Retail and Hospitality Operations
We’re in the 4th quarter, and you know what that means — some of the year’s top holidays — Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas are upon us. The National Retail Federation forecasts sales to increase between 4% and 6%, above the pre-pandemic growth rate of 3.6%. There are certainly reasons to be optimistic this holiday … Continue reading 7 Holiday Merchandising Examples to Win Over Q4 Shoppers
Miscommunication in retail happens. But when it happens in your stores, it feels like a surprise every time. It’s easy for HQ to miss out on essential information from physical stores––especially when your corporate headquarters is housed separately from your brick-and-mortar locations. If you feel like you’re dropping the ball on the communication front, … Continue reading Miscommunication in Retail (And How to Fix It)
Halloween is now a huge commercial holiday. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), 73% plan to celebrate this year spending up to $4.1 billion on costumes, $3.9 billion on decorations, and $2.7 billion on candy. Retailers who focus their marketing efforts on Thanksgiving and the end of Q4 are missing out on a major … Continue reading Un-BOO-lievable Halloween Strategies for Retailers
Nobody said running a retail business would be easy. Even the most conscientious retailer can get bogged down trying to juggle the tasks that comprise day-to-day responsibilities. That’s why business operations need to be approached strategically. From managing sales associates to keeping a fresh flow of inventory stocked on the shelves, you can cut costs … Continue reading Retail Best-Practices to Help You Streamline Store Operations
Effective communication is one of the pillars of a well-managed retail organization. Open communication builds trust between managers and employees and creates a better store environment. Not only that, but team members need honest feedback from their leaders to be able to do their jobs well and execute retail programs properly. As such, improving store … Continue reading Effective Communication – How to Better Communicate with Store Teams
Have you heard of the retail apocalypse that wasn't? Still, retailers face major challenges in today's climate. Here are 6 key challenges faced by retailers worldwide. Challenge #1: Merchandising Merchandising compliance is still staggeringly low. Studies show 60% of promotional displays are not executed properly. 60 percent! Properly executed retail displays register as much as … Continue reading 6 Key Retail Challenges Infographic
Q4 is the busiest selling season for retailers. This means more consumers in your stores and restaurants. This is an opportunity to sell and create brand awareness among consumer groups you may not normally interact with at other times of the year. Take advantage of this chance to boost your bottom line. We have 5 … Continue reading 5 Not-to-be-Ignored Shopper Demographics for Q4
The holiday season is upon us and your stores, where 80% of total holiday sales happen, are the battleground for sales and margins! While Christmas is important to brick-and-mortar retailers (responsible for more than $1 trillion spent on decorations, parties, food, and gifts in the US alone) having a successful Q4 means paying attention to every seasonal … Continue reading 8 Sales Boosting Opportunities for Q4
Whether you’re opening your first retail store, a veteran retailer or an experienced merchant simply wanting to boost sales, identifying opportunities to increase foot traffic is among the most critical ways to enhance store performance. In fact, a study revealed, “Shopping in person is actually a revenue booster for retailers because in-store shoppers spend more.” … Continue reading 5 Ways to Increase Foot Traffic in Stores
Let’s just cut to the chase — if you’re a retailer, your goal is to get new customers and keep the customers you have coming back, all in the name of increased sales. Without sales, you don’t have a business. Thus, strategizing about how to maximize retail sales should be a top priority. According to … Continue reading 10 Ways To Maximize Sales In Retail
Who is this guide for? This definitive guide to retail merchandising is for multi-unit retailers in industries such as pharmacies, spas, clinics, telecommunications, furniture, thrift, and quick-service/fast-casual restaurants. This guide also helps manufacturers or distributors of consumer packaged goods. In retail, "merchandising" applies to a broad scope of organizational activities: product design, display design, product … Continue reading Retail Merchandising – The Definitive Guide
A grocer was cited for failing to keep an accessible checkout lane open. A coffee shop was fined for not maintaining clear space on the transaction counter. A restaurant, bar and antique shop, all were cited for refusing to allow a service animal inside. Those are just a handful of retail locations that recently settled … Continue reading Improving Accessibility: How Retailers Can Improve Online and Offline Access for Customers
Retail district store managers have a ton of responsibility — and they play a valuable role in the business’s overall success. A good district manager oversees the operations of all stores within a given district or area. They can juggle everything from staff development, compliance, and sales to customer satisfaction, all while serving as an … Continue reading How to Be a Better Retail District Manager
Franchising is a great way to expand your brand and make a bigger geographical footprint. Take note: there's more to building a successful franchise business than simply handing out a few brand guidelines and letting your franchisees run with it. The most successful franchises go the extra mile. McDonalds is one of the world’s largest, most … Continue reading Franchising in Retail: 7 Ways HQ Can Support Franchisees
Just because one retailer may be smaller than another, that does not mean they have any less responsibility regarding their security. Whether it be from a break-in or a cyber-attack, most retailers will experience some form of a security breach. This is why we have put together these security tips for retailers. Regardless of the … Continue reading Security Tips for Retailers
In retail, even the slightest lapse in safety and security can spell disaster. Theft, fraud, and data breaches can put a sizeable dent on your bottom line… and reputation. This is why it is important to establish store security measures across your locations. Industry data shows that security issues in retail aren’t slowing down. The … Continue reading How to Establish Security Measures for Retail Stores
With 77% of consumers having recently identified rude customer service as the most bothersome aspect of shopping in brick and mortar stores and another 55% willing to take their business elsewhere due to lack of follow-through from a merchant, it’s fair to say that not all customer service is the same across retail. Keeping this … Continue reading How to Improve Customer Service Standards
It’s a simple fact, every business in the world can benefit from collecting and analyzing customer data. Nowhere can the effects of data utilization play a bigger role or have a more positive impact than in the parking industry. Time in, time out, rates, length of stay, events, weather conditions, etc. all play a role … Continue reading Data Analytics Trends in The Parking Industry
A retail organization has many moving parts. Here are three things you need to do to grow your retail business. Accurate and Quick Communication Accurate and quick communication from head-office to the stores is essential to the success of a retail organization. Each store is a brand ambassador who speaks for the entire brand. A … Continue reading 3 Things You Need to Grow Your Retail Business
Running a retail store is complex, and it might be difficult to know just where to start when you’re smoothing out your processes. But making retail operations run more efficiently should be at the top of every retail executive's to-do list, and the tips below will get you on the path to streamlined success. 1. … Continue reading 8 Ways Retailers can Streamline Store Communication and Execution
Organizations, large and small, spend a lot of time thinking about leadership and team building. For the right reasons. Treat your employees well, coach and mentor them, and they will treat your customers well in return. Companies like Chick-Fil-A and Marriott International have cultures that focus on the well-being of employees and are known to have … Continue reading Five Ways Creativity is Essential to Your Business
Retail store managers are playing an increasingly important role in the brick-and-mortar environment. As we’ve shifted from purely transactional spaces into in-person brand experiences, the role of the retail employee continues to change. It’s important to always look for ways to improve as a store manager. When it comes to pleasing your staff and your … Continue reading 11 Tips to Be a Better Retail Store Manager
An estimated 61 million Americans deal with some type of disability. It's critical to ensure your stores are accessible to all individuals. Using an accessibility checklist is a great place to start to see what efforts are already in place and how you can improve accessibility across all stores. Use this sample Accessibility Checklist for … Continue reading ✔️ Accessibility Checklist for Retailers
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been around for over 30 years. Although there is virtually no area of American business that has remained untouched by the landmark legislation, retailers especially have to be careful about how they comply with it. Serving the public means accommodating everyone — regardless of their physical limitations. Even … Continue reading A Retailer’s Guide to Compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act
One of the most essential measures when it comes to running a brick-and-mortar store is getting foot traffic. The more traffic you generate translates into more opportunities for sales and customer engagement, which in turn leads to the main goal — increased revenues. For small and large retailers alike, having a storefront that customers enjoy and … Continue reading Reasons Why Customers are Walking Past Your Store
Retailers — actually, all entrepreneurs — are busier than ever, with most business owners feeling like they don’t have enough time. Research by Microsoft found that more than 50% of managers feel burned out at work. Can you relate? If so, then you should make it a priority to free up more time in your … Continue reading 7 Manual Processes Every Retailer Should Quit Doing
Merchandise will sell itself when it looks good. But when it doesn’t, even the best product can sit on your shelves gathering dust! You need an environment that attracts customers, entices them to spend time in the store, and encourages them to purchase impulsively while they are there. Here is a list of 4 store … Continue reading 4 Retail Store Layout Tricks That Increase Sales
This Loss Prevention: A Comprehensive Guide for Retailers recognizes that loss prevention is a very real challenge for retailers. Shrinkage is a problem that costs retailers billions of dollars every year. Yet businesses are using tools and technologies to prevent shrink less and less. The loss associated with shrink is two-fold: You lose the capital … Continue reading Loss Prevention: A Comprehensive Guide for Retailers
As a retailer, you know that your point-of-sale (POS) system is more than just a tool to process transactions but rather an asset to help your business improve both profit and operations by leaps and bounds. With so many POS options available, it’s easier than ever before for merchants to have access to even more … Continue reading 5 POS Strategies That Increase Sales
Everything that customers perceive when they walk into your store falls under the category of retail merchandising –– from the curb appeal of your window display to customers’ experience with your POS system at checkout. By merchandising products in the right way, you can keep traffic moving throughout your store, maximize inventory visibility, and turn … Continue reading 5 Retail Merchandising Mistakes that are Killing your Sales
Key Performance Indicators are performance measurements that help you know if your business is reaching its goals and operating optimally. Use a KPI checklist to help you measure, detect and respond to dips in sales and margins and other strategic facets of your business. Below, some sample Key Performance Indicators to include on your KPI … Continue reading ✔️ KPI Checklist
Customer Experience continues to be one of the most talked about retail trends. Customer Experience expert Blake Morgan, who has been covering the topic since 2014, wrote in Forbes: "The phrase customer experience gets a lot more play than it did in the business world in the past when people would simply throw it around synonymously with the … Continue reading 4 Ways to Improve Your Store Experience
In order to grow as a business, you have to learn from the best in the business. And when it comes to retail, it doesn’t get much better than Apple. When Apple released their financial results for its fiscal 2018 fourth quarter, it was revealed to be a quarterly revenue of $62.9 billion, an increase … Continue reading 7 Things Retailers Can Learn From Apple
Seasonal programs like Valentine's day drive big profits for retailers and restaurants.Valentine’s Day spending topped 25 billion in 2024! The average spend is also up to $185.81 per person. And while most Americans still spend the majority of their Valentine's Day budget on a significant other, the National Retail Federation (NRF) observes a "big increase this year in … Continue reading Valentine’s Day In Retail: Interesting Facts and Emerging Trends
Whether you are a thrift store, consignment store or vintage retailer, you have a wide range of duties across several departments. From receiving and approving donations, sorting, pricing and finally merchandising items, using a Checklist for Thrift Stores will improve the performance of your operations...and your bottom line. Use this sample Checklist for Thrift Stores … Continue reading ✔️ Thrift Store Inspection Checklist
Instagram has proven to be a boon for many businesses. According to the Instagram, more than 200 million users visit at least one Business Profile daily and a third of the most-viewed stories on the platform are from a business. Those numbers tell us that Instagrammers have an appetite for content posted by businesses, so … Continue reading 6 Ways to Use Visual Merchandising to Drive Social Shares
Meeting high standards for the health and safety of patients is the most important focus for Pharmacies. However, to continue delivering the care patients expect, pharmacies must also be successful retail stores. Merchandising cannot be overlooked. How can pharmacies drive brand loyalty and sales if the retail space is poorly merchandised, disorganized or unappealing? Below, … Continue reading Retail Merchandising Ideas for Pharmacies
Merchandising is — and will continue to be — one of the biggest drivers of sales and customer engagement in retail. How your store is merchandised influences everything from brand perception to customer experience, which is why it’s important to keep your merchandising initiatives fresh and relevant. Part of doing that requires paying close attention … Continue reading 5 Retail Merchandising Trends to Watch Out for
Executing a product recall is never easy. It involves logistics, communication, regulatory compliance, and often times a disruption of operations. Here's how one retailer coordinated, completed, and verified a product recall across all locations using Bindy. Problem: Executing a Product Recall Each year E. coli infections cause approximately 265,000 illnesses in the US. Often times, … Continue reading 📚 How-To And Case Study For Quickly Executing A Product Recall Due To A Foodborne Illness
All humans share similar psychological and emotional triggers — gravitating toward pleasure versus pain, amusement versus boredom, and satisfaction versus discontent. The average consumer naturally weighs costs and benefits when shopping. Retailers can utilize a range of psychological techniques to influence shoppers’ behavior and ultimately increase conversions and total sales during the holiday season and … Continue reading 10 Ways To Use Consumer Psychology To Increase Sales In Retail
19 percent of yearly sales for retailers take place within the last two months of the year the National Retail Federation found. Bottom line, November and December are the most important months for your retail business. You need to offer compelling reasons to get customers into your stores. Below, some tips to help you increase foot traffic … Continue reading How to Get Customers Offline and Into Your Stores During The Holiday Season
Does retail lighting boost sales? According to Amerlux, "Globus, a major grocery retailer in Germany, experimented with a combination of colored lights at a promotional area inside one of its stores." This led to a 6% increase in sales in the promotional area. If you are still using fluorescent tubes, it is definitely time for … Continue reading 5 Lighting Techniques for Visual Merchandising to Increase Sales
The holiday season means you have more merchandise to move than ever, but your store size has stayed the same. How can you display and sell more merchandise in the same footprint? We have some tips to help you get the most from your holiday merchandising, but even better, you can use these tips all … Continue reading Holiday Visual Merchandising Tricks That Can Be Used All Year
Customer needs must be a priority for store merchandising. While the right products and price points are important, it’s the customers that make the difference. Without a combination of new and returning customers, retail businesses fail. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately two-thirds of businesses with employees only survive about two years. To … Continue reading 10 Merchandising Mistakes Retailers Make That Lose Sales
Mid-sized to large Real Estate Investment Trusts are more vulnerable to fraud in their parking operations than smaller property firms and the effects can be more devastating to the bottom line. The types of fraud that property owners and managers need to be aware of generally fall into four categories: cash theft, validation theft (discount … Continue reading 7 Easy Steps to Help Identify Fraud in a REIT’s Parking Operations
If you’re in retail, you’re likely in the middle of planning for the holidays — and for good reason. Known as the biggest shopping event of the year, the holiday season consistently brings in tremendous foot traffic and sales. According to NRF, retail sales during the holiday season grew 3.8% to a record $964.4 billion. … Continue reading From Seasonal to Loyal: 5 Tips for Converting Holiday Shoppers into Year-Round Customers
Nothing endures but change - Eraclitus Change is inevitable in the fast paced environment of retail and hospitality. It helps the brand stay relevant, efficient and competitive in the eyes of customers and guests. However, change can be hard. Not everyone likes it! Change means stepping into the unknown. It does not have to be … Continue reading 4 Strategies For Change Management In Retail
A smart retail checklist has points, best-practice pictures, supporting files, conditionals and action plan recommendations. It allows company standards to be checked, deficiencies tracked, assigned and resolved. It guarantees programs and policies are deployed in full, in time, in every store. A smart checklist is built, then used in the audit workflow. Retailers and hospitality … Continue reading What is a Smart Checklist?
When running a small business, there are no small decisions. You have to dig into the retail details and analytics that deliver the data behind every transaction and interaction that happens in your store. That’s where Key Performance Indicators (KPI) come in — numeric values that indicate whether your business is reaching its targets. They … Continue reading Top 10 KPIs That SMB Retailers Should Track — And How To Measure Them
One of the best things about being a retailer today is having access to a multitude of tools, apps, and platforms that can make your work life more efficient. While merchants of the past relied heavily on manual admin, paperwork, and inefficient communication channels, modern retailers enjoy the benefits of speed, automation, and cloud-based systems. … Continue reading Retail Apps, Tools, and Platforms That Take Your Stores to the Next Level
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