Well, after a lot of talking and an extraordinary election before the Summer, the negotiations are underway. So, what have we learnt following the June 2016 referendum?
Category: Retail advice
Sales or marketing??
I am often asked “what’s the difference between sales and marketing. Are they both the same thing”? To me it’s a tricky question to answer as sales is in fact a part of marketing. To help people understand I use the example of a knife to explain the difference.
7 things you should be doing now to ensure your season is a success
With nearly 33% of the season now gone it’s a key time to review what’s been happening and making sure you have a plan for the rest of the season. With that in mind, here are 7 things you should be doing now to ensure your season is a success.
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“I know how much stock I have!”
“Its ok, I know how much stock I have”. It’s a claim I often hear from retailers. Many use this as the main reason why the don’t need an EPOS system. They are special – they can do it all in their heads!
Product ranging, the price elevator and wine!
Are you in control of you product ranging ? Do you have a price elevator in store? You should!
How much does a bottle of wine cost? How about a glove or a pair of shoes? I am sure that you all have some opinions on this but do you know what your customers think?
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Resource planning 101: Part 3 – Staff
Time to stir the grey matter with the third in our series of resource planning articles.
So far each part has looked at one of three scarce resources to any retail business – Cash, Space and now we move on to consider staffing.
Remember the objective of these blogs are not to give you finite answers but to give you food for thought while the shop is less busy.
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Resource planning 101: Part 2 – Space
During the off season I have been writing a series of blog post’s to try and encourage shop owners and managers to reflect and think outside the box. The aim is to enable them to consider strategically the way they are retailing and encourage them to make some changes to help drive their business.
Resource Management 101: Part 1 – Cash
We’re now well into winter and there is a definite chill in the air. As a result, there are few golfers out on the course or more importantly, in the shop. So, is this the time to settle back and take a break? The answer is no. It’s the time to review this 2016’s successes and (more importantly) this 2016’s failures to plan for the future with consideration of any lessons learnt.
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Merchandising, Facebook and a tidy shop
I spend quite a lot of times in shops. In our line of business it’s a good thing to do.
Some people ask me what makes a good store. While there is no silver bullet I do think a good store makes the target customer want to buy (and makes a profit). To some that might sound like a bit of a cop out but the reality is that should be exactly what every retailer is trying to achieve. How they achieve that will be very different from target customer to target customer but it often comes down to the merchandising.
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Don’t be rubbish. Be awesome.
I don’t like the term ‘rubbish’ because it’s very negative – but it’s one of those words that are easy to say and there isn’t any doubt about its meaning. It’s very easy to be rubbish at something. Most people can be very good at it without lifting a finger. In fact, for many people not doing anything makes you really rubbish at something!
A friend of mines favourite expression is there is only one failure in life – the failure to participate. I think it’s a great expression and one that’s very true.
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Phil Barnard 