Small Business Saturday – Retail Event Idea

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Small Business Saturday is November 26, 2011! The 2nd annual Small Business Saturday is a day dedicated to supporting small businesses on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year. This day is a shout-out to the mom-and-pop shops that make up the bulk of the business in this country.Started last Thanksgiving by American Express, Small Business Saturday falls on November 26th, between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This is your chance to show shoppers that bigger isn’t necessarily better and that shopping in-store can be more compelling than buying online. Here are some things that you can do to call attention to this dynamic day and to bring some of the big-box business through your door.

    • Put in more than your 2 cents. 68 cents of every dollar spent at a neighborhood store stays in the community. Did you know that? The money spent online gets dispersed elsewhere and that doesn’t benefit your neighborhood. Celebrate the local shoppers by giving a prize to the 68th person who walks through your door on November 26th. Make an event of it, take photos, pop some sparkling cider!

 

  • Get the word out! Hang posters promoting Small Business Saturday in your window. Post about it on your Facebook page, Tweet about it, send out emails and invitations to your customers. Let them know that shopping locally helps the community by keeping the money local. Check out the Small Business Saturday page for window signage, e-marketing material, free ads and information about American Express’ $25 statement credit offer (for registered Card members and stores that accept AmEx).

 

 

  • Be there or be square. Make your hours super accommodating on Small Business Saturday. Open a little early, stay a little late or both. Offer early bird specials or small gifts to the first 10 or so customers.

 

 

  • Party like it’s…um, 2011. Lend a fun, festive atmosphere to this day! Offer little snacks like brownie bites, veggie sticks and punch. Get your decorations up and put on your party hat! Smile! It’s contagious!

 

After the event, make sure you post pictures online and in the store, and send out an email “thank you” with photos and highlights of the day. Let everyone know that you appreciate their business not only on Small Business Saturday, but every day of the year. And make sure they save the date for next year’s Small Business Saturday because now that you’ve got one under your belt, you’ll know how to make it even better next year!

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.

Retail Holiday Gift Wrap

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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

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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!

More Jewelry Display Ideas

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It can be a challenge to constantly come up with new jewelry display ideas. But there’s no need to keep buying new displays or constructing them yourself in what little free time you have; just purchase some classic quality displays and jazz them up.

Take the miniature body form, for example. This form is firm foam covered with jersey material, perfect for pinning on broaches, draping on necklaces or bracelets or for displaying earrings by inserting the posts into the foam. I decided to display more jewelry by tying a filmy black scarf around the form’s waist, pinning a pretty broach on the knot and then hanging earrings on the scarf. Notice how the jewelry pops against the fabric, including the bracelets displayed on the scarf overflow. The jewelry body form is available in black, as well.

Combine the scarf-draped body form with some elegant black velvet jewelry displays and you’ve got an attractive and eye-catching set up. I really like black velvet displays. Whether the jewelry is silver, gold, bronze, gemstone or multicolored beads, the jewelry really stands out and looks so pretty. The only thing that may not stand out on the black velvet displays is onyx and jet jewelry but that’s okay, because black jewelry looks great on the white body form and the rosewood displays.

Notice how nicely the black necklace and earrings look on the white faux leather and rosewood displays in the autumn themed arrangement. The warm-toned, glossy rosewood displays are elegant and sophisticated, great for showcasing any type of jewelry and wonderful for use in any seasonal display. Seasonal displays are simple; just incorporate some small items that reflect the current season. You needn’t spend a ton of money, either; you can go to a dollar store to pick up leaves, as shown, or flowers for spring displays and sparkly ornaments for the winter holidays. Colored glass stones would look nice scattered throughout a grouping of displays placed on a mirror and you can even put them in the unused jewelry compartments to create more visual interest. Use a colored tablecloth to set the tone and see where your imagination leads you.

Specialty Store Services Back at the H.H. Backer Pet Industry Christmas Trade Show

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Specialty Store Services is pleased to be returning to the 45th Annual H.H. Backer Pet Industry Christmas Trade Show and Educational Conference, October 14-16, 2011, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. Knowledgeable Account Managers will be at booth 4638 to provide information regarding Specialty Store Services’ numerous retail store fixtures, displays and retail supplies as well as warehouse support and logistical solutions.“Specialty Store Services has been providing store fixtures on a corporate level for nearly 25 years” states Quico Ayala, Account Manager for Specialty Store Services. “The Backer Pet Industry Christmas Trade Show provides our company the perfect opportunity to establish and expand relationships with both single store and multi-store business owners. Our service, flexibility, and attention to detail are what separate us from our competition. Come see us at booth number 4638.”

Specialty Store Services will be one of the 700+ pet supply manufacturers and distributors displaying their wares at the Show this year. Be sure to visit booth 4638 in between the grooming demonstrations and the free education sessions regarding operations, marketing and animal care.

About Specialty Store Services
Specialty Store Services, a second-generation family owned business, offers everything necessary to operate a thriving retail store, from logistical solutions and retail supplies to custom and stock fixtures. Over the last 25 years this service-driven company has cultivated relationships with global partners while developing the expertise and knowledge required to provide competitive prices, outstanding customer service and quality products.

Retail Window Display Ideas

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While cruising the web I came across some fun ideas for retail window displays using items that are relatively easy to get hold of. Window displays do not need to be expensive in order to be effective; sometimes you just need to think outside the box.

Tasty Display. When I saw this pretty window I thought “Why just display cupcakes on that cupcake display?” Yes, it is certainly appropriate for baked goods but how about using the tiered plate display (which many people have hiding in their own kitchen cabinets) to showcase small items such as pet treats, fashion accessories, makeup, wallets, baby shoes and other small items? And I love the huge martini glass. The big marshmallows are cute filler but I was thinking it would be interesting to hang large, dangly earrings, necklaces or bracelets off the side and fluff solid colored contrasting tissue paper in the glass to offset the jewelry. I think that little martini glasses used in table top displays in this manner would be adorable, as well; just substitute stones or crinkle shredded paper instead of tissue paper.
Crate Expectations. Wooden crates that you can find at any produce market lend a rugged look to this window display but the clean lines of the crates and fun colors of the clothing keep the display from looking dumpy. I think that these clean, light toned crates are like blue jeans; you can dress them up or down. Feel free to couple the crates with jewelry displays or small appliances or fancy shoes. Positioning the crates together on their sides and upright lends depth and dimension to the display. You can also cover the crates with a solid-colored expanse of fabric or cloth, smooth the cloth down to emphasize the varying heights, tuck the cloth under the crates and then place your merchandise on the covered crates. Voila! A subtle backdrop that also offers visual interest.
As always, keep your signage simple and legible and keep your color scheme down to a minimum of two or three colors so the display isn’t too busy. Remember, you have 3 seconds to grab attention but if the display doesn’t flow and allow the eye to travel easily, you will lose that attention just as quickly.

Specialty Store Services to Exhibit at NACS Show

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Specialty Store Services is pleased to be exhibiting at the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Expo October 2 – 4, 2011, at McCormick Place in Chicago. Knowledgeable Account Managers will be at booth #414 to provide information regarding Specialty Store Services’ numerous retail store fixtures, displays and retail supplies.Quico Ayala, Account Manager for Specialty Store Services states, “Specialty Store Services has been providing store fixtures on a corporate level for over 20 years. The NACS Show provides our company the perfect platform to network and expand our relationships with both single store and multi-store business owners. Our service, flexibility, and attention to detail are what separate us from our competition. Come see us at booth number 414.”

This year’s show, which is the 50th anniversary of NACS’s first meeting, will include workshops, general sessions and feature Tom Brokaw as the Closing General Session Speaker in addition to hosting another expansive expo. We look forward to seeing you there!