Bridal Changemaker, Saving Main St. Bridal - “Share the Lovely”, The Uber of Bridal Industry watchers are saying Share The Lovely is a true game-changer - with the potential to make a real difference for struggling bridal shops while making life easier for stressed-out brides.

“As we say, Share the Lovely is setting out to ‘Save Main St. Bridal’ - and the planet - one dress at a time!” says the power woman founder behind the company, Bonnie Gringer, who was recently named an Impact Entrepreneur To Watch in 2021.

Recently, Share the Lovely announced the launch of its groundbreaking new platform, a bridal Ecommerce marketplace dedicated to the circular economy. The initiative that has got industry watchers so excited is described as “A partnership-based business model, setting out to save the local bridal market, starting online.”

The fully sustainable Ecommerce platform is looking to help a struggling industry (Main Street bridal shops) while shaking up the way brides shop in the future. Through an innovative circular business model, and working closely with its network of small retailers, Share the Lovely is providing brides with a novel, risk-free shopping experience, catering to the new generation of brides.

“Quite simply, it is a seamless shopping experience both online and off,” Gringer says proudly. “Through a unique partnership-based business model, Share the Lovely is bridging the gap between online and local shopping, providing brides with verified quality and a delightful shopping experience.”

Think ThredUp meets StitchFix meets Uber, where “Brideshare is the new Rideshare.”

With its innovative model that matches real-time demand from its online marketplace to its local retail participants, Share The Lovely has real potential to save an industry in peril.

Even before the pandemic ravaged the world of retail, Bridal boutiques were closing at an alarming rate, often struggling with overstock, and increasing online competition.

With all of this, the pinnacle of the bridal experience is at risk. Share The Lovely is determined to change all that, to offset such struggles, helping designers and retailers say goodbye to burdensome inventories that no longer serve them while improving omnichannel reach and sales, all without requiring additional investment or resources.

Share the Lovely has the potential to make a real difference both to struggling bridal entrepreneurs - and to the brides themselves. Research shows that many brides today have different priorities than brides who came before. They come from a generation focused on sustainability. Secondhand fashion represents a $28 billion industry, expected to double by 2024. Considering the economic impact of the pandemic and the fact that the average affianced couple spends about $2,000 on a wedding dress; while 65% of Americans are only ever two paychecks away from bankruptcy, this issue is something that Bonnie Gringer, founder of Share the Lovely, is only too aware of: “Bridal is resale’s golden child, the high value retained in a wedding dress worn for just a few hours is unparalleled.” Share the Lovely also offsets the environmental cost of the bridal world, a highly wasteful section of the fashion industry where voluminous dresses are worn but once. The Knot reports that sustainable weddings have become the number one hot trend. Share the Lovely’s circular business model keeps dresses out of landfills, reducing the environmental toll of the bridal industry, and allowing Brides to reduce the environmental impact of their big day.

In addition to the cost and eco-benefits, Share the Lovely is also addressing the disconnect between the online and physical shopping worlds. The average couple spends 700 hours planning their wedding online but make 85% of their purchases in-store. Share the Lovely is bridging this gap, providing an online selection with risk-free, try-before-you-buy, and local fitting options all available in-store.

When asked to explain what a huge benefit that is to the bride-to-be, Bonnie smiles and says, “Have you ever tried on a ballgown on the side of the road? Such an unlikely scenario is in fact typical when shopping for second-hand wedding dresses online in a peer-to-peer marketplace; similar challenges are also experienced through traditional Ecommerce. Unlike online marketplaces, the entirety of Share the Lovely’s inventory is verified. This means whether pre-loved or new overstock, every single dress on our site is checked to make sure it is the real deal!”

THE SHARE THE LOVELY ORIGIN STORY - BONNIE SAYS :
“Sharethelovely was created out of my shopping experience as a bride. After a rough decade, I married the man of my dreams a few years ago, but we did it with a small budget, like most Brides, the “Average” wedding at $35k and dress at $2,000, was way out of my budget too. I also recognized all the waste and high value retained in all those wedding items used only once for a few hours. With 2.5 million weddings each year in the US, I thought it should have been easy to purchase some of that for my wedding. So for months, I tried all the options available to purchase pre-owned and consignment for my wedding, all epic fails. Have you ever tried on a ball gown with a train on the side of the road or a Walmart bathroom with someone you never met through an online marketplace? Coordinating schedules alone to meet at the same place and time took a bit of Magic. That’s when I saw the weakest link and an opportunity to make a difference for both brides and small businesses nationwide and the idea for Share The Lovely was born!”

Visit at: https://sharethelovely.com