Merchants FAQs

FAQs for Merchants

What is Towne?

Towne is a real-time, location-based shopping platform that makes it faster, easier and more convenient for consumers to find, buy and get products from local merchants. Our mobile-friendly website connects shoppers with their favorite local merchants. Shoppers can see local merchants’ real-time inventory and schedule on-demand delivery with a few simple clicks.

Where is Towne based?

Towne is headquartered in Tiburon, CA with additional offices in Burlingame, CA.

When and why was Towne founded?

Towne was founded in 2019 with the mission of supporting local communities by making it easy and convenient for shoppers to purchase from local merchants. At Towne, we believe that when local commerce thrives, local communities thrive.

How does Towne work?

Towne brings together merchants in targeted neighborhoods, enabling you to offer unmatched selection and convenience to local shoppers. First, Towne aggregates real-time inventory from local stores and makes it browsable and searchable by consumers via our mobile-friendly website. Second, Towne enables merchants to close the loop by offering your customers in-store pick-up or local delivery. Finally, Towne gives merchants actionable insights into local customer purchasing behavior so you can better serve the needs of your customers.

How much does it cost to have my store and products on Towne?

Launching your store on Towne, showcasing your products on our mobile-friendly website, and enabling on-demand delivery for your customers is free.

How does Towne make money?

We are only successful if you are successful! For sales made on the Towne platform, we take a tiered commission of 10% on the pre-tax purchase amount for the first $200, 5% on $201 to $1,000 and 2% on $1,001 and beyond. For example, for a $300 item we would take a $25 commission (10% x $200 + 5% x $100.) If a shopper discovers your product through the Towne website but makes the purchase in your store, then Towne does not take a commission.

Are there any other fees or charges?

We charge a processing fee to cover the cost of processing credit cards and sales taxes. The processing fee is 2.9% of the gross purchase amount plus $0.50 per order. For example, if an order consisted of two items that totaled $50 gross, we would charge a processing fee of $1.95 (2.9% of $50 + $0.50 per order). This is essentially a pass through as you will not incur processing fees nor need to handle sales taxes for sales made on the Towne website.

How are payments for my sales processed?

Your payment will be the amount of the sale pre-tax less Towne’s commission and processing fees. Payments are made on a weekly basis. We use Stripe, a market-leading payments platform, to process your payments.

What kinds of merchants does Towne work with?

Towne works with any and all local merchants within our target market who sell a physical product. This includes small stores and boutiques as well as the local stores of regional or national retailers. This includes merchants who have a physical storefront (aka brick-and-mortar stores) as well as those that do not have a physical storefront. At present, Towne covers all categories of products with the exception of alcohol, tobacco and prescriptions.

Does Towne work with merchants that don't have a physical storefront?

Yes! You need not have a physical storefront to work with Towne. You do need a location within our target market from which we can pick up your products for delivery. This could be a warehouse, a home office, a commercial kitchen or otherwise.

Does Towne work with merchants who don’t sell online?

Yes! You need not have an ecommerce site of your own to work with Towne. In essence, Towne becomes your online presence.

What does the customer sales process look like?

A shopper searches for something specific or browses local merchants on Towne’s mobile-friendly website.
When the shopper finds what they want, they can either buy directly through Towne and select local delivery or in-store pick-up, or they can choose to go to your store to check out the item and buy in-store.
If the shopper buys through Towne, we process the sale and notify you to pick & pack the item for pick-up.
A Towne delivery person or the shopper will come to your store at an agreed upon time to get the item.

What is the delivery area for my store?

Each location has a set operating zone within which Towne will deliver (see below). However, shoppers from anywhere can purchase through Towne and do in-store pick-up at select merchants. They can also discover your products via Towne and come to your store to shop in-person.

Burlingame/San Mateo delivery area: Belmont, Burlingame, Brisbane, Daly City, Foster City, Hillsborough, Millbrae, Redwood City, San Bruno, San Carlos, San Mateo, South San Francisco, and Woodside.

What are the requirements to launch on Towne?

Have a location within our target market from which your products can be picked up. This includes a physical storefront, a warehouse, a home office, a commercial kitchen or otherwise.
Commit to providing us updated product inventory information as well as certain other operational commitments included in our Terms of Service.
Have a bank account that is associated with the company name or legal representative of the company so we can make payments.
Have a desire to join other local merchants to make shopping local again!

How do I get started?

You fill out the merchant form on Towne.io including store name and address, your name, your email and phone number. By submitting the form you agree to our Terms of Service. We will then contact you to better understand your POS and inventory system (if any) and create a custom launch plan.

How much time will it take to get up and running on Towne?

The time it takes to get Towne up and running on your end is very minimal. Towne does all the heavy lifting to inventory your products and take professional photos (if needed), or to integrate with your existing POS and inventory system (where applicable.)

How much time will it take to manage this new sales channel?

It will take you little-to-no time to manage this new relationship. Towne handles all of the back end order processing work. All you need to do is pick & pack the order for a Towne delivery person or the customer to pick up.

What if I get too many sales or run out of inventory?

Towne integrates directly into your POS and inventory system so you will never sell what you don’t have. Once there is no more inventory of a certain item that product will no longer appear on the Towne platform.

What if I am not happy with Towne? Can I stop working with you?

This has not yet happened and we hope it will never happen. However, we do not lock you into a contract. If you are not happy with Towne then you can let us know and we will remove your store and products within 30 days.