Articles Index

How to Buy Wholesale Merchandise

Looking for wholesale merchandise? Don't know where to get the products to sell in your store? Once you know what products or product lines you would like to sell, it's time to buy wholesale merchandise. Here's where to find wholesale merchandise to resell.

Retail Store Evaulations

In order to meet our customers' needs, it is important to conduct regular retail store evaluations. An objective assessment of our stores can help us measure whether or not we are fulfilling our customers' expectations. Learn how and why retailers should conduct a retail store evaluation.

3 Tips for Choosing Customer-Friendly Fixtures

One key way to attract and keep the attention of shoppers is to create an environment that is conducive to shopping – and one key way to do that is to use compelling, interchangeable store fixtures and retail display systems to keep your store fresh, interesting and appealing.

Tips to Increase Retail Sales

Whether it's due to forces beyond our control, seasonal sales or a decline in foot traffic, many retailers will experience a slump in sales at some point. The following are a few simple ways you and your staff can improve your retail sales.

Retail Pricing Strategies

Knowing what and how to price your products can be confusing for any new retailer. We're in retailing to turn a profit and while there are many factors that affect the profitability of a business, setting the right price is a major step toward making that profit. Here's how to determine which of the retail pricing strategies to use in order to set the right product price.

Reducing Retail Business Expense

There are many areas in spending in which retailers can reduce without compromising customer service or quality. If your store is experiencing a cash crunch, consider the following ways to cut retail business expenses.

Retail Calendar of Events

Retail industry event calendar features retail trade shows, conferences, seminars for retailers and other retailing events. View the upcoming events for retailers and retail professionals.

Recognizing Return Fraud

Does your return policy allow stolen merchandise to be returned for cash? We certainly hope not! However, the National Retail Federation's Return Fraud Survey says criminals often take advantage of retailers with relaxed return policies. Learn the types of return fraud and the signs your retail business may be the victim of return fraud.

Business Blogs: A Retailer's Guide

Like any other aspect of retail store operations, blogging should be carefully planned and executed to create value for the reader. Done incorrectly, a business blog may not be the best return on investment and could actually harm the retailer's reputation. However, once retailers learn how to blog properly, they're finding a blog can increase sales and build customer relationships.

Shoplifting Prevention 101

This shoplifting prevention guide will help retailers identify shoplifters and shoplifting methods, create a less attractive environment for shoplifters and teach retailers how to put policies and procedures in place to protect their store against theft.

50 Marketing Ideas for Retailers (Part 1)

Small business owners can easily get too involved in the day-to-day operations of their retail stores to spend any time brainstorming marketing ideas. Some retailers worry that marketing is too expensive, others may find it too time consuming. Without announcing who you are and what you sell, how will anyone know? Here are 50 marketing ideas for retailers.

Good Pricing Practices

The Federal Trade Commission says it can be relatively easy to improve pricing practices -- and in the process, boost customer satisfaction, your bottom line and compliance with the law. Here are their step-by-step suggestions.

Loss Leaders

Loss leaders are goods or services offered at steep discounts in order to attract new customers to a store. The intent of the loss leader pricing strategy is to not only have the customer buy the loss leader, but other products that are not discounted.

Pricing and Small Retailers: Questions to Consider

One of the most crucial areas of decision making for retailers is pricing. Yet, we have found that small firms often do not have well-conceived pricing plans. Joel R. Evans, Ph.D. and Barry Berman, Ph.D. has prepared this six-part series on pricing. They offer a number of tips to help you improve your pricing decisions.

Appealing to Repeat (Loyal) Customers

Too many retailers concentrate on how to woo new customers and, thus, they do not pay enough attention to what they can do to gain the loyalty and increased patronage of their repeat customers. Unless you are actively engaged, you can do a better job in this area.

Planning Promotional Events

The following retail promotional calendar is a list of some of the major holidays, observances, retail trends, seasonal events and other happenings to help plan your store's retail merchandising. Combine this information with your own marketing calendar for a powerful retail promotion tool.

Pricing and Small Retailers: Questions to Consider (Part 2)

In Part 1 of this series, we asked you to consider how you would reply to a number of questions about price-setting in retailing. Now, we’re going to offer our own suggestions to address the first several questions.

Combatting the Post-Holiday Blues

The retailing after-holiday period is often a psychologically down one for both customers and employees. So, let us present some suggestions to boost the morale of customers and employees.

Power Retailing: Not Just for Large Firms

Business Week first popularized the term power retailing in citing the competitive advantages of certain large chains. There are three key principles that every retailer, regardless of size or line of business, could learn from the concept of power retailing.

Setting Store Policies

The best time to establish policies and procedures for your retail business is during the planning stages. By anticipating problems before you open your doors, you can strategize how you’ll handle special situations, as well as the normal day to day operations. This helps avoid making mistakes once you’re faced with customers.

Layaway Laws

To help you create or evaluate your current layaway policy, this article provides a layaway checklist, sample layaway sales receipt and information on federal and state layaway laws.

Is Retail Ownership Right For You?

Do you have what it takes to own your own retail store? Anyone considering starting a business will probably answer 'yes' to that question. Choosing to become an entrepreneur is just like making any career decision. Before starting your business, take a moment to seriously consider your strengths, weaknesses and the qualities any good retailer should possess.

Building Business or Trade Credit

Trade credit (or business credit) is an essential tool from suppliers for delaying cash outflow. It is an open account with a vendor who lets the retailer buy inventory now and pay later. Once a retail business has established that it can pay the bills on time while building business credit, it can negotiate trade credit terms.

Retail Math Formulas

Retail math is often used in various ways by store owners, managers, retail buyers and other retailing employees. It is used to evaluate inventory purchasing plans, analyze sales figures, add on markup and apply markdown pricing to plan stocks. Use the following equations and retail math formulas to track merchandise, measure sales performance and help create pricing strategies.

Business Name Ideas

Need business name ideas? Creating a business name is easily one of the most enjoyable aspects of starting a retail business. Here's how to use brainstorming to generate some business name ideas.