RetailBizBlog

Seems like we just finished doing our inventories, getting through our spring cleaning, and yep....the Holiday Season is again right around the corner!  I have written several posts that are designed to help in hiring, coaching, and evaluating employees.  These posts have been recently getting much more attention as we get through the Back-to-School season and prepare for the Holidays.  So, in response to the active trends to my blog...here are some quick links to those posts.  Good Luck and Happy Hiring!!!   How to Read a Resume   How to Prepare to Conduct an Interview   How to Conduct and Interview   Effective Coaching - Part 1   Effective Counseling - Part 2      

In collaboration with Amazon.com, RetailBizblog has its' own store!!! At the top of the page I have added a 'shop' tab.  I have put together a very large collection of books, electronics, office supplies, and even apparel- all with the retail professional in mind.  As the Shop RetailBizBlog Store is brand new, I would love to hear any feedback you may have, or even products you would like to see! Thanks for continuing to share with me!! Chris

Think about it.  Tom and his group of pioneers did a lot more than creating a giant social website.  The ripple effect of Myspace is more like a Tsunami effect! Myspace forever changed the way internet marketing is viewed.  Millions of users logged in several times a day discussing things they like and don't like, offering marketers plenty of affordable and accurate impressions to their target consumer. Myspace Music changed the way music is shared on the internet.  It could even be credited with launching several successful careers.  It offered users a way to feel connected to their favorite artists, and remain aware of new releases and special offers.  YouTube and Vevo can point to Myspace Music for laying the groundwork for much of their success. Several other social networking sites have found success following a model proven successful by Myspace.  Facebook is the current "big thing".  Google + is promising to use all of Google's streng...

   Earlier in this blog I wrote an article about the power of the internet as a resource for marketing.  A successful marketing campaign can be measured by the amount of "impressions" that are made to potential consumers.  In the past it was snail mail that would deliver the massively unpopular "junk mail" that would faster find its' way to the trash than make a consumer impression.  Not to mention the outrageous cost both financially and environmentally.  Today, wildly popular sites like Twitter and Facebook offer an almost unbelievably economical and fast way to make millions of impressions.  Now add the advent of the "Cloud" and accessibility offered by low-cost mobile devices, and that millions is growing at a faster than ever pace! The Internet/Cloud/Web/Information Superhighway - whatever you call it, it is again the place to be!!  With both computing powerhouses, Microsoft and Apple touting the arrival of the "Cloud" businesses are g...

In the retail world, turnover seems to be rising at an astounding rate as employees have much more to consider than just having a job.  With the state of the economy, things that were "perks" are now deal breakers when it comes to sticking it out with a company.  Employees now must take almost everything into consideration when deciding to keep their job or to make a change.  Daily commutes, employee discounts, benefit packages, corporate stability, and even just a small monetary increase can make or break that decision. I have started to see some companies take the "pay me now" approach versus the long adopted "reward me later".   Some employees are starting to see their long-term rewards and benefits disappear as their company eliminates those benefits to bring back bonus structures, employee allowances/discounts, and even 401k matches.  Working for the same employer for more than 5  or even 10 years won't necessarily bring any rewards anymore.  Wh...

The reputation a company has is built upon consistent delivery during the customer experience.  That statement holds true for both positive and negative experiences.  What is your reputation? Are you maintaining a good one or repairing a bad one?  Online retail is almost exclusively built on trust and reputation.  Seller reviews and post-sale customer service experiences are the key components most online buyers are looking for.  What most people don't realize, is these reviews are also a great resource to find ways to improve the way you do business.  Look at competitors negative reviews, and make their weakness your strength.  These reviews are also a great way to identify in store opportunities.  You may encounter why a certain product is doing so well online by reading the great things people are saying, and use that as additional product knowledge. Reputation also goes into your success in attracting the very best talent available to...