POSWizard

This edition of the roundup focuses completely on the small retailer with advice, tips and suggestions for keeping you’re business on top of the competition. We start this week with wireless retail trends, an informative article of why and how wireless is affecting the small retail industry. Our next feature in the roundup is a concept that many store owners have not yet grasped, the after-sale. Then we go into a very interesting and visual post about Google rules for retailers with industry examples (grab your pen and paper for this one). The fourth article in this weeks roundup focuses on a website that is helping small businesses survive by letting them post their products on the web. The last feature in this weeks roundup talks about Foursquare and the impact it could be having on your brick and mortar business.

1. Reality Check: Retail wireless trends – Marcelo Claure, Chairman, President and CEO, Brightstar Corp. gives some great insight on how evolution in wireless technology has changed the way consumers make buying decisions. The article touches on the consumer experience, the muti-channel market, as well as store design and merchandising.

2. Dirks on Strategy: Never say goodbye to a customer – This great article focuses on what to do AFTER you sell a product or service to a customer. Let’s just say it doesn’t end with the sale. If small retailers pay attention to the needs and wants of the customer while following through after the sale, profits as well as customer retention will improve.

3. Google Rules for Retail – These rules were taken out of the book What Would Google Do by Jeff Davis. The rules make sense and put attention on the consumer. The article is graphically easy on the eyes and outlines the rule, industry examples and what retailers should take form the information and implement on their own.

4. Etsy, Craft Sites Help Small Businesses Survive – Many small specialty retailers have had no choice but to close their storefront shops due to rising costs and a troubled economy. Websites such as Etsy, ArtFire and the Handmade Market have given these small retailers a different option to continue to sell their product without the frustration and overhead cost of a business website. They offer a “space” on the web for small retail business to sell their products with a nominal commission fee.

5. Foursquare: Are You Checking Out the Hottest Social Media App? – We’ve mentioned Foursquare before on the weekly roundup but this article is much easier to understand for retailers that are not familiar with the service. This website is simply a geo-location app that allows users to find and interact with their local retailers. If you’re not listed there yet, you could be missing out on many potential customers.