Thanksgiving online sales totaled $1.06 billion in the U.S., according to Adobe Systems, which analyzed 180 million visits to more than 1,000 U.S. retail websites. Revenue for leading online retailers rose nearly 40 percent from last year, ecommerce firm Monetate reports. The increases included a 73.6 percent rise in revenue from shoppers using tablets, a 50.7 percent rise in sales to smartphone users, and a 39.8 percent increase in revenues via laptop and desktop computers.
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Smart indie retailers are always looking for ways to attract customers and build business. One way to grow is to cultivate a local following. Here are some tips for expanding your local customer base and sales.
Closeouts and liquidated products, which often sell for well under regular wholesale prices, can offer indie retailers generous profit margins. Closeouts exist as a result of excess inventory, discontinued products, packaging changes, customer returns and slight imperfections, as well as merchants going out of business. They are the same name brand, designer labels and first quality merchandise found in department stores and retail chains.
In store advertising, just like every other type of advertising, asks the question, “How do I capture customers’ attention and keep it?” If you are an independent retailer, manufacturer or product designer that retails through this channel, it is important to answer this question. Competing for attention in a smaller shop can be especially challenging without the ample square footage larger retailers have. Here are some creative ideas for in-store advertising to increase engagement and sales.
Retail payment solutions can and should be optimized to the needs of each individual business. Todd Robinson, VP of Marketing for North American Bancard, a full service payment solutions provider, recently spoke with Independent Retailer magazine about the range of small business payment products such as credit, debit, EBT, and gift and loyalty cards, available to help indie retailers support and grow their businesses.
Instagram is now the go-to place for people to share photos with friends and family. Moreover, it is a great place for people to post pictures of things they want to sell, and indie retailers are finding it is an invaluable way to reach customers. Hordes of users have turned Instagram into a profitable business opportunity, building new services on top of the existing platform.
Each passing day is bringing you closer to the busiest shopping season of the year. Last year, online sales reached over $54.5 billion in November and December, according to eMarketer. The National Retail Federation expects a 13 percent increase in online retail sales this year. It is important to plan for Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the last minute Christmas Bonanza as early as possible.
By Gerry Hunt Finding the right deals is half the battle in business, and retailers work with a number of suppliers trying to find the best…
Shop.org expects online holiday sales in November and December to grow from 13 to 15 percent over the 2012 holiday season to as much as $82 billion. “Online and mobile continue to be a leading area of growth for retailers. In this economy, savvy, cost-conscious consumers go to the web to do their research and get the best bang for their buck,” said NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay.
Independent Retailer magazine recently spoke with Rob Caskey, VP of Marketing and Direct Sales for Liquidity Services’ Retail Supply Chain Group, which includes the Liquidation.com and Secondipity.com marketplaces. Caskey oversees all marketing, branding and customer acquisition activities for these marketplaces, as well as leading the direct sales division.