Common Hurdles of Operating a Retail Store

Thinking of opening a retail store or business? When it's done right, retail is a lucrative and rewarding field that allows you to build strong professional relationships with clients. Whether you intend to sell apparel, sporting goods, pet supplies, groceries, electronics, cell phones, convenience items, etc., you'll be able to communicate with clients on a daily basis. Of course, this is just one of the many reasons why so many entrepreneurs prefer the retail industry. Like all businesses, through, there are certain hurdles you must tackle if you wish to succeed in this ever-growing industry.

Customer Data Security

If you keep up with news and current events surrounding the retail industry, you may recall a massive security breach where 110+ million Target shoppers had their data stolen. Anyone who shopped at a Target store (excluding the company's website) over the holidays and used either a credit card or debit card are at risk for having their data stolen. Thankfully, Target quickly identified the security breach and notified shoppers, banks and financial institutions.

You can read more about Target's security breach, and the 17-year-old Russian hacker who's believed to have caused it, at this http://nypost.com/2014/01/18/teens-malware-eyed-in-target-data-breach/ article. According to the New York Times article, there were six other retailers affected by the same software.

Customer data security is a subject that each and every retail store owner must address. With hackers being able to steal data from one of the nation's largest retailers, you shouldn't take data security lightly. Take with a security expert to determine which method is best suited for your business.

Seasonal Changes

Regardless of your store's particular niche, you're bound to experience some seasonal changes in the retail industry. It's difficult to determine exactly how seasonal changes will affect a retail business. Store owners should closely monitor their traffic and sales throughout the year so they can go back and analyze the data later. Doing so allows store owners to see when sales went up, and when sales went down.

If seasonal changes are negatively impacting your business, perhaps you should optimize your store for the new season. For instance, retail apparel stores typically offer more sweaters, jackets, long pants and thermals during the winter months. And once spring and summer rolls around, they shift their inventory towards lighter clothes. This is a prime example of how retailers adjust their operations according to the seasons.

How To Encourage Employees To Take Initiative

Trying to micromanage each and every employee in a retail business is a difficult, if not impossible, task that will quickly drain your time and energy. This is why it's important for workers to take the initiative to perform tasks without the instructions or guidance of their boss. Once the wheels start turning and employees begin to perform these tasks on their own, the entire business will run more smoothly. So, how exactly do you encourage employees to take initiative in a retail business? Keep reading for some helpful tips and tricks.

Empower Your Employees

"Employee empowerment" is a technique that's becoming more and more common in today's retail industry. As more retailers look to improve their productivity, this technique continues to offer an effective solution. Employee empowerment, as the name suggests, involves empowering employees so they are able to make professional decisions themselves. 

In traditional workplace settings, employees must ask their boss for permission before handling certain tasks. If the employee is empowered, however, they'll have the authority to make these decisions using their own judgement.

Employee Empowerment Tips:

• Define the boundaries of your empowered employees.
• Spend additional time training empowered employees on how to perform their new duties.
• Mistakes are bound to happen, so don't get discouraged when an employee slips up.
• Monitor your employees to ensure they are making the right professional decisions.

Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement goes a long ways in the retail industry. Unfortunately, it's also something that many retail store owners and managers seem to overlook. If you want to encourage employees to take initiative, you must create a positive environment. Constantly going through the day-to-day routine with a general sense of negativity sends the wrong message to employees.

One form of positive reinforcement is an employee-of-the-month program. Perhaps you could reward employees whom go out of their way to excel at work with a trophy, plaque and/or gift card. Doing so is a small way to say "thanks" to your employees for everything they've accomplished and given to the company. And by rewarding employees for excellence, they'll naturally want to continue pushing themselves on the job.

Encouraging employees to take initiative isn't an overly difficult task. Retail store owners and managers should focus on creating a positive work environment while empowering employees to make their own decisions. Hopefully, the tips listed here will shed some light on the subject. Be sure to check back with our blog here at AAStoreFixtures.com for more retail tips and strategies!

Advanced Branding Strategies For Retail Businesses

In a previous blog post, we talked about the basics of retail store branding. This includes choosing a unique, memorable and relevant store name, along with designing a universal logo. Far too many entrepreneurs open up new businesses without taking the time to choose a unique name. This ultimately places places their business in the red zone long before the doors even open. As a retail store owner, you must constantly work to brand your business so that your target audience knows and trusts you. For some advanced retail branding strategies and tips, keep reading.

Create Branded Apparel

One of the easiest ways to brand a retail store is to create, and sell, business-branded apparel. Ever notice how the top retail apparel stores sell a large portion of items which contain their own brand. Each time a customer wears one of these garments, they are essentially helping out the business. You can even lower the price of business-branded apparel to encourage customers to choose it over non-branded items.

Of course, you don't have to be in the retail apparel industry to take advantage of branded apparel. Whether your store sells groceries, convenience items, electronics, jewelry, sporting goods, pet supplies or practically anything else, you can still use this method to spread the word about your business.

In addition to selling branded apparel inside your store, you can throw monthly giveaway contests on social media. For instance, each month you could choose one person who "liked" your company's Facebook page and reward them with a business-branded t-shirt, hat or some other piece of gear.

Magazine Advertisements

Even with all of the smartphones, tablet computers and other internet-enabled devices today, magazine advertising remains a highly effective way for retail businesses to brand themselves. And with more and more businesses focusing their marketing efforts online, you can scoop up magazine ad spots at rock-bottom prices.

If you haven't done so already, contact magazine publishers whom you believe would be a good match for your target audience and ask them for a more detailed list of their demographics and adverting options. If their readers match your store's demographics, consider placing purchasing an ad here with your company's branded logo. In addition to the direct sales it brings, your business will also benefit from the brand exposure.

These are just a few advanced building strategies for retail stores and businesses. Check back with our blog here at AAStoreFixtures.com for more branding strategies!

Mobile Marketing In The Retail Industry

The mobile landscape is growing at an exceptionally fast pace, exceeding predictions set by analysts. Retail business owners should take advantage of this massive growth by incorporating mobile into their overall marketing strategy. Whether you offer e-commerce transactions or not, mobile can help you achieve your professional goals. To learn more about mobile marketing in the retail industry, keep reading.

Why Mobile Is Dominating

Mobile phones have been around for decades, so why is the field dominating now? There are several different factors which have recently bolstered the mobile market, one of which being the technological advancements. Mobile phones today aren't used strictly for sending and receiving calls. Sure, they perform this task just fine, but they are also capable of browsing the internet, using email services, SMS messages, playing games, accessing social media and much more.

Another reason why the mobile landscape is dominating is because carrier service has improved. Cellular carriers are building new towers, offering 4G speeds for their customers. This means fewer dropped calls and faster mobile internet speed.

Is Your Business Website Mobile-Friendly?

If you have a website for your retail business, you should check to make sure it's mobile-friendly. Just because your website loads fine in a traditional desktop web browser doesn't necessarily it will perform the same on a mobile phone. Mobile phones render webpages differently, and you could be losing huge amounts of traffic due to incompatibility issues.

There are several different options for creating a mobile-friendly website, but Google recommends webmasters use a responsive web design. On the search engine company's official blog, they state:

"Responsive web design is a technique to build web pages that alter how they look using CSS3 media queries. That is, there is one HTML code for the page regardless of the device accessing it, but its presentation changes using CSS media queries to specify which CSS rules apply for the browser displaying the page."

Use QR Codes

Another near little mobile marketing strategy that more and more retail businesses are using is quick read (QR) codes.  Ever notice a square-shaped bar code on a store window, magazine, bus stop, or even the back window of a car? These are QR codes, and they're an effective, modern way to market a business to mobile users. Basically, the consumer scans the QR code with his or her smartphone, at which point it sends them to a website.

Retail store owners can use QR codes to offer discounts and promotional codes to customers. Rather than sending consumers straight to your official website, you can connect the QR code to a special coupon.

 

How To Increase Foot Traffic To a Retail Store

Foot traffic is defined as shoppers whom reach a store by walking rather than driving. If you own a retail store in a bustling suburban area, you should take advantage of the high number of nearby pedestrians by trying to draw them in. Even if they are originally headed elsewhere, you can oftentimes pull them into your store by using the right marketing and promotional material. For a closer look at how to increase foot traffic to a retail store, keep reading.

Turn Up The Music

You might be surprised to learn just how much of an effect music has on generating foot traffic. When the music is turned up, more pedestrians will notice your retail store. And when pedestrians notice your store, your foot traffic goes up. It's a simple technique that can yield huge gains for a retail store.

Start by raising the volume of your store's music just slightly and then walk outside to see if you can hear it clearly. If it's still quite or difficult to hear, turn it up a little bit more. You obviously don't want to blast your store's shoppers with obnoxiously loud music, but you want it clear enough to capture pedestrians attention.

Flags, Banners and More, Oh My!

It oftentimes takes more than just music to encourage pedestrians to enter a store. Another tip that's helpful to generating more retail foot traffic is to hang flags, signs, banners and other promotional material outside of the establishment. When it's done right, pedestrians will notice the signs and feel like they must check out your store. When it's done incorrectly, though, exterior signs will have little-to-no effect on the amount of foot traffic your store receives.

Exterior sign display tips:

• Face the signs toward the oncoming pedestrians.
• Use bright colors, such as yellow and red, along with bold letters to achieve greater visibility.
• Use words like "sale," "clearance," "blowout," etc.
• Experiment with new exterior signs on a regular basis to see what works and what doesn't.
• Hang flags and banners in the wind for a natural source of movement.
• Don't over do it. Using an excessive amount of signs could have a negative effect on foot traffic.
• Make sure your exterior signs are made with a waterproof material.

These are just a few tips on how to increase foot traffic to a retail store. It may take a little trial and error, but keep experimenting with new setups until you find the magic formula that works for your business.

Benefits of Taking a Retail Business Online

Retail businesses that focus strictly on local sales are leaving tons of untapped potential on the table. Even if they are able to turn a profit, chances are they could grow and expand by leveraging the power of e-commerce. If you own or manage a retail store that relies strictly on local sales, keep reading for a list of some of the top benefits of going online. While you may already know some of them, chances are there are others that will surprise you.

Benefit #1) Reduced Overhead

Arguably, one of the greatest benefits of taking a retail business online is the reduced overhead. Since everything is done over the internet, there's no need to set up a shop specifically for selling product. You can ship it directly from your distribution center or even from the manufacturer (known as dropshipping).

With lower overhead costs, you can spend more money on advertising and marketing, which of course helps your business grow.

Benefit #2) Larger Audience

A second benefit of taking a retail business online is the simple face that it allows you to a reach a much larger audience. Running a retail business out of a small shop limits your audience to locals, but taking your business online allows you to reach the entire world. And with a larger audience, you'll end up making more sales.

Benefit #3) Fewer Employees Needed

Let's face it, e-commerce websites tend to run themselves. Taking your retail business online will reduce the number of employees necessary to perform normal professional operations. You'll still need some employees to pack, ship and fulfill orders, but the labor required for this is less than a typical store.

Benefit #4) Creates a Sense of Professionalism

In today's high-tech age, there's really no reason why a business shouldn't have an online presence. It takes minimal effort to set up a functional, working website for your business, but doing so create a level of professionalism that potential customers are sure to notice.

With a website up and running, customers will have a greater sense of trust and confidence in your business.

Go Local and Online For Maximum Exposure

Ideally, retail store owners should operate both locally and online for maximum exposure. Focusing all of your efforts on just one of these outlets leaves an entire medium of customers for your competitors to grab.

Illegal Marketing Techniques That Local Businesses Frequently Perform

Marketing plays a major role in the success of a retail business. If you aren't actively promoting and spreading the word about your store, you're essentially 'hoping' that customers will find it through word-of-mouth. Unfortunately, word-of-mouth will only take you so far; it's up to you to kick your retail business up to the next level through marketing and promotions. But there are a few things you should know before you begin a local marketing campaign. For a list of some of the most common illegal marketing techniques, keep reading.

Handing Out Flyers In Person

I think we've all been bombarded by someone trying to hand us a flyer in the parking lot of a grocery store or department store at some point or another. With so many people performing this type of marketing, it must be effective right? Even if handing out flyers yields some value for a business, it's illegal is most jurisdictions. This marketing technique falls under the category of solicitation, which is illegal unless you have the property owner's permission. And guess what, chances are slim to none that the property owner of a busy shopping center will permit you to advertise your local business.

Note: depending on your location, you may be able to hand out flyers on public streets. Again, this is something you'll need to check your local laws and statutes to determine whether or not it's legal.

Placing Flyers on Car Windshields

This marketing technique also falls under the category of solicitation. It's not uncommon for small business owners to promote their store by placing flyers on cars parked in a busy parking lot. While the laws vary from city to city, most have ordinances prohibiting this type of marketing. Disobeying this ordinance will likely result in a warning on your first offense, but continuing to place flyers on car windshields could result in a hefty fine. Save your money and resources for more effective, legal forms of advertising.

Placing Yard Signs at Busy Intersections

Ever pull up to a red light only to notice half a dozen or more small yard signs cluttering the intersection? For whatever the reason, this has become a popular form of local marketing for small businesses. And while it may offer some value when performed correctly, advertising your business with a yard sign placed at a busy intersection is typically illegal. City ordinance enforcers will scoop them up and throw them away faster than you're able to make them.

Branding Basics For Retail Businesses

Branding is a fundamental component of running a successful retail store or business. Among other things, it helps customers remember your business, which in turn increases your number of returning customers. Regardless of what industry/niche your retail store is based around, you should invest  some of your time and energy into branding it. Doing so is a smart investment that will prove well worth the money in the long run. To learn more about the basics of retail branding, keep reading.

Store Name

Branding a retail store starts with choosing the right name for it. One of the biggest mistakes new retail store owners make is choosing a generic name. Here's a scenario to consider: let's say you shop at two different clothing stores; one's named "Big Al's Threads" and the other's named "Clothing Store." Which store are you most likely to remember in the future? Chances are you chose the first simply because it's unique, while the second one is more generic.

There are a few elements a retail name should contain, including the following:

• Unique (don't choose the same name as your competitor)
• Memorable
• Relevant to your industry/niche
• Keep it short

Creating your store's name using the elements mentioned above will naturally help brand your business. Arguably, the worst thing you can do is choose a name that's generic, as people won't remember your business. Stick with a unique, memorable, relevant, and short name to increase your brand exposure.

Marketing and Promotions

You can't expect to run a successful branding campaign for your retail business without investing some of your resources into marketing. Remember, the objective of branding is to make customers know and remember your business. The only way you'll accomplish this is with LOTS of marketing, so get out there and spread the message about your retail store.

You read through some of our previous blog posts for more retail marketing tips, but your goal when branding is to make people remember your business name. Local television commercials, radio commercials, and billboard advertisements are just a couple highly effective ways to band a business. You may not see immediate results from investing in these marketing mediums, but the benefits of branding is sure to creep up over time.

Hopefully, this will give you a better understanding of branding and how it plays such as a critical role in the success of retail businesses.

4 Ways To Improve Shopping Experience In a Retail Store

Is there a particular retail store that you just DREAD visiting? Perhaps it's the layout, or maybe it's the poor customer service. Whatever the reason, some stores suffer from a general 'bad' shopping experience. And common sense should tell you that stores such as this suffer from a loss of customers and sales. If you run or manage a retail store, you should take a step back to analyze the shopping experience from a customer's perspective. Using this information, you can make changes to make shoppers feel more comfortable in your store.

#1) Greet Customers at The Door

Greeting each and every customer that walks into your store is one of the easiest ways to improve their shopping experience. It only takes a second to say "hi, how are you doing?" but greeting customers leaves a lasting impression while setting the tone for a positive shopping experience. If you haven't done so already, train your employees to greet every customer that enters.

You can read more about how to greet customers in a retail store by checking out our previous blog post here.

#2) Keep It Clean

Another important tip for improving the shopping experience in your retail store is to keep it clean and free of clutter. Filling the aisles of your store with rolling racks, displays, gondolas or other items may restrict customers from comfortably browsing. Ideally, your store should have clear, well-defined paths for customers to travel. Keeping these areas clean and free of obstruction is critical to creating a positive shopping experience.

#3) Lend a Hand

If a customer needs assistance, lend them a helping a hand. There are dozens of ways retail store owners can help customers, such as finding clothes in a particular size, answering questions, placing unwanted products back on the shelves, etc. As a retailer, pleasing customers is your top priority. Going the extra mile with customer service creates loyal customers who will come back to your store for future purchases.

#4) Watch The Checkout Lines

I think we can all agree that waiting in a long retail checkout line is comparable to the DMV. In fact, I've seen customers leave their belongings and walk out the store due to long lines. Unless you want this type of image places on your retail brand, you must keep the checkout lines short and moving fast. There are elements which affect checkout lines that are beyond your control; however, you can control things like checkout procedures and the number of employees working during 'peak' hours.

Year-End Sales Tips For Retailers

The holidays might be over, but this doesn't mean retailers should go back to their 'normal' business operations just yet. With millions of consumers loaded with gift cards, extra spending cash, and time off from work, the week leading up to the new year is a prime shopping time. If you own or manage a retail store, you can boost your sales and profits by offering year-end sales. For some helpful tips on how to perform effective year-end retail promotions, keep reading.

Mark Down Seasonal Items

With a new year on the horizon, there's no better time than now to mark down seasonal products (fall/winter clothes and products). Allowing these products to crowd space in your store will only hurt you in the long run. If you're having trouble selling certain fall and/or winter products, try marketing them down to encourage more sales. Even if customers aren't actively looking for a specific fall or winter product, the steep discount might be too enticing for them to pass up.

Bring In Warm-Weather Clothes

If you run a retail apparel store, you should start bringing in warm-weather clothes around the new year. While the spring season is still several months away, you can count on early-bird shoppers looking for new warm-weather clothes. Selling these clothes just a little bit early will give you a head start on other retailers, essentially snatching up sales from your competitors. In addition, you'll have a better understanding for the demand of certain clothes before the full spring/summer rush gets here.

Mark Down Holiday-Related Products

Unfortunately, it's highly unlikely that retailers will sell holiday-related good and products at full price. Now that Thanksgiving and Christmas are behind us, customers are no longer shopping for holiday-related items. The good news is that you can still push leftover inventory; you just need to mark it down so customers feel like they are getting an amazing deal. Marking down holiday-related products 50, 60 or even 70% is perfectly fine, as it allows you to move product out of your store while generating some revenue in the process.

If you're going to mark down products for a year-end sale, make sure you spread the word so customers know about it. You can send out emails (assuming you have past customers' email addresses), run commercials, advertise on billboards, etc.

4 Easy Ways To Reduce Retail Inventory Shrinkage

Retail inventory shrinkage is defined as the loss of product between the manufacturer/supplier and the point of sale. Retail stores must acknowledge, track and deal with shrinkage to prevent it from cutting into their profits. Allowing it to grow out of control can dampen a store's profits. In fact, many stores have been forced to close their doors in the past due to high shrinkage. To prevent this from happening to YOUR store, check out the 5 tips listed below on how to reduce retail inventory shrinkage.

#1) Display Products Correctly

Ever notice a product tucked deep behind or underneath a shelving unit in your store? Whether it's a perishable food product or not, allowing it to sit in the dusty, dirty area behind a shelving unit will ruin an otherwise perfect product; thus, contributing to your store's inventory shrinkage. Owners can protect themselves against instances such as this by displaying product on premium gondola shelves, gridwall, slatwall, rolling racks, etc. Taking the time to display your store's products correctly will naturally reduce inventory shrinkage.

#2) Shoplifting

It's not something most retail businesses want to think about, but shoplifting is a serious concern that can greatly eat into your profits. And since it technically occurs between the manufacturer/supplier and the point of sale, it's part of shrinkage. Each year, U.S. businesses lose billions of dollars from shoplifting, which is why it's important to take preventive measures in your store. Installing security cameras, dye tags, alarms and security mirrors are just a few measures which are sure to help reduce theft.

#3) Employee Theft

Theft doesn't occur only from customers; unfortunately, employees statistically steal more product that customers. Each time an employee steals an item, it adds to your store's shrinkage. Even small items and products gradually build up to create a financial burden for retail stores.

So, what steps can retail stores take to reduce the chance of employee theft? The first line of defense is to hire trustworthy, reputable, experienced employees to run your store. I'm sure this is common sense to most people, but you shouldn't hire employees whom you don't trust. Owners can also install video monitoring systems in their storage rooms to prevent theft.

#4) Move Perishables Fast

One of the most common contributing factors of retail inventory shrinkage is from spoiled perishables. If your store sells perishable food and/or beverages, make sure your employees are trained to move it as fast as possible. Don't just place it in some obscure part of your store where customers can't easily find it, but instead keep it out in the open with signs, banners or other promotional material drawing attention to it.

Tips For Retail Success In a Crowded Marketplace

There are both advantages and disadvantages of trying to muscle your retail business into a crowded marketplace. Lots of competition means the market is popular and in high-demand, which translates into sales for businesses in this industry. However, too much competition can make it difficult (if not impossible) for new businesses to succeed. Crowded marketplaces essentially reduce the market share available for businesses. If you're thinking about tackling a crowded marketplace with your retail business, keep reading for some important tips on how to succeed.

Offer More Product Choices

One way retail businesses can set themselves apart from their competitors is by offering a greater amount of product choices. Rather than limiting your store's inventory to a particular line or niche, perhaps you could branch out into other avenues. By offering customers more products to choose from, you'll naturally attract customers who wouldn't 'normally' visit your store. This is a simple yet highly effective way to help your retail stores succeed in a crowded marketplace.

It's important to note, however, that more product choices translates into more space. Once you start filling up your store's shelves with new product, you may find yourself struggling to display all of your inventory. Be sure to check out the solutions offered at AAStoreFixtures.com, including wall unit shelving, gondolas, and much, much more.

Offer Better Prices

Of course, you're bound to attract more customers by offering lower prices than your competitors. If a competing store across town is selling the same pair of jeans in your store for $40 bucks, you should try to trump their prices by selling the same jeans for $30-$35. Although your profit margins will be smaller on this product, you'll pull shoppers away from your competitors and into your store, making it well worth the cost in the long run.

Market Your Retail Store

Even if your store offers better choices and prices than your competitors, most people won' know this until they actually visit your store. So, how do you get them to initially visit your store? Rather than waiting around 'hoping' that customers walk into you store, you should actively spread the word through any all promotional means necessary. This may include social media, television commercials, radio commercials, mail adverts, billboards, etc. Just remember to track your marketing campaigns so you know which ones are helpful in driving more customers, and which ones are simply a waste of money.

How To Greet Customers In The Retail Industry

Greeting customers when they first step foot into a retail store is key to winning their loyalty. A simple greeting lays the foundation for a positive shopping experience, and it's one of the many ways retail stores can set themselves apart from their competitors. If a customer is greeted with by a friendly employee in one store and completely ignored in a second store, which store do you think they'll return to in the future? Chances are they'll go back to the store that greeted them. This is just one reason why you retail stores and businesses should emphasize the importance of greeting shoppers.

Know When a Shopper Enters Your Store

You can't expect to greet each and every shopper unless you know when they enter your store. One technique that works in retail stores is to place a small bell either at the top or bottom of the door. When a customer walks through the door, the bell will jingle to notify employees of their presence. A basic bell can be purchased for a bout a $1 or $2 bucks, making this an inexpensive 'alarm' to help you greet shoppers.

Of course, you could also install an electronic alarm system. Each time the door is opened, the system emits a low 'beeping' noise. If you're interested in installing one of these in your retail store, contact your security monitoring company to see what they offer. Most big-name security monitoring companies (and even some of the smaller ones) will gladly install a door alarm such as this.

What Should I Say To Customers?

There really isn't a particular phrase that employees must use when greeting customers in a retail store. Some companies focus on basic greetings like "Hello, how are you doing today?," while others greet shoppers with a longer phrase like "Welcome to [insert store name here]. Is there anything I can help you find today?" Both of these examples are perfectly fine for just about any type of retail store or business. They help to acknowledge the customer in a friendly, positive manner.

Customer Greeting Tips:

• Watch your tone! Greeting customers in an aggressive and/or unfriendly tone sends the wrong message.
• Don't be pushy. If a customer doesn't need or want assistance, let them browse in peace.
• Stick with shirt, concise greetings.
• Make sure your store's employees are trained to greet customers following your guidelines.
• Don't forget to tell customers "Goodbye. Thanks for coming" when they leave.

How To Identify The Target Market For a Retail Business

One of the biggest mistakes new retail business owners make is blindly opening a store without researching their target market. Unless you know this information, you won't be able to make educated decisions on marketing, location and store setup, which in turn increases your chances of failure. Launching a successful retail business is no easy task, but you can increases your chances of success by identifying your target market. But what exactly is the target market? And how can you use this to your advantage? To learn the answers to these questions and more, keep reading.

There are some general questions you should ask yourself to better identify your target market. While you may already know the answers to some of these questions, you may need to do a little digging to find the rest. Here's a short list of some questions to help you identify your retail business's target market:

• What age group typically buys my store's product?
• Are customers mostly male, female, or mixed?
• Where do my customers typically come from? Are they local? Or do they travel from a nearby city? Tip: ask for customers zip codes when they check out to determine this information.
• How many customers come back for future purchases?
• What are some of the social characteristics of my customers?
• What about the marital status of my customers?
• What is their typical education level?

How To Use This Information

Acquiring some (or all) of the information listed above will help you make smarter professional decisions when running your retail business. Once you've identified your target market, you can then shift your focus towards the main group of people who purchase your store's products. For instance, radio and television stations offer their demographic data to potential advertisers. Running either a radio or television commercial on a station with a demographic that matches your store's target market will offer the greatest return on your investment.

You can also use this information to choose new products for your store. Let's say you own a retail fashion boutique that sells mostly to females between the ages of 21-28. You could contact some distributors to see if you can get trendy new apparel and accessories that young women would likely purchase.

Now for the question that's likely burning a hold in your mind -- how do I gather target market data on my retail store? There are several different ways to gather this information, one of which is through the site ZipSkinny.com; you simply enter your zip code and the website reveals tons of useful data for that particular location.

5 Common Retail Customer Service Mistakes To Avoid

Customer service plays a direct role in the success of a retail store. Businesses that overlook or underestimate this element will suffer from fewer customers and ultimately lower sales. Whether your store sells sporting goods, apparel, jewelry, electronics, groceries or practically any other consumer product, you need to focus on your customers' needs. In this post, we're going to reveal some of the most common customer service mistakes made in retail and why you should avoid them.

Mistake #1) Not Greeting Shoppers

Arguably, the single most common customer service mistake retail stores make is not greeting shoppers when they first enter. It only takes a few seconds to greet shoppers, and doing so leaves a lasting impression. A simple "Hello, how are you today?" will set your store apart your competitors. Retail store owners should train their employees to greet each shopper who walks into the store.

Mistake #2) Not Helping Customers Find Product

A second all-too-common mistake is not helping customers find product. If a customer is browsing through a rolling rack of shirts, pants or other apparel items, perhaps you could ask them if they need assistance locating a specific size. You can even go one step further by bringing the customer several different sizes just in case the one they requested doesn't fit.

Mistake #3) Bad Attitude

Of course, bad attitude is another customer service mistake that should be avoided in the retail industry. I think we've all been guilty of showing up to work with a general negativity, but retail employees must put on a 'happy' face to send a positive message to customers. Workers who constantly perform their duties with a bad attitude will spread negativity to other employees and customers.

Mistake #4) Bad Return Policy

A retail store's return policy goes hand in hand with customer service. Stores with a large "ALL SALES FINAL!" sign probably won't win over the hearts of their customers. Sure, it takes time and energy to restock items that customers have returned, but it's well worth it in the end. Allowing customers to return products within a reasonable time frame will keep them coming back to your store for future purchases.

Mistake #5) Always Saying "No"

Employees should be trained to avoid using the word "no" in correspondence with customers. If a customer asks if you have a jacket in a certain size, perhaps you could tell them that while it's currently not in stock, you can order it for them. There are times when employees must use the word "no," but it's important to focus on "yes, we can" instead.

Thinking About Renovating Your Store? Read This First.

Renovating a retail store or business is a big project that shouldn't be taken lightly. Hastily jumping into a major renovation without first planning ahead could result in your store being shut down for days or even weeks. And this translates into a loss or sales and profits. Whether you plan on performing a small or large renovation, however, there are some things you should know to make the process smoother.

Are Renovations Allowed?

If you are currently leasing a store (which most business owners do), you'll want to talk with the owner to find out whether or not renovations are allowed. Some property owners may allow minor renovations, such painting and constructing new fixtures, while prohibiting major renovations. Other the property owners may allow all types of renovations -- as long as you get prior approval. It only takes a couple of minutes to call up the property owner and ask them.

Renovating a store without the owner's permission could result in your lease being terminated (and possibly monetary compensation to reverse the renovations).

Which Walls are Load-Bearing?

Are you familiar with your store's blueprints? If not, you should pull them out to locate the load-bearing walls. Just as the name suggests, these walls are critical to the structural integrity of the building, and tearing them down creates a serious hazard for workers and shoppers alike. You can usually identify which walls are load-bearing and which ones are partition by looking at the blueprints. If you want to tear down a load-bearing wall, you'll have to shut down your store and hire a professional architect to create a new load-bearing wall and supporting structure.

How Much Will It Cost?

Of course, budget plays a big role in store renovations. While there's no way to determine exactly how much a renovation will cost, you perform an estimation based on materials and labor expenses. Sit down and decide how much you are willing to spend on the renovation, and then estimate your total cost. You may also be able to get price estimations from professional contractors.

Create a Plan

You can't expect to have a smooth store renovation without a clear plan of attack. Perhaps you want to install new flooring in your store. If so, plan the type of flooring, who's going to install it, where the installation process will take place, etc. Planning ahead will reduce the chance of unforeseen 'mishaps' while ensuring the process goes more smoothly.

5 Tips To Become a Better Retail Salesperson

Mastering the art of retail sales takes take, experience, dedication and the desire to succeed. Far too many people jump into this profession without realizing what all it entitles. Anyone can show up to work and go through the movements, but it takes a true salesperson to encourage a customer to buy an item they otherwise wouldn't have purchased. Whether you're looking to get your foot in the door as a retail salesperson or to improve your numbers, check out the 5 tips below.

Tip #1) Start At The Door

If you aren't greeting each and every customer who comes through the door, you're missing out on a simple yet highly effective way to pre-sell. When a customer walks into the store, greet them with a friendly “Hello, how are you going today?” And then you can offer assistance to help them find a particular product or item. Numerous studies have revealed that customers are more likely to purchase from the first salesperson who greets them, so make sure it's YOU.

Tip #2) Go Beyond The Call of Duty

What does this mean exactly? A retail salesperson can go above and beyond the call of duty in a number of different ways. The key thing to remember is that you want to exceed your customers' expectations. If a customer asks a salesperson for a pair of shoes in a particular size, perhaps the salesperson could bring out several different sizes just in case. This extra effort really leaves a positive impression on customers.

Tip #3) Think Like The Customer

Try to place yourself in the customer's shoes and ask yourself – what am I trying to accomplish by shopping here? Some customers shop for the sole purpose of finding good deals; if this is the case, show the customer some excellent sales and promotions currently going on. Other customers may be on the lookout for a newly recent product, which you can help them locate.

Tip #4) Speed It Up!

Let's face it, shoppers don't want to wait around for a slow salesperson to walk them around the store. If you want to improve your numbers, you have to work at a relatively fast pace. This is beneficial for several different reasons; it keeps customers happy, and you can move them through the store in less time.

Tip #5) Listen

One of the biggest mistakes employees make in retail sales is talking to their customers too much. Rather than jabbering away about products, service plans, etc., sit back and listen to your customers.

Understanding The Impact of Lighting In a Retail Store

Lighting is a key element in retail stores that's oftentimes greatly underestimated. Whether your store sells groceries, electronics, sporting goods, pet supplies, convenience items, jewelry, clothing or practically any other consumer product, it must feature appropriate lighting. Far too many owners overlook this critical aspect, resulting in a loss of sales and profits for their business. In this post, we're going to reveal the role lighting plays in a retail environment.

Illumination

The primary goal of lighting in a retail store is to illuminate the surrounding area. Without this critical element, customers and employees wouldn't be able to see. This is why it's important to choose high-wattage light fixtures that cover a large area. Opting for smaller fixtures will limit their effectiveness, forcing you to go back and add more later.

While you are designing and setting up lighting for your store, it's recommended that you use either compact fluorescent lighting (CFL) or light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs. Although they cost slightly more than traditional incandescent bulbs, both of these alternatives last longer and use far less energy. LED and CFL bulbs are a smarter, more energy-efficient choice that's sure to pay off in the long run.

Emphasize Product

A lesser-known impact of lighting in retail stores is the additional visibility it places on product. When used correctly, lighting can emphasize certain products in your store, essentially drawing the customers' focus towards it. The trick in accomplishing this is to strategically place the fixtures in a manner so the light shines directly on the product. This is typically done with either flood lights or track lighting depending on the product's location. Don't be afraid to experiment with different forms of lighting to see which type works best in your retail store.

Define Traffic Paths

Lighting can also be used in retail stores to define traffic paths. By installing and focusing more lighting over walkways and aisles, your customers will have an easier time navigating through your store. Try to install either additional overhead fixtures or some type of supplemental lighting around the areas where customers walk in your store. This will have a direct impact by making your store easier to navigate, and it will also have an indirect impact of creating a more pleasing atmosphere. It's just one of the many ways you can use lighting to your advantage as a retail store owner.

Recruiting Tips For Retail Businesses

Employees are the backbone of any retail business. Regardless of how much time you personally invest into your retail business, there will be occasions when employees must watch over the place. This is why it's important to choose hard-working, dedicated and reliable workers; otherwise, you could be placing your business at risk of failure. To learn more about recruiting employees for a retail business, keep reading.

Tip #1 – Check Past Work History

When reviewing applicants for a position in your retail store or business, you'll want to carefully analyze their past work experience. Look to see not only where they worked before, but also the length of time spent at the establishment. Individuals who jump around from job to job probably isn't the type of employee you want running your retail store.

Ideally, you should only hire applicants who've worked in an environment similar to your specific retail business. If your store sells apparel, for instance, then you'll want to hire employees with a background in retail fashion and apparel. They'll likely already have some knowledge and experience with helping customers find and choose the right clothes.

Tip #2 – References

References are a must-have for any retail business applicant. These should be non-relative people who support the applicant. If there's a phone number attached to their references (which their should be), call them up to see what they say. Simply introduce yourself as a retail business owner who's interested in hiring the applicant. Ask the referenced person about the applicant's work ethics, background, etc.

If there are no references listed on the application, skip it and move on to the next. When you place the responsibility or running your retail business in the hands of another, you need to make sure they are trustworthy. While having references isn't a surefire way to ensure the applicant is trustworthy, it's certainly a step in the right direction.

Tip #3 – Interview Questions

Interviewing applicants is arguably the single most important step in hiring employees for your store. During an interview, don't be afraid to ask questions that are somewhat “outside of the box.” For instance, you could ask the applicant how long they plan on staying with your company if they are hired. Just remember to keep your interview questions professional and legal. Avoid asking questions like “Are you married?” or “Do you have children?”

How To Create an Effective Window Display

Window displays are one of the most effective marketing tools for retail stores and businesses. They essentially serve two purposes -- to encourage passerbys to come and check out your store, and they reveal special deals, discounts and other promotions to customers who already intend on visiting your store. The bottom line is that each and every retail store should utilize window displays to help improve their sales. In this post, we're going to cover some tips on how to set up an effective display.

Maximize Your Display Space

It's important to maximize the space you have available for a window display. If your current display is small, compact and offers limited room, perhaps you should open the area up more. A little bit of renovation work can easily turn a structured wall into a glass display. As long as the wall isn't "load bearing," it should come down without a hitch. By increasing the window display space in your store, you'll have more room to market products to potential customers, making it well worth the time and effort in the long run.

Attention-Grabbing

The secret to creating an effective window display is to make it grab the customer's attention and draw them into your store. Setting it up with the same items used in your store won't offer the same effect as a more vibrant and colorful display. Try to incorporate attention-grabbing colors with bold letters that really stand out. You want people to automatically look at your window display as they walk by it. In order to accomplish this, you must use the right colors along with large size font lettering.

After setting up the window display in your retail store, watch people's reaction as they walk by. Hopefully, it catches their attention, even if it's only for a couple of seconds. If it doesn't achieve this goal, you'll need to go back and modify your window display.

Contact Product Manufacturers and Vendors

It's a little-known fact that product manufacturers and vendors will oftentimes work with retailers to create attractive window displays. Before you begin to set up your window display, contact your vendor to see what kind of assistance they can offer. While they probably won't be able to offer you any physical labor, they may send you some cut-outs, signs and other promotional display material to use in your window area. And best of all, the promotional material is completely free since you are using it to market their products.