NVC Market: a demo grocery site, and what it means for an island market
On an island, the general store is more than a store. It is where you get milk, mail, gossip and the ferry news. On a long weekend, the line goes out the door. In a storm, it is the one place still open.
Small-town markets across BC work the same way. People want to know one thing before they drive over: is what I need there today?
A good website can answer that. Here is a demo that tries.
NVC Market is a made-up store
NVC Market is a made-up grocery. It is not a real store, and it is not a client. We run it as a demo of our Grocery and Market starter. It is set in New Vibe City, a made-up city we use for all our demos.
Anything shown on the demo is not included unless it is on your Launch list. We say below what a Launch does include.
What the demo gets right
Open NVC Market. Near the top, it shows the hours for today. Then it lists the departments: produce, proteins, staples, bakery, frozen, and grab-and-go. Each one has a short line in plain words.
Then comes a section on today's prepared meals, with a note on when it was last updated. That one small touch matters. A shopper can see what is fresh today, not last month.
The demo also gives space to people. There is a page about the manager, and a note about the baker whose bread is on the shelf. For a small market, that is the heart of it. Your shoppers know your growers and bakers by name. Your site can too, with their permission.
Shown on the demo, but not included unless it is on your Launch list:
- Department pages
- A daily specials section
- Online ordering
- Spotlights on local makers and suppliers
What a Launch sets up for a market
A grocery or market is a place where an online store can fit. So a Launch can include one, if you want it.
A Launch is $2,500 CAD plus GST, paid once. You get two hours, live, with one of our people. If you want them, we set up and test each of these with you:
- An online store. We list your products. Orders are paid into your own Stripe, PayPal or Square account. We test it with one real order.
- Online payments. For things like catering trays or holiday orders, payments go into your own account too. We never hold your money.
- Online booking. We connect your Google or Microsoft calendar and add your hours. Good for things like a catering chat. We make one real test booking.
- One contact list. Every order, form and booking becomes a contact. We bring over the contacts you have now.
Your real store name, people, hours, logo and colours go on the site. Forms send each message to the inbox you name. It works on a phone, which is how people will check you from the ferry line.
Change it as fast as the shelves change
A market changes every day. The berries came in. The bread sold out. You are closing early for a holiday.
After Launch, you change your site by telling it what you want, in plain English, like a text message. Type "add fresh halibut to this week's specials" or "say we close at noon on Sunday." On the call, you make one real change this way, with us beside you.
We also teach you the visual editor. Click on a line of words or a photo and change it where it sits. It is handy for a quick daily update.
Your site runs in your own Replit account. We charge $0 a month, and your host bills about $20 US a month for use. That is the host's bill, in US dollars. Our prices are in Canadian dollars. You own the code, and you can leave any time with a full copy.
Next step
Read about the Grocery and Market starter, or start your Launch. Want to see what yours could look like? Type your web address on See what you'd get. Or book a free call and tell us about your store.