Archive for April, 2008
Think Outside of the Box
Monday, April 28th, 2008I was recently booking a trip out of state, and I needed to find a condo hotel for the last 4 nights. I figured out where I wanted to stay, and I got a list of hotel rates, which started around $180/night. Although $180 a night is do-able, it definitely cuts into the dining and souvenir budget. I started to wonder if there was any cheaper way…
I got the idea to check vacation rentals on Craigslist, hoping someone downtown might have a more affordable rate on a small apartment. What a great idea - when I looked, there were over a dozen rentals available for roughly half the original hotel price. I settled on a stylish modern studio and booked the reservation for about 40% of what I had planned on paying.
When you approach a problem in your business, remember to consider all the options, not just the options you’ve used in the past. Sometimes it will work out and sometimes it won’t, but the times when it does will definitely make it worth the effort.
Tools for Better Living
Friday, April 25th, 2008Although it’s tempting to fill a gift shop with nothing but trinkets and fun items, there are plenty of good reasons to include more practical items, as well. Given that our economy is either in a recession or moving towards one (depending on who you talk to), the idea of buying something that serves no practical purpose is going to get less and less appealing to the average person on the street. If you can provide something they need, however, you stand a great chance of making the sale and keeping their continued business.
One such category of items is the growing posture correction market. Gel pillows, wedges, support pillows, and items like that are very popular because they actually improve a person’s quality of life by reducing pain. Not many people are going to view bodily comfort as a luxury, even during a recession.
Traveling for Your Business
Friday, April 25th, 2008One of the best ways to find new products and get yourself all fired up about your business is to attend a gift show. There are dozens around the country, and they give you a chance to meet business owners like yourself, enjoy parties with the manufacturers, and learn about trends that could affect your store.
If you’ve never been to an industry event like that, I highly recommend you go to at least one. The contacts and experiences will make it pay for itself in no time. If you do go, though, be sure that you have travel health insurance. You never know what can happen on the road.
More Spring and Summer Ideas for Your Store
Friday, April 18th, 2008If you’re looking for more seasonal ideas for products to add to your store, consider some of the following items. While they wouldn’t all fit into just any store, they could help give you a little variety and keep your shoppers coming back to see what’s next.
-Golf equipment - Anything from clubs to shoes to apparel could work.
-Relaxation products - That includes calming beads, relaxation videos, or aromatherapy products.
-Music - If your shop caters to middle aged women, consider something like piano sheet music. So many people abandon the habit until it’s right in front of their face again.
-Exercise DVDs - I think the reasoning behind this one is obvious.
What kind of unusual products have you had success with in your gift store?
A Focus for Your Store
Friday, April 11th, 2008Even though there are a million cool products and great ways to tie them in with your product line, there’s also a danger in placing too many products in your store. Your customers may get confused. They may not know which items they can expect to find on a regular basis. They might start thinking of you as a junk store.
If you own a gift store and you want to diversify - whether it’s flowers, electronics, fitness gadgets, or weight loss pills, it’s important to let your customers know what’s really you and what’s just an experiment. A great way to do this is by dedicating a small section of your store to rotating inventory. That way, they’ll always know what’s new and what will always be there for them.
What Does Your Store Look Like From the Street?
Wednesday, April 9th, 2008Most of us don’t get a lot of opportunities to make our stores stand out from the road. Oh sure, there are those of us with the budgets to be housed in fantastic old buildings with manicured lawns and fiberglass columns, but most of us end up in strip mall storefronts or multi-purpose spaces.
I’m curious - what does your shop look like? Have you gone to any great lengths to make it stand out from the stores around you, or do you ignore that aspect of your marketing?
Old Trends in Retail: Pharmacies in Gift Shops
Friday, April 4th, 2008It used to be quite common for gift shops to be paired with pharmacies. Small towns all over the country would often find pharmacists or medical supply retailers coupled with card shops, and it worked quite well. For some reason, I don’t see that nearly as often these days. I suppose the days of picking up psoriasis treatment or a prescription at the same time as a birthday or get well card are fading fast.
Where I live, we even had an old fashioned soda fountain combined with a gift store and pharmacy. It was a great place to go on a warm Saturday afternoon.
Is this a trend that you’ll miss, or are you glad to see it go?
Extremely Easy Logo and Business Card Design
Friday, April 4th, 2008If you’ve ever been intimidated by the thought of hiring a graphic designer for a logo or business card, LogoYes logo design is exactly what you need. Instead of dealing with file types and sizes and printers and temperamental designers (I’ve so been there), you can just log on and select the elements yourself. You don’t need any kind of specialized software knowledge at all.
While this may not be the ideal solution for a large company, it’s great for a small shop with a limited budget for this kind of thing. Th e logo you create can also be matched to business cards, which gives your business a consistent, professional look. To give you an idea of how incredibly simple it is, I made this card in less than 30 seconds. Obviously, you can play around with things a little more (colors, size, etc.), but since I don’t currently need anything like this, I didn’t spend too much time on customization.
