7 Ways to Create an Inviting Restaurant Atmosphere

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the restaurant industry has suffered the most losses, both in terms of sales and jobs. During the first 12 months alone, total sales were down $270 billion and over 8 million jobs were lost.  As restaurants continue to recover and resume operations, most operators believe it will take them … Continue reading 7 Ways to Create an Inviting Restaurant Atmosphere

Visual Merchandising for Convenience Stores: 5 Great Tips to Try

When it comes to running a convenience store, crafting an appealing visual merchandising strategy should be high up on your to-do list. In-store visuals and presentation serve many important functions, including guiding shoppers to the right places and driving sales.  That’s why it’s essential to continuously improve your visual merchandising practices. To help you accomplish … Continue reading Visual Merchandising for Convenience Stores: 5 Great Tips to Try

3 Steps to Easier, Faster Store Execution

Retail is a highly-competitive industry with generally tight margins. Managing inventory, leases and labor costs alone make retail profitability a difficult balancing act at the best of times. But that's not all. Today's retailers must adapt to rapidly changing customer sentiments, weather and the pressures of e-commerce. Add a pandemic to the mix and it … Continue reading 3 Steps to Easier, Faster Store Execution

Convenience store

12 Ways to Put the “Convenience” Back in Convenience Stores

Did you know that the US has more than 150,000 convenience stores accounting for 80% of total motor fuels sold across the country? In such a fiercely competitive industry, staying competitive and profitable remains a huge challenge for c-store owners.  This guide discusses a handful of practical ways to enhance the c-store experience and boost … Continue reading 12 Ways to Put the “Convenience” Back in Convenience Stores

5 Reasons People Leave Your Stores Without Buying Anything (and How to Fix it)

Getting shoppers into physical stores has become more difficult over the past year due to the pandemic. And while industry data shows that foot traffic has somewhat recovered, there’s still plenty of room to improve.  As such, it’s more important than ever to focus on in-store customer conversions. After all, attracting shoppers to your store … Continue reading 5 Reasons People Leave Your Stores Without Buying Anything (and How to Fix it)

How to Use Site Inspections to Reduce Commercial Insurance Premiums

A site inspection keeps your business, employees and customers safe by identifying potential hazards and risks. Here are some tips on using site inspections to reduce commercial insurance premiums. While an insurance company will often send an inspector to survey the site when you insure a new property and business, taking a preemptive approach can … Continue reading How to Use Site Inspections to Reduce Commercial Insurance Premiums

New Year, New Look: 9 Ways to Spruce Up the Design of Your Retail Stores

The start of the year is always a good time to ideate and come up with new business practices. And one of the most important areas to consider when making changes is your retail store design. Aesthetics, shopping behaviors, and consumer preferences are always evolving, so you need to make sure that your store’s look … Continue reading New Year, New Look: 9 Ways to Spruce Up the Design of Your Retail Stores

How to Minimize Injuries and Liabilities in Retail: 9 Tips

No retailer likes to think about injured employees and customers, but it’s something that you need to consider and prepare for. Workplace injuries cost business owners and at least 1 billion a week — not to mention the tremendous hassle that comes with such incidents.  Simply put, accidents and injuries can land your business in … Continue reading How to Minimize Injuries and Liabilities in Retail: 9 Tips

staff high-fiving

How to Prevent Human Errors in Retail

The classic phrase “the devil’s in the details” rings very true in the retail world. A retail store may look simple and easy to mange on the outside. However, store managers and associates are constantly juggling multiple moving parts. From monitoring inventory levels to entering customer data, there are a lot of details to manage … Continue reading How to Prevent Human Errors in Retail

Timely Order Fulfillment – How to Tips for Retailers

It’s the busiest time of the year for retailers. Because of all that happened since the pandemic began, most of the challenges that you’ll face this year will likely take place behind-the-scenes instead of behind the counter or on the sales floor.  Online sales will surge this year due to continued social distancing and health … Continue reading Timely Order Fulfillment – How to Tips for Retailers

Compliant IA Store Reopening Checklist

How to Grow a Retail Concept from 5 to 50+ Stores

Taking any business from one stage of growth to another requires knowledge, skills, and mindset. Growing from one to five stores requires a completely different strategy from scaling your retail store counts to double digits. In other words, what got your business to where it is today, won’t get it to the next level. So how … Continue reading How to Grow a Retail Concept from 5 to 50+ Stores

11 Ways to Increase Your Local Retail Presence

Most entrepreneurs have the urge to think big and grow their businesses. As a retailer, this can mean expanding to other locations and setting up multiple stores in other cities or states. And while this is a perfectly sound strategy, growing your business isn’t just about developing your physical retail footprint. In many cases, you … Continue reading 11 Ways to Increase Your Local Retail Presence

Compliant IA Store Reopening Checklist

How to Grow a Retail Business: From 1 Store to 5 Stores

Single-store retailers that have found success often start thinking about the prospect of setting up shop in other locations. This is a natural step that many businesses take, and for good reason: expanding to other locations puts your business in front of more people and opens up opportunities for growth. But as you think about how … Continue reading How to Grow a Retail Business: From 1 Store to 5 Stores

How to Hold a Sale without Killing Your Profits

All retailers should know how to hold a sale since promotions and discounts are easily one of the best ways to boost your bottom line. It creates a sense of urgency amongst consumers, and also helps to introduce your brand to new customers who haven’t encountered you before. However, sale events can also reduce your … Continue reading How to Hold a Sale without Killing Your Profits

How to Manage Store Operations Remotely

Pre-pandemic, district managers physically visiting the stores in their district, cluster or region (aka store audit, store walk, inspection, or visit) was considered a cornerstone of store operations best practices. With travel restrictions in place, many district managers are now unable or limited as to how much time they can spend time on the road … Continue reading How to Manage Store Operations Remotely

Holidays: What Retailers Need to Know

The holiday season is undoubtedly the most important shopping event in the retail industry. Which is why proper planning and preparations are key. The best way to get ahead is to anticipate consumer trends and behaviors so you can adapt accordingly for the holidays.  While no one can accurately predict the future (particularly in today’s … Continue reading Holidays: What Retailers Need to Know

Merchandise Planning: The Clever Retailer’s Guide for How to Do It Right

Benjamin Franklin wisely said that “failing to plan is planning to fail.” While he wasn’t specifically referring to the retail industry, the adage could not ring more true — especially when it comes to merchandise planning for your retail store.  If the merchandise you order and so diligently display in your store and on your website … Continue reading Merchandise Planning: The Clever Retailer’s Guide for How to Do It Right

How to Hire for Diversity in Retail

Diversity should be at the forefront of conversations around hiring — and not just because it’s politically correct or timely to talk about. The fact of the matter is there is a lack of diversity in many workplaces. Employers must take steps to ensure that candidates, regardless of their race or gender, get an equal … Continue reading How to Hire for Diversity in Retail

Why and How to Measure Store Compliance

Compliance with standard operating principles, merchandising programs, health and safety directives, and loss prevention protocols is essential for store success. Stores executing best practice standards run more efficiently and provide a better customer experience. But with so much going on, publishing standards does not guarantee execution in-store. Here are 5 reasons why you should measure … Continue reading Why and How to Measure Store Compliance

Visual Merchandising in Retail: Best Blogs

Visual merchandising in retail is the practice of presenting services and products to customers in a way that engages and motivates the customer to purchase. As stores reopen and we move into Q4, many retailers are looking for ways to level-up their visual merchandising to welcome customers back and attract new ones. We know you … Continue reading Visual Merchandising in Retail: Best Blogs