St. Patrick’s Day is a big national holiday in our house. All of my grandparents were born in Ireland, as were Paul’s mother’s parents. When she was alive, my grandmother always had knitting needles in her hands. In fact she became blind in the last years of her life, and yet she still produced wonderful beautiful Irish sweaters and blankets. … Read More
How Markdowns Save You Money
You can IMPROVE your margins by taking MARKDOWNS. Crazy! Quite a contradiction, right? At first glance, it makes a lot of sense to take smaller markdowns, doesn’t it? By keeping markdowns smaller, you are protecting your profit margins. I bet you have stretched it to 50% off, but you didn’t go further because then you’re not getting back what you … Read More
How to Make Barcodes That Work
We often get asked by retailers, do I need to use barcodes and if so, how do I make them?The answer is almost always yes! As a retail store owner, your biggest asset is your inventory and tracking and analyzing it properly is key to improving your profits.The easiest, but also most expensive, way to produce barcodes is to use … Read More
How Do You Handle Curveballs?
“How do I plan my holiday season with all this uncertainty?” This is what retailers are asking me right now. How about you? The answer is: There will always be uncertainty. Really. It might seem like this is a more uncertain time than usual – but I’m telling you: Nothing is EVER certain. And this is why it is SO … Read More
3 Ways to Stand Out Online
Enjoy these tips to help you stand out online, from guest blogger Jiselle Riley! – Cathy The pandemic has had a significant effect on e-commerce and online consumer behavior. With restrictions making it difficult for brick-and-mortar retailers to continue their business, Insider Intelligence reports that there was a 16.5% sales growth for the global retail e-commerce industry. This trend is expected … Read More
Why You Should Hop Off the Fence
Decision fatigue is a very real thing and you might not even be aware that you suffer from it. It manifests as mental exhaustion, procrastination, avoidance – the inability to make smart, productive choices. And that’s such a terrible way to live. When you think about how many decisions we are faced with every day, it’s no wonder it happens … Read More
Why You Should Commit to Your Markdowns
If you have followed me for a while, you might have heard me tell the story of the Christmas Vase. It’s a story about a client who had a beautiful vase that just wouldn’t sell. So she moved it to the window. It still didn’t sell. She marked it down 20%, and when it still didn’t sell she marked it … Read More
How to change what isn’t working
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.”– Albert Einstein We all know that famous quote, right? It’s one of my favorites. But knowing it, and living it are two different things. Is there something you don’t like about your life or your business right now? Would you like to have more time … Read More
Why dollar tables should always be in a successful sale!
What if I told you that I have a foolproof way to say “Take my $10!”? Retailers are always amazed that one small tweak can make a huge difference to your bottom line, but that’s what sooo exciting about applying the science of consumer psychology to your marketing, merchandising and team training. This particular strategy I’m about to share with … Read More
And the Retailer of the Year Award goes to… YOU!
I’m sure it comes as no surprise to retailers that PIVOT received an honorable mention in dictionary.com’s People’s Choice Word of the Year 2020 (the top spot was claimed by “Unprecedented”). And boy did you pivot. You SLAYED the pivot. You earned that badge – wear it with pride! But pivot simply doesn’t do justice to your achievements this past … Read More
