Will Atkinson Articles

Barcode time, UPC or bust! - Click To Read Article
Most products come from the vendor or distributor with UPC labels already affixed, but what do you do about those items that don't? Retailers should have a barcoding strategy with their POS systems to make sure they can use scanners to enter transactions for greater speed, accuracy, and efficiency.

Win with In-Store Service - Click To Read Article
The "In Store Experience" is well known as a crucial part of a retailer's interaction with his customers, but what can be done to differentiate your store?

What to do when the recession finally ends! - Click To Read Article
Since the whole world is talking about what to do to make it through the recession, truly forward thinkers will be preparing for the end by now. Now is the time to be positioning your business to take advantage of the economy's gradual return to prosperity

Vendor Improvements - Click To Read Article
Vendors can make or break a retailer, or at least be a part of either the winning or losing team. Make sure to optimize your vendor interactions to save time and money.

Upselling with Complementary Items - Click To Read Article
Increase "same customer" sales with creative packaging and upselling with complementary items.

Upselling - Click To Read Article
When used properly, upselling can be an effective, and unobtrusive technique to increase your average dollars per sale.

Vendor Relationships - Click To Read Article
Leveraging your vendors can be a powerful way to help you compete with products, services, and financing.

Upselling Again - Click To Read Article
Upselling works in more ways than one. We've covered complementary items and related products, but how else can you upsell?

Upselling to Loyal Customers - Click To Read Article
Upselling at the POS is a known tactic, and when done properly can be very profitable, but how can you leverage this idea deeper into your customer database to enhance loyalty and profits?

The Power of Gift Cards - Click To Read Article
Gift certificates and gift cards have been a part of the retail landscape for years, but many retailers don't use them to their full potential, including taking advantage of the technological innovations that make them more powerful.

The Power of Employees - Click To Read Article
Employees are as good or as bad as you make them. Proper training and sharing of tools and information can result in powerful employee activity and relationships

The Cost of Lost Sales - Click To Read Article
Accurate inventory stocking according to demand and sales history is vital to reducing lost sales and inventory overhead, thereby increasing profit, customer satisfaction, and loyalty.

Special Sales - Click To Read Article
Retailers can use special promotional sales to help drive new business, but the key is to do it in a way that is consistent with your branding, and to be sure to turn those new customers into long term customers.

Staffing in Tough Times - Click To Read Article
Obviously budgets are tight and potentially getting tighter, but where and how do you trim budgets without negatively affecting your retail performance? We take a look at various facets of staffing and how to address them in a downturn.

Summer Sales - Click To Read Article
Are you ready for summer? As consumer confidence appears to be rebounding, retailers need to be ready for summer opportunities.

Social Media and You - Click To Read Article
Should you be using Twitter, Facebook or MySpace to promote your small business?

Retail Security - Click To Read Article
Retailers are facing a greater number of ever more sophisticated threats in 2009 due to evolving technologies, increased reliance on computerized systems, and the down economy. They need to take serious steps to secure their businesses, including their data.

Retail Marketing - Click To Read Article
Targeted Marketing can make a big difference in customer retention and specific sales efforts

Reporting Techniques - Click To Read Article
A good POS system supplies a lot of reports, but what you do with them can make the difference

Retail Partnerships - Click To Read Article
Partnering with restaurants and other retailers can be a powerful way of driving traffic and loyalty.

Retail Costing, FIFO, LIFO, Average COST? - Click To Read Article
Retailers live on their margins, so you obviously need to have a good understanding of your real cost of goods sold (COGS). Understanding your costs from your vendors will help you choose the appropriate method, as will your point of sale system.

Reducing Shrink - Click To Read Article
Inventory Shrink represents a major cost to retailers, and it takes a combination of resources and business practices to properly combat it.

Pricing strategies - Click To Read Article
Price is always important, and perhaps even more so during a downturn. How should retailers adjust their pricing to get and keep customers?

POS Security for Productivity - Click To Read Article
We talk about data security and video security, but one of the simplest, most fundamental aspects of security is often overlooked or improperly maintained, anti-virus and firewall protection.

More Customer Loyalty - Click To Read Article
There's more to customer loyalty than products and marketing.

More on Upselling - Click To Read Article
Upselling works, we know that now, but how else can it be used? Besides using it to leverage complementary products, it can also be used to help customers discover new and bargain products that are market relevant.

Leveraging Retail Technology - Click To Read Article
Retailers need to continue to invest in enabling technologies, even in an economic downturn, to enhance efficiencies, productivity, and customer experience.

Leveraging Video Surveillance and Security for Customer Benefit - Click To Read Article
Do you have a video security system in your store? If so, are you getting the most out of it? There are more uses than just preventing theft, like analyzing customer behavior and traffic flow

Local E-commerce marketing - Click To Read Article
Websites and e-commerce take up much of the mindshare around retail these days, but e-commerce still only accounts for about 10% of total retail sales. That means that 90% of purchases are still made IN stores, so if you don't have a great website and shopping cart, you can still compete. Local search tools make it easier than ever to be found by customers who can actually visit your store.

Loyalty Programs - Click To Read Article
In these trying times for retailers, customers are increasingly shopping based on rewards or loyalty programs. It's no longer enough to have good prices, retailers must make the shopping experience special, and the customer has to feel unique and loved. Carefully designed loyalty programs can maintain sales even in tough times by rewarding repeat customers with special pricing, benefits, and more.

Key Performance Indicators for Retail (KPI) - Click To Read Article
Retail store owners have lots to do besides running reports, but identifying and tracking a few key performance indicators can save time and help a retailer stay ahead of his/her business.

Integrated Payments - Click To Read Article
We live in an evolving society no longer based on cash and checks. Take advantage of integrated payment technologies to help improve customer service and reduce costs

Inventory Targeting/Modifications - Click To Read Article
You can modify your inventory offerings without altering the flavor of your store to better serve your customers in a recession.

Inventory Profitability - Click To Read Article
Make the most of your most profitable inventory

How to Win in the Recession - Click To Read Article
Tips for winning in retail during the downturn

FSA Payments - Click To Read Article
Retail Pharmacies are facing upcoming regulation changes on accepting flexible spending account payments for approved merchandise. They need to be sure they're ready and using an approved system.

Free Martketing Tips for Retailers - Click To Read Article
We’ve talked about promotions and upselling and plenty of other ways to increase your sales and improve the customer experience, but how do you get them in the store without spending a fortune on marketing? Follow these tips to get free marketing exposure for your retail store.

Employees make the Difference - Click To Read Article
If your store sells commoditieis or other items that can easily be found on the internet or at big box discounters, then you have to compete on service, not price. Leverage your employees to succeed.

Efficient Inventory - Click To Read Article
Sure, retailers all know that they need to keep track of their inventory, but there are more reasons than the most obvious ones.

Emerging Technologies - Click To Read Article
Major retailers like Wal-Mart typically represent the leading edge in retail technology, but that doesn't mean small retailers should ignore these trends because "only the big guys are doing it"

Efficient Ordering - Click To Read Article
Ordering is a critical part of maintaining a lean and efficient inventory for your store. A few simple best practices can help you keep track of this to save time and money.

Debits, the good kind! - Click To Read Article
Debit card transactions can be a bit of a mystery to retailers, since they are priced differently from credit card transactions. The industry lingo can be confusing and retailers end up paying too much to accept these payments.

Customer Loyalty - Click To Read Article
Customer Loyalty is a buzzword these days, but it is of critical importance to retailers. In a down economy it is crucial to take care of your existing customers because they demonstrate the best ROI on marketing efforts, and will help lead your sales out of a downtrun.

Data Backup and Recovery - Click To Read Article
Data integrity and disaster recovery systems are not unique to retail, but retailers need to be sure to take advantage of a robust backup system and have a recovery plan in place.

Competition in Tough Times - Click To Read Article
How are small retailers supposed to compete against the big boys, especially in the current economic climate? Small retailers have several advantages, from obvious things like lower fixed costs, to intangible assets like customer service and name recognition. Refinining your position in every aspect of your business can make a huge difference to your bottom line, and how you support it.

Are you out of "touch"? - Click To Read Article
Touch screen computers may seem like a novelty, but tests have shown that clerks like to use them better and they contribute to faster transaction times and better customer service.

Are there too many retail stores? - Click To Read Article
In the past several years, due to the abundance of cheap credit and excess spending, we've seen a massive growth in the size and number of retail outlets. Some say that we are now "over-stored." What does this mean, and how will it affect small retailers?


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