Fix Your Innovation Rut
No matter what your industry—or how long you’ve been working in and at it—there will always be new ways to innovate and solve problems. It’s easy for small business leaders to get stuck in a rut and think of innovation as something that happens only in Silicon Valley or...
Don’t Melt Down in a Crisis
Will your business ever face a crisis situation needing careful and strategic communication? Quite possibly. (You can’t control everything.) And the degree of the fallout will largely depend on your timely and clear response—and a precise execution. Read more …
Keep Customers Hopelessly Devoted
You can, and should do this. What are we talking about? A loyalty program. Business owners want customers. But, often, they’re too focused on finding new customers, which can be one of the hardest—and most costly—aspects of running a business. Show your gratitude to current customers with offerings, discounts...
Health Food Retailers Make Way for the Next Generation
A younger generation is inheriting many natural and health food stores across the country, as the owners who opened stores in the 1970s and 80s reach retirement age. The trend has grown enough that the Natural Products Association created a Next Generation Leadership Committee to ease the transition. While...
How Are Retailers Enhancing the In-store Experience?
Perpetually challenged by a cutthroat competitive climate, notoriously thin profit margins, and demanding — and often dichotomous — patrons, the grocery business can be brutal, which speaks directly to the need for grocers to concentrate heavily on enhancing the in-store experience to stand apart from both traditional and upstart...
Customer Rewards Mash-Up
It’s no secret that rewards programs are effective for businesses, both large and small. Repeat customers are rewarded and sales go up—everybody wins. But sometimes it’s tough for smaller businesses to give big discounts or appeal to their customer base all of the time. So why not join forces...
Five Ways Grocers Can Stop Consumers from Visiting Multiple Retailers
Grocers are no longer just competing against each other. They now face an onslaught of new competitors, as big box retailers, pharmacies, dollar stores and deep-pocketed online players all push to sell grocery. In this environment, grocers are increasingly experimenting with strategies to prevent customers from splitting their grocery...
Total mobility is a competitive advantage for local merchants
Small businesses face challenges on a daily basis. Not only do they have to operate using limited resources, they must also keep pace in an increasingly sophisticated marketplace. Local merchants need to differentiate themselves from their competition, and a great way to do that is through total mobility. Read...
Softer Side of Customer Service
It should come as no surprise that consumers make the bulk of their purchasing decisions based on emotion vs. any kind of rational calculation—and more emotionally engaged customers will probably recommend a company, product or service more often. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to pull at the heart...
You’re about to get a new credit card … and it’s an epic failure
A huge, $33 billion upgrade is coming to the American credit card system this year. But it looks like a dud. Read more …