Consider four areas of retail work – merchandising, staff, customers and tasks. Which is the most important? What if we had the most desirable product and best staff, but no customers? Tasks have to be performed, but the customer must always come first. To fulfil this, we need to engage good customer service - we need to put customers at the centre of the story.
Read MoreI remember the days when a major part of my workshops was focused entirely on customer service. Improve customer service and you can increase the average sale per customer; that was the motto for success. Retailing has changed though and successful retailers need to continue to find more ways in which you can create happy shoppers.
Read MoreAwards are everywhere these days. With so many given out over an increasing number of categories, some people consider even taking the opportunity to enter as a waste of time. How valuable are they really? In this article, Edward Berry gives his unique perspective; having won a number of awards as a respected retailer, he now offers an insider's view on the awards process as a judge in the UK's food industry.
Read MoreLet's face it, marketing that delivers positive results is far from straightforward and it is easy to get lost in the noise. Sometimes, to make an impact, you need to go outside the 'box' and just get creative with your thinking. Do it right and those around you will be talking about your brand for a long time.
Read MoreWhether you are starting a new business or looking to grow your existing store, promotions, done properly, are a great way to get your bottom line racing.
Read MoreLike it or not, we now live in an "Experience Economy", where, as the Harvard Business Review so eloquently put it, "a company intentionally uses services as the stage, and goods as props, to engage individual customers in a way that creates a memorable event."
Read MoreIn a rapidly changing retail world, we often spend too much of our time focusing on what's happening inside our stores while forgetting that the customer's journey starts from the outside. Using a few simple rules, you can make sure you are looking your best to give visitors to your store a consistently remarkable experience from start to finish.
Read MoreIn its most basic form, zero waste is about significantly reducing, and eventually eliminating, the volume of resources that we send to be disposed of. Retailers in the Food Sector have an opportunity now to make a positive impact and, with the right approach, it can be good for your business as well as the environment.
In the first of a series on customer loyalty and promotional offers, Duncan Syme considers how retailers need to focus on the customer's perspective and keep it at the heart of your offering.
Read MoreQuality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skilful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.
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