Small business owner’s online independent shop will help solve the local retailer crisis

A Gloucestershire entrepreneur has spoken of how her online platform is helping local retailers after they’ve struggled terribly for the past year.

Rosie Reynolds is the founder of CHOOSiE, an online shop offering independent sellers a new and convenient way to get their products noticed and sold.

“The idea came about around two years ago when I started my marketing company,” Rosie, of Stroud, said. “We had a lot of people who ran high street shops come to us asking how they can grow and gain more sales without having to pay hefty amounts.

“It usually costs these companies thousands to market themselves and online sellers like Amazon and Etsy charge a lot for businesses to sell on their platforms. These independent sellers don’t have time and money to achieve this – and in some cases they can be charged 35% on their sale price.”

Rosie, 33, launched CHOOSiE in 2019 as a way to solve this problem, by congregating these local and independent sellers into one place.

“We only charge 6% of every sale and don’t require as much constant maintenance,” she said. “We wanted to build something standalone that can sustain support for independent businesses – keeping the money in the local economy and cycling throughout the UK.

“Since our launch, we’ve grown through sheer word of mouth and have extended our reach to Scotland – amassing about 800 sellers and over 8,000 products across the UK.”

With 2020 bringing an incredibly difficult period to retailers, especially those housed in local high streets, the focus on online shopping has meant that local and independent shops are often forgotten about.

“CHOOSiE brings a new way for you to sell and engage with customers through an already existing platform with minimal cost,” Rosie said. “This has been such a difficult period, so I’m keen to support these smaller businesses and ensure that they’re not only selling well but aren’t exploited either.

“Sellers don’t have to worry about listing fees or financial outlay – seeing more money go directly in their pocket. I’ve always been passionate about encouraging people to buy local but with the pandemic buying local is going to really help with the national economy too.

“We are actively encouraging sellers to come on board and help make local independent retailers the go-to for online shopping.”