With the temperatures dropping and the air turning crisp, it’s no wonder why we wrap ourselves in our favorite sweaters, sip hot chocolate and crave everything that makes us feel all warm and cozy inside. Fall is also the time for warm, rich colors, clearly seen with all the leaves changing. From cinnamon red to […]
Retail Insights
Ten Tips To Increase Foot Traffic To Your Local Store
Foot traffic: not just the pedestrian equivalent of rush hour, but the presence of customers in and around your business. Â Having customers physically in your store is, obviously, key to the success of your business. Â Higher foot traffic usually means higher sales. Â But what if your business seems to keep getting passed by? Â Here are […]
Here Come The Holidays: 3 Tips to a Successful Season
The Holidays are Here Walk into any Walmart at 11:59 pm on October 31st and what do you see? Pallets of Christmas products, decorations and other assorted holiday items. Employees hover around like a pack of ravenous wolves waiting for the OK to pounce. The clock strikes midnight and the walkie-talkies light up like […]
Success Stories: Sweet Cake Bake Shop
Best. Cupcake. Ever. I just returned from a wonderful meeting with Allison Regan, owner of Sweet Cake Bake Shop and I’ve polished off the gluten-free German chocolate cake cupcake I brought home. To be honest, I don’t really know much about baking. I do know that cupcakes normally contain wheat flour, and that the heavenly […]
7 Pricing Strategies Every Retailer Should Know
Of all the strategies you’re thinking of for your new business, pricing is the one that can truly make or break your business. Price too high and your competition will get all the business. Price too low and you won’t make enough money. Super-smart business economists have come up with dozens of pricing models […]
4 Reasons to Delay Your Grand Opening
How important are first impressions? Everyone from your mom to your professors in business school told you that they’ll make or break you. If you’re getting ready to open the doors of your brand new business and introduce yourself to the public, you should be thinking about the first impression you’ll make. It’s difficult […]
5 Functions of a Sign
Think all signs are the same? Think again. In many cases, the effectiveness of a sign is determined by its use. Is it going outside on your storefront or hanging in window? Is it leading your customers to an event or simply helping them navigate to your store? When starting the design process, think […]
Small Business Success Stories: The Toaster Oven
Recently I had the pleasure of speaking to Mitch Monson, co-founder of The Toaster Oven, a small chain of sandwich shops in San Francisco and Berkeley, California, for our small business success stories series. He gave me some insights about how the company got started, what they do and how they have become one of our […]
