After finishing third in the e-tailer rankings last year on eMonday, entrepreneur Shi-Vaughn Lee vowed to go two better in 2021.

Ms Lee, owner of the popular skincare and candle business Dove & Butterfly, has delivered, earning the $500 top prize as the e-tailer that made the most individual sales during eMonday, November 29.

She said: “I entered eMonday last year for the first time after being in business for five months and was surprised to have placed third.

“I entered then as an opportunity if I placed to have additional funds for inventory from the prize money. Starting out, every dollar counts.”

She added: “I then wrote down in my congratulatory post last year on Instagram that Dove & Butterfly will win eMonday this year.

“I’ve learnt the power of my words and I’ve watched the business grow exponentially and I knew we would outdo ourselves from the previous year. To win just confirms that we can achieve all that we put our minds to.

“I also feel appreciative and humble because I have really grown a group of Love Doves who love the products and really go hard for the business. They were aware of the competition and made sure that we came out on top.”

Dove & Butterfly was among 27 e-tailers to participate in eMonday, which was organised by the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation and the Economic Development Department.

eMonday is an online initiative launched in 2010 during Global Entrepreneurship Week that aimed to motivate residents to shop local online — and its goal for 2021 remained the same.

Three online shoppers — Marisa Stones, Jeannine Menzies and Holly Sinclair — each won a $250 voucher to use at any of the participating online shops.

All participating shoppers were entered into a draw for the prizes. To qualify, they had to shop online at any of the participating e-tailers and upload their receipt/purchase confirmation via the BEDC website and were chosen at random.

Ms Stones said: “I always support eMonday and am so happy to be able to kick off my holiday shopping with local vendors.

“With the added concerns related to Covid, it was so useful to do some shopping and know that it would result in contactless delivery to my home in many cases.

“Thank you to the BEDC and other sponsors for continuing to promote local e-tailers.”

The BEDC said the ByBermuda website, launched in conjunction with eMonday, has seen a steady number of entrepreneurs sign up for the virtual market, with 12 vendors joining over the weekend leading up to eMonday and steadily adding new vendors.

ByBermuda is a virtual space for local e-tailers and vendors to sell their products, goods, and services online, without the expense and challenges of running their own website.

The BEDC said it invites local small businesses to sign up to be a vendor at vendor.bybermuda.com and begin to add products/services to their shop on ByBermuda.

David Burt, the Premier, said: “Bermuda’s Economic Recovery Plan promised to deliver an online SME marketplace that will allow entrepreneurs easy access to sell their goods and services online.

“In Bermuda the costs associated with establishing an online presence can be prohibitive and as a result the Government of Bermuda charged the BEDC with establishing an online platform to remove that barrier.

“We are pleased that the ByBermuda virtual market has launched just in time for the holiday season, and we encourage vendors and other small businesses to register with the BEDC to sign up to the platform.”

Ray Jones, director of the Economic Development Department, said: “eMonday aims to support and encourage the continuous development of secure e-commerce on the island.

“We were thrilled to once again partner with the BEDC to bring back this initiative that supports local businesses and encourages secure online commerce.”

He added: “eMonday encourages shopping locally online and motivates sellers and buyers alike to use the internet when transacting, especially as the island gears up for the holiday season.”

Neville Grant, chairman of the BEDC board, added: “The BEDC partnered with the EDD to deliver on a shared vision to encourage e-commerce in Bermuda.

“Increasingly, local businesses are building secure websites which not only highlight their products and services but also allow online transactions, enabling both local and overseas consumers to partake of their offerings.

“The development of the ByBermuda platform supports the future of e-commerce in Bermuda and the BEDC will continue to champion the development of a dynamic and secure online economy.”