CLEVELAND — Sam Friedman is no stranger to doing business online.
What You Need To Know
- Chagrin Valley Soap and Salve started as an online business in 2004
- When Cyber Monday gained in popularity, the businesses benefited from additional sales
- Data from Adobe reports U.S. shoppers spent $10.8 billion on Cyber Monday in 2020
"As a small family business, we made the bold choice way back when to be an internet business. In 2004, that wasn't really a thing," said Sam Friedman, the brand director of Chagrin Valley Soap and Salve.
Chagrin Valley Soap and Salve was started by Friedman's mom, Ida, who was a former nurse and a middle school science teacher. When her husband was given different medications to treat his eczema, she decided to find a better alternative.
"She did a lot of research online and in libraries and spent time in the kitchen cooking things up and came up with a soap bar and a salve — that's the name of it — and cleared up my step-dad's eczema," said Friedman.
In the years since opening the business, they have sustained the online model and added two retail spaces. So when Cyber Monday became more popular, it was great for their business.
"Finally, there was a day to remind shoppers, 'OK, you've gone crazy fighting with each other at the stores, you know, now is a day where — from your home, from your desk, from your mobile device — now you can shop online and support the online businesses or get your gifts there as well kind of diversifying where you buy," said Friedman.
According to data from Adobe, U.S. shoppers spent $10.8 billion on Cyber Monday in 2020. Now, the business starts preparing several months in advance for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday.
"We actually start making the products, putting the gift boxes together and making piles and piles that start in July, August, September, October and four months later by around Halloween, we finish that project and we have rooms full of things ready to go," said Friedman.
Friedman said last year, the business did the best it's ever done during Cyber Monday, and they're hoping this year is a repeat.
"I think our website is going to be as strong or stronger than it ever has been without everyone only being forced to be online, and I think that's going to make us feel really good about how busy the traffic is on our website come Cyber Monday," said Friedman.