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Browsing: Retail News
Within five years 75 percent of retailers plan to identify customers when they walk in the store according to Boston Retail Partners 1st Annual CRM/Unified Commerce Benchmark Survey. Previously you could rest easy knowing your brand had a presence in multiple channels, both online and offline. Those days are long gone. As the customer’s decision-making process has become the epicenter of retail strategy, unified commerce has emerged as the medium for a holistic customer shopping experience.
The National Federation of Independent Business announced its Small Business Optimism Index increased 1.4 points to 96.6 last month, the highest reading since September 2007, when the economy was about to slide into recession. The index has increased for three consecutive months.
Now might be the perfect time to get into the watch and jewelry business, or expand into new product lines. Experts in the fashion jewelry and watch market say the improving economy has been good for business in almost every sector of the market.
Independent Retailer recently spoke with Kathleen McHugh, president of the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA), the largest non-profit association providing leadership and resources to grow the specialty toy industry.
Spring and summer are upon us, and bring with them an array of gift-giving opportunities for occasions like Father’s Day, graduations, weddings, and teacher appreciations. New research indicates that this season more than two thirds of US shoppers plan to buy gift cards; meaning that retailers would be wise to ramp up gift card marketing efforts for the spring and summer gifting months.
Independent Retailer recently spoke with President & CEO, Andrej Suskavcevic, of the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA), the international, not-for-profit trade association. CHA consists of thousands of member companies engaged in the design, manufacture, distribution and retail sales of products in the nearly $30 billion U.S. craft and hobby industry. Suskavcevic discussed a broad range of topics, including the state of the industry, social media, and how to help customers fulfill their needs for creative expression.
At the ASD Las Vegas trade show this week, Independent Retailer publisher Bill McNulty presented his thoughts and ideas on what retailers can do to boost their sales using the Buy Local Movement.
More small business owners are planning to add employees and boost compensation levels, signaling a slightly more positive economic outlook for 2014, according to the most recent Business Confidence Survey released by Insperity, Inc.
The Experian/Moody Analytics Small Business Credit Index rose 1.2 points to 117 in Q4 2013, the fourth consecutive quarter of improvement in small-business credit conditions and the highest index reading since data tracking began in 2011. Findings indicate that small businesses are now reaping some of the benefits of the nearly five-year-old U.S. recovery, according to Experian.