Ottawa Friends Successfully Complete 100 Luxury Pop-Up Picnics

Best friends Sara and Fatma always had the entrepreneurial spirit and wanted to bring a new and exciting gathering experience to Ottawa amidst the lockdown restrictions. Their mission was to create unforgettable moments through luxurious picnics, thus, bringing Picnic Paradise to life.

With limited activities available during the COVID-19 lockdown, picnics have become a nation-wide activity many people have joined over the past year. With indoor dining closed and events put on hold, picnics have been a great and safe alternative to gathering outside with friends. Luxury pop-up picnics have gone viral on social media as a new aesthetically pleasing way to upscale outdoor gatherings.

Picnic Paradise has introduced a unique method to commemorate special events. Their arrangements are not only Instagram-worthy, but they are ideal for every event including proposals, dates, wedding and baby showers, and birthdays!

With the help of the ShopHERE Powered by Google Program, Sara and Fatma were able to build a website for their business in just a matter of weeks. They can now streamline all of their information and frequently asked questions, instead of having clients messaging them with repetitive inquiries. Sara and Fatma have been able to allocate more of their time to focus on developing their brand and picnic themes.

“This is a great program that helps small businesses during the unprecedented COVID times where everything has shifted online and become technical.”

Sara and Fatma found that setting up an online store was a straightforward process with reasonable timelines. They were both familiar with the various platforms available through the ShopHERE Program (Shopify and Square), but they weren’t sure which would be the best fit for their business model, as they had no prior website-building experience. The only challenge the duo encountered when developing their website was deciding how to model the various packages they offer for their eCommerce Coordinator to help them better understand their business. They were, however, surprised to see their website up and running in less than two months.

Picnic Paradise’s greatest opportunity is to have all of their information in one place. Although they began their business on Instagram, they quickly realized that not everyone is on Instagram to access all of their information. Having a website for Picnic Paradise not only establishes a strong brand presence, but it also allows their clients to weigh the options of each package offered.

“The past two months have been a rollercoaster! So many things that we had to learn about quickly and adapt to, and so many late night hours! But the joy in our clients' faces makes it all worth it.”

Picnic Paradise receives on average 2-3 requests each day since the launch of their website. Not only are they receiving more inquiries, but all of the information Sara and Fatma require from a client is now available and presented in a clear and simple format, which makes their next steps easier and less time consuming.

Sara and Fatma urge small businesses and artists to participate in the ShopHERE Program. Small businesses are required to adapt to new technology and online trends in order to retain their competitive edge and client satisfaction.

If you’d like to follow Sara and Fatma’s luxury pop-up picnic journey, visit Picnic Paradise’s website here. If you are interested in getting a free e-commerce store set up for your small business, or know of any other small businesses that can benefit from the ShopHERE Powered by Google Program, click here to get started!