The Business Case for Audits and Inspections in Retail

Your retail business is inherently complex. It has many moving parts and a multi-faceted cost structure. Cost of goods sold, labor costs, leasing fees, hydro costs...these costs are real and have a direct effect on a store's bottom line. Control your costs and if you sell a product for which there is demand in the … Continue reading The Business Case for Audits and Inspections in Retail

4 Retail Store Layout Tricks That Increase Sales

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

How to Create a Memorable In-Store Experience for Your Customers

More than 1 billion shoppers find the products and services they need and want online today. It has become increasingly difficult to get customers into a physical store and even harder to keep them engaged long enough to make a purchase. The good news is, with the right techniques, you can improve the overall in-store … Continue reading How to Create a Memorable In-Store Experience for Your Customers

6 Tips for Hiring a Retail District Manager

Any multi-store retailer would agree that having a competent district manager is critical to success. Tasked with overseeing the operations of all stores within a given district or area, a district manager needs to juggle several retail components, including staff development, compliance, sales, customer satisfaction, and more. Needless to say, the individual that you hire … Continue reading 6 Tips for Hiring a Retail District Manager

5 Tips for Dealing with Unsuccessful Retail Programs

It happens even to the best brands. You conceptualize and execute a retail campaign to get your product into customers’ shopping carts, only to see lackluster results. The campaign, to put it bluntly, flopped. It’s a frustrating position to be in, but how you handle and respond to program flops can help you learn and … Continue reading 5 Tips for Dealing with Unsuccessful Retail Programs

5 Consumer Trends for Brands (and How to Keep Up)

The CPG landscape is more competitive than ever. The shopping habits of consumers have changed dramatically over the last few years, and brands who fail to keep up risk losing market share to more innovative and forward-thinking companies. Don’t let this happen to you. Ensure that your brand stays relevant by keeping an eye on … Continue reading 5 Consumer Trends for Brands (and How to Keep Up)

10 Operational Failures That Hurt a Retailer’s Image and Sales

Christopher Fifelski recently posted this list of Top 10 Retail Failures to the District Managers and Retail Operations group on LinkedIn, a Bindy-moderated professional group with over 40,000 members. With his permission, we are cross-posting Chris’ list on this blog. We also thank the other industry professionals who have contributed to the discussion, including Adele … Continue reading 10 Operational Failures That Hurt a Retailer’s Image and Sales

“Old School” Retail Sayings

There is something about "Old school" sayings. Somehow, they seem to capture tried-and-true wisdom. As retail professionals, we tend to use them to illustrate core values of the retail industry. Recently, David Johnson a member of the District Managers and Retail Operations group on LinkedIn, asked members to share their favourite "old school" retail sayings. … Continue reading “Old School” Retail Sayings

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6 Reasons to Measure Brand Standards

Brand standards span broad areas of a retail or hospitality network, including branding, customer service, product assortment, preferred vendors, merchandising, cleanliness, human resources, security, loss prevention and fire prevention. They govern how the business should be presented, how specific objectives should be completed and how programs should be implemented. Most customer-facing franchise-based groups, especially in … Continue reading 6 Reasons to Measure Brand Standards