The Retail Buzz

New article at One Step Retail Solutions that talks about factors involved with erosion of brand value and how to evolve to align your brand within the new economy.

Here is what the article says ...

There has been a lot of discussion around the erosion of brand value and the fact that consumer brand loyalty has been slipping for an extended period of time.

Many factors have contributed to this, not the least of which is the ability to compare products and prices on the Internet. Any given retail chain or online store also develops its own "brand image" that can improve or deteriorate based on the overall shopping experience and merchandise lines.

For example, in the early years of online sales there were a number of absolutely livid Web shoppers whose purchases didn't arrive in time for Christmas - those store brands certainly suffered! Now that time has healed the wounds and the retailers involved managed to revamp their systems and rebuild their service and delivery image, online sales continues to reach record numbers.

But rather than looking at it as a single company or brand that is losing value, I would argue that when one brand is slipping more often than not another is gaining. An example of that would be the wireless handset industry - while Motorola lost its place as a leader, BlackBerry held its own and now even new players such as Dell and Google are entering the market.

Read rest of article ...

Extraordinary People Give Back to Their Communities When It Matters Most

So much for all the "bad guys" stories you hear during these challenging economic times. Here are some great examples of small businesses that see this as the perfect time to do good.

There is a group of Americans who have done extraordinarily generous things. Call them Recession Angels, people who have taken their own money and given it to employees and their communities just as everybody else has been cutting back.

One retail owner gave bonuses instead of pink slips to give back and stimulate their small town's economy. Watch video

This retailer decided recently that the town of Brewton needed its own stimulus and that his 24 employees deserved a little something extra. So he doled out $16,000 in cash bonuses. He asked only that his workers donate 15 percent to a charity or somebody who was in worse shape than they were, and then take the rest and spend it at local businesses. To track the local impact of his "stimulus," Cottrell handed out the bonuses in $2 bills.

Full story: Recession Angels Rise to the Occasion

Compliments of One Step Retail Solutions

This morning's RIS News had this to report ( http://www.risnews.com/):

"Memorial Day kicks off summer, but so far this year retailers have not enjoyed much sun and fun. It's not just the economy that is driving store closures. Other factors include sky rocketing fuel prices, increasing costs of just about everything and consumers being squeezed by the falling housing market and layoffs.

So with all these big guys closing stores, what hope is there for the little guy? Is there any hope at all? Pretty frightening, huh?

THE GOOD NEWS

Well, the good news is that the little guy is not prone to the pressures of the big guys: leveraged real estate, huge employee insurance programs, stuck with inventory that is not moving. In other words, the little guy can be a lot more nimble and faster to respond to the market with a lot less to worry about.... That is, if the little guy has the systems in place to respond fast, track inventory right down to the proverbal gnat's a--, and has or can build personal relationships with his customers.

What does it take to do that? Look to your POS system to do all of the above and see if you are using this technology to its fullest extent. If you need help figuring out how to use it, contact one of our Retail Consultants and get a full Retail Tech Check to find out what your existing POS system can and can't do for you.

And work to flourish and prosper despite what the economy is or isn't doing!

To get your free Retail Tech Check, go to:
http://onestepretail.com/services/freebusinessanalysis.php

Or contact us at 800-266-1328 or email us.

Donna Wesley Rogers
One Step Retail Solutions

One Step Retail Solutions recently published a new whitepaper, “The 6 Biggest Challenges Retailers Face Today” exploring a number of demographic and economic trends that have made retailing in the U.S. more challenging.

With the changes in the current economy, the whitepaper identifies how to meet today’s retail challenges and demonstrates how small and mid-size retailers can create a sustainable, competitive advantage. It examines the potential benefits and applications of point of sale software to enhance store operations and its effect on the ability of any retail business to survive and even expand during times of economic downturn.

“Over the last year, while updating our research into the current retail environment it became evident that the constantly changing technology landscape, in and of itself, has now become an additional source of concern for retail owners and managers,” says CEO Scott Kreisberg. “We also determined that small to midsized chains, especially those who wish to continue their growth, face an even greater set of challenges than single stores or large retailers.”

One Step has a unique vantage point, in that it has helped many retail clients grow from one or a few stores to reach the 20 to 100+ store range. These retailers have survived and expanded over the years, even through several earlier downturns in retail spending. A small chain owner may think that those stores are in a different category, but in fact they had to deal with the same set of challenges that other small retailers face.

A key part of the reason these retailers survived resides in how they made use of their retail technology as a tool to overcome their business challenges, leading to a more efficient and competitive business operation while at the same time better serving their customers’ needs.

This new whitepaper is available at the One Step website: http://www.onestepretail.com/.

For more information on how a POS System can help you overcome these challenges and grow, contact us at 800-266-1328 or email us.

NEW YORK - Malls and stores were jammed for pre-dawn discounts on everything from TVs to toys on the official start of Christmas shopping as consumers shrugged off worries about rising gas prices and falling home values.

The aggressive tactics , bigger discounts and expanded hours like midnight openings , apparently worked Friday. Based on early reports, Macy's Inc., Toys "R" Us, K-B Toys Inc. and others that pushed big price cuts, reported bigger crowds for the early morning bargains than a year ago. Target Corp. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc., said they were also pleased with the shopper turnout.

Electronic gadgets, particularly the hard-to-find Nintendo Wii, topped shoppers' wish lists, though frustrations were high among consumers who couldn't get their hands on the limited bargains.

With the economy relying heavily on the consumer, however, it's crucial that the Black Friday euphoria lasts throughout the season, expected to be the weakest in five years.

"I'm really looking for the bargains this year because I'm losing my job; they're moving our plant to Mexico after the first of the year, so I have to be careful," said Tina Dillow of New Richmond, Ohio, who camped out at a Best Buy store near Cincinnati at 3 a.m. because of a great deal on a laptop.

More on this story

By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO
Phillyburbs.com

Contact one of our Sales Reps on how your company can take advantage of this opportunity.
Call 866-617-8181 or send email.
http://www.onestepretail.com