It's Just the Gypsy in Me

Predicting Retail Trends

– Don Capman, President, J.D. Associates

As usual, let’s start by having some fun. I want you to imagine that you are a merchant in a small Hungarian hamlet in the mid-eighteenth century. Since you are into high couture, you make all of your apparel by hand and fetch a tidy price for your merchandise. Now, the dilemma… what will your customers be wearing next year? Will they go for woolens, linens, silks, or leather? (Synthetics weren’t invented then.) Since your decision may mean taking a danger-ridden buying trip to England, France, Ireland or the Far East to procure your raw goods, or simply slaughtering a local herd of cattle and tanning the resulting leather, your instincts need to be correct. But fear not! Just as you are beginning to throw the dice in hopes that chance will guide you, an oxen-drawn wagon pulls into town. Inside the wagon is the famed fortune teller, Madame Kapusta and her infallible crystal ball…. [Get the full story]

Closing Time

– Doug Fleener

Someone recently asked me the following:

I have a question about your thoughts on closing announcements in a retail store. Is this a good idea or is it old school? We currently have May I have your attention please, (Store Name) will be closing in approximately 10 minutes. We would like to thank you for shopping with us and we hope you have a very pleasant evening.” [Get the full story]

Failing Forward Successfully

Can Mistakes Be Good For Your Business?

– Debbie Allen

Hopefully you make a mistake now and again, because failure can actually be good for you and your business. If you haven’t made any mistakes for a while, you may be playing it too close to your comfort zone and not stretching yourself far or fast enough to achieve high level goals. To aim high, you must accept some of the risks that go along with learning something new. [Get the full story]

Creating Customer Loyalty,
One Moment at a Time

– Alice Wheaton

Customers want it all! With so many competitors in the marketplace offering the same value, you cannot afford to NOT deliver exactly what they want!

So— what, exactly, do customers expect? They consistently expect five components in their shopping process: quality, selection, service, a good price, and a positive shopping experience. They want to leave your place of business thinking, believing, and telling others about the experience they had. In truth, that's what you should want, too— because every time a customer speaks or thinks of you positively, it reinforces their decision to shop with you again. If their experience is consistently strong, they will even become immune to your competitors' advertisements that boast lower prices. [Get the full story]