With the gradual reopening of the economy and post-pandemic recovery on the horizon, retail sales continue to experience an uptick: May retail sales reflected a 6 percent increase above the first quarter monthly average, hinting at growth for many retailers across the U.S. With consumers spending more heavily in restaurants, gas and clothing categories that […]
Editors Picks
Small Business Spirit is Thriving
Small business owners report they are doing better than expected as the economy continues to gain steam amid the waning pandemic, according to the results of the 2021 Small Business Survey by TD Bank®. The survey polled more than 750 small businesses nationwide with less than $5 million in annual revenue, from sole proprietors with […]
State Regulations for In-Store Shopping
Updated 7/6/2021 As the COVID vaccines continue to make their way throughout the U.S., guidelines including mandatory facial coverings and indoor capacity limits are lightening up. If things keep going this way and we do not have another outbreak, retailers can soon expect the normal shopping patterns. So far, over 144 million Americans have been […]
Supply Chain Solutions: Get Inventory Now
The COVID-19 pandemic created a situation where customers had little choice but to shop online, which caused a number of mission-critical challenges for retailers. From closing their doors and enforcing safety precautions to moving most of their business online and being met with delayed delivery times, many businesses are still trying to recover from the […]
Retail Springs to Life
The weather is warmer, the sun is brighter, flowers are in bloom, and spring is in the air. Retail experts are expecting a huge boom in brick-and-mortar sales come the spring and summer months since the vaccine rollouts are making consumers more comfortable to shop in person. Now is the time to get ready to […]
New PPP Loans for Businesses with 20 Employees or Less
The Biden administration announced five major changes in the Payroll Protection Program this week to make access to PPP loans more equitable, which could make a big difference for small businesses. Starting February 24, 2021, the U.S. Small Business Administration will begin accepting applications for PPP loans exclusively for businesses under 20 employees and sole […]
What Retailers Can Expect From Post-COVID Consumers
COVID-19 has changed virtually everything about retail. Retailers may never before have considered operating their business without a single customer inside of their store, and yet, this is now reality for retailers in states facing restrictions or total lockdowns. Despite such radical changes, certain trends that existed before COVID-19 remain the same.. For example, customers […]
De-escalation Help Offered for Retail Employees Amid COVID Challenges
by Crisis Prevention Institute Anxiety continues to rise among the general public amid the relentless COVID-19 pandemic. Preparing retail staff early will help ease tensions in-store and provide better customer service going into the annual peak shopping season. Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) recently partnered with the NRF Foundation to develop training to prevent and de-escalate […]
COVID & Holiday Shopping Behaviors
As the summer continues to slip away and there’s still no end in sight for the pandemic, retailers have to truck on and start preparing for probably one of the most challenging holiday seasons we will come to know. Most retailers don’t know if what they’ve seen from shoppers since the onset of the pandemic […]
Three Great Examples of Results-Driven Checkout Processes
by Kayla Matthews The design of your checkout process can significantly impact how many customers make it through the sales funnel. Even subtle design decisions that make checkout slightly less convenient — like surprise fees, overly long forms and required account creation — can result in higher cart abandonment. That’s especially true toward the holiday […]
