Retailers react differently than others to movies like You’ve Got Mail (you did cry during the scene when Meg Ryan’s shop closed, didn’t you?) and plays like A Christmas Carol.  Every year I am moved by the contrast between Scrooge and his early employer, Fezziwig — and reminded about the importance of being  a good… Read More


The new year doesn’t bring good news for those of us who have gotten used to promoting our shops to existing customers for free through Facebook.  We’ve already seen a decline in the number of organic views each post gets, and in fact our store’s 2,500+ “likes” sometimes translates into as few as 22 people… Read More


Is it time to UP your UVP? Those of us who don’t spent most of our time in the world of marketing might not recognize that UVP stands for Unique Value Proposition — in other words, what your business offers that is unique and is of value to your target customers.  Olga Mizrahi is a… Read More


When you see a customer looking intently studying their smartphone while in your store, you may assume that the shopper is “showrooming” — taking advantage of your shop to look at merchandise before ordering it online. But according to the consulting firm Deloitte and Accenture, recent research shows that nearly 70 percent of shoppers “webroom"… Read More


“We know you have a choice of airlines when you fly, and we appreciate you flying with us” has become a bit trite through repetition, but the truth in that statement is timeless: customers have countless choices as to where they can spend their dollars, and we need to let them know how much we… Read More


Imagine that you are a traveler looking to buy a neck pillow for your overseas flight. The airport shop has a nice selection (even for those who don’t find a monkey quite their style). And they’re only $10 each!  But no — if you only need one, which for most of us is the case,… Read More


Our fall staff meeting was this evening, and it was so nice to gather  everyone together and get psyched for the holiday season. We provided a light dinner (and one of our employees baked a carrot cake for my husband Dean’s birthday). After some time socializing, and a few general announcements, I asked several employees… Read More


APPLE PAY The iPhone has been conspicuously absent from the smartphones offering “mobile wallet” options due to its lack of NFC (near-field communication) ability. But Apple may have just been waiting to roll out Apple Pay, its own version of the mobile wallet which made its debut on October 20. The new iPhone 6 and… Read More


On a recent art museum visit we noticed several guards staring at their smartphones, oblivious as to whether anyone was intent upon mischief or even theft.  And it’s understandable that these digital devices offer a relief from the boredom that must come from sitting in the same room with the same art all day long.… Read More


Facebook has been featuring many ads for “Shopify” over the past few months, and if you’re like me, you don’t have any idea what it is.  Some new startup program, I assumed, but it turns out that the Canadian company Shopify is celebrating its tenth birthday this year. In the online world that’s a ripe… Read More