Linking to the ShopStash

Beginning with the June 2002 Quilter's Mall Crawl, we introduced a new feature known as the ShopStash. This is a server-side bookmarking system which allows users to create and maintain their own personalized lists of favorite quilt shops, complete with the users' comments. Initially, the ShopStash was only open to those shops participating in the Quilter's Mall Crawl. It has now been expanded so that any shop in the QuiltIndex can be added to a user's ShopStash.

Benefits

Benefits of the ShopStash to quilt shop owners include:

• Repeat traffic - Customers have an easy way to get back to the shops they're most likely to buy from. As Nancy Hamilton (Mall Crawl participant) wrote: "I had a blast with the Mall Crawl - thanks! Now to go to my Shop Stash and spend money... :-)"
• Distinction - Allowing customers to add their own comments helps remind them of what they liked about each.
• Referrals - Quilters can share their ShopStash with others, either explicitly (one-by-one) or through a directory. Positive comments about a shop will help drive additional traffic to the shop's site.
• No cost - The ShopStash service is free for all QI member quilt shops.
• Branding - Your store's logo (100px wide by 40px tall, 20KB or smaller in size, JPG/GIF/PNG format, no animation) can appear in the ShopStash of anyone who has added you to their list, next to your store's name. This enhances your store's branding and helps you stick in the memories of potential customers.

Benefits of the ShopStash to quilters include:

• Ease of use - Adding a quilt shop is a two-click operation.
• Customization - Rather than a bland list of links, the ShopStash enables quilters to write their own comments about various shops, to help remember which among the many they want to revisit.
• Currency - As shops change website addresses, their ShopStash is, along with the QuiltIndex main quilt shop database, kept up-to-date, without the customers' having to lift a finger.
• Constancy - Quilters' computer crashes don't impact the ShopStash. Changing and/or upgrading browsers has no impact, so lists of favorites are never lost.
• Wish list functionality - Once quilters are able to share their ShopStash with others, they can use it as a wish list, with comments such as "I like the fabric bundles here" and "Great prices on the Ott-lite I've been wanting."
• News at-a-glance - Once the Buzz specials are implemented, quilters can tell in one central location which of their favorite shops is having a special. This saves them time, and alerts them to news or discounts they might otherwise not receive.
• No cost - The ShopStash service is free for all QI members.

Extent of Use

ShopStash has proven to be enormously popular, with over 10,200 people Stashing at least one shop. The average nubmer of Stashed sites per person is 26. Many of the comments indicate an intent to return to the site bookmarked for shopping after the Crawl, or when more funds become available.

Adding New Shops

Quilters can now add any shop in the Index to their ShopStash. To do this through QuiltIndex, the quilter would need to locate the shop in the Quilt Shop Listings, then click the "Add this shop to my ShopStash" link, located just under each shop's name. Obviously, the easier we can make it to add a shop to a person's ShopStash, the better it is for everyone. We are providing an official logo for this purpose. To downlod the logo, simply right-click it and click "Save Picture As". Save the file to the root directory for your website.

Locate your shop's name from the table below. If more than one shop has the same name, hold your mouse pointer over the name and look at your browser's status window (lower-left corner of the window) to make sure you are choosing the right one. The line under your shop's name indicates what you should paste into your website's HTML to have the block show up and be properly linked. If you use FrontPage or other program that allows you to visually insert an image file and link it to a specific address, just be sure to include everything between the quotation marks in the URL field. If you encounter any problems posting this link, simply email me and I will help you get it posted.

NOTE: Depending on your browser's settings, the link may carry over to a second or third line. Be sure to copy the entire field, everthing from <a through </a>.

Obviously, it is to your advantage to have this link prominently posted on your site. You may post it on as many pages as you like, but I ask that if you post it at all, you make sure to also post it on your site's main page. This will help eliminate confusion for quilters who are looking for a somewhat uniform way to add shops to their Stash.