In the wake of the biggest charity retail event of the year, we’re reflecting on one of its hottest topics. Online selling for charities .
The Charity Retail Conference and Exhibition 2021 took place last week and one of the most talked about subjects was how so many charity shops used their initiative to keep sales and fundraising going strong by selling online. In fact, the Ecommerce Acceleration Award won by White Rose Shops , really shone a light on this. Their dedicated ‘recycled fashion’ stores can be found online selling clothes from high street and designer brands at a fraction of the cost to support the Aegis Trust.
Many larger charities have been selling online for a while now, particularly new goods and charity merchandise. The closure of stores and inability to hold fundraising events over the last 18 months has meant that charity shops of all sizes have had to find new ways to engage with their customers and supporters. Recent research has shown a huge increase in charities using online shopping platforms to boost sales during the various lockdowns. Here at Wil-U, we look to the future and how we can help charities use what they have learned with the support of our innovative solutions.
As shops have begun to open and the world has started getting back to its ‘new normal’, charities are looking at ways in which they can use all their new knowledge of online selling alongside an instore shopping experience!
The Wil-U Connect tablet has been used by charities for quite some time now. It is a tablet made to be used on your shop floor to display and give access to… well, anything! From your charity website to gift aid or donation information, Connect can broaden your supporter’s experience whilst visiting your store.
Do you have multiple, large or high value items for sale that you can’t display on the shop floor? Connect can display your online store to your supporters, helping them to connect their shopping experience to the actual charity they are helping to support as well as enabling your charity to raise more funds than ever before!
So, now that your charity is selling more than ever before, and you can vary and increase new and donated goods… how can you keep track?
Wil-U’s eCommerce solution can help you track sales and produce reporting on both online and instore sales. You can track sales between multiple sales channels, discovering what sells better in which store and automatically track and process Gift Aid. What’s more, with direct eBay integration and blended reporting showing average selling prices – it’s never been easier to get the best price.
So, whether you’re just starting out with online selling or looking for the next step to boost your sales and connect even further with your supporters – Wil-U are here to help you innovate and move into the future of charity retail.
If you’d like a demo of any of the previously mentioned solutions, fill out the form below and one of the team will be in touch to help answer any questions you may have.
Happy Selling!