Month: October 2011

Trade Show Displays

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

Trade shows provide a fantastic opportunity to get the word out about your company and to meet others who want to use your services or products. If you need trade show displays for your next show then call on the largest display and fixture showroom in Chicagoland.
Conveniently located near O’Hare Airport and all major trade show venues in the Chicagoland area, your trade show displays can be picked up at our Des Plaines showroom or delivered right to your Chicagoland venue on the same day your order is placed. Orders can be picked up at our showroom Monday through Friday from 8:00am until 5:00pm. Specialty Store Services’ showroom is located near many trade show venues including:
    • Donald E. Stephens Convention Center (Rosemont Convention Center)

 

  • McCormick Place

 

 

  • Navy Pier

 

 

  • Schaumburg Convention Center

 

Is your trade show out of town? No worries! We will deliver your trade show displays anywhere worldwide (just not on the same day, of course)!
Choose from a wide variety of in-stock displays and supplies including:
    • Grid panels and shelving

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Showcases

 

 

  • Mannequins

 

 

  • Floor sign holders and easels

 

 

  • Table top displays

 

 

  • Pegboard accessories

 

 

  • Display hardware
  • Bags and packaging

 

Having participated in many trade shows and having supplied many exhibitors with what they need, Specialty Store Services knows just what your business requires to make your show a success!

Halloween Retail Sale Ideas

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

Wow, this year is speeding by! Halloween is just around the corner and, in case you weren’t aware, it is the second most popular holiday, Christmas being the first. Do not let the opportunity of cashing in on this holiday pass you by. Check out this Tip of the Week from WhizBang! Training for some facts, figures and ideas on how to turn customers’ quest for fun and treats into profit. Read on:

Dear Tip of the Weeker,

This week’s Tip is a reprint from 2007 that included some interesting facts and figures about the Halloween shopping season.

We thought it would be fun to run this Tip again, updating the figures, to see how things have changed in the past couple of years.

(2007 figures are represented in parentheses.)

——————————————————————————–

According to our good friend Don Morgan at Party Club of America, the world’s largest buying group of party and Halloween merchandise, Halloween is now the number two holiday and it’s getting bigger every year.

Consider this…

Last year’s Halloween retail sales including advertising, exceeded an unprecedented $5.8 billion ($5.5 billion.)

A partial breakdown includes:
Candy: $1.8 billion, ($2 billion – ’07 was a record-breaking candy holiday);
Home Decorating: $1.6 billion ($.659 billion) remains second only to the Christmas holiday season;
Costumes: $2 billion ($1.3 billion;) interesting breakdown…
– Children’s Costumes = $.8 billion
– Adult Costumes = $1 billion
– Pet Costumes = $.2 billion!
Greeting Cards: $.3 billion ($.06 billion.)
According to the National Retail Federation’s 2010 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, American consumers planned to spend more money in all major Halloween categories in 2010 compared to the spending previous years, and 63.8% of those surveyed planned to celebrate Halloween or participate in Halloween activities!

In a nutshell, you still can’t afford to miss this opportunity.

At the very least you can stock and sell Halloween merchandise – costumes, home accessories, scary music etc. – and decorate your store and windows.

That’s a no-brainer.

But to take full advantage of the holiday you should throw yourself into it whole hog…

Here are a couple of ideas to get your juices flowing…

– You can have an after hours Halloween Party for your best customers.

– If you sell to children you can have a Halloween coloring contest for school children.

– If you are a running store or fitness center you can sponsor a Halloween Fun Run and give special prizes for people who run in costume.

– You can partner with your favorite non-profits and donate a percentage of the sales that come from their supporters who shop at your store.
The list goes on and on!

One of the best ways for you, as a small businessperson, to really distinguish yourself from the competition is to create a memorable experience for your customers.

Halloween presents you with the perfect opportunity to do something cool, fun, creative and unforgettable.

Retail Holiday Gift Wrap

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

Did you know that Specialty Store Services carries a full line of gift wrap, both for special occasions and for the holidays? It’s true! Did you also know that some people hhhhaaaaate to wrap gifts? That’s true, as well, but beyond my comprehension because I think wrapping gifts is fun. In fact, I once took a part time job at a department store during the holiday season just so I could wrap gifts all day (don’t judge me). But anyway, wouldn’t it be a great idea to offer a gift wrapping service to your customers to save them some time and hassle?

If you have some spare counter space or the room for a little work table, you can wrap your customers’ purchases for them. Many customers will appreciate not having to spend the time wrapping those gifts, even if you decide to charge a small gift wrapping fee, say $1 – $3 per package. You don’t even need to decorate the packages so the bows won’t get smushed in transit. You can offer simple package wrapping and the customers can add their bows (whether you provide them or not) and name tags later; just put a post-it note on the packages with the recipients’ names or write the names in small print on the bottom of the packages to keep them all straight . Let people know up front, though, if you plan on going the simple, no-frills package wrapping route so there are no misunderstandings.

Another way to spread the holiday hope and cheer is to wrap the packages for free but to put out a little donation box and let people know that the proceeds will go to a local non-profit organization, such as a food pantry, children’s hospital, veteran’s service or animal shelter. This way, customers get their packages wrapped and an organization doing good work in your community gets some much-needed help. Win-win!

Specialty Store Services has the gift wrap, gift wrap holder, tissue paper, ribbons, bows and boxes you need for your gift wrapping service. And don’t forget to order your gift certificates, gift cards and gift card pouches!

Get wrapping and have some fun!

Getting Ready for the Retail Holiday Season

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

It’s never too early to start planning your holiday season strategies. No, I’m not saying to decorate your store with snowmen and twinkle lights right this minute since it’s not even Halloween yet, for Pete’s sake (yes, I’m talking to you, the one who decorated for the winter holidays in August). But you might want to freshen up your store and fine tune your operations to get ready for the shoppers who will be looking for your great deals and services. Check out these previous blogs to help you get a jump start on the busiest shopping season of the year.

Hiring Temporary Employees. If you need help for the holiday season then you’ll want to make sure you hire the right people for your particular business. And why not bring them in a week or two early to help you get ready for the season? Read on….

Retail Store Presentation: What is Your Store Saying and Spruce Up Your Retail Store. Helpful hints to get your store in tip-top shape. Make sure your retail store is looking spiffy and sparkling clean because people want shop in a pleasant environment where they feel comfortable.

Retail Training Classes. So you’ve got your new employees and the store is looking good. Why not give your staff more tools to help them make the upcoming season a huge success?

Pump up the Volume of Impulse Purchases. Offer your customers a variety of little items that they can’t resist to help increase your bottom line.

Budget Conscious Shoplifting Prevention. You don’t have to spend a fortune to protect your investment.

Counterfeit Detectors. A counterfeit detector can protect you against hundreds, if not thousands of dollars lost due to counterfeit bills.

Effective Retail Lighting. You’ve got your products set up and the store looks good. Now make sure that your displays are shown to full advantage with the appropriate lighting.

Retail In-Store Event Ideas. They will come for the event and stay for your terrific customer service and great merchandise.

Improve your Retail Sales, Promotions and In-store Events. When the sales are over and the dust settles go ahead and take a deep breath. Then get your staff together to review the season and promotions, and to discuss what worked and what could be improved. You will be able to use these findings to help you throughout the year.

Good luck and have fun!