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Joe Craparotta

Recent Posts by Joe Craparotta:

Can Malls Hope to Compete in the Age of BOPIS?

What once made malls a favorite shopping destination is holding them back in the age of buy-online-pickup-in-store 

For people who love to browse the racks of their favorite retailers, there’s no place more exciting than a mall. Social time with family and friends, and easy access to physical stores with actual merchandise you can see, touch, or smell — these are the experiences that make the heart of a true shopper beat a little faster.

Topics: last-mile delivery solutions e-commerce shopping secure delivery customer pick-up center local sales centers BOPIS

How Inclusive Marketing Celebrates Diversity

Black-owned businesses lead the movement to meet customers where they are

February is Black History Month, so it's only appropriate to devote this month's blog to issues of diversity and inclusion.

Topics: customer service e-commerce shopping customer demographics customer pick-up center hispanic consumer

Counting Down Our 5 Most Popular Delivery Blog Posts of 2020


The year of buy-online-pick-up-in-store (BOPIS)

At the beginning of the year, when we made our predictions for retail trends to follow in 2020, we had no idea how accurate some of them would turn out to be.

Topics: direct sales e-commerce shopping customer pick-up center local sales centers Covid-19

How Creative Delivery Solutions Earn Loyal Customers in Urban Markets

Consumers won't be "COVID shopping" forever. Make sure your delivery options continue to meet their needs.

Only 21% of consumers in a recent survey said they expect to keep shopping online as much after the pandemic as they do now, but a different study concludes many people will stick with e-commerce because it’s safe and convenient. The truth is, no one knows exactly how buyer behavior will change in a world with COVID because the last time we lived through something like this, computers and cell phones and the Internet didn’t exist.

Topics: last-mile delivery void e-commerce shopping customer pick-up center local sales centers Covid-19

Keeping Local Delivery Hassle-free While We Plan for the 2021 L.A. Triathlon

Embracing New Ways of Working

Coronavirus is a devious enemy. It’s invisible, it’s persistent, and it seems to be everywhere at the same time. At Cura Resource Group, we’re not taking any chances when it comes to the health and safety of our families, our employees, and our customers. We’ve been following all CDC guidelines regarding sanitation and personal protection since the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Topics: direct sellers local sales centers direct-to-consumer Covid-19 L.A. triathlon

Get Ready for a Holiday Shopping Season Like No Other

Holiday Shopping in the Time of COVID

Who would have thought we’d still be having this conversation about COVID-19 in September, let alone planning for the first holiday-shopping-during-a-pandemic season in living memory? And yet, here we are — and smart retailers are already thinking about December. They’re hard at work adapting sales and marketing strategies to deliver a merry gift-giving season at the end of a stressful year unlike any other. 

Topics: holiday shopping e-commerce shopping local sales centers Covid-19

BOPIS, Curbside Pickup, and Customer Service During Covid-19: What You Need to Know Now

3 Valuable Lessons About Customer Service During Covid-19

Looking back, no one could have known what awaited the retail industry and our economy in the first half of this year, just as no one can accurately predict what will happen next. We can, however, pause to reflect on some of the more obvious ways COVID-19 has impacted multi-level marketers (MLMs) and other direct-to-consumer businesses over the past six months.

Topics: customer service secure delivery customer pick-up center Covid-19

How to Re-Tool Online Fulfillment During a Pandemic

Think about any direct selling business and a digital-first approach is probably not what comes to mind. But young entrepreneurs joining the ranks of direct sales distributors have been changing how today’s direct selling brands operate.

Shaped by the needs of Generation Y, more direct sales companies are leveraging digital tools in all aspects of their businesses — from sales collateral to how their independent business owners (IBOs) or distributors operate.

Topics: customer service secure delivery local sales center Covid-19

3 Steps to Better Customer Service for  Contactless Pickup

Contactless pickup is here to stay

Social distancing and contactless pickup are here to stay for the foreseeable future. At Cura Resource Group we’re not surprised that a recent survey by Ipsos and USA Today concluded “more online, less in-store” is the clearest shopping trend so far since the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the world in early Spring. It turns out that most consumers aren’t in a hurry to go back to the way things were.

Topics: customer service secure delivery local sales center Covid-19

How to Offer Curbside Pickup When You Don't Have a Store


Adjusting to our “new normal” means businesses are finding new ways to get customers the products they want when and where they want them. Many restaurants, for example, have turned to curbside pickup as a substitute for serving diners at indoor tables.

Topics: last-mile delivery solutions local sales center managed pick-up centers MLM Covid-19