Gift Retail Management

You've Got Mail!

Emailing your customers is a great way to boost sales and drive traffic to your store. However, do you know what constitutes an effective email message? This email blast from retailer Martha Holbrook of Rosebud Cottage in Franklin, NC, walks you through the basics.

Getting Back to the Basics to Prepare Your Business for 2010

There are eight steps a business owner can follow to be well-positioned for the new year, whether they're a long-time owner or an entrepreneur embarking on a new venture.

A New Economy, A New Shopper: A New Set of Gift Shop Retailing Rules

As a gift shop retailer, you are no stranger to the vagaries of the economy and their impact on your customers' shopping habits. Experts believe that this recession has all the hallmarks of an economic shift that might need a recalibration of the ways in which you conduct business.

Turnaround Tenacity

I recently met my new business hero. His name is James Brown and he hails from the hardscrabble hills of Eastern Kentucky. Maybe they breed folks a bit tougher there but this guy has shown me a tenacity and resolve that I have rarely witnessed in my work with distressed businesses.

An Eventful Evening!

Yes, you have great products and competitive prices. But in this rough economy, if your customers are looking for even more reasons to shop your store, try hosting an event. A successful event can be fun for all and profitable for you!

You've Got Mail!

Emailing your customers is a great way to boost sales and drive traffic to your store. Do you, however, know what constitutes an effective email message?

Here are some pointers to guide you through the basics.

Fees for Nothing

Merchants have suspected for years that the smoke screen of complexity that surrounds the fees they pay for credit card processing allows opportunists to scrape slices off their revenue.

Ten Common Mistakes Companies Make in Pricing their Products or Services

In the course of our engagements, we have seen examples of good and bad pricing policies. The following is a list of ten of the most common mistakes companies make when pricing their products and services.

The Web as Marketing Tool

A weak economy is exactly the time you should give your marketing efforts a boost. Consider the web. Sure your store has a website. But have you really used every opportunity the web provides to grow your business? Use our checklist to find out which online marketing tools could work for your store.

Build Your Own Buzz!

Social marketing is huge these days and blogging is the name of the game. Before you start one for your store, here is a look at blogging best practices and best-avoided blunders.