titan 1:1s, and daily project video slacks.
5. Let's Dish, one of our awesome clients, is offering contact-less food pickups for ready-made meals. See their locations here Letsdishexpress.com/collections. Let's try to HELP LOCAL BUSINESSES like these who are providing valuable services right now.
6. And we’re picking up the tab for all Titans who make use of the Thursday food trucks (as long as the trucks keep coming), as an effort to SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS and help encourage safe social interaction (you can eat tacos, pizzas, or BBQ 6 safe feet away from each other).

Our Clients See Success in Tough Times

One benefit to our 16 years of ecommerce focus is seeing our clients enjoy the true power of ecommerce sites. Since 2019 ecommerce spending has surged up 32.4%. These times are showing the lift that a well-crafted store provides, and our clients have responded quickly, taken decisive action, and it's paid off. Our clients are able to ride the tide, and more importantly, able to support their employees and families thru the power of the ecommerce experiences we've mutually created. Maybe we're finding some gold coins on a way to that elusive pot at the end of the rainbow?

Tradehome Shoes

Founded in 1921, Tradehome had never had an ecommerce store and they trusted us to take them digital (this was a huge honor). They were set to launch in early April but when quarantine hit, they moved fast and launched their store three weeks early (yes, this was stressful) to massive success. They're doing awesome work and we're proud to help them on their journey. Lynch is looking for his next pair of green kicks for the office. Time for a new pair of shoes?

Northstar Bison

Northstar was on track to double their highest selling year before social distancing. Now, March is their highest selling month (2.5x their next best month) and they're crushing their projections. Customer loyalty programs, flexible payment options, and a revamped checkout process all boosted their platform at exactly the right time. Grab some bison here.

Haskell's

They always say never go into quarantine without a well-stocked liquor cabinet. Well, at least someone probably said that. Haskell's is experiencing some huge order volumes, probably because of their long-standing investment in ecommerce, free delivery on orders more than $100, and easy curbside pickup. Just have to convince Lynch to buy us this beautiful 21-year-old, single pot Irish Whiskey from Redbreast. Stock up for your virtual happy hour.

Burnett Dairy

A staple of the Midwest, Burnett has been feeding, and educating us on all things dairy co-op. We've had a great time working with their talented team (and highly responsive social media team!). Currently, their online orders are up 500% from last month. Not bad. Not bad at all. They've extended a 20% off sale on all online orders (ecommerce is a beautiful thing) until the end of April with code SHIP. With national shipping, get your sharp cheddar fix, anywhere in the US. For the love of cheese.

This is just what we're seeing. Ecommerce is spreading its wings to thrive in downturn. This is the time for private enterprise to stand up, to lead. We wanted to share what we’ve done to navigate these unexpected times, in case it provides even an ounce of inspiration for all of you to take similar measures that are your own, authentic ways to Stand Tall.

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And now back to your regularly scheduled programming...