Inspiration
Due to COVID-19, small businesses have suffered the most. Now more than ever, small businesses need better, faster, and more creative discovery and sales channels to ensure their recovery and growth. And customers need better ways to discover their neighborhood offerings and support their favorite businesses, with one click. Square Bundle is a new Small Business Partner Program for neighboring businesses to display and bundle complementary offers, products and deals from other businesses on their Square terminal, during checkout.
During the COVID-19 quarantine and shelter-in-place restrictions, we saw local businesses (1) pivot their business models and offerings; (2) partner with other small businesses that had complementary but not competitive offerings (i.e., formal dinner-only restaurant & wholesale breakfast baker); and (3) businesses creatively selling and host pop-ups for other small businesses at their location during closures, because they had better foot traffic or the proper licenses or clearances to remain open (i.e., restaurant selling floral bouquets on behalf of local floral designers during the closures for non-essential businesses).
What it does
Bundle helps small businesses bundle their deals, offerings, or products with other businesses, during checkout.
After opting-in to Bundle, small businesses can (1) create their own unique deals and offers; (2) pick the businesses where they want their deal or offer to be displayed; and (3) receive a notification when a customer has purchased their deal. This helps businesses grow their audience and customer base, and inform their product and marketing efforts.
How we built it
We built a web app using Node.js, React and Square's API to mimic Square's terminal experience. When a customer makes a purchase using the terminal at one business, it displays bundled offers or products with neighboring businesses.
Customers check out with one single payment like they normally would. Behind the scenes, this is really two or more different sales to the different businesses selected.
Challenges we ran into
Navigating Square's API
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Building a web app that has real impact and immediate application for small businesses and cities now and into the future.
What we learned
With Bundle, there is tremendous opportunity for Bundle to grow and scale further, unite communities and neighbors and grow sales and marketing outreach.
What's next for Bundled deals across businesses
After opting-in to Bundle, small businesses can (1) create their own unique deals and offers; (2) pick the other business categories where they want their deal to be displayed; and (3) receive a notification when a customer has purchased their deal. Bundle enables small businesses to belong to a self-selected community- or neighborhood- with other businesses to support each other's recovery, survival, and growth.
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