Merchant Activation Intern

Merchant Activation Intern — Bay Area Summer 2026

Job Type
Paid Internship / Summer Growth Fellowship

Location
SF Bay Area, California
Field-based, part-time role in selected local business districts in San Jose, Fremont, Milpitas, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Newark, Union City, Hayward, and nearby Bay Area communities.

Duration
Summer 2026, approximately 8–12 weeks.
The program begins with a paid training and evaluation period. Continued participation in the full merchant activation phase will be based on performance, reliability, availability, and business needs.

Compensation
This is a paid hourly internship.

Base Pay: $20/hour for approved work hours.
Expected Commitment: Part-time, typically 6–10 approved hours per week, depending on phase and assignment.
Performance Bonus: Interns may be eligible for verified activation bonuses for approved merchant milestones. Bonus details will be explained during training and are paid only after internal verification.

All paid work hours must be approved and recorded. Interns should not perform unapproved work hours or travel outside assigned areas without company approval.

About Aladdinmall.com

Aladdinmall.com is building a local and national commerce platform for small and micro businesses. We help local merchants create a free customer-facing online page where customers can view products or services, contact the business, request appointments, and discover local businesses more easily.

Many small businesses still rely on phone calls, text messages, paper menus, Instagram DMs, walk-in traffic, or outdated websites. Aladdinmall helps them create a simple digital customer entry point without requiring technical knowledge, subscriptions, or complicated software setup.

Role Overview

This is not a traditional social media or slide-deck marketing internship.

As a Merchant Activation Intern, you will work directly with local small business owners and managers in selected Bay Area commercial areas. Your work will focus on real merchant activation: identifying local businesses, speaking with owners or managers, collecting approved business materials, helping the Aladdinmall team create basic merchant pages, and supporting merchants as they place their Aladdinmall links into real customer-facing channels.

Examples of customer-facing channels include Google Business Profile, Instagram bio, in-store QR code, text message, WeChat, menu QR code, or other existing customer communication channels.

The goal is not simply to “register” businesses. The goal is to help merchants create a real customer entry point that they can actually use.

Interns will be trained to support the activation process.

Key Responsibilities

Research and map local small businesses in the assigned Bay Area commercial areas.

Visit, call, email, or message local businesses to introduce Aladdinmall respectfully.

Speak with business owners, managers, or store staff in a professional and respectful way.

Collect merchant-approved business information, such as menus, service lists, pricing, business hours, photos, and public contact information.

Help merchants understand how an Aladdinmall page can serve as a customer-facing link for services, messages, appointment requests, and local discovery.

Submit accurate merchant information to the Aladdinmall team for page creation.

Support merchants in placing their Aladdinmall link into a real customer-facing channel, such as Google Business Profile, Instagram bio, QR code, text message, WeChat, or another existing customer communication channel.

Track outreach activity, merchant feedback, and activation progress in a shared spreadsheet or CRM.

Attend weekly check-ins with the founder or company supervisor.

Share real merchant feedback, objections, pain points, and market insights with the Aladdinmall team.

Follow company guidelines on safety, professionalism, privacy, and merchant communication.

What You Will Learn

This internship is designed to provide practical startup experience in:

Local go-to-market execution
Small business outreach
Customer discovery
Merchant onboarding
Field outreach fundamentals
Community-based growth
CRM discipline and data tracking
Real-world communication with business owners
Startup operations and founder-led execution
How early-stage companies test market demand and merchant activation

This is a hands-on role for students who want real business experience with measurable outcomes.

Minimum Requirements

Must be physically located in the SF Bay Area during the internship period.

Must be able to visit local small businesses in person.

Must be comfortable speaking with business owners, managers, or store staff.

Must be able to communicate professionally and respectfully.

Must be able to follow a structured outreach script and company guidelines.

Must be able to accurately record merchant information and outreach results.

Must have access to a smartphone.

Must be reliable, responsive, and able to attend weekly check-ins.

Must have reliable transportation to the assigned Bay Area commercial areas. A driver’s license and access to a car are helpful, but not required for every assignment.

Must be legally authorized to work in the United States for this internship. International students should confirm CPT, OPT, or other work authorization requirements with their school before accepting the role.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in retail, restaurant, customer service, hospitality, sales, campus club outreach, event promotion, fundraising, or community organizing.

Experience working in or around small businesses.

Comfortable with in-person outreach and handling rejection professionally.

Strong interpersonal communication skills.

Ability to speak another language, especially Chinese, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, Hindi, Punjabi, Tagalog, or other languages commonly used in Bay Area small business communities.

Familiarity with Bay Area neighborhoods such as San Jose, Fremont, Milpitas, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Newark, Union City, Hayward, or nearby areas.

Interest in startups, local commerce, small business, entrepreneurship, marketing, business development, or community growth.

Specific Skills We Are Looking For

Field Communication
You should be comfortable walking into a local business, introducing yourself clearly, and speaking with owners or managers in a respectful way.

Resilience
You should be able to handle rejection without taking it personally.

Practical Digital Literacy
You should be comfortable using Google Maps, Instagram, Google Business Profile, spreadsheets, QR codes, mobile forms, and basic online tools.

Attention to Detail
You must be able to accurately record merchant names, addresses, phone numbers, business hours, services, prices, photos, and outreach results.

Plain-English Business Communication
You should be able to explain Aladdinmall in simple terms. We do not want interns using complex software jargon with small business owners.

Empathy for Small Business Owners
You should understand that many local merchants are busy, time-constrained, and cautious about new tools. Professionalism and trust matter.

Who This Role Is Best For

This role is a strong fit for students who:

Want a real startup experience with measurable outcomes.
Are comfortable talking to strangers respectfully.
Are not afraid of rejection.
Want to build a concrete go-to-market story for future interviews.
Prefer real field experience over generic marketing presentations.
Care about helping local small businesses.
Are willing to learn by doing.

This role may not be a good fit for students who only want remote work, only want to create social media content, or are uncomfortable speaking with local business owners.

How Success Is Measured

Intern success will be measured by real, verifiable progress, including:

Number of qualified local merchants researched
Number of respectful outreach attempts completed
Number of owner or manager conversations
Quality of merchant feedback collected
Number of merchants providing approved business materials
Number of merchant pages created with accurate information
Number of merchants placing Aladdinmall links into real customer-facing channels
Professionalism, reliability, and data quality

We do not measure success by spam, aggressive sales behavior, fake registrations, or fake engagement.

Career Development

High-performing interns may be eligible for a detailed founder-written recommendation, LinkedIn recommendation, resume feedback, and consideration for future paid part-time opportunities based on verified contributions.

Application Questions

Applicants may be asked:

Will you be physically located in the Bay Area this summer?
Which city or ZIP code will you live in during the internship?
Do you have reliable transportation to visit local businesses?
How many hours per week can you commit?
Are you comfortable walking into local businesses and speaking with owners or managers?
What languages do you speak?
Do you have experience in retail, restaurant, sales, customer service, student clubs, or community outreach?
Why are you interested in helping local small businesses?

Application Instructions

Please make sure your resume includes your email address, phone number, current school, expected graduation date, and current Bay Area city or ZIP code for Summer 2026.

Equal Opportunity

Aladdinmall.com welcomes applicants from all backgrounds. We value students who are hungry to learn, willing to execute, respectful toward small business owners, and excited to build something real.

Sensitive Information and Payment Policy

Interns will not collect bank account information, SSNs, EINs, tax documents, payment credentials, private financial documents, or personal financial information from merchants.

During first-stage merchant activation, Aladdinmall focuses on helping merchants create a customer-facing page and link. Merchants may continue using their existing payment methods. Online payment setup is optional and handled separately by authorized company personnel when appropriate.

Interns are not allowed to accept money from merchants, make financial promises, process refunds, handle disputes, or represent themselves as payment, tax, or legal advisors.

Professional Conduct and Safety

Interns must represent Aladdinmall professionally and respectfully.

Interns must not pressure, harass, or mislead merchants.

Interns must not promise guaranteed customers, guaranteed revenue, or guaranteed business growth.

Interns must not enter non-public areas of a business without permission.

Interns must not photograph people, private areas, financial documents, or sensitive information without permission.

Interns should conduct field visits during reasonable business hours and follow all company safety guidelines.