Articles Index

3 Ways to Thrive in a Retail Slowdown
When the economy starts sputtering that's when savvy retailers take action. Every newspaper, news program, news website is full of doom and gloom these days. Stores closings, foreclosures, rising gas prices, job cuts, rising food prices are all the top stories in the media.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Effective Newspaper Advertisement Types
People get their news from so many sources these days that newspapers aren't as effective as they once were. This doesn't mean your newspaper ad won't be effective, but it does mean you need to plan your print ads more strategically. Some types of ads will be more effective than others. It will depend on your target audience, the type of products you offer and where the ad is seen.

Dealing With the Disgruntled
In retail, it's inevitable that there will be the occasional disgruntled customer. No matter how wonderful your products are or how committed you are to provide the best customer service, problems do occur. Armed with the following customer service tips, you can diffuse a situation and possibly even save the customer, as well as the sale.

Measuring Retail Performance and Productivity
Your shop has customers steadily coming through the doors, employees are busy and there is the frequent 'cha-ching' of the cash register, but how well is your business really doing? It is critical for the success of your business to constantly work towards improving not only the efficiency of employees, but the productivity of the store's selling space and inventory as well. Here are a few of the ways to measure a retail store's performance and track retail sales.

Surviving the Retail Rush
Although your store’s peak period may be called something specific, any retail rush is the period of time when retailers are struck with a higher than average number of customers and sales. For some retailers, it can be quite stressful. For the unprepared, it can be down right disastrous. Before you experience your next retail rush, use the following tips to maximize composure and minimize headaches.

Creating Coupon Promotions
Coupon redemption may have decreased but retailers should not abandon this form of promotional tool. Learn why and how to use coupons as an inexpensive form of marketing, create effective coupon promotions and measure your coupon's response.

Creating a Newspaper Advertisement
As a retailer, you have so many responsibilities to manage that I suggest using a professional to create your newspaper ad. You can find freelance copywriters, graphic design students or advertising agencies to assist you in creating an ad. Fees will vary and so will talent. Be sure to review portfolios of past work and detail in writing what exactly you expect to be done by the individual or agency creating your newspaper ad.

Choosing a Newspaper to Advertise Your Business
The number of non-personal channels of communication is extremely high, giving retailers many options for advertising. These include newspapers, radio, television, billboards, magazines, posters, and the list goes on. The following information looks at advertising with newspapers.