Pnc Bank Retail And Restaurants

Flash sales are one of the hottest trends in e-commerce these days for one simple reason: They work. As with any marketing campaign, though, planning is critical. Follow these four steps to help ensure that your flash doesn’t fizzle.

Online shopping is expected to continue growing exponentially over the next five years. But according to a recent report from customer-service specialist TimeTrade, total online sales will still be a fraction of the 5 trillion dollars that U.S. shoppers are expected to spend in physical stores by 2020. This podcast reviews some highlights of TimeTrade’s report titled "The State of Retail 2015."

According to Gallup research, very few non-management employees are engaged with their jobs. As a result, many small business owners often spend a disproportionate amount of their time dealing with the ramifications, including poor morale, lower productivity and higher turnover. Here are some tips that can help you take better care of your employees, who, in turn, will be better at serving your customers and your bottom line.

Black Friday as we now know it was created by and for the big-box stores. But that doesn’t mean smaller retailers need to be left out in the cold during the official kickoff of the holiday shopping season. With the right strategy, you can pull some of that increased traffic into your store and turn those discount-focused shoppers into long-term customers.

According to the Human Capital Institute, companies with highly engaged employees enjoy profit growth three times the rate of their competitors. So taking a little extra time to get and keep your employees engaged with your business could generate a significant return. This podcast offers a few tips to drive employee engagement.

Everyone likes the idea of getting something for nothing, so splashing the word “free” across a page is a surefire way to get customers’ attention. The downside, of course, is that everything you give away will cost you something. This podcast explores how to make free promotions work for both you and your customers.

Do you know why clients choose to work with you over the competition? And if so, can you articulate this competitive advantage and use it as a tool to help you grow your business? A strong value proposition will help you connect emotionally with people, and people are more likely to do business with people they can relate to. This podcast reviews three tips to discovering your true value.

A trade show is a terrific opportunity to get your product or service in front of people, and like any other type of marketing strategy, a trade show will serve you best if you approach it thoughtfully. This podcast reviews four key steps on the path to trade-show success.

Marketing during the busiest time of the year may feel like watering the grass while it’s raining. In fact, this is the best time to ramp up your marketing efforts. Your top customers are spending more time and money in your store right now, and your entire target market is in a buying mood. This podcast offers tips to getting them in the door.

It’s critical to have the right staff in place and ready to go when the opening bell rings on Black Friday. With unemployment dropping, though, competition for reliable temporary workers will be plentiful. This podcast offers tips to getting and keeping the best seasonal staff available.

Cash flow is an ongoing concern for many small business owners, despite recent upticks in the economy, according to a February 2014 Gallup poll. The good news is there's solution for that. Setting up automated billing systems and leveraging new cash management technology can help boost your bottom line while building client relationships.