Author Archive
by Veronica Stone on May 27th, 2009
By MIGUEL BUSTILLO
Some regional appliance and electronics retailers are flourishing despite intense competition from national chains, thanks in part to a retro retail concept: commissioned sales staff, trained to explain increasingly complex televisions and washing machines to customers.
These smaller retailers such as publicly traded hhgregg Inc. of Indianapolis and Conn’s Inc. of Beaumont, Texas, as well as closely held P.C. Richard & Son of Farmingdale, N.Y., are pursuing ambitious store expansion plans. They are aiming to capitalize on the slumping commercial real estate market and the collapse this spring of Circuit City Stores Inc., once the nation’s second-largest... Read more »
by Veronica Stone on May 15th, 2009
With e-retailers expected to buy less holiday season merchandise this year because of the economic downturn, they need to sharpen their strategies in coordinating pricing promotions with available inventory, says Paula Rosenblum, managing director at research and advisory firm Retail Systems Research LLC.
“Plan a pricing strategy, plan your inventory strategy, and make sure the two are in synch,” Rosenblum says.
She adds that retailers this year, worried about overbuying merchandise in an off economic year, may experience unusually high levels of inventory out-of-stock. If that turns out to be the case, it will be even more important for... Read more »
by Veronica Stone on May 14th, 2009
By Bob Willis
May 14 (Bloomberg) — Prices paid to U.S. producers probably rose in April as oil costs rebounded, economists said before a report today.
The projected 0.2 percent increase in wholesale prices would follow a 1.2 percent drop in March, according to the median estimate of 68 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. Another report may show the number of people claiming jobless benefits climbed last week from a three-month low.
Signs that the worst of the recession is over may boost commodity costs further, alleviating concern over deflation, or an extended drop in prices that hurts the economy.... Read more »
by Veronica Stone on September 19th, 2008
"There will never be a significant clothing market online," I was once told by a leading Scottish fashion journalist. "People don’t want to buy clothes unless they can reach out and touch them."
In fact, tens of thousands of items of clothing, both new and used, are traded on eBay every week. Though there are other specialist clothing auction sites available, none of them can guarantee anything like as many potential customers. Whether you represent a clothing company or are a private individual wanting to make some money out of old garments which no longer fit, eBay will often be... Read more »
by Veronica Stone on July 30th, 2008
In order to maximize your profitability during seasonal changes, specifically with the back-to-school season, you need to remove the guesswork. You need to know exactly how the market is going to behave to make the most money.
Predicting the Future
How can you know when the peak sales are going to drop off? You can’t predict the future can you? Of course we can’t predict the future, but we can learn from our past.
Retailers keep track of what happened previous years to know how to effectively sell this year. Managers order enough calculators not only to get them through... Read more »
by Veronica Stone on May 22nd, 2008
I’m sure you’ve heard all the ruckus surrounding American Airline’s announcment that it will initiate a checked bag fee as well as increase fees for other services on top of jacking up actual ticket prices. All in the name of the weak economy and soaring fuel prices.
There’s the saying that you can’t please everyone. And it’s true, especially if you are in an industry that serves millions of people a year. But what happens when you don’t please the majority of your customers? Sit back and watch in the next few weeks.
The following are some of the major... Read more »
by Veronica Stone on April 4th, 2008
Many home-based business owners are surprised to learn that their homeowners’ or renters’ policies do not cover most aspects of their home-based business. It’s important to remember that it only takes a single catastrophe or lawsuit to completely shutdown a business, leaving its owners in financial ruins. So, it’s best to be prepared for the unforeseeable with the proper business insurance coverage.
What type of insurance coverage is needed?
In order to make sure that you business is adequately covered, you’ll need to consider all aspects of it. Consider the following questions:
1. Will you be using a vehicle for... Read more »
by Veronica Stone on March 24th, 2008
If you’re anything like we used to be, it’ll be nothing more than an expanse of white paper.
And if it is, you’re missing out on a golden opportunity to advertise to people who have already trusted you with their purchase.
You can either design a flyer to print on the reverse, thanking them for their purchase and showing a few examples of general items you currently have for sale, or (if you don’t have too many items to send out) you could personalize the flyer to each customer, showing a number of products related broadly to the item they... Read more »
by Veronica Stone on March 20th, 2008
Great news for goWholesale advertisers – we’ve launched some major account upgrades, which will not only make your goWholesale campaigns easier to manage, but also provide you with additional features to help you get the most from advertising on goWholesale!
Ad Groups streamline your campaigns and make it easier to manage your bids and ads.
Daily budgeting gives you tighter control over your campaign spend.
The new Keyword Insertion Tool helps to improve the quality of your ad copy and make it more compelling to buyers by automatically inserting your keywords into your ads.
Ad Scheduling lets you decide the... Read more »
by Veronica Stone on March 11th, 2008
A successful and capable business owner, operator or manager perfectly understands that the ultimate key to business success is customer satisfaction. There are two primary factors that play major roles in ensuring customer satisfaction both in the immediate and long term future.
First, a business that is committed to customer satisfaction makes very certain that products or services offered to consumers are top quality. Second, a business that strives to maintain customer satisfaction understands the key role that customer service plays in that process. Therefore, a successful, capable business owner, operator or manager understands the vital role that customer service... Read more »