Rooted in Retail

Connect with host Crystal Vilkaitis and join her newsletter at https://thisiscrystal.com.

Retailer? Visit https://indera.co for retail education, training, and community. Founded by Crystal Vilkaitis.

Nestled into a neighborhood shopping center in El Cerrito, CA, are Jenny K. Gift Shop and Well Grounded Tea & Coffee, both owned by Jen Komaromi and her husband.

I got the chance to chat with Jen in person at the Las Vegas Market, and having been in business for 20 years, she has some great tips to share.

Retailing with your family is a full commitment, but Jen wouldn’t have it any other way. When it comes to ordering products, creating training, menu development, running the books, and all the roles in between, Jen and her husband are sure to have a clear division of labor. Jen even shares some fun stories about her children being a part of the day to day as babies.

In addition to family, Jenny K. and Well Grounded are all about Community. Jen shares how they’ve utilized their small neighborhood location to develop relationships, support the schools, and strengthen their business.

If you haven't had the pleasure of visiting Jenny K. Gift Shop in person, you can see for yourself online the incredible eye she has for the product. Which speaks for just one of Jen’s great tips in this episode: Buy for your customer, NOT yourself.

Whether it's advice on digitalization and starting with a POS or a surprising way to manage stress, whether you're a brand new retailer or have tons of experience under your belt... Jen shares some great stories and tips you don’t want to miss.

I’m rooting for your success.


What’s Inside:

• Owning a business with your spouse and family.
• The value of Involvement and connection in community.
• Sourcing inventory: Quality and value.
• Great advice for new and experienced retailers.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Jenny K - El Cerrito
Jenny K. Gift Shop - Facebook
Jenny K. Gift Shop (@jennykgiftshop) • Instagram photos and videos
Well Grounded Tea & Coffee Bar
Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times
Commerce Sync
Big Commerce
EVOLVE 2024 in Denver, CO - Crystal Media
Social Media Hooks and Hacks - Crystal Media
Crystal Media Insiders
Crystal Media
Crystal on Instagram
Crystal Media on Instagram
Crystal Media Co - YouTube

Join the Rooted in Retail Facebook Group to continue the conversation

Join our newsletter for all the latest marketing news for retailers

Show off your super fandom by getting your Rooted in Retail Merch! 

Go to http://indera.co/prompt to access the prompt

Connect with host Crystal Vilkaitis and join her newsletter at https://thisiscrystal.com.

Retailer? Visit https://indera.co for retail education, training, and community. Founded by Crystal Vilkaitis.

In this special episode, we recorded Live at the Las Vegas Market. It may be August when this is airing, but as retailers, you know the is coming!

The holidays are a big time of year for retailers across nearly all niches, from decorating to gifts.

Returning from episode 4 (if you haven't listened to this one yet, be sure to  you don’t want to miss it) is Michelle Sherrier from The Retail Whore Podcast.

She is sharing her design, planning, and merchandising expertise when it comes to all things holiday. Do I have any pet stores, jewelers, or toy stores out there? Michelle gives industry specific ideas on how to build a sale and a story this gift season.

Listen, don’t let October sneak up on you! Michelle wants you to know that it is too late to start planning because you want to be sold out before the holiday hits!

If you’re feeling stressed out just thinking about these things, you need to stay till the end as we discuss some tips for relieving burnout during a busy holiday!

You may be busy; it may be hard.  Just remember to enjoy this season and take time for your traditions!

I’m rooting for your success.
 
What’s Inside:

• All about Holidays and Burnout.
• Foundation best practices for retailers.
• The key to standing out in a crowded market.
• THE ITEM this holiday season.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Crystal Media: SOCIAL MEDIA HOOKS AND HACKS
The Retail Whore Podcast
Michelle Sherrier (@mcdesigncollaboration) • Instagram photos and videos
Michelle Sherrier (@theretailwhorepodcast) • Instagram photos and videos
All Things Visual: Creating a Merchandising Moment with Michelle Sherrier, The Retail Whore - Crystal Media
EVOLVE 2024 in Denver, CO - Crystal Media
Social Media Hooks and Hacks - Crystal Media
EVOLVE 2024 in Denver, CO - Crystal Media
Crystal Media Insiders
Crystal Media
Crystal on Instagram
Crystal Media on Instagram
Crystal Media Co - YouTube

Join the Rooted in Retail Facebook Group to continue the conversation

Join our newsletter for all the latest marketing news for retailers

Show off your super fandom by getting your Rooted in Retail Merch! 

Go to http://indera.co/prompt to access the prompt

Connect with host Crystal Vilkaitis and join her newsletter at https://thisiscrystal.com.

Retailer? Visit https://indera.co for retail education, training, and community. Founded by Crystal Vilkaitis.

Toying around with the idea of opening another location? This is the crash course you need.

In just 30 minutes, AdreAnne Tesene and I cover an insane amount of resources, tips, and advice.

As the owner of Two Bostons with 7 locations, AdreAnne shares that 7 stores is nothing compared to that first leap of 1 to 2.

What factors should you consider when you're opening a second store?

Location, Operations, Inventory, Staffing, and Marketing... Don’t forget to get your notes out because you don’t want to miss the resources and wisdom for these key foundational elements.

Be open to growing and lean on people who know more than you; that’s the advice AdreAnne leaves you with today, and I couldn’t agree more!

I’m rooting for your success.

What’s Inside:

• What to know before you jump from 1 store to 2.
• Factors in operating multiple store locations.
• Tips for consistent staffing across store locations.
• Foundational success tips whether you run 1 store or 10.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Episode 24: Inventory Management and Planning with Dane Cohen of Management One
Two Bostons on Instagram
Two Bostons on Facebook
WhizBang! Training
EVOLVE 2024 in Denver, CO - Crystal Media
Social Media Hooks and Hacks - Crystal Media
EVOLVE 2024 in Denver, CO - Crystal Media
Crystal Media Insiders
Crystal Media
Crystal on Instagram
Crystal Media on Instagram
Crystal Media Co - YouTube

Join the Rooted in Retail Facebook Group to continue the conversation

Join our newsletter for all the latest marketing news for retailers

Show off your super fandom by getting your Rooted in Retail Merch! 

Go to http://indera.co/prompt to access the prompt

Connect with host Crystal Vilkaitis and join her newsletter at https://thisiscrystal.com.

Retailer? Visit https://indera.co for retail education, training, and community. Founded by Crystal Vilkaitis.

We’re welcoming Vi Wickam back this week, this time to talk all about Google Ads.

How do they work? Where should you be showing up?

A little secret… The first 3 results in each section of a google search result is a paid ad. You are not going to get those spots if someone else is willing to pay and you aren't.

Vi breaks down the landing page of a search results into types of ads: Standard Text Ads (these are your text based ads, strongly related to key words) and Display Ads (these are visual ads including images, gifs, and youtube videos).

Are you a local brick and mortar or a nationwide e-commerce retailer? How you market online matters. For these two differing structures  your keywords and target audience will be a lot different.

Google values three factors when it comes to pushing your ads: Direction (where in the world are you?), Reviews (get those happy customers to leave raving reviews), and Key words (how dialed in are you in what your customers are searching for?).

And look if this is all starting to sound complicated or hard to understand. You don't have to do it alone. Vi shares some red flags to look out for so you can hire a strong and trustworthy ad company. [TIP #1 OWN ALL YOUR OWN ASSETS].

If you’re ready to get started and want to  get control of your assets, be sure to visit Vi Wickam for a digital audit.

Don’t miss out on the rest of those red flags and more and listen to the full episode.

I’m Rooting for Your Success.

What’s Inside:

• What types of Google Ads are there and where are you showing up?
• Red Flags for hiring ad companies.
• Converting web traffic to foot traffic for brick and mortar retailers.
• Why reviews are SO important?
• The three factors in Google Ads.
• How to get started with online ads.
• The real problem with Amazon. 
• What should your ad budget be?

Mentioned In This Episode:
Vi Wickam
Cover Your Assets - Vi Wickam
Leveraging Yelp with Emily Washcovick the Yelp Small Business Expert - Crystal Media
Get Listed Now - Crystal Media
Social Media Hooks and Hacks - Crystal Media
EVOLVE 2024 in Denver, CO - Crystal Media
Crystal Media Insiders
Crystal Media
Crystal on Instagram
Crystal Media on Instagram
Crystal Media Co - YouTube

Join the Rooted in Retail Facebook Group to continue the conversation

Join our newsletter for all the latest marketing news for retailers

Show off your super fandom by getting your Rooted in Retail Merch! 

Go to http://indera.co/prompt to access the prompt

Connect with host Crystal Vilkaitis and join her newsletter at https://thisiscrystal.com.

Retailer? Visit https://indera.co for retail education, training, and community. Founded by Crystal Vilkaitis.

When someone is looking for what you're selling…are they finding you first?

My dear friend and web guy, Vi Wickam, joins me today to drop some crucial tips on SEO for both brick and mortar and e-commerce retailers.

We all Google everything. So it’s no surprise that when your customers want to find something, they Google it too. How are you showing up?

Vi breaks down the structure of Google results and how your retail business may fit into these sections ads, Shopping, Organic Results, Google Map Results, and Directories.

If you’re a Brick and Mortar business, your website and SEO will look different from an Ecommerce page with hundreds to thousands of products.

For B&M, make sure your home page is solid, with your address and phone number on every page. (Listen to the episode for a great tip on formatting.)

For Ecommerce, this is advice you’ll hear over and over for various areas of business, BE HUMAN. Your product descriptions take the place of your on floor salespeople. So include the data and let it tell a story.

Looking for help with web design and SEO? You can’t improve what you can’t measure, so get a good look at your analytics and find someone with full transparency. The tip Vi has here… you don’t want to miss because it is critical to maintaining your assets.

Whether you're just starting and need to fine tune your structural foundation or you’re ready to get listed, there is so much packed into this episode that you wouldn’t want to miss!

I’m rooting for your success.  

What’s Inside:

• What is SEO and why do you need to utilize it?
• How to find the right person to assist with website design and SEO.
• Strategies for understanding optimizing SEO.
• A key tip about owning your assets.
• Brick and Mortar SEO  vs E-Commerce SEO.
• How Google disperses search results by paid ads and organic results.

Mentioned In This Episode:
​​Vi Wickam
Get Listed Now - Crystal Media
Amazon.com: Hell Yeah or No: what’s worth doing eBook : Sivers, Derek: Kindle Store
Amazon.com: The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It eBook : Gerber, Michael E.: Kindle Store
Amazon.com: Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't eBook : Collins, Jim: Kindle Store
Merchant Center: Promote Products Online - Google for Retail
Google Business Profile - Get Listed on Google
EVOLVE 2024 in Denver, CO - Crystal Media
Crystal Media Insiders
Crystal Media
Crystal on Instagram
Crystal Media on Instagram

Join the Rooted in Retail Facebook Group to continue the conversation

Join our newsletter for all the latest marketing news for retailers

Show off your super fandom by getting your Rooted in Retail Merch! 

Go to http://indera.co/prompt to access the prompt

Connect with host Crystal Vilkaitis and join her newsletter at https://thisiscrystal.com.

Retailer? Visit https://indera.co for retail education, training, and community. Founded by Crystal Vilkaitis.

First things first, branding is WAY more than designing a logo. It’s the colors, the fonts, the visuals, and the icons, and at Dox Design, it's the textures and custom patterns too!

Kaila Piepkow is the Founder of Dox Design. She is a go to branding professional, creative, and hype gal, and she shares some incredible tips for retailers in this episode.

Creating a brand means creating a visual story that resonates with your PCG. These visuals should be able to tell your audience who you are without having to read any accompanying text!! This visual layer is your first step to resonating and pulling those customers in.

The most important element for branding: COLORS. Kaila says this over and over again throughout the show. Pick those colors with purpose and use them with consistency. Then let the other visuals (logo, fonts, icons, patterns, & textures) complement your brand's color palette.

Want to know how powerful a brand's color is? Think about megabrands like Home Depot and Tiffany’s. What comes to mind?

Listen, if you’re plugging and chugging with random free Canva templates and calling it branding, WE ARE TALKING TO YOU. Consistency is key here. Canva is a great tool, but Kaila encourages you to use the brand tool kit feature to create a color and font palette that you stick to for every single visual.

Does that mean you can’t get creative and switch things up? No. Kaila suggests using purposefully designed seasonal icons and elements to compliment your brand as the year, weather, and holidays change.

You don’t want to miss all the good info in this episode, and get your branding to be top notch. Need a little more help? Check out Dox Design on social media and at their website.

I’m rooting for your success.

What’s Inside:

• What is branding?
• What’s the difference between your logo and your brand?
• What are the key elements for branding success?
• Tools to support successful branding.
• Is your brand resonating with your PCG?
• Unique opportunities to use your branding visuals.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Dox Design
Branding & Packaging Design Studio (@dox.design) on  Instagram
Free Design Tool: Presentations, Video, Social Media | Canva
EVOLVE 2024 in Denver, CO - Crystal Media
Crystal Media Insiders
Crystal Media
Crystal on Instagram
Crystal Media on Instagram
Crystal Media Co - YouTube

Join the Rooted in Retail Facebook Group to continue the conversation

Join our newsletter for all the latest marketing news for retailers

Show off your super fandom by getting your Rooted in Retail Merch! 

Go to http://indera.co/prompt to access the prompt

Connect with host Crystal Vilkaitis and join her newsletter at https://thisiscrystal.com.

Retailer? Visit https://indera.co for retail education, training, and community. Founded by Crystal Vilkaitis.

52% of your business’s cash goes to inventory, making it the most important aspect for success.

Creating an Inventory Management plan or an Open to Buy plan is going to not only help you stop winging it at market, but it can also help you understand your customer, your inventory patterns, and start making you more money with maybe even less inventory.

Dane Cohen is the Director of Sales and Business Management at Management One, and he is sharing some serious tips and advice for retailers who might be weak when it comes to inventory and the data that comes along with it.

The biggest takeaway I want you to have from this episode: Get Started.

You have to take action and start understanding how your inventory is performing. Get granular and start tracking by category. Dane calls every different category of inventory its own “mini business”.

Do you have old merchandise sitting around? Never let it celebrate a birthday. Dane’s tips like markdowns, visual merchandising, and marketing are key for busting those inventory trouble zones.

You’re not going to want to miss the breakdown of Dane’s 3 tips to get focused.
1. Track your purchase orders
2. Facts over Feelings
3. Take Action

There are so many factors when it comes to sales, so dig in and really get a full picture of the data to make a plan.

AND stop thinking your POS will be the catch all for these important aspects of your business.

I’m rooting for your success.

What’s Inside:

• The dangers of not planning inventory management.
• Are you showing up to the market with a budget and a plan?
• What tools are you leveraging for product decisions?
• How to move aged inventory and trouble zones.
• Tips for taking action in inventory management.
• How to control cash flow.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Management One
[email protected]
EVOLVE 2024 in Denver, CO - Crystal Media
Crystal Media Insiders
Crystal Media
Crystal on Instagram
Crystal Media on Instagram
Crystal Media Co - YouTube

Join the Rooted in Retail Facebook Group to continue the conversation

Join our newsletter for all the latest marketing news for retailers

Show off your super fandom by getting your Rooted in Retail Merch! 

Go to http://indera.co/prompt to access the prompt

Connect with host Crystal Vilkaitis and join her newsletter at https://thisiscrystal.com.

Retailer? Visit https://indera.co for retail education, training, and community. Founded by Crystal Vilkaitis.

The most important thing in retail is… Know. Your. Customers.

Today you’re getting an exclusive view of a favorite panel from my 2023 EVOLVE conference: Generational Shoppers.
 
In this panel mediated by Nicole Leinbach, representing Gen X, she is joined by her Gen Z daughter Claire, Millennial Stephanie, and Baby Boomer Sandy. They also discuss our youngest generation and one of the most influential on purchasing, Gen Alpha—today’s babies and young children.

These generations have diverse buying power, paths to purchase, and other factors that can help retailers understand how to make a sale.

From scrolling social media to word of mouth, research and reviews, well trained customer service, shoppertainment, brand loyalty, or preventing dreaded returns, each of these generations has unique preferences.

What are you doing right? Where are you missing the mark? Take out your notepad, because this is a direct line into your customer groups with the questions you NEED answered.

I’m rooting for your success.

What’s Inside:

• A special look at the Generational Shopper Panel from Evolve 2023.
• What does the path to purchase look like across generations?
• Does social media impact all generations?
• How important are well trained staff and good customer service.
• One retail quality every generation agrees on.
  
  

Mentioned In This Episode:
EVOLVE 2024 in Denver, CO
Crystal Media Insiders
Crystal Media
Crystal on Instagram
Crystal Media on Instagram
Crystal Media Co - YouTube

Join the Rooted in Retail Facebook Group to continue the conversation

Join our newsletter for all the latest marketing news for retailers

Show off your super fandom by getting your Rooted in Retail Merch! 

Go to http://indera.co/prompt to access the prompt

Connect with host Crystal Vilkaitis and join her newsletter at https://thisiscrystal.com.

Retailer? Visit https://indera.co for retail education, training, and community. Founded by Crystal Vilkaitis.

Podcasting is a growing and popular platform. People listen in their cars, while they're cooking or cleaning, while they’re exercising—anytime they can passively consume content! What an opportunity to reach your customers!

I talk a lot about your PCG on this show; that’s your Perfect Customer Group, defined by all sorts of elements that make them your ideal client and audience for what you have to offer. When you have a podcast, you get a chance to create long form content that showcases you, what you have to offer, your authority in your niche, and most importantly, builds trust within that PCG.

So, should you start a podcast? Let’s get into the pros and cons, because there is a lot to consider.

Pros: low barriers to entry, flexibility, personal growth skills, community, establishing authority, and even creating a new revenue stream.
Cons: could be time consuming, competition with other shows, technical learning curve, matchmaking with interviewees, slow growth, and podfade

This isn’t everything, and, to be honest, there are a lot of remedies for those cons. It’s all about how you frame it; this is YOUR show. It can be as fancy and complicated or as simple and down to the bones as you want!

Maybe you’re nowhere near considering starting your own podcast, but I've piqued your interest. You could consider being a sponsor or an interviewee on a show relevant to your niche, getting exposure, and plugging your business!

When you hear there are 3 million podcasts out there, you might feel intimidated, but burnout and “podfade” are real, and only about 300,000 are actually active. In the grand scheme of things, that's nothing! You have so much potential for opportunity, so get after it if it's right for you!

Have questions or concerns related to podcasting? DM me on Instagram; I’d be SO happy to help!

I’m rooting for your success!

What’s Inside:

• How can retailers utilize podcasting to reach their local customers and beyond?
• Podcast examples for hobby niches to connect with your PCG.
• Pros and Cons of podcasting.
• Is podcasting for you?
• How do you get into the podcasting space without starting your own show?
  
  

Mentioned In This Episode:
ATR2100-USB
Power-Up Podcasting® 2.0 | SPI Media
your turn to podcast digital - Cathy Heller
Crystal Media Insiders
EVOLVE 2024
Crystal Media
Crystal on Instagram
Crystal Media on Instagram
Crystal Media Co - YouTube

Join the Rooted in Retail Facebook Group to continue the conversation

Join our newsletter for all the latest marketing news for retailers

Show off your super fandom by getting your Rooted in Retail Merch! 

Go to http://indera.co/prompt to access the prompt

Connect with host Crystal Vilkaitis and join her newsletter at https://thisiscrystal.com.

Retailer? Visit https://indera.co for retail education, training, and community. Founded by Crystal Vilkaitis.

How lucky are you!? As a retailer, you get to do social media and connect with your customers.

Steph Bechard runs our Crystal Media Insider group, and a lot of our chat today focuses on the reframing of your mind. Social media is not something you HAVE to do; it’s something you GET to do.

When it comes to creating engaging content, Steph’s tip is to keep it fun, casual, and human. Just be YOU. Small businesses have this incredible opportunity to get personal in a way that big box stores don’t.

Where should you be on social media? You’re already making content; put it EVERYWHERE. Get where your audience is spending their time: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and yes, even TikTok. Try the audio trends, effects, and new features to hook your clients!

If this is scary to you, remember that if you already know one app, chances are the other one is similar enough that you can thrive there too. And while you’re at it: batch your content!

Batching is something that has been mentioned here before, and it’s such a crucial time saver. You can do all your filming, photography, and content creation at a set time—weekly, monthly (whatever works for you!)—and use it as a content bank to keep your consistency and quality on track.

Maybe you’re already churning out content for social media and have gained a following.  How are they translating into paying customers? Steph has some good ideas and advice you need to hear to keep your audience engaged and increase their desire to buy!

If you want more time saving advice and insider secrets for your social media success, you have to listen in, and it wouldn’t hurt to take notes. You can put most of these into practice right away!

So let me know, what new social media tip are you going to try?

I’m rooting for your success.

What’s Inside:

• What is the number 1 tip for retailers on social media?
• How to keep up with changing social media trends.
• What social software should you be using?
• How to master the social media algorithm and extend your reach.
• How to convert followers into paying customers.
• Time saving social media tips.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Wildflower by Aurora James
Crystal Media Insiders
EVOLVE 2024
Crystal Media
Crystal on Instagram
Crystal Media on Instagram
Crystal Media Co - YouTube

Join the Rooted in Retail Facebook Group to continue the conversation

Join our newsletter for all the latest marketing news for retailers

Show off your super fandom by getting your Rooted in Retail Merch! 

Go to http://indera.co/prompt to access the prompt