Holiday Season is here!

Get ready!! It's almost time for the busiest time of the year. BLACK FRIDAY is the following Friday after Thanksgiving. It is the most hectic shopping day in the United States. Some businesses have special hours and will open at midnight on Thanksgiving. Black Friday has really good deals to the point where people are standing and waiting outside in line for hours in the cold..especially in Iowa.

I have participated in Black Friday a couple of times and I'm at that point where I don't want to deal with all the crazy shoppers. Plus, with winter starting early this year, I am definitely not going to be waiting outside with negative degree weather.

To make things easier for all you Black Friday shoppers, I have a some suggestions for you to keep in mind:

1) Make a list of the stores you want to go to
2) Make a list of what you want to buy
3) Wear comfortable clothes
4) Locate Black Friday deals either online or in the paper
5) Bring a shopping buddy
6) Bring snacks

Happy shopping and good luck!

Tips to Increasing Sales

Check out this video, Susan Wagner is on point and gives out helpful tips to increase sales. 

1) Teach your staff the basics

2) Be observant

3) Ask questions

4) Watch for buying signals

5) Point out products

6) Determine the objection

7) Encourage the sales with "Why not?"

8) Offer impulse buys

9) Help make the decision

10) Compliment their picks

11) Go the extra mile

Social Media for Retailers

Social media is a powerful and valuable tool for retailers. Alot of businesses nowadays is using social media to drive customers through their doors to maximize sales and to grow their business. Social media is a way to engage with your customers to promote sales, get feedback, to share ideas, and to learn what can be improved with your customers and their in-store experience. They repeatedly visit social media pages to find promotions, discounts, incentives to visit the store in person, etc.

Tierra Bonaldi shared some really good tips in the video, Social Media for Retailers listed below.

The #1 question.........Facebook OR Twitter? 

Ever since I can remember, Facebook was the next big thing after Myspace. Everyone had Facebook. Facebook has alot of users, but given its popularity, it is not the place to be advertising. It is more for connecting, sharing and keeping up with friends and family. Facebook already has too much going on that people don't notice the advertisements that is off to the side.

Throughout the years of having Facebook, Facebook kept changing and I needed something consistent. I put off getting a Twitter for the longest time, but I finally gave in and got it. Twitter was the next big thing and everyone kept raving about it. Right off the bat, I was hooked on Twitter. I like being able to speak my mind without worrying about blowing up and annoying people on Facebook....that is what Twitter is for.

Twitter has a higher engagement rate than Facebook. It is an effective tool for businesses to reach out to people about their sales in a simplified text (140 characters), its easy to skim and to process information and it is also well targeted.

Providing Excellent Customer Service

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CUSTOMER! 

I'm not just talking about retail. In general, for all businesses, satisfying and making the customers happy is the number one goal. To increase business and maximize sales, you want customers to come back and in order for them to come back, the employees must leave a good impression and great customer service.

As a sales associate at American Eagle at the College Square Mall, it is our job to assist and to advise the customers on the latest trends and to provide the customers with an enjoyable shopping experience.

Once they enter the store, we greet them because it makes the customers feel welcomed. The three essentials to greeting customers: Smile. Eye Contact. Comment. We greet them with a smile and the basic "Hi, how are you doing? What are you shopping for? Can I help you find anything?" With the smile, also use eye contact. It shows that you are ready to engage and ready to help them in some way and that you care about what they are going to tell you. Also, make a friendly comment, about the weather or compliment them on their clothing. Build a relationship with the customer so they know they can come to you if they need anything. Usually the customers would respond with "just looking." At that point, they aren't asking for any assistance, so we make sure they know the sales that are going on that day and to let them know that you are there if they need any help.

Even though the customers doesn't need any help, make yourself available to answer any questions they may have. Check up on them from time to time to see if they are finding everything okay, see if they want to get a fitting room started so they don't have to carry all their items, and just follow up with them to make sure they are still doing alright.

These are all great tips for customer service so put them in use and have those customer interactions and help increase sales! Just remember: Smile. Eye Contact. Comment.

Identifying & Preventing Shoplifters

Shoplifting.....whether you know it or not, people are shoplifting everywhere. There are several methods for shoplifting. The most common is hiding items in a purse, in pockets, in purchased items, and in strollers. Some other methods include: grabbing something and running out of the store, switching price labels, fake returns, etc.

Shoplifters.....there is no common profile for a shoplifter. There are shoplifters all around the world ranging from different ages and race, but there are signs that could help you spot a shoplifter. Retailers should pay very close attention to suspicious people that show the following characteristics:

• Wears baggy and heavy clothing (jackets/coats) when not needed
• Always watching the employees 
• Enters the store periodically, but never buys anything
• Takes a handful of items into the dressing room and leaving with the room nothing 
• Seem to look nervous and looking around to see if anyone is watching them
• A big group entering the store at the same time to distract the employees

How to prevent shoplifting? There are several ways you can reduce shoplifting from happening with using store design and customer service:

• Video cameras 
• Security tags on the products
• Register in the front of the store 
• Angled ceiling mirrors surrounding the store 
• Signs that say "SHOPLIFTERS WILL BE PROSECUTED"
• Stay alert, be attentive and focus on customers
• Have an employee stationed in the fitting rooms and counting items that go in and out

The best way to handle a situation with shoplifters would be to not let them out of your sight and to call security and let security take care of it. 

The Exterior and Interior of a Store

The Store Design is the design in which a store's interior and exterior is set up. The objective of a store design is to guide customers around the store and to entice the customers to purchase items to maximize sales.

Exterior Design includes: Storefront Design

Interior Design includes: Color, Lighting, Sounds, and Smells

Exterior
Storefront is the front of the store. The logo of the store name and the store windows is what the customers see when approaching the store and at that moment, it may make or break whether or not the customer enters in or not. The front must identify the name and the store windows must present a general nature of the store and gives customers a hint as to what kind of merchandise that is inside. The store window displays should be changed at least once a month, usually when floor set takes place and must reflect the products that is being offered inside. Here is a picture of storefront that I think is very intriguing. The logo of the name is very clear and the lights around the store windows help highlight the products inside.

Interior
Color can influence the customers behavior. I'm not talking about colors of the merchandise, but the colors that surround customers while they shop can effect whether or not they make a purchase.
*Warm colors: light bright colors such as: red, orange, yellow, etc. Warm colors attract customers and help gain attention. These "happy" colors is very inviting and will entice customers to linger longer in the store.
*Cool colors: darker colors such as: blue, green, violet, etc. Cool colors can have a calming, relaxing, and peaceful effect in retail stores.

Lighting is important because it illuminates and gives customers a feel for the store. Good lighting is highlighting merchandise, sculpting space, and capturing the mood that strengthens and intensifies a store's image. There are stores that have bright lighting and some with dark lighting. I am not a fan of stores with dark lighting because you can't see products clearly and I think that stores should have bright lighting so customers get to see every detail of a product and know what they are buying. That is my personal opinion, however stores with dark lighting are just as successful as stores with bright lighting.

Sounds 
Music has its different affects on people. Some people may like to shop in peace and quiet because they may think music is annoying and distracting when they shop and other people love music. Music is generally viewed as a valuable marketing tool and let me tell you, IT WORK'S! I don't know about you, but music gets me pumped up when I am shopping, usually depending on what kind of music is being played. It makes me happy and enjoy shopping even more and happy customers are likely to help increase sales. Not only does it make me love to shop, but looking from employee aspect, it makes me love my job as a sales associate because it makes the time go by faster and it puts me in a good mood and it helps me sell to customers because they see that I love my job, the environment, and the products I am selling. Overall, music is a good thing!

Scents
This topic of interest is pretty simple. Smell has a huge impact on people. If a customer enters a store and catches a whiff of something that smells awful, they are most likely going to turn around and exit the store. They are probably not going to be returning because they've already had a bad experience and first impression of the store. So all in all, make sure the store smells good and welcoming! But you also need to keep in mind to not spray too much and have just a good amount because sometimes stores can spray too much and it can be overbearing.

Who is Rob Hartnett?

While doing a YouTube search, I stumbled upon Rob Hartnett. Rob Hartnett is the CEO of Sports for Business. He has over 20 years of public relations, public affairs and senior management, largely within the sports and betting industry. Mr. Hartnett has his own YouTube series, "Rob Hartnett's Professional Selling Series," where he informs viewers with his knowledge and great tips within a business whether its regarding sales, customer service, store layouts, etc. Please go check him out! I also have a couple of his videos posted below.

Building a Successful Retail Environment:

The Managers Role in Customer Service:

Motivating Sales People:

One more thing about Free Flow!

Below is a picture of a 'Free Flow Layout' that is more clear and labeled of where things are located. The way things are set reminds me of some of the stores in the mall including: American Eagle, Aeropostale, Express, Vanity, Victoria Secret, The Buckle, and some others within the College Square Mall.

Right when you walk into the store, the store is split into two sides, usually a men and female side. I read an article the other day that said there is a "decompression zone" within 15 feet from the entrance where shoppers do not notice the products, but I think the front of the store should appealing and catches the eye of the customers because it plays a huge role if the customer wants to continue on browsing in the store or not.



The checkout counter is typically in the middle or off to the side. With it being in the middle, its a good way to interact with the customers when they enter the store because since you are in the middle, you can see and greet people that come in.

Next, we have the clearance items. Who doesn't like things on sale?! Clearance items are usually stationed in the back because the stores know that most customers end up looking in clearance, but having it in the back allows the customers to browse at other items before heading back there.

The dressing rooms are generally in the back as well mainly because you've already browsed the store and now you're standing in the back and the dressing room is the last stop you need to go before making your way to the counter and purchasing your items.

Overall, this is the ideal set up when it comes to clothing stores in any mall.

The Good and Bad of Free Flow

Put yourself in the customers shoes. Picture the experience in which you want when you enter a clothing store. What is your ideal set up when going into the store? Starting from the front to the back of the store without encountering any difficulties. Customers depend on the layout of the store. It plays a big part on whether the customers want to purchase anything and if they want to return or recommend it to others.

The main goal of a layout is to be able to create a space where customers and the associates to move around freely, to widen the space, and to expose the products to the public eye. The 'Free Flow Layout' accomplishes all these goals.

A lot of the stores at the College Square Mall has a free flow layout. This layout seems to work best for small stores such as boutiques, clothing, and jewelry stores.

To the right is a picture of a free flow layout. As you can see the circles are all spaced out so it allows for customers to come in and easily browse and wander freely. With the items spaced out, it gives the customers a more visual appeal of the products and the more merchandises are exposed, the more customers are intended to purchase.

There are some disadvantages to this layout:
1. It encourages customers to loiter.
2. It can confuse customers.
3. It's a waste of floor space.
4. Cleaning can be difficult.