About Us
Hattiesburg,
Mississippi is home to more than 14,000 businesses, most of which are locally
owned and operated by entrepreneurs living and investing within the community.
These locally owned businesses and entrepreneurs are the true foundation of our
Hattiesburg economy.
With the city primarily driven and structured on the three pillars of its economy: Education (The University of Southern Mississippi and William Carey University), Healthcare (Forrest General Hospital, Merit Health Wesley, and Hattiesburg Clinic), and Military (Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center), locally owned businesses struggle to find the spotlight.
Why Shopping Local Matters
ShopHattiesburg.com was created to support and promote these local businesses and entrepreneurs, with the “local multiplier effect” principle in mind. The Local Multiplier Effect refers to the increased wealth creation that occurs when money is spent locally and re-circulates within the local economy.
The
trend for many consumers has been to shop at “Big Box” chain stores, along with
shopping online. Unless the chain store or online vendor is locally owned, both
of these shopping preferences are detrimental to Hattiesburg by taking money
out of our local economy. This consumer trend is ultimately supported by price,
without regard to quality or customer service.
The purpose of ShopHattiesburg.com is to combat this trend, and protect our local economy. We have developed a powerful community commerce platform to help locally owned businesses and entrepreneurs be found and compete online by providing an ecommerce marketplace, featuring the products and services they offer.
Services and Features for Businesses
Find Locally-Owned Businesses
Provide visitors with a directory of small businesses in your community. Use an intuitive search engine that allows shoppers to search by name and category.
Shop Online or Pick-Up In-Store
Browse every product & service available in the area so you can shop from home before you drive. Add your picks to your cart, or complete your purchase in-store.
Share Your Reviews & Opinions
Shoppers can show their support for their favorite local businesses by writing online reviews and posting a photo. Visitors can read reviews and learn about others' experiences.
Send Gift Certificates
Create custom gift certificates for your friends and family with products and services from local businesses.
Get Coupons & Deals
The ShopCity Community Commerce Platform enables shoppers to find offers from local businesses.
Check in
Show your love for your favorite local businesses by checking in on your mobile device when you visit.
Services and Features for Customers
Publish Everywhere in One Click
Business owners save time and money by connecting their website and social networks to their ShopCity.com profile and publishing offers and updates once to all places.
Start Selling Online in Minutes
Every local business has a full e-commerce storefront that can be setup in minutes. Payments are through PayPal, and there are no fees charged by ShopCity.com
Send Email Newsletters & Track Results
The email marketing system enables businesses to easily collect email addresses and create attractive email newsletters that contain their special offers and latest updates.
Sell Gift Certificates & Deals Online
Local businesses can use the ShopCity.com gift certificate engine to sell, track & redeem gift certificates online. They can also sell 'daily deal' style vouchers and promote them through email.
Schedule & Publish to Facebook and Twitter
We've made it easy for small businesses to schedule updates to be published out to their social networks, website and ShopCity.com so they can be proactive with their online marketing.
Build & Showcase your Followers
By linking to external Facebook pages and Twitter profiles, a business can display their Facebook friends directly on their ShopCity.com page. This helps build their following and adds social validation to their ShopCity listing.
Enable Visitors to Spread the Word
The ShopCity platform features social sharing tools throughout the site to enable visitors to share and recommend content they like to their network of friends, family & followers.
Be Found by Local Shoppers
Local independent businesses receive an attractive, informative profile page that is optimized to generate local search traffic and provide useful information to visitors.
Reach Shoppers On Their Mobile Phones
All local businesses receive a powerful mobile profile page designed for shoppers who are on their smartphones with quick buttons to call and text.
Get a Responsive Mobile-Friendly Website
Get your own responsive website with a custom domain name and a look and feel that matches your brand. These sites are automatically updated through your ShopCity.com profile.
Add Features to Your Existing Website
Add tools to any small business website and save time with the ability to post content once and have it appear everywhere - on social media, their website and ShopCity.com.
Get a Dedicated Account Manager
Businesses who choose a managed package receive a dedicated account manager who will get to know their business and help the owner create and publish content to drive results.
Hattiesburg’s History and Overview
The City of
Hattiesburg, historically known as the “Hub City”, is located in the Gulf Coast
region of Mississippi, with a metro area population of 148,916. The city gained its nickname because of its
strategic location, as many important roadways and railroads unite and
intersect in Hattiesburg, making it a hub for connecting commerce, economies,
and cities across the South. The convenient distance to some of the largest
cites in the South (Gulfport, Biloxi, Jackson, Mobile, and New Orleans), allowed
Hattiesburg to grow into a thriving region for economic development, education,
the arts, healthcare, retirement, as well as a great place to live and raise a
family.
About Chrystal Crabtree, City Manager
Chrystal Crabtree is no stranger to the Hub City. Having grown up in the Hattiesburg area, Chrystal is familiar with many of the local businesses. She has seven years of experience in property management and marketing.
Chrystal is a highly organized and motivated individual who strives for integrity and professionalism. She is a graduate of William Carey University. Chrystal holds membership in both the Hattiesburg Area Association of Realtors and the Hattiesburg Area Development Partnership (ADP).
Serving as Hattiesburg's Community Manager for ShopHattiesburg.com, Chrystal is eager to engage and promote the success of the local businesses throughout the city, and the community.
