What’s the deal with Visual Merchandising ?

March 12th, 2013

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The importance of Visual Merchandising

Before we begin lets define what visual merchandising is to avoid confusion.

Visual merchandising means creating and developing floor plans and product displays in order to maximise sales. Products are displayed to highlight their features and benefits in order to attract, engage, inspire and motivate the customer to make a purchase. In its simplest form, “its the activity of promoting the sale of goods, especially by their presentation in retail outlets and stores”.

Good visual merchandising so important for stores because it allows you to tell your story, to position yourself in the market and differentiate yourself from your competition and it delivers your brand identity whether it be luxurious, value, stylish or urban, inspirational or aspirational. Customers today want to be entertained and demand inspiration and excitement as a part of their shopping experience.
Visual merchandising begins with the exterior, with the store building itself, and flows through to the window displays which play a significant part in enticing customers into the store and through to the shop fit, the internal layout, hot spots and not spots and displays within.

There are three merchandising techniques, horizontal, vertical or pyramid.

Live merchandising is the term for creating a scene or real life scenario – whilst Hero merchandising is the term for focusing on a single product.

At its base level VM simplifies our lives making it easier for us to find what we need in a hurry, moving up a notch, it shows the products we are looking for in a pleasing environment, for instance displaying bath towels on a shelf might show us the colours and size options, (Horizontal merchandising) but displaying them in a room setting shows us how we might use them in our life(Live merchandising). Hero merchandising might involve stringing a large quantity of towels falling out of a shower head for example, making an everyday product suddenly stand out of the ordinary.
In a nutshell VM sets the stage for the products to shine and take centre stage.

With judicious use of creativity, design and product VM helps to create an environment that triggers our impulses to buy. Implementing effective design ideas should increase footfall and increase sales. Good visual merchandising takes advantage of every seasonal opportunity to create and display merchandise. A seasonal display whether it be Christmas, Valentines or Nurses day, introduces new stock to customers and increases conversions by a planned and systematic approach to stock display and turnaround.

It also helps to create the atmosphere within the store by telling a story. As a race, we are able to process information much faster and to retain in for longer when its in story format.

VM encompasses many elements for display purposes, including colour, lighting, music, innovation, space, product information, scale of props, height and elevation, repetition, sensory factors – sight, touch, sound, smell and now there are many displays utilising technology in the form of digital displays and interactive displays.

Your window display is the first contact a potential customer has with your marketing message – So you will want to make it a positive experience. Store windows need to either be dramatic, themed, cheeky or send a message.

Here are 7 tips, to encourage potential customers from the outside to the inside:
1. Apply good lighting – We are naturally attracted by light. Light shining on a beautiful product appeals to customers, it draws our attention without us realizing it. Particularly in winter months as good lighting looks cheery.
2. Use Mannequin like props – People pay more attention to human-like items and your displays will look more alive. Put the mannequins at different heights for even more attention. Our brains have to scan to make sense of what we see, and the more disruption to the scanning, eg by having it look up and down, the longer the process takes, so the more chance there is of them coming in.
3. Let them peep – Expose only part of your window sometimes – I know this one is more scary than the others, but give it a try! This also works if you have vast expanses of window that you can’t fill with stock for whatever reason, or if you want to hide the fact that your shop is cavernous.
4. Tidiness and cleanliness: This is not revolutionary. But customers have perceptions of your shop,and we want them to be good perceptions. Scruffy, untidy or dusty displays imply carelessness. Your customer’s thought process goes something like this: Scruffy / dusty window equals shop doesn’t care. if they don’t care about the window, they won’t care about product selection or serving me! I know this seems unfair when you have a million things to do. But this is what happens. these first impressions are called “moments of truth” Cast your eye over your window now to see what your potential customers see.
5. Use the big to enhance the small: Use bigger props in the background to draw people to small merchandise – like jewellery. This is also true of displays in cabinets, always tallest at the back.
6. Replication: Put numerous props of the same kind together to create an amazing visual impact. This works with colour, or style or shape. Repetition, repetition, repetition!
7. Magnification: have props enlarged to a hundred times their ordinary size – this can be stunning – imagine a huge ring with a massive stone, all made of polystyrene, above a ring display for example or a huge canvas of an product taken from an odd angle!

What makes a good window display?

Anything (in good taste) that stops you in your tracks, grabs your attention or makes you want to enter the shop to find out more about what they sell. As the old adage says “First impressions count” Seasonal displays along with repetition, or isolation – If you’re going to display toasters, then make it an odd number of toasters on vivid coloured plinths, hang them upside down, or create a rainstorm of bread heading for them… The products should be the stars

What should retailers remember when creating their windows?

Its sensible to show a good range of your products and not just the latest lines. Also think about which lines are the most profitable, accessories can account for a large percentage of profits or regular sales, showing smaller items also has the benefit of showing varied pricepoints.

You’re selling emotion not just product.

People buy clothing and accessories not simply to clothe themselves, but also to send out a message or feel a certain way. Try to portray the feeling that people are attracted to with your products, whether that be fashionable, elegant, sexy or confident… Mannequins help to associate a feeling with an outfit so don’t stint on the Mannequin displays.

Do’s and don’ts of visual merchandising

Do have fun – be as creative as you dare – the windows that are the wackiest get the most attention. Obviously this isn’t appropriate for every store, but even high end stores for example can do some tongue in cheek displays

Do use Vinyls and props to create your theme – its much less expensive than you might think

Do think about it in advance, trying to throw something together the night before your window change is due isn’t the best way to get a great result.

Do schedule your Visual merchandising – you can work out an annual calendar in advance quite easily and then diarise when the changes are due – this helps you to plan and eases stress levels greatly.

Don’t try to get too much in there – it will just look a mess. Less is more !

Don’t make it all one level. Customers scan displays, so build in some height so that it will keep their attention for longer

Don’t put all your stock in the window – try to use products that you have multiples of, otherwise by the time you and your staff have gone in and out of the window a few times it will look very sorry for itself.

Inside the store – How can stores with limited space take their customers on a journey?

The comfort factor – making sure that your customers feel comfortable in your store – the more comfortable they feel, the longer they will stay, and the more often they will return… Music, lighting, ambience and good customer service will go a long way towards achieving this.

Do’s and Don’ts for merchandising inside the store?

Use a graphic designer to create graphics, visuals and POS that is unique to your store.

Ensure that your first hot spot (the one right inside the door) always looks freshand inviting. This particular spot is like another shop window and its the display that makes the customer coming in from outside start to slow down and adjust their walking pace to a suitable one for browsing, so pull out all the stops for this section.

Have fun with props, they can enhance your stock and add both interest and value to it, but remember that the stock is the star – its easy to get carried away

I always work to the old adage KISS – Keep it simple stupid. Anything that is too complicated whether in terms of colour, products or styles will be difficult to keep looking good, so remember that the idea of the display is to sell the product and make it easy for customers to pick the product up and actually touch it and look at it.

Looking for inspiration for visual merchandising?

The hottest tool for inspiration right now is Pinterest – just look for the Visual merchandising tag. Twitter also has a VM tag.

Aside from these new uses of technology, inspiration is all around. Shows, exhibitions, blogs, street art, travel, theatre – anywhere can provide inspiration if you’re open to it and you’re actually looking for it. Jim Rohn once said “Rarely does a good idea interrupt you” You have to go looking for inspiration, and you will find it in spades.

Should you invest in professional visual merchandisers?

The answer is yes and no. If you can afford it, then you can always learn from the professionals, even if they do 3 windows out of your 12 annual window changes for example then the tips you would pick up from them would lift the other 9 displays. But of course there are budgets to consider. If your budget doesn’t stretch to this, good design books cover the essentials of visual display, which are direction, line, size, shape, tone, texture and colour. If you are feeling adventurous and you live in a largish town or city it might be worth a call to your local college or university offering your store as a practice ground for the Design students…?

If you’re going it alone, then create a Swag folder, of designs and ideas that have inspired you and refer to them when you need inspiration, keep cuttings, magazines (tear out the relevant pages and discard the bulk so you don’t get overwhelmed at the scale of your folder) materials and photographs. Its also worth setting up a Swag folder on your computer to store digital images and ideas.

If you want to learn more then Skillsmart, the National Skills academy and Retail Academy (Mary’s Masterclasses) all run VM courses along with local providers.

Text taken from an article written for

Visual Merchandising 101

Boutique magazine November 2012

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From little acorns big oak trees grow….

October 25th, 2012

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From small acorns mighty oaks grow...

From small acorns mighty oaks grow…

I was thrilled recently when Sage contacted me to ask me to join their business experts programme. It was a slightly daunting moment, but a great accolade for the late nights and weekends spent working on this site and all the associated things involved with running a business that you’ll understand if you’re running your own businesses.

The scheme is a simple one, and started last month (but we were rather preoccupied with catalogue and collection launches and exhibitions to announce our participation) and in a nutshell, Sage recruited well-connected business people to join a group which aims to support and advise the UK business community via social media.

I (and it does feel odd to be writing about myself) was recruited on the basis of this website which you’ll know offers FREE advice and information for independent retailers. Established in 2009 retailrehab now has over 800 members online as well as a similar number of members on the linked in platform. When retailrehab was conceived, back in 2009 I had no idea how tough things were actually going to become for so many retailers, and how much we were going to have to adapt and grow in order to survive.

You can read more about Sage and the programme here: http://www.sage.co.uk/business-resources/business-experts/index.html

I’ve always believed, that as a retail store owner and wholesaler I’ve been uniquely placed to see business from both sides, and I believe that retailers and wholesalers need to work more closely with each other,the fortunes of both retailers and wholesale businesses are inevitably bound together, it benefits us all to work together.

“As a staunch advocate of the high street, I am very proud to have been selected to join the Sage’s Business Experts Programme and I look forward to the increased opportunities for learning that this programme will bring”

Sage’s Social Media specialist Cath Sheldon commented: “We are passionate about supporting UK business potential but we can’t do this on our own.

“Our Business Experts have been handpicked for their advice and expertise on the issues that really matter to business. “We look forward to growing this group, learning from them and giving them even more of a voice to support businesses across the country.”

I do believe that the future is looking a tiny bit brighter right now…

 

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12 tips to ensure the maximum benefit from visiting a trade show

August 17th, 2012

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tips-for-successSome people really like this aspect of their business, they enjoy talking to their suppliers and seeing the new products but some of us can find it a bit overwhelming. This guide will show you how to get the best out of your visit to a trade show.

Before you go: Pre-show preparation:

Things have changed a lot in the exhibiting world over the past few years. The bigger shows now have their own “apps” that you can download way before the show begins which makes your research and your visit to the show more productive.

Register in advance for pre-show news, information and updates – Organisers are keen to showcase their exhibition and will send you out lots of information that should give you some clarity about which companies you would like to see more of.

It goes without saying that you should be registered for the trade publications relevant to your show – Each show now also has a media partner who will be a relevant trade publication – Call them and ask for a copy – or view them online and do some homework – Your time is valuable and you don’t want to spend it traversing exhibition halls needlessly.

Finally, and this isn’t strictly a pre show preparation, but its very important so its worth mentioning. Most trade fairs now run seminars for visitors on topics relevant to their industry – Obviously keep in mind that the aim of these is to sell you something, but sales pitches aside, they are very useful for snapshots and soundbites on an industry and development and current issues within an industry.

What you need to know when visiting a trade exhibition !

Firstly, the exhibitors have spent a lot of money and time to make their stands look as good as possible for your convenience. Let’s run through the preliminaries that enable you to spend your valuable time at the show as profitably as possible:

1. Wear comfortable shoes:
Yes, really this is worth writing. You will cover miles and miles of walkways, this is no fun at all, if you are wearing heels (ladies you know who you are!) or have uncomfortable shoes. Sacrifice vanity for sanity on this one please. Also, never, ever, ever wear NEW shoes to a trade show !

2. Layer up:
Car parks are cold (You know I’m talking about the NEC here), whereas exhibition halls are warm, or cold if you’re under air conditioning units…. The best idea is to wear layered clothing so you can take off, or add on layers as necessary.

3. Drink lots of water:
Stay hydrated, so you make good buying decisions. And make time to eat when you get hungry. Carry snack bars with you to keep your sugar levels up, so you can stay focused.

4. Rest when you feel tired:
The lighting in exhibitions can be very yellowish, which makes your eyes strain, so take plenty of rest, otherwise its no fun at all. Try to build in a small treat for yourself somewhere in the day. A mini massage, a visit to a supplier you really like, a wicked lunch – anything that keeps it fun for you !

5. Gameplan:
The halls at exhibitions can be massive, so having a rough gameplan will help you stay on track, and don’t have to run around in a panic afraid that you’ll miss something ! It goes without saying that some shows are bigger than others, some can be done in a day, some are simply too damn big – I’m thinking primarily of the NEC Spring and Autumn Fairs here – give yourself time – don’t turn into a pressure cooker !

6. See the companies you really need to see first : so they’re off your list and you can relax and enjoy the rest of the day without pressure

7. Allocate some specific time to look for new products: After all you can see most of your present suppliers at any time, or they’ll come and visit you, whereas its new product and suppliers you really need to search out at a show. Few things compare to the thrill of finding a new product or supplier that you know is going to bring great results for you, so its worth investing some time into this and creating this opportunity – the halls are simply too big to leave this to chance.

8. Have a show budget:
Work out how much money you have to spend, how much you want to spend and keep a track of each order you’ve placed. Your accountant will love you for this. Remember to allocate some of your budget to new suppliers / new product – we all need new products to keep us enthusiastic !

9. Keep a note of how much you’ve spent and which delivery date you’ve asked for:
Immediate, next week, or delayed. This will help you to organise your schedule when you get back to your shop.

10. Wheels:
If you’re going to be spending some time at a show, have a bad back, or plan on picking up a lot of literature (and there’s usually lots on offer) then consider taking a small suitcase on wheels with you. These are comfortable, save your back and allow you to pack away anything you don’t need, such as coats and scarves. How big? No bigger than aircraft cabin luggage !

11. Pre show planning :

So important I’ve mentioned it twice. Most trade magazines will be posted out between one or two weeks before a show so they’ll be fresh and topical. They’ll have show previews in them, with lots of new product. They’ll also have sections on new trends – make the time to study these magazines as well as doing your own research, so you’ll be able to spend your time effectively at the show.

12. Accommodation :
Finally, if you’re coming a long way, or you need to stay a couple of days? Book a hotel room, make a night of it, empty a bottle of wine or two, put the world to rights, and have some fun !

All work and no play makes for no fun !

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in•de•pend•ence

July 15th, 2012

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What does being Independent really mean ?

What does being Independent really mean ?

With so many big events going on in the British calendar this Summer you could be forgiven for not knowing that July is Independent’s month. That’s Independent retailers month… in case you were wondering.

This national campaign is in its second year. It launched last year in response to some of the toughest times on the high street this side of the last recession, with the aim of flying the flag for local retailers, the ones who help make our villages, towns and cities so special. It’s about championing diversity on the high street and recognising the skills behind the shopfronts.

As an independent retailer for over 17 years myself it made me stop and think about what being independent means both for myself and the wider community?

The dictionary definintion of ” in•de•pend•ence” is “freedom from control, influence, support, aid or the like of others”
Even at first reading, it’s clearly a double edged sword. Freedom from control and influence would get most peoples vote, but freedom from support and aid really gives it to you straight – You’re out there on your own.

Whilst most of us would support the plucky underdog this isn’t a case of battlelines being drawn between independent businesses and multiples, it’s more a recognition of the change that’s occurring on our high streets and what it means to be independent because at its most basic level the definition of independence is a competency. Ie being sufficiently good at something in order to survive.

On the plus side, being independent means that at the very least – You don’t answer to someone else * You determine your own schedule, values, and priorities * You depend upon yourself * You are self-reliant and perhaps the most satisfying…You can say no if you don’t agree with something!

The idea of independence in the UK came about in the 17th century, and meant a member of an English movement, which advocated the political and religious independence of individual congregations. Since then it has come to be represented throughout our society and across the globe signifying a position that’s considered to be thoughtful and thought provoking – for example, an independent political candidate, an independent record label or even the national newspaper – the Independent !

I think that being independent ultimately means, taking responsibility for your own decisions, which is either a liberating position or daunting, depending on your point of view.

To bring this column back to Independent retailers, the trend of decline in high street shopping is due to the rise in out of town (free parking = major pull factor) and internet shopping coupled with the increasing range of products/services offered by supermarkets and shopping malls and of course, falling consumer spending has played a major part too.

However, our town and city centres aren’t purely places of business, there’s a social aspect too, the social cohesion that the high street brings to our town centres as a central point where local groups and people can meet.

This feeling of social cohesion is the elusive feel good factor – Community involvement and interaction are good for us as individuals on many levels, and that’s before we begin to explore what it means for our community.

Independent businesses really are vital to our local economy. As well as ensuring the unique character of our area, they’re more accountable to customers and the local community, and you can’t ignore the financials, money spent at locally owned indie businesses goes round longer in the local economy. It yields two to four times the economic benefit to local residents compared with non-local businesses. This means more local income, wealth, and jobs which is a great thing.

So please, show your support for independent businesses across the city and surrounding areas this July…. Shop local !

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Independents Day – July 4th, 2012

July 2nd, 2012

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Supporting local Independent retailers on 4th July.

Independent retailers day 2012

Independent retailers day 2012

Are you getting ready to celebrate Independents’ Day?

In case you haven’t heard about it, its a fabulous chance for you to fly the flag for local retailers in your town and show your support for diversity on the high street.

Its a month long campaign, and its in its second year this year, so thats the background, lets get to the details…

On 4th July 2012 across the country, the public will be encouraged to buy at least one item from their local, independent shop to celebrate Independents’ Day 2012.

The national campaign, organised by Skillsmart Retail and the National Skills Academy for Retail, champions the local retailers who make the UK’s villages, towns and cities so special.

You can raise awareness of the campaign really quite simply – with a promotional sale, a raffle with prizes, balloons, cupcakes, invite your MP and talk about the contribution that independent retailers make to your own high street…? The theme is red, white and blue (naturally) and you find out more information from the website www.retailindieday.com

We all know that being an independent business on the high street has been difficult in the past few years given the present economical woes and that independent shops bring an injection of personality to the high street so its time to make some noise and celebrate the very diverse skillset that we need to be successful independent retailers right now !

With over 160,000 independent retailers making up 92% of all retail businesses in the UK, their importance to local economies as well as their contribution to a location’s identity and community is unrivalled. (Skillsmart)

To stay up to date with all the activities, you can follow the campaign on Twitter @Retail_IndieDay, facebook.com/independentsday or on the news section of www.retailindieday.com

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20 tips for Retailers for Easter

March 23rd, 2012

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22 Tips for successful Easter retailingIs your shop ready for increased Easter holiday sales ?

When each holiday rolls around in the retail calendar we know that retail sales will increase both instore and online. Are you ready to take advantage of the sales opportunity that Easter brings?

I’m talking here about your expectations from this holiday period. The one thing that continually dominates the news is the recession. Speculation on what might happen over the next few months is really best left to the banking experts. But how it affects our businesses is for us to determine.

After the well known death and taxes, there are two more guarantees that you can bank – holidays will happen, and people will still spend money on gifts and food for the holiday season.

Every year Christmas is the dominant period of retail sales in the UK. But retail sales increase around all the major holiday periods. We also see increased sales for special events and days like Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day. If you’re fortunate enough to have an online store attached to your bricks and mortar store, then here’s some good news – Worldwide, the trend for online shopping is increasing and is unlikely to slow.

This year more people will buy online,

• social networks will contribute widely to customers buying decisions.
• consumers will increasingly search for bargains, added value and special offers
• comparison shopping will increase

As we all know, buying for Christmas can start as early as September but the real peak happens in the first week of December. While Easter isn’t on the same scale as Christmas, it is a chance to shout about your business.

The key to successful holiday retailing is preparation. Last minute cobbling together of a display or an offer just isn’t going to bring you optimum results. Here are 22 key tips for maximising Easter sales:

1. Is your online store ready? It is no use waiting until April to set up the store as you just won’t make it in time.

2. Is your bricks and Mortar store ready? Do you have a theme, a window display, a colour theme, and an offer ?

3. Do you have the products to sell? Getting the stock can be tricky the closer you get to a popular holiday so you need to know what you will need now. Its one of the vagaries of business in the UK that a holiday means that suppliers just disappear – so be ready with your stock levels in advance – if you can’t afford to get all the stock in at once, book it in on a rotational basis so that different suppliers drop stock in each week – this has the added benefit of keeping your store looking fresh, but might affect the “wow” factor of a new display ?

4. For online sales – When is the delivery cut off date? You can’t sell to a customer expecting Easter delivery if you’re not going to get the product in time. It’s vital to tell your customers what they can expect if they buy later than a specific date.

5. Do you have a safe checkout process setup ? This will aid sales as it builds buyer confidence – as does adding an SSL certificate to your online store.

6. Think about promotions? You can setup special Google AdWords Campaigns just for key holidays and help drive traffic to your store.

7. Use the Price Comparison portals to promote your products and special offers and drive qualified traffic to your webstore. This doesn’t work quite so well for “aesthetic purchases” as it does for branded goods, but if price comparison is your bag, go ahead and do it well.

8. Are you offering holiday specials? You can put up products that have special pre-Easter offers such as free delivery. This can aid conversions.

9. Add special holiday keywords? Make sure that you add the keywords to your Meta-keywords with plenty of time to get crawled by the search engines long before the holiday date. Also make sure that you add Special Holiday Gift category names and description text to match up with your keywords.

10. Price points can be all important , so don’t forget to stand back and look at your offering to make sure that you’ve catered for price ranges for all budgets.

11. Help them out – give your customers ideas. Take some of the strain out of shopping for them, set up special categories like “Gifts for him”, Gifts for Mum”, “Gifts for my favourite nan”, “Oooh she might like this gifts ” etc. Be inventive – you need to stand out in a crowd. I always think that if you make someone laugh then you’ve made them remember you ! Obviously this is to be used with care !

12. Don’t forget Google It might take weeks to crawl and index your new content so allow enough time for the googlebots to find your content and index it.

13. Gift wrapping and gift cards can be easily added in the shopping basket so you might want to think about offering free gift wrapping and free gift delivery.

14. Have your “Wall of desire” right next to your till. Whether it’s chocolate, key rings, pens, notebooks, nail varnish or whatever, make sure you have some fun fripperies right next to your till for impulse purchases.

15. Free shipping for all Holiday Purchases, or anytime, can be a great incentive to buy online. If you are selling a product online you can structure an average shipping price into your costs.

16. Time the shipping and delivery so that as you get closer to the holiday shipping is no longer free but perhaps at a premium to ensure delivery. (if you have the technological savvy to do this) For bricks and mortar stores, consider opening a little earlier, or staying open a little later if there are shoppers around.

17. Give your store a holiday theme. It is easy to setup a new style and change the colours and banners. You can even start doing that right now and make that the live style later in the year. Set up a count down – it can be as easy as a little added text to your home page. For your bricks and mortar store, go all out on the Theming – this will create interest and interest creates shoppers.

18. After the holiday is a great time for specials and people on holiday like to shop around for bargains. So don’t think everything stops on April 8th. The smart shops will be ready with the next campaign. (Spring, followed by the jubilee followed by the Olympics in case you were wondering)

19. Remember you don’t need thousands of products just a few of the products that sell. Focus on quality and for online provide good content (descriptions, images etc) for bricks and mortar stores make sure your seasonal display is self evident in your window (ie before entering ) and instore (upon entering)

20. How much product – It doesn’t have to be acres of product – just a representation or suggestion. On the subject of decoration, to my knowledge no-one has ever complained about too much Easter decoration !

So go crazy with the bunnies and the pastels ! If it makes people smile, feel nostalgic (even for a second) then it makes them feel good and you’re heading in the right direction.

Finally, don’t be limited by convention! Think outside the box and come up with other ways to increase Easter traffic and sales to your business. For instance, if the products you sell don’t really have an Easter holiday theme—so what?
Have a go, call it an Easter promotion, give mini eggs to your customers, ask them to guess the weight of the egg, anything you can think of, Come up with a cute Easter theme for email marketing newsletters and promotions. you’re only limited by your imaginations!

It isn’t too late to make the most of the increased sales from Easter!

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QR codes: A marketing dream ?

February 27th, 2012

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QR codes: A marketing dream ?

QR codes: A marketing dream ?

Let’s start with what a QR code actually is?

Some of you may have seen these popping up in unexpected places, on adverts, the signage of shops, restaurants and delivery vans…?

QR codes are the odd looking monochrome square barcodes that can be used to link up with on your mobile phone. Well, that was the start of it anyway, now they’re being used more and more on adverts, direct mailings and even on the back of business cards…

As smart phones and other high tech devices continue to gain in popularity more and more businesses are going to be using QR codes as part of their marketing and communications tools…

QR is short for “quick response” and the idea is that its superquick, instead of typing in an email address to your phone you can just scan a QR 2d barcode and you’ll be redirected there pretty much immediately.

If you’re wondering who would use such a thing, just stop for a second and consider the immediacy of this idea…. Imagine that you’re on a train, reading your favourite magazine – you see a product you like the look of and instead of folding the page over and remembering to search for it later when you get home, you can simply point your phone at it, scan it and basically get additional information, more product pictures or even be delivered to a shop that sells the product so you can buy it online.
The immediacy of that has to be impressive ?

The good news is that there are plenty of sites that enable you to create a QR code free of charge, so this is one marketing initiative that doesn’t need to cost you a fortune.

If you’re wondering how you might use these monochrome digital signposts, then here’s a few ideas:

•On your product packaging – care cards, information leaflets

•On any kind of printed information you give out – promotional leaflets for example.

•On your business card

•On a T-shirt ! Yes, really !

•As part of your shop signage

•On your livery (if you have delivery vehicles)

Those are just a few ideas to get you started. Depending on your business there are many ways that you could use these to your advantage…

One of the real joys about QR codes is that you can track traffic through them, and therefore know for definite how many people have come from a particular advertising campaign for example – which as anyone who’s had to pay for advertising knows would be really handy – imagine knowing for definite whether your advertising produces a result …?

I guess its rather like the upgraded coupon service that supermarkets used to (and some still do) run – you can really see how many people come into your store because of each piece of marketing.

If you’re already thinking ahead, your mind will be buzzing from the realisation that you could run different offers with different codes attached that link to the appropriate pages on your website…

The possibilities are endless and with the daily increase in smart phone useage I predict that QR codes will become more widespread and prevalent in business marketing…

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Independents day – July 4th !

June 21st, 2011

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Your high street needs you

Your high street needs you

What is Independents’ Day?

Well, Skillsmart Retail and the National Skills Academy for Retail are teaming up with local retailers across the country on 4th July to celebrate Independents’ Day, championed by the formidable Mary Portas. Shoppers are going to be encouraged to buy at least one item from their local independent reatailers and celebrate diversity on the high street.

They are championing the skills great independent retailers have and they want to show the public that their local shopkeeper is not only a vital service, but someone who wears many hats; they are the accountant, sales assistant, buyer and often everything in-between. Well, amen to that ! From all of us who are getting dizzy with the multiple chameleonic roles we play in a single day this will be welcome news. This is all part of the campaign to back the high street and maintain diversity, while getting rid of the ugly eyesore empty shops.

Firstly the government appointed a retail adviser to bring back the bustle to our high streets, which was contraversial enough. It proved that there was a problem with our city centres and high streets (which we’ve all known for ages), finally, it seems that even the government noticed that.

When this new retail adviser, as her first initiative, launches a “declaration of independents” its time to sit up and pay attention. When you learn that its Mary Portas of “Mary Queen of Shops” fame, its time to take out a notebook and start taking notes !

Mary Portas is known for no-nonsense plain speaking and innovative ideas. Her ideas boost retailers enthusiasm, knowledge, skill base and earnings. With a successful retail background and a commercially savvy consultancy agency, she marries the two areas in her own unique way.

It is tough on the High Street and has been for some time. With town centre vacancy rates doubling over the last two years, the need to take action to save our high streets has never been more obvious. Consumers have seen their discretionary income fall as the cost of just about everything has risen. So in real terms this means less money to spend on anything that isn’t a necessity.

Some retailers have fared better than others and there have been some well publicised casalties in the bigger chains. But the real story in the change of the high street has been that of the independent. Over the past 40 years Britain has changed from being a “nation of shopkeepers” with vibrant high streets, buoyant with diverse retailers, to one where the chain stores are represented everywhere, leading to charges of “Clone town”

Clone towns are not a good idea for many reasons, primarily that Independent businesses are vital to our local economies. They ensure the unique character of an area. They are more accountable to customers and the local community, more likely to support local charities and have greater direct control over the environmental impact of their businesses.

Furthermore, money spent at locally owned independent businesses goes around longer in the local economy. It yields two to four times the economic benefit to the local residents compared with non-local businesses. This means more local income, wealth, and jobs and of course the intangible aspect of community.

Supporting independent businesses creates local jobs, preserves economic diversity and safeguards the environment and that has to be a good thing. Whilst the larger stores are the anchors in our cities and towns, its the independent businesses who offer the diversity thats lacking and the mix that keeps it all interesting, as well as being a valued link in the community, which seems to be so sadly underrated and under reported.

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There’s definately something about Mary !”

May 22nd, 2011

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Mary Takes on the High Street

Mary Takes on the High Street

Its the biggest retail news since woollies closed its doors.

Mary Portas has been asked by the Government to take a look at our ailing high streets…. (about time too, i can hear you chorus) As she says, “the city centre picture is one of steep decline. Three years ago six per cent of high street shops were vacant; by the end of last year the figure had grown to 14 per cent. At this rate, in two years’ time, more than a third of city centre shops will be boarded up, But it’s not just the shops that are going from our high streets; banks and post offices are disappearing too. As they go, we lose a feeling of community because the high street is the heart of a town. And, as high streets empty, the crime rate increases.”

If you’re nodding your head in agreement, the question really is, what should we be doing ? Are the high streets worth saving, or are we just entering a new digital age and we all just need to move on and make space for the big retailers ….? What do you think we should do to revive the high street ? Or shouldn’t we bother, is it a case of change or die ?

Mary is asking for our opinions, and this is as good a time as any to add your comments into the pot – hopefully something good will come of it, maybe she’ll be able to persuade landlords that upward only rent reviews and quarterly rents payable in advance aren’t such a cool option…?

You can follow Mary’s quest on her website www.maryportas.com Here’s an extract from there to get you in the mood

In May this year, I was challenged by the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister to undertake an independent review on the Future of the High Street – to help ‘bring back the bustle’ to our town centres.

And with town centre vacany rates doubling over the last two years, the need to take action to save our high streets has never been starker.

I am calling on business, local authorities and shoppers to contribute their ideas on how we can halt this decline in its tracks and create town centres that we can all be proud of.

If you’ve got something to say about the state of our high streets – be it an observation, insight, initiative or idea – please add your own contribution to the debate.

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Optimism and achievement (sunglasses in the rain)

May 10th, 2011

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Optimists get the job done

Optimists get the job done

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence”
Helen Keller

This month has had it all, sunny weather, bank holidays and of course, the Royal Wedding. Whether you’re an ardent royalist or more of a take it or leave it person, you have to admit that we staged a spectacular event, watched by millions, or was it billions ? We do know how to throw a party and celebrate. The wedding, the weather and the bank holidays definitely cheered everyone up a bit.
The really interesting thing about this is that people act differently because they feel differently. Feelings aren’t supposed to be a big part of business, it’s supposed to be about logical thought and proven formulas – in a hold on, here comes the science kind of thing. But in reality how we feel is a massive determining factor in how we behave.

Of course sunny weather and bank holidays aren’t great news for all retailers, but generally sunny weather brings out shoppers, we buy food for the barbeques, for picnics, products to sort our gardens out for summer and of course the latest fashions…

On a more general level how we feel is one of the most important factors in determining our success.

An ability to generate positive thoughts will enable you to do much more than if you’re constantly in a state of doom – the only thing you’ll be able to do from there, is talk yourself out of pretty much anything.

I had a real close up look at this scenario myself recently. I had an idea to promote my city centre – it’s a good idea, that’s pretty much what you need to know. I have no sausage of a clue how to put it into practice, but I’m resourceful, so I’ll figure it out in the next few weeks.

As you do, I discussed my brilliant new idea with some of those closest to me – some were enthusiastic, some were positive (but didn’t want me to fall on my face) and some were downright sceptical !
Which seemed rather funny to me. I can already see my project working, I already know what it’s going to look like, how it’s going to be displayed and who’ll like it (and who won’t) so in my head it’s a done deal. Now I just have to figure out the logistics. So it will happen. This idea and the reception to it from those around me is what sparked this post.

To achieve big things in life, you have to finish them before you can start them… whoa there… what am I talking about – is that even possible ?

Take an example – building a house, if you’re going to build a house you’d better have sat with a planner or architect first, or how would you know what you’re going to build. So, once you have the picture of the house in your head, and you’ve worked out the details – only then can you buy the bricks and commit to the building process.

Same with my idea… Is this ridiculous optimism? I’d say no, it’s a certainty. Doom, gloom and the state of the economy are no reason not to start a project, in fact they’re probably more of a reason.

The dictionary definition of Optimism is” a disposition or tendency to look on the more favourable side of events or conditions and to expect the most favourable outcome”

Optimistic people get things started, advertised, marketed and sold. In a culture where we’re conditioned to spend a lot of our time moaning, Optimism breaks the mould and does a little dance.
Optimists create their own circumstances – others wait for them to happen – they feel good when its sunny, or they have a holiday, or their sports team wins, ie they’re influenced by external events, which isn’t a great place to be – Passing the power to feel good in your life over to a possibly occurring external event isn’t going to make you feel great consistently.

I’m not talking about the ridiculous Pollyanna type of optimism or wearing sunglasses in the rain – I’m talking about the state of mind that gets the job done, whether you just lost a big sale, google changed the algorithym rankings again and your website slipped down the rankings, or your latest employee turned out to be a real numpty. The belief that makes you sit down, look at what happened and then go back to work and figure out what you need to do to get a different result next time.

It all comes down to focus – Deciding where you’re going, what you’re going to do to get there and then taking some action to get those results….

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