Merchant Method

Green business practices are more available to independent retailers than ever, providing new opportunities to build value. Decreasing material consumption is good for its own sake and many customers like to see businesses acting responsibly.

On top of that, reducing waste also cuts operating costs, which increases bottom line profit. For small businesses, this method to improve to experience, operations, and finances is too important to ignore.

This week's trend report highlights current practices and tools that you can use to optimize customer experience, grow profits, and strengthen brand equity.

Trend report topics:

• Reusing materials in store planning and for store fixtures
• Types of modern store fixtures worth investing in
• Cloud based applications that can help you streamline your business
• Optimizing your point of sale technology to fully leverage its benefits
• Educating customers about e-receipts and bagless cash wrap transactions
• Reconsidering packaging for online orders

For more information on this and related retail trends visit MerchantMethod.com.

Retailers use all of their business acumen and intention to develop an excellent shopping experience, maintain brand value, and grow customer relationships; these same skills can be applied to building and maintaining a comprehensive loss prevention program. With accountability and a consistent, long-term commitment, you can decrease loss and also see growth in your top line revenue, bottom line profit, and brand equity.

Join us for this week's trend report as we wrap up our four-part series on loss prevention for independent retailers.

Trend report topics:

• Examples of human error that lead to preventable losses
• Consistency and accountability are key to loss prevention
• Retail loss problems are entrepreneurial opportunities in disguise
• Three categories of common operational errors
• The connection between loss prevention, strong brand behaviors, and excellent customer care

For more information on this and related retail trends visit MerchantMethod.com.

Internal loss is the leading cause of profit loss for small businesses and retailers, which often surprises business owners. Types of internal loss range from employee abuse of credit cards, refunds, and discounts, to simple theft by employees of physical products and supplies.

Join us for this week's trend report and learn how to humanize the prevention of internal loss and shape your current business practices to support those measures.

Trend report topics:

• Internal Loss - The #1 contributor to preventable loss for most retailers
• Employee discount abuse and other types of internal loss
• People-centered approach to preventing employee theft and other internal loss
• Maintaining confidentiality during investigations
• Tips for reshaping your current operational practices

For more information on this and related retail trends visit MerchantMethod.com.

We talk about working as a leader under the spotlight and how to address the challenges of having our employees watching not just our words but also our actions, the choices we make, and how we treat people. This is the second of two episodes on the theme of retail leadership and was preceded by an episode on becoming a leader.

I share my best tips to minimize you and your staff feeling overwhelmed in any situation. We are called on to elevate customer service and create a differentiated experience while also balancing the revenue that's ringing at the register with what we've budgeted for payroll. When this gets out of alignment, we can get overwhelmed and that in turn affects the customer experience. This is the fourth episode of four on the theme of retail management communication; it was preceded by episodes on the dangers of asking employees for favors, differences of opinion, and the dangers of thinking out loud.

I discuss the danger of thinking out loud and how to avoid pitfalls by following our step-by-step process for discussing new ideas with your employees. This is the third episode of four on the theme of retail management communication; it was preceded by episodes on the dangers of asking employees for favors and on differences of opinion, and will be followed by an episode on minimizing feelings of overwhelm.

I talk about the difference between actual conflict and the simple need for clarification over a difference of opinion, how to determine which type of situation you're facing, and how to face it directly. This is the second episode of four on the theme of retail management communication; it was preceded by an episode on the dangers of asking employees for favors and will be followed by episodes on the dangers of thinking out loud, and minimizing feelings of overwhelm.

I explain why it is essential to be clear about what we expect or need from our employees rather than asking them to do us favors and describe how to communicate more directly to avoid the favor trap. This is the first episode of four on the theme of retail management communication, and will be followed by episodes on differences of opinion, the dangers of thinking out loud, and minimizing feelings of overwhelm.