Author: ericw@specialtystoreservices.com

Innovative Products for a Fantastic Display

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

Specialty Store Services would like to introduce a new line of Fashion Form Hands,  These attractive self-standing hand display are classic for displaying jewelry, watches, scarves and many other accessories. These Hand Forms are available in black or white to compliment any piece of jewelry or  decor.  They are constructed out of durable fiberglass so they won’t peel, crack, fade, or chip. The hand forms are available in three sizes a 8″ horizontal, 8″ upright and a 14″ upright hand. 

These Hand Forms will be great for any display from inside a Glass Showcase, or on a Glass Display .  The designs are endless with these Fashion Hand Forms.  Make a statement with your products and your products will fly off the shelves.

 

Is your Store Ready for the Summer?

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

Are you ready for the Summer?  At Specialty Store Services we have many seasonal items to help bring in the customers.  This Memorial Day Weekend be festive and draw attention with Red, White and Blue or American Flag Pennants. During those hot days of summer there is always a need for ice. We have everything you need to start selling ice. We have the Ice Bagging System as well as Ice Bags. And what a better way to promote it but with Ice Posters for your windows. We also carry posters and banners for all the Holidays of Summer- Memorial Day, Fathers Day and Fourth of July.
In the Chicagoland Area- Come by our Showroom on Thursday or Friday for a Memorial Day Giveaway.  For every $100 or more you spend  we are giving away a free item.

Good Service Equals Happy Customers

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

While I was on vacation I walked into a small boutique and was completely ignored. I was shocked that she did not even say hello or acknowledge that I was in the store.  As I walked around and touched the merchandise she never once ask if I was looking for anything in particular, and just kept on doing what she was doing and never once looked up.  I was shocked at the lack of service she was giving and couldn’t wait to leave. I was very disappointed because she had great merchandise and I would’ve bought something had she been more engaging.
No matter if you are the owner or the employee it is important for you to make your customers feel welcome and comfortable.  When you have guests at your home you don’t let them just walk around you make them comfortable offer a drink or a place to sit and make conversation. Wouldn’t you do the same for your customers?
Service is simple and very important.  Service encompasses attitude, efficiency, knowledge and availability. Customers want to shop in a place that is inviting and where they feel valued. Customers have options so why not give them what they are looking for cause they are spending precious time and money.  Employees should be well trained, courteous, attentive, helpful, friendly and efficient.  Remember a customer is willing to overlook imperfections if they are given the service that they want. Here at Specialty Store Service we believe a smile, small conversation and attentiveness is what keeps our customers happy.
Good Service= A Happy Customer.

Great Retail Promotion Idea

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

Looking for a new promotion idea to use at the local festival, sidewalk sale or even in your store? Check out this “Grab Bag” idea featured by Bob Negen on the Whizbang! Training site. People like surprises and they like a good deal, and this promo idea has the best of both worlds. Plus, people are likely to spend more when them come into the store to cash in the $1-$10 gift certificate they won! Read on –

You know, a little bit of imagination can take you a long way.  Re-imagining, re-inventing an idea to make it your own is what having your own business is all about.  It’s one of the reasons we really liked this Tip sent in by a reader last week…

Sidewalk sales are coming up this month for many of you and we thought this idea from Shari Aussant could easily be transplanted from her local fair to your sidewalk.  It’s a fun, imaginative way to create excitement, increase sales, get rid of excess inventory, and boost the number of transactions per customer.
“Hi Bob –

Your Tip of the Week re: using gift certificates to increase traffic in the shop was fantastic! Our shop sponsored a table at a local fair and we were fresh out of ideas of what to do to create excitement.  The night before I re-read your email and listened again to the pod-cast and here is what we came up with;

We filled 500 grab bags with product that wasn’t moving.  Candles that were not the best, free samples given to us by our companies, hot chocolate packets, teas, all little items that we had sitting around.  For $1.00 customers could pick a gift bag and in 50 of the bags we hid plastic gift cards with random amounts ranging from $1 to $10 with one $50.  We also filled a retro bubble gumball machine with fun prizes and free samples for 50 cents a chance to win a $25 gift card.

The bubble gum machine brought in $325 and the Grab Bags brought in over $500.  We made our cost back of all the items given away, covered the cost of the table, staff, and gift cards.  We passed out hundreds of little $5 gift certs as well and the store which had a history of being quiet on festival days, ended up having a banner day with all the new customers that were coming in with the gift cards and mystery gift certificates.  The winners had to physically bring in the card for us to run it on the machine to see what dollar amount they won!  It was so fun and our table was the busiest one at the fair.  People were jumping when they got a card in their bag as well as with all the freebies they got.

Thanks so much for all of your great ideas, we are having such fun with your e-blasts!”

– Shari Aussant  http://www.oldcompanystore.com/



Please let me know how this promotion idea works out for you! Sounds like fun!

Events Ideas and Free Publicity

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

Effective business owners and store managers are always looking more ways to obtain more attention while keeping costs down. Enter in-store events, press releases and word-of-mouth publicity! I know we’ve lightly touched on this before but it bears repeating in more detail.  Here are some event ideas that involve a small or minimal monetary investment but can garner a lot of attention.

Give and you shall receive. Donate your products or services to a local non-profit or other worthy organization. How does giving away your merchandise or knowledge benefit your store or company? Two words: free publicity. Newspapers will print or post online news about events benefiting the community and non-profits for free.  
  • If you own a beauty salon, offer a day of pampering to the residents of a local assisted living home, senior center or women’s shelter. Contact the activity director, pack up your gear and go give free hair trims, comb-outs or mini-manis to people who would like a little pick-me-up.
  • Own a restaurant? Choose a day to offer military veterans free dessert and coffee or have a little 3-hour reception with finger foods, beverages and desserts for the vets.
  • Owners of pet grooming salons can offer free nail trims and ear cleanings for dogs and/or cats and ask for donations which will benefit a local animal shelter. Give it a party-like atmosphere by setting up a tent outside where you can work on the less skittish visitors and do face painting for the kids.
  • Owners of clothing stores can contact a local homeless shelter or women’s shelter to offer some people in need nice new clothes for job interviews or clothing for their children.
Put on your thinking cap and think about what events you can hold at your location or what services you can offer off-site. What can you do to make the events fun and newsworthy? The event will be more effective if your heart is in it – the sincerity will show through and speak for itself. In turn, people will talk about it in a positive way and spread the word about your company. And there you go – more publicity. 
Make sure you spend extra time cleaning your store and organizing everything! After all, there will be potential customers coming to your place for these events, so give them a great first impression. Be sure to have business cards or flyers with your company’s information to give to visitors, especially if your event is off-site.
Spread the news. Write an effective press release to let the local news outlets know what you’re doing. Make sure you get the press release to the Events Editor at least 2-3 weeks before your event and take pictures at the event so they can print a follow-up story (which you will also provide in a press release format). Press releases need to have a title that both grabs attention and gives info of the event. Be sure to give all pertinent information in a summary paragraph at the beginning of the press release before delving into details. If you don’t, you may not grab the attention of the editor – no attention from the editor, no free publicity. Check out this article on how to write an effective press release for some helpful hints. Don’t forget to advertise your event with posters in your store, on your website/social media page and via email to your mailing list.

So, you’ve got some new fun and profitable event ideas to generate interest and get publicity. Please let me know what events you’re planning and how they go!

Visit the Specialty Store Services website for products to help you promote your events and for links to more tools to help you run your business effectively.

Luck o’ the Irish Giveaway

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This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Paige, the winner!


Good luck is not just for the Irish! Luck seems to come and go, Irish or not, so many of us have little charms that we carry or quirky things we do when we need a boost in the luck department. Some of us may pick up pennies from the sidewalk or wear a lucky shirt when watching our favorite team play.

But we cannot just rely on luck to bring in customers or make our promotions known. That’s why Specialty Store Services is giving away a deluxe write on/wipe off markerboard with chrome stand and markers to help one lucky winner promote sales and events! Just post your comment below saying what your lucky charm is or what you do to bring on the luck. One person will be selected to win. Good luck, everyone!


No purchase necessary, must be 18 or older to enter. One comment per person, please. Void where prohibited by law. Contest valid in the US and Canada only. This contest starts today, Monday, March 12, 2012 and ends Sunday, March 18, 2012 at 11:59pm, central time. Winner will be announced Monday, March 19, 2012. Prize valued at $70. 

EAS Systems: RF vs. AM

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

Shoplifting is a problem faced by all retailers but, according to experts, shoplifting theft can be reduced by 60% when using a reliable Electronic Article Surveillance system (EAS). The two most widely used EAS systems are Radio Frequency (RF) and Acousto-magnetic (AM). The question most business owners ask is “Which security system should I use in my store?”

 

I took this question, and several others, to Julie Mitchell, Merchandising Manager at Specialty Store Services and all-around knowledgeable and helpful person.
Just how do the RF and AM systems work?
The RF system works like this: a label or small hard tag – basically a miniature, disposable electronic circuit and antenna – is attached to a product and responds to a specific frequency emitted by a transmitter antenna, usually one pedestal of an entry/exit gate. The response from the label is then picked up by an adjacent receiver antenna. This processes the label response signal and will trigger an alarm when it matches specific criteria. The most popular RF is 8.2MHz.
With the AM system, a transmitter creates a surveillance area where hard tags and soft labels are detected. The transmitter sends a radio frequency signal in pulses, which energize the tag in the surveillance zone. When the pulse ends, the tag responds, emitting a single frequency signal. While the transmitter is off between pulses, the tag signal is detected by a receiver. If the correct criteria is met, an alarm occurs.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the RF and AM systems?
The RF system is the most widely used system in the United States. The tags and labels are getting increasingly smaller which is beneficial from a visual standpoint. The RF system is not as sensitive as the AM system but it is also less expensive, which makes it an economical choice for small and mid-level retail stores. However, the tags and labels are slightly more expensive than AM tags and labels.
The AM system was the first EAS system in the market and is used in most large high-end retail stores and other large retail, hardware, appliance and discount stores. The AM system is very sensitive which means that there are sometimes false alarms. AM tags work well when they are close to metal and so the AM system works well in stores that use metal shopping carts.
Loop tag for sunglasses, purses and shoes

What type of security tags or labels are available?

 

Both security systems use hard security tagsand soft security labels specific to each system, available deactivatable and non-deactivatable. Soft labels are ideal for use with books, media, and any merchandise with a hard, flat surface. Hard tags are perfect for use with clothing. Hard tags are also available as blister pack tags for pegged items, loop tags for sunglasses and shoes, box wrap alarms and loop bottle tags for wine and liquor bottles.
How are security tags and labels deactivated?
Both systems require that the labels or tags be pressed against or waved over a deactivator pad, depending on the system and deactivator being used. Non-deactivatable hard tags must be removed by the store clerk at checkout; however, deactivable hard tags are also available.
To disarm the RF tag, a radio frequency pulse blasts the tag and burns out the diode so the tag does not emit a signal and trigger the alarm. When the AM tag is demagnetized, it is deactivated. When the AM tag is magnetized, it is activated.
Please visit the Specialty Stores Services website to learn more about RF and AM security systems offered. Do you have questions? Please call the helpful Sales Representatives at 800-999-0771.

 

Shopping Basket Placement in Retail Stores

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

Shopping Baskets are an excellent customer convenience. I am always pleased when I enter a store and find those handy shopping baskets right near the door. But I’m overjoyed when I also find them elsewhere in the store, right when I need one, since my trip to purchase one item in particular always turns into a shopping extravaganza. The question is: where else should shopping baskets be located?

Well, the answer depends on your particular business and store layout. A great way to figure out where to place shopping baskets is to conduct an experiment with different colored baskets.

For instance, place red baskets near the front door, green baskets near a fast moving product, yellow near high profit margin items and so on. Throughout the day, keep track of what color baskets are being brought up to the sales counter. If you are not getting many yellow baskets back then try moving those to another location. By testing various locations and counting the basket colors when they return to the register, your customers will tell you where they prefer the shopping baskets. Shopping baskets are available in standard and jumbo sizes and can be purchased in all one color or in a rainbow assortment.

Something else to keep in mind is whether to offer customers rolling shopping baskets in addition to the handled shopping baskets. Rolling shopping baskets are ideal for stores frequented by older shoppers and for heavier merchandise. The stackable roller baskets feature carry handles and a long handle for pulling the basket. Two swivel and two rigid casters make the roller baskets easy to maneuver.

Remember, having shopping baskets available throughout the store will encourage impulse shopping since it is easier just to pop another item into the basket rather than juggle it with other items. Trust me, I know.

For more information on shopping baskets and 1000’s of other items, please visit the Specialty Store Services website at http://www.specialtystoreservices.com .