Who really owns your customers? We first asked that question in a 2010 blog post and things haven’t changed radically since then. As a business owner, you may think you own your customers, but that’s not always true. When there is a relationship between your associates and customers it’s very likely that your customers connect more with your people than the business. Here’s why: People don't always shop at your store just because they like what you sell; lots of stores sell the same products. And customers don't always choose a store because they happen to like the owner, although that helps ..read more

NRF 2024: Retail’s Big Show brought together industry experts and thought leaders to discuss the latest trends and innovations shaping the future of retail. With over 40,000 attendees, 100 speaking sessions, and 1,000 exhibitors this year, the conference is the world’s leading annual retail event. After a meeting with RetailWire’s BrainTrust panel of retail executives, analysts, consultants, and academics to break down the big themes of the conference, we’ve collected some key insights and reflections from those who participated.  AI Took Center Stage  At NRF 2024, purpose- and val ..read more

2024 is the Year of Thinking BIG!  Welcome to 2024, a brand new year to make your store a stand out! Keep customers coming back for more with these non-stop traffic-building, profit-producing, attention-grabbing, sales-generating, competition-miffing, customer-winning strategies every retailer should embrace:  Windows that Wow  1. Choose a theme for your monthly window displays. There are plenty of national and fun holidays to choose from each month or make up your own. Carry that theme throughout the store.  2. Keep it simple. People need to be able to take in t ..read more

Click HERE or on the photo above to watch! The Retail Adventures Gang is back with a podcast wrapping up 2023. We talk about Macy's proposed buyout, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Holiday shopping, what's happening in New York City,  Singapore, and London, shopping centers, car parks, and of course, Jason's covetable Christmas sweater collection. We may be from all over the globe, but it’s a small world when Rich, Georganne,  Jason, Jeremey and Ian get together. Here’s to 2024! Follow our individual Retail Adventures on LinkedIn: Georganne Bender, Rich Kizer, Jason Baum, Jeremey ..read more

  Taylor Prystawsky decided she needed a new challenge. An interior decorator by trade, she worked with builders to turn houses into homes. In her spare time, she brought on the bling, decorating upwards of 30 Christmas trees each season. She hung up her paint charts to raise her family, but after 14 years the itch to do something else needed more than a scratch.  Taylor began her new adventure in January 2020 when she answered an ad for retail space in historic East Dundee, Illinois and soon the River Street Collective had a new tenant, selling home décor goods in a 12’x12’ room. T ..read more

  When did you last make a major floor move? And we don’t mean moving product from over here to over there.  Your sales floor is a living, breathing entity that should change (frequently) in order to flourish. If your store is full of the latest product, but your sales are in a rut it, it could be because your customers are bored. They come to your store not just to buy – they come for ideas and inspiration. They come to be entertained, and even when they don’t buy anything, it’s the experience that brings them back.  The Target Syndrome  Think about the last time you sho ..read more

Photo Cred: Untapped New York by Michelle Young During the recent torrential rains in New York City my sister and I visited Bergdorf Goodman, a NYC landmark department store that is famous for designer clothing and accessories. And absolutely priceless premier customer service. Ya, huh.  I used to visit Bergdorf’s with my mother when I was little, she loved that store so we were there a lot. This trip? We were invisible. I understand that we are not their target customer, neither one of us are model tall or a size 0; we are not sample-size anything and that's okay. When I asked if a par ..read more

How often do you mystery shop your competition – in person, online and on social medias? Monthly, yearly? Never? Shopping your competition is an exercise that needs to happen at least once a quarter. Here’s what to do:  1. Make a list of everything you need to know about each competitor. When we mystery shop we carefully examine the operational categories in the store, and then rate each one on a scale of 1 to 10. It’s an opinion, but it’s a good one. Yours will be, too.  2. Begin by determining where you stand in your marketplace. Send someone you trust to a public place near your ..read more

Jayna Gedney wants you to be able to smell her store’s website.  Jayna is the store manager of Ben Franklin Crafts & Frame Shop in Monroe, Washington. The store is owned by the Taylor family, established in 1975 by Adrian and Deanna Taylor. A second store, located in Bonney Lake, Washington, is owned and managed by son Adrian C. Taylor, their son. The two stores are creative industry stalwarts. Industry legend is that Adrian, Senior was the first retailer to embrace scrapbooking, creating the trend we know and love today.  Now, we are talking with Jayna about all things “phygita ..read more

This is Georganne, reporting from Chicago.  After an amazing first day of leading "The Next Wave of Loyalty Track" at the Retail Innovation Conference & Expo I was excited to take Ian Scott and Jack Stratten, two of our favorite retail wizards from the U.K., on an exploration trip to Marshall Field & Company's flagship store on Chicago's State Street - now Macy's - was a must.  I began my retail career at T.A. Chapman's, a four store, indie-owned department store chain located in and around Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Chapman's flagship store on Milwaukee's Wisconsin Avenue was ..read more