Pocketshop was founded by Joe Betesh and Aaron Shakib to make ecommerce more accessible for small businesses and create better shopping experiences for their customers.
Joe and Aaron grew up in families with histories in small business retail. Joe spent time as a kid in his father's furniture store on the Jersey Shore, learning the ins-and-outs of what makes a small business successful. Aaron shared a similar childhood. Aaron’s parents, after emigrating to the United States, opened up their first rug store in Miami where Aaron spent a lot of his time growing up.
Joe and Aaron crossed paths at a large technology startup in Miami where they worked with large brands and online retailers. They realized that while big brands and online retailers have access to advanced tools and immense resources, small businesses struggle to replicate online what makes them so special: creating personalized and memorable shopping experiences for customers. The duo felt a new platform should be built that is easy to use and designed to bring the magic of shopping in-store to ecommerce.
Pocketshop is designed for small, mobile-first businesses that build organic audiences through social media platforms like Instagram. It not only simplifies running an online business, but also digitizes the charm of traditional retail by bringing shopping experiences to online conversations. Pocketshop is Joe and Aaron’s dream of a business-in-a-box come to life.
Today, Pocketshop is home for thousands of businesses, from local favorites to new, home-based entrepreneurs. Behind the scenes, Joe and Aaron continue to work tirelessly to develop new features to further enhance and refine the online selling experience for their merchants.