Running a Cart or Kiosk
For not much money, specialty retailers can now get in to loyalty marketing like the big boxes already have.
Not very long ago, one couldn’t purchase anything without being offered a rewards card. From plastic to paper punch cards, wallets were splitting at the seams with promises of discounts everywhere from mass retailers to corner cafes. However, traditional programs like these neglected one important detail: delivering tangible rewards for the merchants themselves.
Analog programs such as punch cards and coupons not only required time to manage, but were difficult to personalize to business needs. Plastic card programs were too expensive for most small businesses to afford. And—while most merchants saw the value in fostering return visits—the return on investment for loyalty programs was often vague at best. Or, it was until recently.
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Selling product is no longer simply a matter of “build it and they will come.” Find out what specialty retail trends continue to dominate the retail landscape and what they mean for your business. Americans are connected to technology 24/7. The Huffington Post reported in 2012 that a staggering number of Americans have developed a
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Wildly popular cupcake stores have owners launch franchise operations. It was in 2007 that Penny and her husband, Dan Lessa, were selling real estate when the market crashed and the couple found themselves looking for a new career. “We knew we wanted our own business,” Penny says, “I always loved baking, and Dan can pretty [...]
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Industry data and what they mean for your specialty retail business. E-xciting Growth! Ecommerce, which generated $231 billion in sales for U.S. retailers last year, is expected to increase 13% to $262 billion this year. Ecommerce already accounts for about 8% of total retail sales in the U.S., and is expected to reach $370 billion [...]
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Swipe Fees Beginning January 27, retailers now have an option of charging consumers a “checkout fee” for any purchase made with a credit card. This new fee was the result of an agreement reached last summer between merchants and credit card companies. That agreement added “swipe fees” every time a retailer accepted a credit card. [...]
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Cellphone covers or sunglasses? Jewelry or hats? Finding a specialty retail product to sell is complicated by a number of factors. Here’s what to weigh carefully before you find a winner.
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New research shows that shoppers are drawn to—and spend more at—stores with simple scents. Orange sells better than more complex green tea, for example. So even if a complex scent is a pleasant one, it might not always be the best one for your bottom line. Source: Washington State University
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A Quarterly Performance Report Exclusively for the Specialty Retail Industry
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Industry holiday data and what they mean for your specialty retail business.
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Kendal Netmaker’s Neechie Gear is proof positive that a cart is a perfect incubator for a retail business. The successful specialty retailer made the transition from cart to inline store in a matter of months and is a role model for fellow entrepreneurs.
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