Browsing: Marketing & Management

Small Business Saturday is November 30, 2013. The event began in 2010 as a tiny initiative by American Express to encourage consumers to shop at locally owned stores, and has manifested into a national movement. Falling each year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Small Business Saturday was created to help independent businesses compete with the rush of big-box sales during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

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Top retailers often share several common traits, including a variety of offerings, type of customer and amount of space. That is why it is important for all retailers to find ways to stand out from the competition. When it comes to choosing which products to carry and how much inventory to stock, retailers need to have a pulse on their customers’ needs, maybe even before their customers know what they need.

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It is exposure. It is brand awareness. It’s Pinterest! In the August 2013 issue of Independent Retailer Magazine, you learned why Pinterest has quickly become the top social media network for retail marketing, earning the title of Social Media Superman. It is now time to learn how you can incorporate Pinterest into your marketing mix. The following six simple strategies are the perfect recipe for you to create big-box kryptonite.

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As an independent retailer, if you do not market your seasonal goods early in the season as well, the holiday sales boat may sail without you. If you simply take the two adjectives, plan and budget, you end up with some very simple directives to attract buyers to your store. Target consumers who plan, and therefore are ready to buy early in the shopping season, with specific programs.

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“Show and sell” is a smart approach for independent retailers for the Christmas and holiday season. Three ways to promote seasonal merchandise are selling the products you use for decorations, integrating products you sell into your decorations, and adding a personal touch by discussing and/or demonstrating your products.

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The White House has launched a new Website designed to inform and educate business owners concerning the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. The Health Care Changes Wizard, which is part of BusinessUSA, the administration’s interagency information outlet for employers, asks employers to input their state, company size and current insurance plans. The Wizard delivers tailored information about changes under the law, important dates to remember, and the formulas for determining requirements and penalties.

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Facebook pages are at the heart of social commerce. They are one of the many ways retailers grow brand influence, find and engage in conversations with potential customers, promote products and leverage the power of peer influence in purchase decisions. The Facebook Commerce Index highlighted three new Facebook changes this quarter that apply to retail brands: the U.S. release of Graph Search, the launch of Facebook hashtags, and new page engagement metrics

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