One of the best marketing tools that any business owner has is word of mouth.  Word of mouth is a strong tool because it gives a potential customer tangible information about a product or service.  We are all much more likely to try something that we have heard from friends or family about how great it is, rather than just seeing or hearing an advertisement about it.  News travels fast when people find something new that they have liked and can't wait to tell a friend about it.  Social Networking is built on this.  It is great to be able to join a group and share your experiences with others.  Those who haven't tried it can also benefit from finding out the true hard facts about whether they should give it a go too.

A business has the opportunity with every interaction with a customer to strengthen this word of mouth promotion.  Every great transaction, great sale price or amazing new product that a customer has experience with is a chance for growth.  Have you ever been to a store and found the greatest buys?  Chances are you couldn't wait to get the chance to tell someone about it!  And so it goes on, just like the 80's shampoo commercial with friends telling friends telling friends.

At ri-VYOO, we take this very seriously.  So much of our business comes from referrals.  This is awesome, especially since we are unconventional retailers.  We know how unusual it is to come to a residence to pick up your online shopping, but we also know our strengths and the things that make ri-VYOO a good alternative to shopping some better known street-front retailers.

So THANK YOU!!!!!!! to everyone who has given ri-VYOO a try and has taken the time to tell someone about us.  It is word of mouth from our customers like you that help us continue to grow.

Technology for Trendy Tots!

Isn't technology great.....when it works?


As we experience Facebook problems today, it brings to our attention how quickly we become thrown off-kilter when the gadgets that we use everyday don't work.   The Internet and Facebook are the fulcrum of our business.  We are all able to shop without stepping into an actual store because of these things and are very well aware of how our computer can save us time and money.  Who would have ever thought that Facebook could have helped us keep our kid's dressed in cool trendy clothes, while saving stresses on us? 


It really is truly incredible!!!


But, these systems are only great when they work.  Although the interfaces of such applications like Facebook and Twitter may seem stationary and unchanging, there are continuous small changes going on where we can't see them, until they interfere with how we do things!  No one complains when changes to these things are seamlessly implemented or just better our experience.  As soon as there is a learning curve though, the reaction changes!!!
Hopefully, that is what is happening today on Facebook.  We are unable to see the comments that you have made on our items.  This leaves us a  bit of a void.... unable to contact our customers or see if there are questions to answer.  We have our fingers crossed that this just a short-term problem. In the meantime, I guess we need to make some changes too and  back to work behind the scenes on http://www.ri-vyoo.com/ 's ecomm store.  :)


Have a great Wednesday!!!

Get 'em While You Can!!!!!

We are putting all Hallowe'en costumes on sale! 
All costumes now $8.50!!!!! 
With a price like that you really can't go wrong!!!
Here are some of the costumes still available:

Want to see more?

Click here to see the whole collection:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=209834&id=102136757527

Don't forget that any item marked with a "***" is a clearance item and is only $1.00!

Happy Shopping!!!!!

TGIF! :)

Ahhhhhhhhh...the weekend is here already! 

Well, we are going to use a short work week as an excuse for a short blog!

It's Friday and looks like it's going to be an awesome weekend.  Here is something else that is awesome; a ri-VYOO story that Amie chose to share with us:

I have been shopping ri-vyoo for a while now and think it's great. The service is awesome and the clothes are always in amazing condition. I love shopping ri-VYOO and the great thing is that it saves me a ton of money instead of going out and buying all brand new, especially with 4 kids and 2 of them boys that wear out their clothes on a regular basis. Thank you for running such a great business I know I will definitely keep buying :)

Sincerely.

Amie

Thank you so much Amie!  Having customers like you and receiving amazing feedback feedback is fuel for us!  Watch for more changes to be happening over the next few weeks with ri-VYOO as we kick off daily inventory injections and start some local advertising campaigns.

But, for now, TGIF!!!!!



Saving Not Just the Environment

Yesterday's Blog touched on the importance of living "green".  How it benefits everyone at some level.  It can make you feel good morally and help in your pocketbook.  But many of these resources that "environmentally-friendly" focus on are limited resources.  Resources that we need to manage our use of as to not deplete them.

As families grow from 1 to many children, and the calendar fills up with all the activies that everyone in the family is part of, it becomes very apparent that there is a resource that is stretched even more so than a dollar. 

Time is a non-renewable resource.  With the many things that we Canadians choose to cram into a day, many of us are looking to find ways to maximize our measly 24 hours each day.  Shopping online has helped this, especially in an area like Barrie, where everything is so spread out geographically.  With the children's clothing stores spread all over town, looking for that special item can easily absorb your morning while you go from store to store.  It is a huge time saver when you can look online to see  if we have what you need, comment on it. A quick stop on your way to complete your other errands and the rest of the morning is yours. 
We have had many customers tell us that they appreciate how easy shopping online with us is.  Adriana was kind to share her ri-VYOO shopping experience with us to post on our Blog.  Here is what she had to say:

I have had the pleasure of experiencing ri-vyoo as both a customer and through selling my children's previously enjoyed clothing. I must say that both experiences have been quick, easy and enjoyable! With two children of different genders, there is no opportunity for re-using clothing within this household so much of my son's clothing ends up stored in bins with no future use in sight! As well, purchasing an entire wardrobe for my new daughter, although a lot of fun, can get to be expensive! My first experience with ri-vyoo was when I jumped onto facebook one day and a beautiful white coat called out to me! It was so sweet I just had to have it! Then looking at the price, I just couldn't believe my eyes...there was really no reason not to buy right then and there. Having had limited on-line shopping experience, this process was somewhat foreign to me but I found it to be so easy and satisfying! Upon receiving my first package I noticed that it looked pretty, just as it would after having lugged kids to a specialty shop but without the hassle, and the coat was in perfect condition. I would never have know that it had been previously enjoyed by another sweet little girl :) I was hooked. Then, going through my son's closet, came across the opportunity to re-use some of his previous costumes which, of course, had only been worn once! The sales experience was also quick and efficient. I ended up feeling really good about not having to store bulky costumes, knowing that another child could be just as excited to wear them as my son had been, and to make a little cash as well! Overall, I would definitely shop with ri-vyoo again and would recommend them to anyone with children.

Adriana :)

Saving our Resources

We all know the importance of saving our resources.

It is emphasized everywhere, as we are encouraged to bring our own bags, turn off lights and get out of our cars and onto our feet. We are aware of the importance of saving our globe's energy and environment.

From our prospective, there are at least 2 great thing about being "green"....

The first is that making small changes in our own household impacts not only on our neighbours, but also at some point becomes global and generational. If we all do it, it becomes the way that we all live and benefits us now and our children's children. Again, something that we have all heard.

The second one, is that being "green" in a simple sense saves money. That may sound like an oxy-moron if you have ever considered alternative energy or heating sources like wind or solar power, as the prices for those commodities still make them premium items. But, if you consider "green" actions such as buying and recycling used clothing, there is only opportunity to save plenty of money.

ri-VYOO's blog back in September touched on this opportunity to save money. It is very possible to decrease your clothing budget and increase your children's wardrobe! Consider selling the items to ri-VYOO that won't fit any longer instead of throwing them out or storing them with all of the other bins in the basement. This puts money in your wallet and less in the landfill. Buying used clothing is also "green". It makes you feel great about increasing the life of the garment, reduces the carbon footprint of yourself and the item....oh, and saves you some serious coin!!!

Now that is saving our resources at it's best!!!

Things to Be Thankful For

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!
What a wonderful busy week!
Here at ri-VYOO, we have been working hard on improvements to our laundry area and facilities and our foyer. As you may already know, all of our inventory is freshly laundered before it is catalogued and stored. The great thing about this is that all of our items are clean and ready to use when they are purchased! The bad thing about this is that it wore out the old washer and dryer!!
As the finishing touches are completed, we are very thankful to have all of the work of creating a more efficient area over with and also to have had the opportunity to need to make these improvements because of all of our wonderful ri-VYOO customers. ri-VYOO's focus as always been to be as environmentally friendly as possible, with recycled products and packaging, and biodegradable detergents. We are excited to now be able to use less energy and water in this process, as well.

At the foundation of any business is it's customers. Without these customers, no business can stay standing. We are very thankful for our customers....people who are willing to shop "outside of the store" and support local independant retailers. Karen recently shared her experience of shopping ri-VYOO. Here is what Karen had to say:
"I picked up from ri-VYOO and was greeted with a smile, while my products were packaged neatly in tissue paper and packaged in a pretty bag - a very pleasant shopping experience."
Thank you so much for sharing Karen! We are happy to share a $15 Gift Certificate with you.
Enjoy the day everyone! We all have so much to celebrate on this wonderful holiday!

Help! Help!! Help!!!

Whoa!

Who knew this whole Blog thing was going to be such a mental workout!

We need some help!!!...and we are calling on you!

Have you had a memorable experience with ri-VYOO?

What do you think of ri-VYOO?

Any comments or ideas?

We would love to hear it from you.....and share it with everyone!!!

Send us your story to rivyoo@live.ca and watch for it to be posted on our Blog.

As our way of thanking you for sharing, all stories posted will recieve a $10.00 Gift Certificate!

Can wait to get reading!!!!

Meet Maryann!

For those of you who haven't shopped ri-VYOO yet may find today's post reassuring. Although there is more than one person behind ri-VYOO, almost all of the customer interaction is done by me, Maryann.
Buying online, as mentioned in a previous blog, can seem a little bit intimidating, but the more you know and understand what to expect, the more comfortable the whole process is. :)
I am a mom of 3 children under 7 years old and am 100% passionate about customer service and bringing value into our customers' ri-VYOO experiences. I bring over 20 years of retail and business experience to ri-VYOO and am focused on finding ways for both our family and others to save money.
I love ri-VYOO personally for 2 reasons:
1) I love shopping online rather than driving around going from store to store to find what I am looking for and
2) With 3 children to dress ri-VYOO makes a lot of financial sense for us, both for buying and for recycling outgrown items.
My background is in fashion and I love to dress both myself and my children stylishly and find satisfaction in receiving compliments on how my kids are always dressed so great.....especially since I know that their great wardrobes didn't compromise their future university savings! LOL!

Trick or Treat?

Hallowe'en is just around the corner and no doubt has your house filled with planning and excitement for all concerned. What to be for Hallowe'en is such a big decision for children. Around our house it's starts with the debate on whether scary/not scary is the look for the year and then moves on too who is being what so no duplications happen.

Once this absolutely perfect costume has been chosen, then comes the task of actually finding it!!! Sometimes, this is impossible....Other times, the price tag is the scariest part of the costume!

Of course ri-VYOO can help with this! :) A quick browse online to have a peek and see if we have what you are looking for, and then the not-so-scary price of only $10.00 per costume! Our selection changes daily, as things come and go, so check back often....or have your little one join in on the browsing to help with inspiration for the big day or maybe even find exactly what they were looking for!

Brrrrr! It's cold out there!

Does it seem like the temperature just dropped like a lead weight?

This morning's heavy frost and 2 degree temperature had us scurrying around for warmer clothes. We stopped just short of mitts and toques! I'm sure we weren't the only ones.

Stores everywhere will be filled today with Mom's hunting for the best outerwear at the best prices......with hopefully accessories to match. It's an expensive venture that apparently we can't put off any longer. Can you picture it? All of the crowds, the stress, the cranky kids that had to be dragged reluctantly along......

Or you could just shop ri-VYOO.

Grab a coffee and a cozy sweater and look through everything online while your kids enjoy some time with their favorite toys. Can't get much better than that. Oh, except our prices. All light jackets (like the one pictured above) are $6.00, insulated coats are $10.00 and snow pants just $5.00. How can you go wrong