How 4 Distributors Use commonsku Shops to Drive Strategic Selling

In a fast-paced, relationship-driven industry, storytelling matters. And for today’s distributors, the way you show your ideas is just as important as what you’re selling.

Enter commonsku Shops— a custom, quick-ordering e-commerce solution for distributors in the promotional products industry. With dynamic themes and customization options, Shops are a storytelling powerhouse. 

Here's how four creative distributors are utilizing Shops to engage with their clients and refine their sales strategy:

1) Whitestone Hospitality Trend Shop

“We designed the Shop like you're going through the floors of a hotel,” shares Lee Ann Mazzarisi, Executive Director of Brand Operations . “The lobby is travel. The first floor is operations. The second floor is apparel.”

This isn’t just a product gallery—it’s an editorial-style, client-ready experience. Whitestone organizes items into curated categories and uses visuals to set a narrative tone, creating what Lee Ann calls “a visual appetizer” that sparks curiosity and opens the door for deeper collaboration, just like their Fly Away With Us Shop.

They’ve expanded to have a series of Trend Shops, themed around destinations and industries, providing clients with new ways to browse, be inspired, and make purchases. 

Pro Tip: Did you know commonsku integrates with Unsplash? That means you can add high-quality, royalty-free imagery to your Shop in seconds—perfect for creating moodboards, themed campaigns, or bringing lifestyle stories to life without needing a design team.

Our biggest creative takeaway? Design your Shop like a customer journey—guiding them through what they’re looking for, and what they’re hoping to find.

2) Creative Boulevard's Premium Canadian-Made Fashion Shop

The Premium Canadian-Made Fashion Shop is a celebration of local sourcing and brand partnership. “The inspiration was to showcase our partnership with Redwood and our understanding of their brand,” says Winston Lo, President of Creative Boulevard.

Using commonsku’s templates, this Shop shines thanks to its use of bold visuals and the intention behind the product selection. “It’s an intuitive way to design a go-to-market e-commerce front quickly,” Winston notes.

Pro Tip: Try adding your custom messaging to your help screen. This way, you can show your user the inspiration behind your Shop. All while giving them a personalized storefront experience. 

By combining beautiful visuals with navigable layout choices, the Shop becomes more than a selling tool—it’s a brand storytelling machine.

Our biggest creative takeaway? Use Shops as a branded storytelling platform, not just a sales tool.

3) Showpony's Seasonal Shop

If you’ve ever wished you had a designer on speed dial, take a cue from Showpony.  Their Seasonal Shop proves that all it takes is the right layout, a few hand-picked products, and a great story.

“We made use of the Poster Layout to showcase fun, seasonal items for spring and summer celebrations,” says Lindsay McCraine, Director of Operations.

Pro Tip: Product selection is your superpower. Use product personalization to sell products that resonate with your clients.

This Shop is a perfect example of how visuals can create excitement and clarity for the client. “It provides an easy-to-navigate experience for our clients,” Lindsay shares, “while showcasing curated products to inspire them.”

Our biggest creative takeaway? Seasonal themes and strong visuals create a powerful combination for client engagement.

4) Fairware's Cheap & Cheerful Shop

Keep it cheerful, but make it cost-effective. 

fairware’s Cheap and Cheerful Shop is designed to help the company understand why certain products sell.. “We built the shop to profile lower-cost event giveaways and top sellers,” says CEO and Co-Founder Denise Taschereau. 

This Shop highlights the importance of business intentionality and its impact on customers’ buying behaviors, especially for distributors seeking to gain deeper insights into their sales strategies.

Pro Tip: Want to understand your clients better? Keep track of your inventory so you can know what's selling and what's not. 

This Shop highlights the importance of business intentionality—using data and curation to guide purchasing decisions. For distributors seeking to refine their sales strategy, it’s a reminder to stay curious.

Ready To Build a Shop?

commonsku customers can start building a Shop today and unlock a powerful new way to sell. Not sure which Shop to choose? Use our tool to find the perfect fit every time you create a Shop.

Not a commonsku customer?

Discover how commonsku Shops can help you unlock new sales opportunities, while our all-in-one platform streamlines your workflow from prospect to payment so that you can grow faster with less effort. Book a demo to get started.

Claim your free copy of The Guide to Building Profitable Shops!