“Halloween is now the #2 decorating holiday in America!” more than one sales rep has exclaimed.  While I will admit that Halloween decorating has trended up in the past decade, I usually counter that in the US we really only have two major decorating holidays: Christmas and Halloween.  But I will admit that in the… Read More

The Top Five Reasons A drum roll, please. Here are the top five reasons for…using a top five list!Whether in your e-mail marketing or social media postings, top five (or six, eight or ten) lists make for fun reading and are a great way to convey concise bits of news. And here are my top… Read More

What are your shop’s signature colors?  Studies show that using one or two colors consistently in your branding will significantly increase consumer recognition.  You may take it for granted that your daily deliveries from UPS will be made in a brown truck, and by a delivery person wearing brown — but when you see a… Read More

“Click like if you remember this.”  That simple line (or “Click like if you love _____.”), plus a photo, can score your Facebook page countless shares and likes. And the vitality of your business’s presence on Facebook depends on garnering this kind of interaction. You are probably already familiar with SEO, or search engine optimization,… Read More

“Volume feeds egos, profit feeds families” is Chip Averwater’s Retail Truth #32. I hadn’t ever thought about it that way, but it’s true that the bottom line is ultimately more important as a measure of success than sales volume, isn’t it? In his recently published book entitled Retail Truths: The Unconventional Wisdom of Retailing, Averwater… Read More

One of the young retailers on our street recently wrote on Facebook that she now has a Square Register at  her shop. “I’m so incredibly excited and happy and relieved – it’s the best purchase I’ve ever made for my business,” she posted.  Natalie at Zip-Dang is a talented designer whose fashion creations often make… Read More

“How do we do it? We buy right!” was the advertising slogan of a local appliance store for many years.  And buying is certainly key to the long-term success of any retail store, as good retailers all know.  Having the right merchandise on hand means that your customers will send their momey.  Having merchandise at… Read More

One has only to think back to the retail scene of 25 years ago to realize that things change continuously and dramatically in our field.  Back then, mail order catalogues were predicted to be the downfall of brick and mortar stores (a term that wasn’t even coined until 1992).  Especially in larger stores, displays were… Read More

“Buy American” is a great slogan, and an important means of bringing jobs back to the USA.  But unfortunately there is lingering doubt as to whether customers are willing to pay more money for an American-made product.  The challenge is to source products that are similar in price to imported goods, because it does seem… Read More