Kiosks Demand Strategic Shoplifting Prevention Planning

Although more compact in size than an in-line store, with less inventory to track and manage, kiosks continue to fall victim to shoplifting by both passers-by and employees. Just within the month of September and these early days of October, police blotters and local headlines have highlighted multiple acts of kiosk shoplifting. Take for instance, the reported $11,000 worth of phones stolen from a cell phone kiosk in the Mall at Rockingham Park in Salem, MA. In fact, multiple T-Mobile kiosks throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire have seen an... 

Jewelry Fashion Trends & Styles

Over the past decade, there have been many changes in the jewelry business, some good for the industry and others to its detriment. The Internet has accelerated the transference of information and made products readily available to retailers looking to fill their shelves and displays fast, and with new products. Yet with the price of gold and silver continuing to increase, retailers have been forced to look for new, more cost effective alternatives; high quality costume and fashion jewelry, as well as unique impulse buys, backed by top quality customer... 

Customers Holding Back on Holiday Shopping

After a not so fantastic beginning to the fall season with back to school shopping sales slow, and students returning to class with last year’s supplies, the holiday season is the last remaining hope for retailers looking to boost their bottom lines. A recent NRF consumer survey reveals that more than 37 percent of shoppers plan to have some holiday shopping completed before Halloween has come and gone, and as a result retailers are happy to oblige in anyway they can to have a part of the estimated $450 billion in holiday spending.  In fact,... 

NRF Lobbying Legislation for More Retail Minded Outcomes

If you can’t beat them, lobby them. That’s the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) plan of action at Capitol Hill as it looks to combat what seems to be the frequent disregard for merchants, reminding legislators of the role retail plays in the current economy. Among the recent legislative disappointments from the Capitol was the Federal Reserve’s decision to set the debit card swipe fee at $0.21 per transaction. The NRF had committed new resources to ensure that retailers had a voice that would be heard during every important public policy... 

Coupon Use Rises in Early 2011

Consumers like to receive products for FREE, and if that isn’t possible, they like to get them next to nothing. Stephen Denny, author and expert on strategic insight for SMBs, advises small businesses such as independent retailers to make it easier for customers to say YES. According to Denny this means changing the way you look at pricing, particularly in these economic times. Coupons are a traditional form of marketing that may assist in your customers’ purchasing decision, allowing you to count each clip of the scissors as a yes. Inmar... 

Podcasts Enrich Wholesale Suppliers’ Marketing Campaigns

Sumner Communications, a leading publisher of general merchandise trade magazines, directories and websites, announces the launch of its retail and wholesale industry podcast series. The company’s trade magazine site, IndependentRetailer.com, and wholesale directory site, WholesaleCentral.com, feature the exclusive, downloadable audio clips targeted toward wholesale buyers. Scott Sumner, CEO of IndependentRetailer.com’s parent company, Sumner Communications, expresses his enthusiasm about the new initiative, “With interest in rich media steadily... 

Winning Worth the Payout for Amazon

For nearly a decade, local brick and mortar stores across the nation have been fighting to level the playing field with Amazon, the headlining online retailer who has decided to forgo the collection of state sales tax. In a united effort California became the seventh state to adopt sale tax fairness legislation in July. According to Institute for Local Self-Reliance advocate, Stacy Mitchell, “Amazon’s physical presence has spread to more than a dozen states, where it has built warehouses and other facilities that would normally trigger an obligation... 

Holiday Sales Require Deeper Customer Connections

The 2011 back-to-school shopping season (second most important event following Christmas) is coming to a close, and retailers are finding it lackluster in deliverance. According to the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2011 Back-to-School survey conducted by BIGresearch, sales were expected to be a little flat, with little change from last year’s statistics. The NRF predicted, “Families with children in grade K-12 will spend an average of $603.63 on apparel, school supplies and electronics, within a few dollars of last year’s $606.40 average.”... 

Walmart Actively Solving Sluggish Sales

Any effective business strategy includes a close study of the competition and the wins and losses they experience. Therefore, independent retailers nationwide make it a standard practice to remain current on news involving big box retailer, Walmart. And for months the local discount stores and mom and pops on Main Street have been happy to report that even the industry big wigs aren’t immune to the recession. In fact, Walmart suffered a ninth straight drop in its U.S. store sales last quarter, even with the anticipated back-to-school shopping... 

Independent Retailers Partake in Tax-Free Holiday Marketing

Tax-free holidays have been around for more than 10 years and popular for the past five, especially during the recent economic downturn, which had families pinching pennies. ”Tax” is one of those terms that makes a consumer scowl, and tax-free holidays are a marketing technique to get shoppers out to the stores. “There’s just something psychological about not wanting to pay tax,” says Rick McAllister, CEO of the Florida retail group. “Let’s face it, Amazon.com has got rich doing it. they don’t collect... 

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