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How Scanning Kickstarter Could Help Your Business

The crowdfunding site is not all anti-Zombie soaps and inflatable Lionel Richie heads.

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Do some product research occasionally on Kickstarter.com. Not only will you be exposed to fun, experimental ideas — like steampunk jewelry, wearable greeting cards, and samurai rings — you may get a chance to get in early on a product with viable commercial prospects. The owners of Urban Pooch Canine Life Center, an independently owned pet store in Chicago, IL, told INSTORE’s sister magazine Pets+ that they were among the first stores in the country to start stocking a hot-selling pet toy called Tearribles (with velcro limbs that can be torn off and reattached) after spotting it on the crowdfunding site. “We were able to get our hands on a large stock order (160 pieces) several months before they were made available for purchase anywhere else in the world. And we nearly sold out of them in just a couple of weeks,” store owner Ed Kaczmarek said.

Over the years, INSTORE has won 80 international journalism awards for its publication and website. Contact INSTORE's editors at editor@instoremag.com.

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When There’s No Succession Plan, Call Wilkerson

Bob Wesley, owner of Robert C. Wesley Jewelers in Scottsdale, Ariz., was a third-generation jeweler. When it was time to enjoy life on the other side of the counter, he weighed his options. His lease was nearing renewal time and with no succession plan, he decided it was time to call Wilkerson. There was plenty of inventory to sell and at first, says Wesley, he thought he might try to manage a sale himself. But he’s glad he didn’t. “There’s no way I could have done this as well as Wilkerson,” he says. Wilkerson took responsibility for the entire event, with every detail — from advertising to accounting — done, dusted and managed by the Wilkerson team. “It’s the complete package,” he says of the Wilkerson method of helping jewelers to easily go on to the next phase of their lives. “There’s no way any retailer can duplicate what they’ve done.”

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