Sales Promotion & Retail Marketing

Trade Show Displays

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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

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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.

3 Steps to a More Effective Retail Facebook Presence

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Amidst the many clouds of uncertainty surrounding retail use of social media, a few key strategies are starting to emerge. Three recent studies, including a white paper written by yours truly, have examined customer interactions with retailers via social media. Encouragingly, all three studies (Emarketer recently summarized the findings from studies by Marketing Sherpa and Razorfish) have very similar findings regarding customer desires in their social media interactions with retailers.
While the percentages varied slightly, all three studies found customers who “friended” or followed retailers said they were interested primarily in learning about new products and new or exclusive promotions. How great is that? I have to admit I was a bit surprised to see these results because it seems like current conventional wisdom says to avoid being promotional on sites like

Facebook in deference to its more personal nature. In hindsight, that conventional wisdom seems a little questionable since it’s unlikely customers are going to interact with retailers like their friends. They know we’re about selling to them — we’re retailers!

More good news: It appears that the customers who follow retailers are really the best, most engaged and brand committed customers for those retailers. I suppose that’s not terribly surprising, but it’s certainly valuable information. Since our findings were part of a larger customer satisfaction study, we were also able to determine that site visitors who also interact with a company on a social media site are more satisfied, more committed to the brand, and more likely to make future purchases from that company than customers who don’t follow those retailers. Our study also found that 61% of people who follow retailers follow less than five retailers. That’s further indication that people are really focused on their absolute favorite retailers.
We also found that more than 80% of shoppers who use social media list Facebook as a site they use regularly, which makes it the overwhelming social media leader.

YouTube came in second place with only 31% of shoppers.

 
So, to summarize, our best and most engaged customers like to interact with us on Facebook (an incredibly viral platform) and want to hear about new products and promotions. This is a great foundation for a successful strategy!
Without further ado, here are three steps to a more effective retail Facebook presence:
1) Focus on best customers. Rather than trying to build our fan base to the highest possible numbers, let’s focus on getting as many of our highest value customers as fans on Facebook. They’re the most likely to become our Facebook fans anyway, but they’re also the most likely to recommend us to their friends. Facebook’s viral nature gives us the opportunity to put our Word of Mouth Marketing on steroids, and developing messages for our best customers gives us a clear focus. We should reach out directly to our best customers via targeted messaged and encourage them to join because we…
2) Give ‘em special promotions and news about products. These are our best customers. Let’s treat them well and make them feel special. Let’s give them exclusive offers and early notice on cool new products.

Victoria’s Secret does an excellent job here, and it shows. Of the Internet Retailer Top 40 retailers’ Facebook pages I looked at, Victoria’s Secret has by far the most fans at almost 2.7 million at the time of this writing. Clearly, they are delivering on customer expectations, and they’re being rewarded for it by attracting lots of really engaged customers.


My good friend Adam Cohen, partner and social media lead at Rosetta and blogger at a thousand cuts, (and my go-to guy on all things social media) correctly cautions against too many rich, exclusive promotions as they could be unsustainable as the fan base grows. This is particularly true if the offers start to attract deal seekers who are not our best customers. Good warning from Adam and in line with the excellent old adage “everything in moderation.”
3) Leverage Facebook viral features. We’re giving great, exclusive offers and product news to our best customers. Those best customers are the most likely to recommend us to their friends. Let’s encourage them to do so. It could be as simple as letting them know an exclusive offer can be shared with their friends by simply hitting the “share” link. There are lots of Facebook applications and other techniques that can be used, but I would personally just start simply and go from there.
Bonus tip: Make sure your page can be found in Facebook search. This isn’t really one of my key steps, but during my research I was surprised by how poor Facebook’s search is. For example, I searched for “LL Bean” and found nothing. Then I tried “L.L. Bean” and again got nothing. Their page is actually entitled “L.L.Bean” with no space between “L.” and “Bean.” Facebook’s search will only find it if you search for it exactly as it’s titled. So, my tip is think about how people might search for your brand and then name the page with the most common search term.
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Three separate studies have all found that customers who friend or follow retailers in social media are most interested in learning about promotions and new products. That’s some mighty strong corroboration, and it’s incredibly great news. Judging from the large percentage of retailers with little-to-no Facebook presence, I’m guessing many have been holding pat waiting for a clear direction on how to best leverage social media. While this information may not give the clearest direction for all social media channels, it certainly provides some clarity on today’s biggest channel, Facebook. Different social media channels require different strategies and tactics, and in the end it’s still important to learn more from our customers about their specific needs and desires and then work to satisfy them.
In the meantime, let’s build some really great Facebook pages for our best customers and give them some exclusive offers to enjoy. Please let me know when you’ve got your page running so I can become a fan!
What do you think? What have you learned about Facebook? What tips do you have?

Copyright 2010 www.retailshakennotstirred.com All rights reserved.

Improve your Retail Sales, Promotions and In-Store Events

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I know that a lot of stores and businesses are having all kinds of promotions and events right now so I want to talk about evaluating your events and how you could make them even better. Bob and Susan Negen of Whizbang! Training covered this topic splendidly recently so I’ll have them tell you about it. Take it way, Bob and Susan!

After EVERY promotion or event, big or small, have a Recap Meeting. This meeting is a chance to celebrate a job well done or talk about why something didn’t work as planned.It also gives you a chance to get everyone’s ideas on how to make the event better the next time around.These meetings are best when you have them right after you close, but you can wait until the next day if it works better. Don’t wait any longer than the following day. Wait too long and you’ll lose all the little impressions and fun, interesting ideas that are so important to continually improving your event.Here’s a quick list of things to things to make notes about in your meeting:

  • Sales: Planned vs. Actual
  • Cost of Event: Budgeted vs. Actual
  • Pre Event Planning: What worked, what didn’t, and what can we do better/differently next time?
  • The Event Itself: What worked, what didn’t, and what can we do differently/better next time?
  • After the Event: What worked, what didn’t, and what can we do better/differently next time?
  • Promoting/Marketing the Event: What worked, what didn’t, and what can we do better next time?
  • Other Thoughts/Comments/Ideas

Write everything down, put your notes in a file and you’ve got the beginnings of a bigger, better and more profitable event the next time around!

 

Off-site Event Signage and Marketing

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I was at a music festival recently, got a little peckish and decided to get some food from the vendors set up at the fest. The vendors were varied in the way they promoted, or did not promote, their wares.

Many of the food vendors had large, professionally done signs stating their restaurant’s name and printed posterboard menus. Most of the remaining food vendors had handwritten posterboard menus but no business information posted. What surprised me most was the fact that a few of the vendors has no signage at all! Not a menu board, nothing; they just relied on people wandering up to their stand, looking at the food and (hopefully) ordering.

So, which vendors do you think had the lines of people waiting for their food? Yep, the vendors with restaurant signs and menu boards, followed closely by the vendors with simple hand-written menus. Now, I’m not saying that you need to spend big bucks on professional signage but, for Pete’s sake, handwritten signage is better than nothing! If you don’t do off-site events very often and want to save money by making your own signs that is perfectly fine, just make sure that they are neat, legible and only feature 2 colors at most. A couple of the signs I saw were apparently done by a younger person who tried to jazz them up by making every other word or letter a different color. All that does is distract and annoy people just trying to read a simple menu so simplicity is key. If you’d like to have a sign you can change and reuse then you may want to get a write on/wipe off sign. This double-sided sign will be perfect for use at off-site events and also out on the sidewalk in front of your store.

Some of the food I purchased was from a sign-less booth, simply because there were some ethnic dishes that I never tried before. I also purchased food from a vendor with full signage. The food from both booths was delicious but unfortunately, I cannot go to the tasty ethnic restaurant. Because I don’t know the name or where it is located.

Moral of the story? Don’t be shy, promote yourself! Now, this doesn’t just apply to restaurants. Any business that is presenting itself also needs to promote itself. Let people know who you are and where they can find you after the event is over. A weekend festival may bring in some extra cash for you but appropriate signage (and cheerful, helpful employees!) will bring in future business, as well.

Greeting Customers 101

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Have you ever gotten whiplash in a retail store? You know, when you walk into the store and slowly start taking in the layout and merchandise when a gaggle of sales clerks at the counter or a clerk at a display across the store yell out “Hi, howyadoin’today?” Then you have to look around to see where the half-hearted but strident greeting is coming from so you can acknowledge them?
I know that clerks think they are doing their job by promptly greeting customers in this manner but whiplash greetings are not the way to go. You don’t want to distract the customers while they are just settling in and getting acquainted with the store and products that they may purchase. The quality of the greeting is more important than the speed of the greeting so take the time to approach the customer, even if you cannot get to them for a minute or two. A sincere face-to-face greeting along with a warm smile will make a more positive impression than an indifferent greeting shouted from across the store.

4th of July Sale Sign

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Freedom! Fireworks! Friends, family and food! That’s a lot of alliterative fun for the 4th of July! Throw some fantastic sales into the mix and we’ve got the makings of a terrific holiday weekend.

 

Don’t forget to order your eye-catching 4th of July Sale Sign, which is on sale itself right now for only $7.99! Your new sign will ship the day after you order so there is still time to advertise your 4th of July sale.

Merchant Services: Email Marketing and Custom Logo

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Are you aware of all the Merchant Services that are offered through the Specialty Store Services’ website? We have already covered credit card processing and retail training classes in previous blogs so let’s explore other ways to boost your business and bottom line.

You’ve got mail. One great way to stay in touch with current customers and build your client base is through email. We see about 4,000 marketing message a day and with all that competition you want to make sure your message grabs attention and is informative from the get-go. That being said, slapping together an email and sending it out willy-nilly won’t get you far. A professional email marketing service will guide you through all the challenges of setting up your own email marketing newsletters and communications. Constant Contact offers over 400 templates and will guide you through setting up color schemes as well as adding logos, photos and coupons, so creating your own emails or newsletters is super easy. Not only will you receive free personal guidance via email, phone, chat or in person, there are free or very inexpensive seminars (think $10-$30) offered to help you develop your email marketing skills. I, myself, have previously attended a free seminar sponsored by Constant Contact and found it to be very informative and useful. You can try this email marketing service for free for 60 days (Really! And no contract!) and if you do decide to keep the service you can, for as little as $15 a month. It truly is a great investment for the business owner or manager who wants to run effective email marketing campaigns but just needs a little guidance.

I’d know you anywhere! When I say “McDonald’s” what is the first thing that comes to mind? Golden arches, maybe? The color combo of red and yellow? Logos and color branding are a fantastic way for companies to get their names out there and to stick in the minds of consumers. In fact, color recognition can increase sales by 80%! If you do not yet have a logo for your company, you may want to consider enlisting the help of a logo design company. These professional graphic designers will design several original, custom logos for you to choose from for the low price of $149. You will own the copyright of your finished logo design so it will be yours, and you can even trademark it. The designers at Logo Design Team never use clipart so the design will be original and they will work with you to capture the style and tone you wish to convey. This logo design company offers a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee so your full payment will be refunded if you are not satisfied. You will be able to use the new logo on signage, bags, stationary, business cards and company vehicle to get your brand out there and in the minds of consumers!

These are just two more ideas to help your business blossom. We will cover some more Merchant Services available through Specialty Store Services’ website in an upcoming blog.

Father’s Day Gift Ideas

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Father’s Day is right around the corner on June 19th! Good old Dad, always there with his Dad-isms that we can pass down to future generations such as “Quit standing there with the refrigerator door open! Are you trying to cool off the whole neighborhood?!” and my favorite, “Quit looking at your brother!”. The man deserves something special for putting up with our shenanigans and here I am with some helpful gift suggestions.

Let’s face it. Dad is getting a little older and deserves to take it easy, so how about some things that make life a little simpler? An automatic card shuffler makes shuffling the deck a snap and gives dad more time to practice his bluffing skills. Just cut the cards, put them into the shuffler and push the button for a quick and perfect shuffle every time. And a set of playing card holders along with low-vision cards will keep his hands free to enjoy his snacks and drinks.

You can also give dad the convenience of eating, writing,using his laptop or reading anywhere in his home. The table mate portable table sets up quickly and is easy to slide around to wherever needed. The attractive white or oak wood grain table top is scooped, allowing it to come closer to the user. This sturdy table can hold up to 50 pounds and the height is adjustable from 23″-30″. A great sidekick to the portable table is a comfy lumbar support pillow. Side wings provide support and encourage proper posture so he can sit for longer periods of time more comfortably.

So, you’ve got some ideas for Dad’s gifts but don’t forget to advertise your store’s Father’s Day Sale with an attractive and (dare I say it?) adorable Father’s Day Sale sign. Have a great sale and an even better Father’s Day.

Impulse Purchases: Pump up the Volume!

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Pump up the volume of impulse items you sell, that is. We covered the yummy goodness of chocolate and candy impulse items last week but now let’s explore some impulse sale techniques.Make the impulsive human nature work for you. Customers standing in line waiting to check out have already made the decision to purchase something, so initiating another small purchase just requires a little nudge to the impulsive human nature. Many of us have that little voice in our head that says “I’m already checking out and that item is interesting/necessary/cute so what is a few more dollars?” The trick is to offer your customers small, inexpensive items at or near the checkout counter. Make sure your impulse items are inexpensive, ideally under $10 but even $1 items can really add up. Imagine how much extra revenue you could generate if nearly every customer spontaneously purchased a $1 pack of gum or travel-size hand sanitizer.

Make the impulse items small so they “blend in” with your customers’ purchases. A larger item may stick out and make them second guess their impulse purchase but a smaller item tossed onto the counter or into the basket will easily blend in so the customer won’t be phased out. So make the point of sale items small and easy to grab if one’s hands are full, such as funny sticky notes, sample sized toiletries, gummy bracelets or hair accessories. Also, think about your target audience; what would most appeal to the customers who shop in your particular store?
Finally, display your impulse sale items in attractive and easily accessible containers and display racks. Countertop displays can be attractive and do not take up much valuable counter space. If you have room next to your registers then you may want to consider a larger floor display that can hold a wide variety of items. There are many display options including wood baskets, mesh baskets, plastic jars, acrylic jars and peghook displays so take a look at around and think about what would complement your decor and best showcase the impulse merchandise you offer.

Little things can mean a lot, namely extra cash in your register, so don’t underestimate the effect of point of sale items on the impulsive human nature.