Goodbuy’s New Affiliate Program Furthers Small Business’ Visibility With Browser Extension
● The company's goal is to amplify independent businesses by providing consumers new ways to shop while supporting diverse identities and values.
For values-conscious consumers, Goodbuy, the shopping tool built exclusively for small businesses, is making shopping easier than ever with its Shopify integrated, browser extension.
Founded in 2021 by Cara Oppenheimer and Cary Fortin Telander, goodbuy was created to disrupt the 70 percent of all U.S. online spending that goes into the pockets of just 15 mega-retailers. With the company, the cofounders hoped to not only support independent businesses but also supply consumers like themselves who want to find businesses with aligned values but lack the time and resources to filter through the vast online shopping space.
As the daughter of small business owners, Oppenheimer told WWD she had seen firsthand the impact that the rise of megaretailers had on small business owners.
“As e-commerce became the forefront of consumption, these small businesses were taking a big hit, and their visibility was completely squashed by the SEO and marketing budgets of national chain stores. It was a problem that I was hyper-aware of, and it fueled my own desire to support independent businesses whenever possible.”
Still, even knowing that data, Oppenheimer said she found herself shopping with major retailers out of convenience. She told WWD her “aha moment” was seeing the same insulated water bottles that she had bought online on the shelves of her own parents' store.
“It just hit me, there are thousands of small businesses out there carrying the exact products we all need, we just can't see them at the moment we're looking to buy,” Oppenheimer said. Two nights later she texted Fortin with the idea of a “browser extension that intercepts all of your reflexive, online, mega-retail shopping and offers you the same product, or better, from a small business that aligns with your values.” They got to work, actively listening to hundreds of small business owners and customers to continue to evolve the goodbuy experience and what started as a browser extension for chrome, is now a mobile app and extension available on
IOS and a marketplace-style shopping experience that showcases small businesses from across the country.
With thoughtfully curated brands, sustainable products and local retailers brought to the forefront of the shopping experience, goodbuy is setting the new standard for smart shopping for the modern consumer.
Currently, goodbuy counts more than 72 million products from 185 independent businesses and more than 30,000 active consumers looking to discover new ways to shop. Shoppers who sign up create individualized profiles and select the values they are looking to support. Value options include AAPI-owned, Americanmade, Black-owned, certified ethical, cruelty-free, family-owned, Indigenousowned, Latine-owned, LGBTQ-nowned, local, owners with disability(ies), sustainable, vegan, veteran-owned, MENAowned and women-owned.
In action, when a goodbuy user selects a product from either the goodbuy shop page or a goodbuy extension pop-up alert, they are sent directly to the small businesses' website to shop. The transaction goes through the brands' point of sale system, is packaged and sent from the brands' facilities with shipping and returns are on the brands' terms.
“goodbuy isthe first shopping tool built exclusively for small businesses,” Telander said. “We are connecting passionate small business shoppers with unique brands and boutiques and it is completely free to sign up and install through Shopify. In under a year of launching goodbuy, we are proud to share that we have diverted $1 million away from mega-retailers and directly into the pockets of small businesses.”
With goodbuy's new affiliate program, brands are now able to amplify products from Shopify onto the goodbuy website and browser extension.
Importantly, Fortin told WWD, that while many small business owners think “hidden fees” when hearing affiliate — unsurprising since goodbuy's research finds that competitors take as much as 40 percent of every sale — goodbuy's program takes a flat 10 percent commission on purchases made through goodbuy. Impressions, clicks and traffic are all free.
“Our entire mission is about celebrating the uniqueness and individuality of these incredible businesses, and business owners, so we send our shoppers directly to the small business' website to make their purchase,” Telander said. “This is truly meaningful for these owners to actually be able to gain a new customer, and contact, that they can interact directly with thereafter.”
“Historically small businesses have been up against those massive marketing budgets of national chains,” Oppenheimer said. “Our tools override those big box stores and move small businesses up to page one. I think a lot of small businesses feel as if they are required to sell on sites like Amazon just to be seen. We are hoping to create more opportunities and more choices for these small businesses to meet vetted customers who share their values. We know shoppers are so eager to support small businesses, they just need to be able to easily find them in their moment of need.”