Direct Edge, an industry-leading print communications company, decided to #BringBackRetail by driving business back into brick and mortar retail stores. To begin the #BringBackRetail initiative, Direct Edge invested money back into its business partners’ brands by reimbursing Direct Edge employees who made purchases in select retailers on June 27 with a kick-off event taking place at the Irvine Spectrum.
Direct Edge encouraged their employees to support the following brands and retailers: Vans, Quiksilver, Billabong, RVCA, Roxy, Tillys, Fox, etnies, Hoonigan, Volcom, Havaianas, VonZipper and more. They are also inviting everyone to join the #BringBackRetail initiative to support retailers during these trying times amid the COVID-19 pandemic. For additional information or to learn more about the initiative, click here: bringbackretail.com
How did Direct Edge come up with the #BringBackRetail initiative?
Ryan Clark: COVID-19 has significantly impacted many and as a team, we were brainstorming ways for Direct Edge to pay it forward and support. Early on, we made face shields to donate to the frontline workers at Children’s Hospital of Orange County, but we wanted to do more.
Ryan Brueckner: We wanted to show our appreciation to our team members while supporting our brick and mortar retail clients and business partners and thought a “shopping experience” would be a safe bonding experience for the team and it would assist client’s brands and retailers as they began to slowly reopen. With the Irvine Spectrum being centrally located and filled with many of Direct Edge’s clients (Vans, Volcom, Quiksilver, Tillys, etc.) it became the essential location of choice for the #BringBackRetail initiative kick-off.
Ryan Brueckner and Ryan Clark, founders of Direct Edge Media
Why is Direct Edge committed to reinvesting back into business partners, brands and brick and mortar stores?
Ryan Brueckner:As an organization and team, we have always valued our business clients and relationships as an extension of our Direct Edge family. Many of them have been deeply impacted by COVID-19 and we wanted to create a fun, safe and creative way to unite our employees while doing our part to support our business partners amid the global crisis.
Volcom Supported #BringBackRetail by Offering 30% Coupons at the Irvine Spectrum Store for Guests and Attendees
How did the #BringBackRetail initiative kick-off go at the Irvine Spectrum?
Ryan Clark: The #BringBackRetail kick-off was a success. The Direct Edge team and Bella Digital safely shopped with their respective family members all while abiding by the social distancing measures and practices in place.
From Complete Skateboards to Fresh Kicks, Team Members Enjoyed the Vans Shopping Experience
How did the brands respond to this campaign?
Ryan Brueckner: Overall, the sentiment was positive when we officially initiated conversations and informed clients, brands and retailers about #BringBackRetail. It was pretty awesome to see how quickly Volcom, Billabong, etnies, LAMO Footwear, The Sheckler Foundation, Bella Digital, Fujifilm Graphics and more jumped on board to support. We invite everyone to continue to safely support retail and look forward to seeing more brands and industry leaders back the initiative.
Direct Edge Team Members Shopping at Tillys in the Irvine Spectrum
Anything that you would like to share or leave the Shop-Eat-Surf readers with?
Ryan Clark: While Direct Edge is one company looking to #BringBackRetail, we hope the initiative motivates the community to shop locally and support their favorite brands. We encourage others to continue using this hashtag to spread the word and help retail nationwide.
