Choosing a point-of-sale (POS) system is a big decision. The right system can make your business operate much more efficiently, help manage inventory, provide data to make better purchasing and staffing decisions, and improve customer service. Many of the POS systems available for retailers advertise similar features. But, they are not all created equal. Here’s […]
Marketing & Management
Back to Basics: Freshen Up Your Store with Merchandising 101
Spring has sprung. Well… almost. There’s no better time than the present to freshen up your store for yourself, and for your customers. Having a great retail display can make all the difference. The way you display products and organize your store can be the difference between stellar sales or a deadbeat season. So, let’s […]
Spring into Action: How to Increase Apparel and Accessory Sales
It is not enough just to stock your store with apparel and accessories for the new season, you need strategies to move those products. Spring is a time for new beginnings, and there’s no better time to reinvent your store and optimize for sales. Here is a step-by-step guide for increasing apparel sales in your […]
How to Profit from Seasonal Overstock and Returns
The holidays are over, including retail holidays Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Super Saturday. But, there is still one retail holiday left to contend with: National Returns Day. This more informal holiday takes place in the beginning of January when consumers flock to the stores and the Post Office to return or exchange holiday […]
How to Upsell Gift Cards
It’s January, and that means one thing in retail: gift card redemption month. Year after year, gift cards are one of the most popular holidays gifts. 90 percent of gift cards are used within 60 days of purchase, and 72 percent of customers spend more than the value of their gift card when redeeming. So, […]
5 New Year’s Resolutions for Small Businesses
A new year, a fresh start – there’s no better time to take a step back and evaluate your business. Hopefully you finished the year with a strong holiday sales season. No matter where you landed last year, there’s always room for improvement. Take advantage of the slower winter months to revamp your store operations, […]
Small Changes, Big Savings
Earlier this year, Walmart announced that they will save $200 million by changing their light bulbs and save $20 million by using a new floor wax. Those kinds of numbers are cause for anyone to stop and re-think routine purchases. Making supply or operational changes in your store probably won’t save you $200 million, but, […]
How to BLAST Away Customer Complaints
The holiday season is a stressful time for everyone, including shoppers and employees. It’s inevitable that every retailer will have an upset customer at some point during the holiday season. No matter what the cause of the complaint, it’s essential that retailers address and de-escalate the situation promptly so that the customer is satisfied and […]
4 Ways Family Businesses Can Thrive Through Multiple Generations
by Raméz Baassiri While public corporations attract more media attention, family businesses also make a major impact on the U.S. and world economies. Family firms comprise more than half of all U.S. companies and generate at least 50 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product, according to the Harvard Business School. And, two-thirds of businesses […]
Ignoring Baby Boomers Leaves Revenue on the Table
Baby Boomers are a generation of Americans born between roughly 1946 and 1964. The term comes from the noticeable increase or “boom” in birth rate after the end of World War II. Today, there are roughly 75.4 million baby boomers. Soon, over half of the U.S. population will be over 50. As one of the […]
