At the Times Leader, we have been committed to serving our community for over a century. During this period of unprecedented transition, that commitment is more important than ever.
All of us have had to change the way we interact with our loved ones, the way we live our lives, and the way we do business. For our Times Leader family, that has meant finding new ways to deliver community news, hosting virtual community events and helping area businesses adapt to this rapidly changing economic climate.
As part of those efforts, we’re pleased to introduce the Times Leader Marketplace — a way for local businesses to reach the community — or even a worldwide audience — online.
Our partners can list their products in a virtual storefront, whether they be physical products for in-store pickup or delivery, virtual products, literally anything you can sell in-store or online can be listed in the Marketplace.
“We are excited to be able to provide our clients an opportunity that no one else provides locally,” Times Leader Media Group Publisher Mike Murray said. “This is just another way we can offer businesses a means to increase their business.”
Kerry O’Neil Miscavage, Times Leader Media Group Vice President of Sales and Marketing, agreed.
“The TL Marketplace showcases a true partnership with our clients,” she said. “We are here to help drive business for them on multiple print and digital platforms, and we are doing just that!”
Products in the marketplace are advertised to the Times Leader’s market-leading audience, and we’ve made all of the marketing tools available to national chains available to our local partners – we’ve taken all of the guesswork out of e-commerce.
“When the Times Leader came to me with their ideas, I thought it was innovative and it was very clear that they wanted to help my business,” said Gary Schiel, owner of two Schiel’s Markets in Wilkes-Barre.
“Selling our products through timesleader.com is actually fun and easy,” Schiel said. “Through this platform we are able to showcase the catering side of our business.”
The concept may be new, but the ingenuity that made it possible is deep within our community’s DNA.
“Northeastern Pennsylvania is home to some of the most resourceful people I know,” said Times Leader Media Group CTO and Mountain Top native Nick DeLorenzo. “And it’s also one of the most community-focused areas I’ve ever seen.”
For customers, you can purchase all of the local products from the same area businesses you and your families have been visiting for years, safely and securely, from the comfort of your own home.
Take for example Cook’s Pharmacy. Through the Marketplace, customers have access to their free-shipping, money-back-guarantee CBD products.
“People place a lot of importance on patronizing local, often family-owned businesses, and we have a history of pulling together to face adversity, so in that tradition we felt it was important to create a platform where local consumers could continue to be served by those same local businesses while remaining safe,” DeLorenzo added.
The marketplace represents part of the first phase of a completely new set of features we’re bringing to market for both our readers and advertisers in response to an unprecedented increase in audience, and in the coming weeks we will be expanding this program with additional features and opportunities for anyone who chooses to participate.
The Times Leader is excited to be able to provide this service to our community partners.
