Archive for the ‘Business Success’ Category
Friday, March 14th, 2008 |
by Wayne Friedman | Source: Media Daily News
CROWN MEDIA HOLDINGS, OWNER OF the Hallmark Channel, widened its losses for the fourth quarter of 2007 some 24% to $37.5 million. The downward numbers were primarily attributed to selling expenses, which increased to $21.6 million, due to bonus and legal expenses. However, for the full year, Crown Media narrowed its net loss–now at $159 million versus $389 million in 2006.
Advertising sales continue to improve, growing 21% to $63 million. Subscriber fee revenues still lagged behind ad revenues in growth and total dollars, only inching up 3% during the period to $6.4 million. (more…)
Posted in Bookkeeping, Business Success, Statistics | No Comments »
Friday, March 14th, 2008 |
by Sarah Mahoney | Source: Marketing Daily
FORGET ABOUT TESCO, WHOLE FOODS and Trader Joe’s. The average American supermarket may have a new nemesis–food inflation that’s moving faster than a speeding bullet.
As American tastes have moved upmarket, virtually every chain has responded, adding everything from organic private-label products to high-end prepared foods. In fact, you can buy a $40 bottle of wine or fresh-made lobster bisque just about anywhere. But there’s some evidence that ever-upscaling supermarkets may be in a precarious position in the months ahead, as shoppers grapple with rapid price hikes in all kinds of food. (more…)
Posted in Business Success, Fuel Costs | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 4th, 2008 |
[Big Idea] … so don’t bust your back trying to be all over them. Not only do people spend less time there, but it’s been documented time & again that social media traffic has a much lower conversion rate (they buy less!) than traffic from other sources. ##
by Mark Walsh | Source: Online Media Daily
ADDING A NEW CATEGORY TO its index of Internet activity, the Online Publishers Association found that community sites–including social networks such as Facebook and MySpace–account for only 7.5% of time spent online.
That puts community sites ahead of search (5%), but well below content (42.7%), communications (28.7%), and commerce sites (16.1%) in time spent. The OPA defines the community category as Web sites and applications that combine user-generated content with communications to foster relationships among their members.
“The addition of Community reflects the increasing popularity of sites such as MySpace and Facebook that don’t clearly fit into a single existing (Internet Activity Index) category, said OPA President Pam Horan. Even so, adding social networking sites to the mix hardly displaced content as king when it comes to monopolizing users’ time online.
Separately, Web measurement firm HitWise estimates that social networking sites and other online forums, such as Craigslist, accounted for 9.3% of U.S. Internet traffic in February. Social networks alone made up almost 6% of traffic.
While still small, advertising on social sites is growing rapidly. In its recently released 2008 Digital Outlook Report, Avenue A|Razorfish identified entertainment and community sites as the two fastest-growing ad categories last year, with the latter growing more than 50% to $55 million.
Posted in Business Success, Internet, Marketing, Media Trends, Statistics | No Comments »
Sunday, March 2nd, 2008 |
Source: MSNBC
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Dairy Queen is facing a dilly of a problem — a rebellion against the revamping of restaurants by a growing number of mostly mom-and-pop franchise owners.
Claiming that DQ is forcing them to increase the size of restaurants or add table service under the threat of losing their franchises, owner associations with members in 10 states are now suing the chain.
The lawsuit contends Dairy Queen is trying to force franchise owners to spend between $275,000 and $450,000 to remodel stores to adhere to an unproven concept — one that will cost more to operate, double staffing requirements, and cut into profits.
“No one should have to make this conversion that is quite expensive unless they want to,” Caruso says. “If the DQ Grill & Chill concept was such a promising new concept, then the free market would solve this problem.”
That hasn’t happened, according to the lawsuit.
As of December 2006, the complaint says, just 105 Grill & Chill restaurants had opened in the United States. Some have performed poorly, and two have closed.
Read the full story at MSNBC >>
Posted in Business Success, Marketing, Niche Marketing | No Comments »
Sunday, March 2nd, 2008 |
Source: Marketing Daily
SEARS HOLDINGS, IN THE MIDST of a search for a new CEO, reported its fourth-quarter and full-year results, and things are getting tougher for the Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based company.
Net income plunged to $426 million from $811 million in the same quarter a year ago. The company was hit hard not just by declining sales, but also eroding margins, as it continued to mark down prices in an effort to tempt consumers. (more…)
Posted in Business Success, Statistics | No Comments »
Monday, February 25th, 2008 |
[Our Thoughts] Be careful… remember, whatever you put on Facebook, is saved forever, and cannot be removed. Heaven only knows what similar type issues will arise with other sites you don’t 100% control. (And the ONLY website you 100% control is your own!) ##
by Tameka Kee | Source: Online Media Daily
EMPLOYERS SEE SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES as one of the most promising channels for finding new hires, and 61% anticipate spending more of their recruitment budgets on sites like Facebook this year, according to a new report from Classified Intelligence, LLC.
Business networking sites like LinkedIn and employee referral programs followed closely behind, with 55% of employers saying they will allocate more dollars to them in 2008–while roughly the same amount said that they plan to spend less on print. (more…)
Posted in Business Success, Internet, Media Trends | No Comments »
Monday, February 25th, 2008 |
[Our Thoughts] Our including this article today is not political. We know you’re dying to believe it is. We know you’re dying to imprint your own prejudices about the media onto this report. Please, resist the urge to judge this right out of the box. Instead, visit each of the sites yourself, and evaluate your reactions to what you find. Not to the political content, but to the graphic design and how the candidate’s language, photos and layout tugs on your emotions. All these people are doing is marketing to you. So, use them to your advantage. Study them and identify what it is that speaks to you. Then implement those successful bits into your own website. ##
Source: Online Media Daily
MORE THAN HALF OF THOSE who visited the Web sites of Barack Obama, Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul had a more favorable view of the presidential candidates after viewing their sites.
By contrast, only 36% thought better of Hillary Clinton based on her campaign site, according to a study by marketing research firm RelevantView. Presumptive Republican nominee John McCain finished in between, with 44% improving their view of him after visiting his site.
The results were based on a February survey of 780 people self-identified as Democrats, Republicans or Independents and RelevantView’s online behavioral tracking technology. Respondents were asked about candidates’ stands on the Iraq war, health care, taxes and spending, and immigration before and after visiting their sites.
Posted in Business Success, Internet, Lessons in Marketing | No Comments »
Thursday, February 21st, 2008 |
[Big Idea] Seize every opportunity — even “little” ones — when they present themselves. Considering the lifetime value of even just one customer, it’s worth it! An ounce of perceived “good will” can become a quart of great results. ##
by Nina M. Lentini | Source: Marketing Daily
MARKETING LOVES A VACUUM. IN the wake of Starbucks’ announcement that it will close all of its 7,100 company-owned stores on Tuesday from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. in order to refocus more than 135,000 employees on its espresso standards, other coffee vendors are leaping to the fore.
Stew Leonard’s, which roasts its 20 varieties of coffee in-house and brews more than 2,000 pounds of beans every day, on Wednesday said it will offer free cups of coffee, espresso and cappuccino while Starbucks is closed. (more…)
Posted in Business Success, Lessons in Marketing, Niche Marketing, Product | No Comments »
Thursday, February 21st, 2008 |
[Big Idea] If your target marker is younger adults (ages 18-34), consider advertising on your local newspapers’ websites. ##
by Erik Sass | Source: Media Daily News
NEWSPAPER WEB SITES ARE REACHING elusive younger readers, a new analysis by Scarborough Research indicates–giving a much-needed boost to the ailing newspaper business. The growth in online audiences is offsetting losses in print readership, at least somewhat.
The Scarborough survey tracked 88 newspapers in the top 50 local markets from August 2004 to March 2007. It found that local newspaper audience weekly “coverage” or penetration grew 14%, from 6.4% of the total adult population in the year ending September 2005 to 7.3% in the year ending March 2007. (more…)
Posted in Business Success, Internet, Marketing, Media Trends, Niche Marketing | No Comments »
Thursday, February 21st, 2008 |
Source: Chain Drug Review
The ads feature the tagline “Pharmacies. The face of neighborhood health care.” They support that theme with messages about pharmacies and pharmacists, including their convenience, accessibility, expertise, prevention of drug interactions, and counseling of patients to take medications as prescribed.
“Today we are announcing a major campaign to tell our story like never before,” Anderson said. “We are turning up the volume on this central message: Pharmacies are essential to health care.”
Members of focus groups for the ads had an “aha” moment when they appreciated the vital role of pharmacy in the health care system, Anderson noted.
“Personally, they had benefited from pharmacy services many times,” he said. “They had obtained a prescription when away from home. They enjoyed access to pharmacists’ advice and medicine when a child was in need. They knew a pharmacist helped an elderly parent when a new drug was prescribed. They trusted that someone was going to help ensure they weren’t taking incompatible medications.
“But they just hadn’t made the connection that pharmacy is part of the health care system and should be treated that way in public policy.”
Read the full story at Chain Drug Review >>
Posted in Business Success, Lessons in Marketing, Niche Marketing | No Comments »
Thursday, February 21st, 2008 |
Source: Forbes.com
Direct retailer Lillian Vernon Corp. (Web: LillianVernon.com) on Wednesday filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code, a week after it laid off half of its year-round work force.
Lillian Vernon sells low-cost gifts and gadgets through its catalog and Web site.
Full story at Forbes >>
Posted in Business Success, Legal, Niche Marketing, Product | No Comments »
Thursday, February 21st, 2008 |
James Temple | Source: San Francisco Chronicle
The 184-store chain “is in a severe liquidity crisis,” according to a Chapter 11 filing submitted to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del., on Tuesday, signed by Chief Financial Officer Rebecca Roedell. The company is seeking permission from the court to shutter 90 stores and sell off inventory.
Sharper Image’s declining financial state “may be attributed, in significant part, to its air-purification products,” the filing said. Such items represented 9.4 percent of the company’s revenue in fiscal 2007, down from 27.7 percent in 2005, it said. The company, which has about 2,246 employees in the United States, listed $251.5 million in assets and $199 million in debts.
In addition to challenges on the Ionic Breeze front, high-tech products have lost much of their novelty and have become the purview of discounters like Target Corp., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Costco Wholesale Corp., said Kurt Barnard, president of Retail Forecasting LLC of New Jersey. The company also has faced growing competition from stores with similar models, including Hammacher Schlemmer and Brookstone Inc., which introduced a less-expensive air purifier.
“The Sharper Image is no longer alone in pioneering the field of new and exciting items,” Barnard said. “They have found it increasingly difficult over the last couple of years to hold onto their customers.”
He said it’s unlikely the company will ever emerge from bankruptcy protection.
The slowing economy and growing fears of a recession are contributing to Sharper Image’s woes, as shoppers become increasingly cost conscious, said Nina Gruen, executive vice president and co-founder of San Francisco research firm Gruen Gruen + Associates.
“They’re not going out and spending frivolously right now,” she said. “Impulse today is gasoline. They’re not about to buy Sharper Image.”
Get the rest of the story at the San Francisco Chronicle >>
Posted in Business Success, Legal, Niche Marketing, Product | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 |
[Karin's Take] The message on this is simple: if you don’t have a website and aren’t helping your customers online, you’re missing the boat. Customers are now more satisfied buying online than offline. Give them what they like. ##
BY GRETA GUEST | Source: Detroit Free Press
Online retailers are delivering the goods and better customer service than traditional stores, according to a University of Michigan study expected to be released today.
Advertisement
Customer satisfaction with online retail was even with last year at 83 points on a 100-point scale, but surpassed brick-and-mortar retailers by 12%, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index.
“Against a backdrop of weakening consumer spending and talk about recession, e-commerce will continue to be a bright spot for multichannel companies,” said Larry Freed, president and CEO of ForeSee Results in Ann Arbor, which partnered with U-M’s Ross School of Business on the survey.
Satisfaction with the online marketplace has risen by 8.5% since 2000, according to the index.
At the same time, online retail has grown into a $136.4-billion industry, up from $32.6 billion in 2001, according to U.S. Census Department data.
Overall customer satisfaction with goods and services purchased declined in the fourth quarter and that combined with falling home prices, rising energy prices, tighter credit and higher unemployment may mean even more challenges ahead for consumer spending growth, said Claes Fornell, head of the American Customer Satisfaction Index.
“In such an environment, customer satisfaction becomes even more important because satisfied buyers tend to reduce seller’s cash flow volatility,” Fornell said.
Customer satisfaction with the offline retail sector…
Read the full story at the Detroit Free Press >>
Posted in Business Success, Internet, Statistics | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 |
[Karin's Take] Think about this one in terms of your business. Is there a way you can adapt WaMu’s approach to your shop or business, to break free of the mold you (or your industry) has been cast in, so people will SEE you in a new and inspiring light? So people will want to flock to your shop/business enthusiastically because they want to be a PART of it? ##
Source: SeattlePI.com
WHOO WHO? More bankers are hitting the unemployment lines, although this time they happen to be fictional.
Washington Mutual last week unveiled a new advertising campaign encompassing print, billboards, radio, TV, direct mail and the Internet, built around the theme of “Whoo hoo!” That’s supposed to reflect moments of “a dream-like state where customers visualize moments of personal elation in response to learning about WaMu products and services,” according to a news release. Reinforcing that message are such advertising tag lines as “We don’t nickel and dime you.”
The bigger story, though, is that WaMu has unceremoniously retired the pin-stripe-suited “bankers in the pen” supposed to represent those villainous competitors doing that nickel-and-diming. WaMu, which last year switched its advertising account from Leo Burnett to TBWA/Chiat/Day, says the new campaign is “a more forward-looking, optimistic approach,” one that emphasizes “who we are” rather than “who we’re not.”
Read the full story at SeattlePI.com >>
Posted in Business Success, Lessons in Marketing, Marketing, Niche Marketing | No Comments »
Saturday, February 16th, 2008 |
AP | Source: MSNBC
Overall, the U.S. retail industry is bracing for its bleakest times since the 1991 recession.
…. “We are looking at recession levels of spending for consumers,” said Frank Badillo, vice president and senior retail economist at consulting company Retail Forward. “It’s clearly a difficult environment for retailers that is going to continue for the better part of the year.”
Consumers — weighed down by rising gas and food prices, an escalating credit crisis and slumping housing prices — are expected to hunker down for at least the first half of the year.
Read the full story at MSNBC >>
Posted in Business Success, Niche Marketing, Product, Statistics | No Comments »
Thursday, February 14th, 2008 |
by Erik Sass | Source: Online Media Daily
PHISHING AND SPAM INCREASED 100% in 2007 compared to 2006, according to Des Cahill, the CEO of Habeas, speaking on the second day of the Email Evolution conference hosted by the Direct Marketing Association in San Diego. Understandably, this means consumers are also becoming more vigilant.
For example, a survey of a representative group of 2,300 U.S. Internet users found that 61% don’t open mail if they aren’t sure that it’s actually from the purported sender. They’re also signing up for multiple email accounts, shunting all non-personal emails to catch-all accounts. “So now it’s not just a question of deliverability,” Cahill said. “It’s: ‘Are you getting to the right inbox, the trusted inbox?’” On the positive side, 73% use email seven days a week, and most think they cannot get along without it, even with the crime.
In this context, Cahill warned that “really good content is no longer enough” to ensure delivery of emails. He urged email marketers to adopt the standard best practices, including conferring regularly with ISPs, frequently cleaning email lists of non-responders, and (of course) hiring email deliverability companies like his own.
But wary marketers are going further. Sal Tripi, the director of operations and compliance for Publishers’ Clearing House, said the company guards its reputation as an email sender so closely that it now monitors all the advertisers who appear in its electronic marketing messages.
In cases where advertisers have bad email reputations, or even just questionable practices, “we’ll walk away from the business,” Tripi said. PCH has already broken off some profitable relationships because “the person who gets our email won’t remember the advertiser as the problem; they’re going to remember PCH.” Tripi applies similar standards to companies PCH employs to drive traffic to its site.
Alison Shaffer, group manager of database marketing and analytics for WebEx Communications, an online conference company, said her company employs third-party vendors for tasks like list suppression, to protect the privacy of consumer email addresses. Email deliverability is key to WebEx’s business because customers use a software link in the text of an email to patch into conferences; they can also invite other people to join their conferences via email–provided WebEx email gets delivered.
Finally, Cliff Seltzer, the CEO and co-founder of Puresend, said marketers should steer clear of “piggybacking” strategies–for example, getting “prospecting” emails delivered by sending them from an IP address previously used only for cleaner transaction emails. This strategy is likely to backfire before long, he said. In fact, he advised marketers who send prospecting emails to set up a separate IP for each different class of mail to avoid damaging the reputation of their “good” address.
Posted in Business Success, Internet, Marketing, Media Trends | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 |
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Knowing January would be tough, many retailers slashed prices to draw customers.
It wasn’t enough.
Despite extensive discounting, many department stores, women’s apparel sellers and even discounters turned in lackluster sales in January. Just about all of the companies missed analysts’ same-store-sales expectations for the month. Overall, same-store sales rose a mere 0.3% in January from the year-earlier period, the worst monthly showing since March 2003, according to an index compiled by Thomson Financial.
Virtually nothing that stores tried was able to boost sales during January. Gift cards promoted heavily during the holidays proved disappointing.
Full story at the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) >>
Posted in Business Success, Lessons in Marketing, Niche Marketing, Product | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 |
By Jayne O’Donnell, USA TODAY
In recent weeks, some people who seldom shopped at Wal-Mart, for reasons ranging from a perception of low quality to poor customer service, say they’ve put aside those concerns in favor of saving money. Others who normally favor attractively displayed merchandise and a wide selection now say they find off-price retailers a way to shop down without sacrificing style or brands.
That shift, suggests Marcy Syms, CEO of off-price retailer Syms, is “something we’ll see more of, and it’s consistent with past harbingers of recession. It takes a lot for people to change buying patterns. It usually has to be something they feel significantly in their home budgets.”
Marcy Syms notes that the 1990-91 recession actually helped lift sales at Syms.
Phil Rist, a vice president at consumer insights firm BIGresearch, notes: “Consumers are shopping around more. … You’re definitely seeing more activity at the discounters than you do in economic boom times.”
Retail analyst Bill Dreher of Deutsche Bank Securities notes that Wal-Mart emerged from the 2001 recession in stronger shape than it entered it.
The trend could carry long-term implications for all the retailers. People who try — and like — stores in shaky economic times are more likely to stick with them after the economy rebounds.
About 85% of people with household incomes of more than $100,000 reported in WSL Strategic Retail’s new How America Shops survey that they were already shopping at Wal-Mart at least once in the prior three months.
Read the full story at USA Today >>
Posted in Business Success, Niche Marketing, Product | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 |
[Karin's Take] Don’t be turned off by this article’s references to supermarkets and grocers. The target audience of the article is grocery, but the principles of private labeling and why it’s working apply to any specialty retailer who sells food, and specifically private label items. ##
By Janet Groeber | Source: STORES Magazine
Gone are the lackluster generics of yore, when a retailer would knock off a leading national brand right down to the packaging and cut the price by 20 percent. Mainstream supermarkets – pinched on price by Wal-Mart on the low end and on exotic/organic offerings by the likes of Whole Foods Market on the high end, are responding with comprehensive programs to reach shoppers of all stripes.
Supermarket brands now sport slick and sleek packaging that is becoming harder for customers to peg as private label.
Two words – increased margins – make it easy to understand why private label is gaining traction. Retailers that source new products to their specifications can usually eliminate the middleman, boosting profits.
Read the full story, trends at STORES Magazine >>
Posted in Business Success, Niche Marketing, Product | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 |
[Karin's Take] It’s always interesting (and a bit reassuring) to see larger retailers taking common-sense cost saving measures that we “little” retailers took long ago.
Are there any measures they’re taking that you can apply to your business? ##
By Jenn Abelson | Source: Boston Globe
Customers are visiting stores less frequently and buying fewer items at the office supply chain’s 1,430 shops. In recent months, businesses have cut back delivery orders, especially for high-priced merchandise like office furniture and computers. And last summer and fall, Staples Inc. saw sales drop for two straight quarters at stores open at least a year for the first time since 2000.
So, the Framingham retailer is trimming costs everywhere it can, reducing advertising, delaying new hires and renovations, curtailing employee travel, and saving gas with devices that limit the maximum speed of its delivery trucks.
Read the full story at the Boston Globe >>
Posted in Business Success, Product | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 |
Source: National Retail Federation
As expected, January retail sales demonstrated that consumers last month were focused on buying necessities more than discretionary items. According to the National Retail Federation, retail industry sales for January (which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants) rose 2.0 percent unadjusted over last year and 0.1 percent seasonally adjusted from December.
“The January numbers are indicative of the issues consumers are facing, including the housing slump, a sluggish employment sector and high energy prices,” said NRF Chief Economist Rosalind Wells. “We expect to see marginal improvements in the second half of the year once consumers begin to receive their rebate checks.”
Helped in part by winter clearance sales and other weather-related purchases, sales at clothing and clothing accessories stores increased 1.4 percent unadjusted year-over-year and 1.4 percent seasonally adjusted month-to-month. Health and personal care stores sales also saw moderate increases with sales increasing 3.5 percent unadjusted over last year and 0.8 percent seasonally adjusted from December.
General merchandise stores sales also increased 3.5 percent unadjusted year-over-year and 0.1 percent seasonally adjusted month-to-month.
Stores selling home-related merchandise saw the biggest sales declines. Sales at furniture and home furnishings stores decreased 4.3 percent unadjusted over last year and 0.5 percent seasonally adjusted from last month. Building material and garden and equipment stores sales decreased 5.8 percent unadjusted year-over-year and 1.7 percent seasonally adjusted month-to-month.
Read the full story at NRF >>
Posted in Business Success, Statistics | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 |
by Sarah Mahoney | Source: Marketing Daily
IN THE LAST FEW DAYS, retailers seem to be caught up in one do-the-right-thing spasm after another.
While the trend certainly isn’t new, observers are impressed with the sudden escalation. Maybe, in a soft economy, it’s a way for retailers to build a little extra trust–or to deflect attention from all those depressing “sales are down” headlines. Either way, they say, it’s what consumers want. (more…)
Posted in Business Success, Marketing, Niche Marketing, Product | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 11th, 2007 |
by Nina M. Lentini | Source: MediaPost’s Marketing Daily
IF YOU HAVE A HEADACHE, you take a pain reliever. If the headache persists, you can either keep taking aspirin or start doing something about your long-term health.
That’s the kind of trade-off described in a new report out from Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) that focuses on decisions made by consumer products companies as they consider short- and long-term marketing strategies. Sunil “Sunny” Garga, global services president at IRI, used the health care analogy in discussing with Marketing Daily the results of the newly released IRI report, “Long-Term Drivers Consortium Study.” (more…)
Posted in Business Success, Marketing, Media Trends, Niche Marketing, Product, Statistics | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 11th, 2007 |
MSN and Microsoft Live’s U.S. search query volume showed a 67% increase from May to June, according to a new report.
By Thomas Claburn | Source: InformationWeek
Microsoft’s search efforts may finally have found some users.
MSN and Microsoft Live’s U.S. search query volume jumped from 8.4% in May to 13.2% in June, a 67% increase, according to Internet metrics company Compete, Inc.
The key to Microsoft’s success? Prizes.
“A good portion of the additional Live searches are coming from the Live Search Club, where you can apparently play games for points which you can redeem for fine Microsoft products,” said Steve Willis, a Compete analyst, in a blog post Monday. “All of the games involve using Live’s search engine — to get the points, you have to search with Live.”
Blingo.com, powered by Google, has been using prizes to woo searchers since 2004.
Full article at Information Week >>
Posted in Business Success, Marketing, Niche Marketing, Product | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 11th, 2007 |
by Sarah Mahoney | Source: MediaPost’s Marketing Daily
WHILE FEW OBSERVERS ARE EXPECTING the June retail sales numbers–many of which come out today–to be upbeat, Sears and Home Depot got the retail news off to an unexpectedly dismal start.
Sears Holdings, one of the few major retailers that doesn’t report monthly sales figures, says that for the first nine weeks of this 13-week quarter, sales are way down. U.S. comparable store sales (a barometer closely watched by retail insiders) are off 3.9% so far, and sales at Sears stores have already tumbled 4%. The company says the declines happened in most merchandise categories. (Woman’s clothing and footwear were two bright spots.) (more…)
Posted in Business Success | No Comments »
Friday, July 6th, 2007 |
by Hitha Prabhakar | Source: Forbes.com
Dany Roussel, a personal shopper at Canadian luxury department store Holt Renfrew, has had his fair share of bizarre requests from clients.
“The other day, a guy called me up in panic about a tight-fitting tuxedo he had to wear for a black-tie event,” he says. “He wasn’t sure what type of underwear he should wear with the pants, so I sent five different options to his apartment.”
Decades ago, personal shopping was a fee-based service luxury department stores provided for wealthy women. Now retailers have actively started to target men, offering free wardrobe consulting and personal shopping services for anyone who needs help choosing a suit or coordinating the color of a belt to a pair of shoes. To remain competitive, personal shopping departments will go to great lengths to make sure clients keep coming back to their store. (more…)
Posted in Business Success, Niche Marketing, Product | No Comments »
Friday, July 6th, 2007 |
by Karlene Lukovitz | Source: MediaPost’s Marketing Daily
ICED TEA IS HOT-AND DUNKIN’ Donuts isn’t about to miss out on the latest beverage craze.
America’s No. 1 coffee retailer (selling nearly a billion cups per year) has now introduced freshly brewed iced teas in its restaurants throughout New England and upstate New York, and plans a nationwide rollout for early next year.
The teas are available made to order, sweetened or unsweetened, in three flavors: original, raspberry and peach. Suggested retail prices range from $1.69 for small to $2.09 for large.
Marketing support for the regional introduction will include 30-second and 15-second TV spots, two radio spots, billboards and bus wraps, online banners on targeted Web sites, and out-of-shop sampling, according to Dunkin’ Brands spokesperson Michelle King. (more…)
Posted in Business Success, Marketing, Niche Marketing, Product | No Comments »
Friday, July 6th, 2007 |
by Ari Rosenberg | Source: Online Publishing Insider
IF CREATIVE SELLING IS DRIVING your business of online publishing, the wheels are made of math. Not the return on investment kind of math that comes to mind first when talking about online advertising metrics — but rather, a more natural-fitting math connecting your own revenue goals and how close or far you reside from them.
This distance between should be steering your publishing organization’s behavior, down to daily decisions. This trickles down to every salesperson who owns a piece of quota. How they spend their time any given day should stand up to the question of “How will this get you closer to your numbers?”
This doesn’t mean members of your team coming up short should start hocking inventory on every street corner — not at all. But where you stand versus your quarterly quota should affect the balance kept between effort allocations against short-term opportunities versus mid- to long-term ones. (more…)
Posted in Business Success, Internet, Marketing, Media Trends, Niche Marketing | No Comments »
Thursday, July 5th, 2007 |
It’s a vexing tug-of-war: Sears has lost relevance with consumers, new Sears Holdings chairman is holding the line looking for ROI, and the malls that Sears anchors are pulling their hair out about wide-reaching lost rental revenues as a result.
By TERRY PRISTIN | Source: The New York Times
When Kmart acquired Sears in 2005, many people predicted that Edward S. Lampert, the hedge fund investor in Greenwich, Conn., who engineered the merger, was primarily interested in the real estate occupied by the faltering chains. But Mr. Lampert, the chairman of the Sears Holdings Corporation, the parent of Sears and Kmart, vowed to revive both retailers.
Since then, Sears Holdings has prospered as a company, but the sales performance of its chains has continued to decline. As the retailing industry has grown increasingly competitive, Sears Holdings has poured relatively little capital into its stores and has cut back on marketing and other expenses. The low level of spending has been particularly vexing for mall operators, analysts say. Once the nation’s leading retailer, Sears has 861 mall stores, 518 of them owned and 343 of them leased.
“The operators feel short-changed because Sears is not putting the money in to enhance the stores, and that affects other nearby stores,” said Sean Egan, the managing director of Egan-Jones Ratings in Haverford, Pa. “It’s akin to somebody refusing to cut their lawn or paint their house.” (more…)
Posted in Business Success, Marketing, Niche Marketing, Product | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007 |
Source: Examiner
WASHINGTON (Map, News) – The Supreme Court on Thursday abandoned a 96-year-old ban on manufacturers and retailers setting price floors for products.
In a 5-4 decision, the court said that agreements on minimum prices are legal if they promote competition.
The ruling means that accusations of minimum pricing pacts will be evaluated case by case.
The Supreme Court declared in 1911 that minimum pricing agreements violate federal antitrust law. (more…)
Posted in Business Success, Legal, Marketing, Product | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007 |
Source: STORES Magazine
Washington, June 29, 2007 – The most successful retailers in the industry are constantly reinventing themselves to stay one step ahead of the competition, according to the STORES Top 100 Retailers ranking, sponsored by SAP and featured in STORES Magazine’s July issue. The report, which is an annual snapshot of the retail industry, ranks companies by revenue and groups them on one chart regardless of the segment or segments in which they operate. STORES is the monthly magazine of the National Retail Federation.
“It’s not enough anymore for retailers to carry the same merchandise as their competition,” said Susan Reda, Executive Editor of STORES. “From their own brand of food to an exclusive line of tools, today’s retailers will get ahead by differentiating their merchandise and offering products that consumers cannot find anywhere else.” (more…)
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Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007 |
Source: The Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Debit cards work very much like credit cards, and they can be much easier to get, but many consumer groups recommend limiting debit card usage because of some of the risks involved. Debit cards don’t have the same security precautions as credit cards but remain particularly popular in the 18-to-25 demographic.
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Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007 |
Source: MediaPost’s Marketing Daily
SKOKIE, ILL.-BASED INTERNET GROCER PEAPOD based has launched its largest direct mail effort to date, sending pieces to more than one million households in its Chicago, Milwaukee, and New England markets.
The direct mail campaign offers discounts on services to customers through the use of promotional codes, which customers could redeem online.
Peapod created the program with InnerWorkings, Inc., a provider of print procurement solutions.
Peapod, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Royal Ahold, is the leading Internet grocer in the country. Currently, Peapod serves 18 U.S. markets, including the metro areas of Chicago, Milwaukee, Boston and Washington, D.C., and suburban New York, and communities in the states of Illinois, Wisconsin, Maryland, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia, Rhode Island and New Jersey.
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Wednesday, June 27th, 2007 |
by Sarah Mahoney | Source: MediaPost’s Marketing Daily
WANT BRAND SUPREMACY? RESEARCH FROM the Natural Marketing Institute suggests that the most successful product strategies will offer consumers a two-fer, layering a slightly selfish payoff over a fundamental core value. “Consumers are aspiring to achieve the double pay-off of exclusive experiences while supporting guilt-free and eco-friendly goods and services,” says Gwynne Rogers, business director for NMI’s lifestyles of health and sustainability division. (more…)
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Thursday, June 21st, 2007 |
Eight merchandising tips
By: Lauren Freedman | Source: Practical E-Commerce
Just as most consumers begin to enjoy summer, it’s time for savvy merchants to put the finishing touches on holiday sales plans. While it is difficult to estimate the volume of “gifting” purchases made online, there is no doubt about the customers’ penchant for buying gifts via this channel.
During the 2006 holiday season, the e-tailing group, in conjunction with StartSampling, a marketing services company, conducted the inaugural Mindset of the Multichannel Shopper Survey. The survey found that 54 percent of those who intended to do any holiday shopping online did so because it saves time and money, with the latter being at the forefront of shoppers’ minds. We don’t anticipate much will change during the coming year except the web channel’s share of wallet will continue to expand.
Merchants who understand a customer’s desire for saving time have embraced ways to showcase products in robust gift centers: they’ve integrated gift finders that allow shoppers to effectively search by price and other features and they’ve implemented tools that enable buyers to shop for multiple recipients during a single shopping experience.
To help you capitalize on this important (and hectic) time of year, we thought it would be prudent to share the e-tailing group’s “Gift-savvy Merchandising Top Eight Tips.”
1. Build A Service Culture
Recent research shows consumers do not want any roadblocks in their online shopping experiences. (more…)
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Thursday, June 21st, 2007 |
By Gary McWilliams and Rachel Dodes | Source: The Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Wal-Mart’s struggles in fashion apparel appear to be worsening.
Stacks of unsold clothing are clogging store aisles and pressuring profits. Now, Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s first designer line, by designer Mark Eisen, has been pulled from several hundred of the more than 3,000 U.S. stores that carried it, according to a person close to the situation. A Wal-Mart spokeswoman confirmed the line had been pulled from some stores but didn’t know how many.
Wal-Mart’s chief financial officer says clearing out stocks of unsold clothing is going to be a chore and could pressure margins all summer.
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Thursday, June 21st, 2007 |
Prices have climbed 55 percent this year
By Alex Davis | Source: The Courier-Journal
A sharp rise in the cost of cheese this year is spreading concern in the pizza industry, from mom-and-pop operators to the nation’s biggest delivery chains.
Block cheddar cheese hit $2.06 a pound this week on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, a 55 percent increase from the end of 2006 when it was $1.33 a pound. Cheddar is the benchmark for mozzarella and other types of cheese, which typically make up the largest single ingredient for pizza companies.
“It’s definitely a major concern,” said Rob Mooney, president of Louisville-based Bearno’s Inc., which has 16 restaurants in Indiana and Kentucky.
Full Story at Courier-Journal >>
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Friday, June 15th, 2007 |
[SS NOTE] Don’t read this and think you have to cut your own throat to keep up with the Joneses — you don’t. The Bigger Lesson is in the idea behind their customer reward system. Then adapt the idea (preferably profitably!) however you can. /ss
Source: MSNBC
SEATTLE – Amazon.com Inc. has taken more than a million pre-orders for the final “Harry Potter” book due out in July, but the world’s largest Web retailer won’t make a profit, Chief Executive Jeff Bezos told shareholders at the company’s annual meeting Thursday.
Amazon’s handling of the “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” release — a $17 discount off cover price, a free shipping offer and guaranteed on-time delivery — showed yet again that the company is willing to take a hit to cement customer loyalty.
Bezos hammered on Amazon’s “customer-centric” approach during the meeting. (more…)
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Friday, June 15th, 2007 |
BY ANNE D’INNOCENZIO | Source: Miami Herald
Forget the $350 stilettos. Shoes with status these days come with $1,000 price tags. And $600 handbags are so bourgeois — A-listers these days don’t want anything costing less than $5,000.
It’s no secret that luxury sales have boomed over the past six years. But at a time when the average American is grousing about meager wage growth, the super rich are seeking new heights in pampering, price tags and the one-of-a-kind items that set them apart.
`INSATIABLE APPETITE’
”There’s this insatiable appetite for the most luxurious,” said Faith Hope Consolo, (more…)
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Wednesday, June 13th, 2007 |
Source: MediaPost’s Marketing Daily
AFTER A BIG DOWNTURN, THOSE dresses women everywhere are wearing are creating a retail phenomenon: NPD Group reports that dress sales are up 30.4% in the 12-month period of May 2006 to April 2007, to $5.06 billion.
Last year, sales were down from the previous period by 9.4 %.
A report in Women’s Wear Daily predicts dresses will say hot at least through next spring, based on the latest runway collections.
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