Your One Stop Clinic For All Things Skin

Claraderma, a medical aesthetics clinic based in St. Catharines, ON, is dedicated to helping patients address their skin needs; understanding that having skin problems can severely impact someone’s life. The co-owners Alicia Yap and Olenka Lyle have been operating their clinic since 2017, but given the medical nature of their business and after seeking advice from their physicians, they had to close their practice due to COVID-19. With the ShopHERE Powered by Google Program, they found a way to overcome the challenge caused by the pandemic by building an eCommerce website, and “covid-proof [their] business.”

Claraderma specializes in treating conditions that include acne, rosacea, and the effects of aging; “every treatment comes with a free consultation, where you meet with one of our expert staff to discuss skin concerns.” The clinic works with a variety of preventative measures, corrective treatments and patient education to provide the best results.

“Our treatments are focused on addressing your concerns with non-surgical treatments to provide you with beautiful results with minimal downtime.”

When Yap and Lyle joined the ShopHERE Program, they already had a website, but their Coordinator effectively set up a new Shopify store to list all their retail products online. “Jay did an amazing job creating the look of the site and setting it up.” The ShopHERE Program was beneficial in a way that it provided a streamlined approach for online sales, which definitely modernized their business and established an online presence.

“We sell everything online now, all of our retail products are online now, whereas some were but not all of them were.”

Despite challenges presented by COVID-19 pandemic, Yap and Lyle now feel more prepared for another potential lockdown. The estheticians kept busy with the inventory and delivery in a timely fashion. Through their new website, clients can now purchase and re-stock their selection of products, without visiting the clinic.

“It’s been amazing and stressful, but I am glad programs like this are accessible to assist small businesses! I would never have been able to figure it out on my own” Yap mentions.

Yap recommends other small businesses to sign up for ShopHERE for a ‘free quick way’ to transition online. Yap referenced to a webinar where the instructor emphasized how COVID-19 forced businesses to build an online presence, “basically he said COVID sped up the online world by 10 years… and it did that over the course of three months.” Yap highlighted the importance of “adapting and growing,” to always be prepared for change.

Checkout Claraderma’s services, and shop their wide selection of products, from collagen to facial serum. If you are a small business or know someone who could benefit from participating in the program, check us out HERE. To learn more about Digital Main Street and how it is helping local businesses survive the pandemic, click HERE.