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 »
I could tell you about the excitement in the air at San Francisco’s Westin St. Francis Hotel, when they unveiled a Christmas chateau complete with railroad. Or I could describe the glowing eyes of the children, and the enthusiasm of the adults at the Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill, because of the life-sized gingerbread house [...]
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It’s a funny old world. Retail analysts are predicting that holiday sales will be more ho-hum than ho ho ho, and a lot of Christmas giving will be self-directed. But there’s a major exception; polls are showing people are planning to spend more this year on gifts for pets. Many of these are the same [...]
Filed under: business, independent retailers, retail | Tagged: customer engagement, Laurel Tielis, marketing, public relations, publicity, retail | Leave a Comment »
Want to bring more business in? Get the word out. Once you become publicity-savvy, you can gain visibility, credibility, and profitability without having to open your wallet. Publicity beats advertising because it’s free. If you’re an entrepreneur or an independent retailer, “free” is probably one of your favorite words; “easy” and “effective” are most likely [...]
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Want to create a WOW experience in your retail store? Here’s how two small businesses in my area took advantage of the easy and effective theme, It’s our birthday, but you get the present! to surprise and delight their customers, and build their businesses. Baker and Banker, a perfectly-named eponymous bakery and restaurant in San [...]
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Picture this: I get to the head of the supermarket line, the cashier rings up my purchases, and I give him my credit card. Declined. I ask the cashier to swipe it again, and again, it’s declined. Concerned, I call the credit card company. I’m told that they’ve had multiple uses of my account in [...]
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It’s not a fashion statement, but an economic one. According to a survey commissioned by the London-based global news agency Reuters, American shoppers will be holding on to their wallets this year. More than four-fifths, or 82 per cent of the people asked, expect to spend the same or less on Christmas gifts. That’s no [...]
Filed under: business, retail | Tagged: customer relations, economy, Holiday, marketing, public relations, retail, small business | Leave a Comment »
