Competition is usually seen as a benefit to customers. It means that prices are contained and service is upheld. But how about for retailers? Is competition good for your business? Put it this way. As Elizabeth Barrett Browning said about love, let me count the ways. 1. It keeps you alert If you don’t think [...]
Filed under: business, entrepreneurs, independent retailers, retail, small business | Tagged: branding, customer relations and retention, e-commerce, mobile, retail | Leave a Comment »
Are you an entrepreneur? Sure, you can advertise, but is that the best way of building your practice or increasing your clientele? Probably not. It’s one thing to pay for promoting a product, and quite another to advertise your services. But you do need to get your name known, if you want to be successful. [...]
Filed under: business, entrepreneurs, small business | Tagged: branding, customer relations and retention, Facebook, microblogging, Twitter | Leave a Comment »
Want to sell more? Retailers need to ramp up technology, rather than staff. That’s the way to success, according to recent reports. Consider Sprinkles, the upscale chain of cupcake bakeries that just opened its first ACM–automated cupcake machine–next door to its Beverly Hills store. Shoppers stood in line at the Automat-like machine to watch a [...]
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Laurel Tielis Want to be a success in the luxury market? Offer superior flawless customer service. That’s the advice Alf Nucifora, Chairman of The Luxury Marketing Council of San Francisco, offered council members at a cocktail reception at furniture showroom Gaul Searson Ltd. Nucifora talked about what’s wrong with customer service and offered suggestions on solving the [...]
Filed under: business, entrepreneurs, independent retailers, retail, small business | Tagged: branding, communications, customer relations and retention, marketing, public relations, retail | Leave a Comment »
SAN FRANCISCO–Arkadi Kuhlmann, President and CEO of ING Direct, was in Union Square last week to launch the online bank’s new 17,000 square foot cafe, its eighth brick and mortar outlet. While you can”t make a deposit or a withdrawal, you can grab a cup of Peet’s coffee, take advantage of the Wi-Fi, and enjoy [...]
Filed under: business, entrepreneurs, independent retailers, retail, small business | Tagged: branding, Business, community involvement, customer engagement, customer relations, marketing, public relations | Leave a Comment »
Flashlights, first aid supplies, and batteries were must-haves for people in Hurricane Irene’s path. But Pop-Tarts were high on the list of items people were purchasing. According to Walmart, Strawberry Pop-Tarts were the most popular. It’s not surprising because they’re easy to open, don’t need to be heated up, and can be eaten any time [...]
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Can you give up advertising now that social media has become so important? You can, but you shouldn’t. Ads are still an immensely valuable way to get your message to your audience. Online, Google’s AdWords is the go-to place for most small business owners. There’s a good reason for that. The keywords that you buy [...]
Filed under: business, retail | Tagged: advertising, branding, communications, marketing, sales | Leave a Comment »
SAN FRANCISCO–Most small business owners find technology drives them crazy. Inc. magazine, and Ink from Chase, decided to rectify that last week, with a discussion on Using Technology to Drive Growth. After a one-hour networking reception at San Francisco’s Park 55 Wyndham Hotel, attendees heard a panel hosted by Inc. contributing editor and small business owner, [...]
Filed under: business, retail | Tagged: branding, cloud computing, customer engagement, customer survey, retail | Leave a Comment »
