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December 15, 2011

Retail holiday sales forecast revised – upward

Posted by Mark under Business, Economy, Marketing, retail, Retail Trends
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For Immediate Release
Kathy Grannis (202) 783-7971 or grannisk@NRF.com
www.nrf.com/holidays

National Retail Federation Upgrades Holiday Forecast, Expects Sales to Rise 3.8 Percent to $469.1 Billion
-Strong November Sales, Expected December Spending Lead to Revision-

Washington, December 15, 2011 – With just ten days until Christmas, the National Retail Federation has revised its holiday forecast upward, expecting holiday sales to rise 3.8 percent this year to a record $469.1 billion. NRF’s initial forecast, announced on October 6, called for anticipated sales growth of 2.8 percent. While a 3.8 percent sales increase is considerably above the ten-year average sales increase of 2.6 percent, it is still lower than the 5.2 percent increase the retail industry saw last year.

“After strong sales reports in October and November, along with a successful Black Friday weekend, retailers are cautiously optimistic that this season will turn out better than initially expected, bringing added stability to our recovering economy at a time when America needs it most,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “However, a number of factors, including the debt crisis in Europe and continued political wrangling in Washington, could impact consumer spending this holiday season and into 2012.”

The forecast revision comes on the heels of two promising pieces of news. On Tuesday, NRF announced that retail industry sales for November rose 4.5 percent year-over-year. In addition, NRF’s most recent holiday survey found that the average American has completed far less of their holiday shopping than in previous years – an indication that many shoppers bought for themselves in November and have plenty of holiday shopping left to do.

“Consumer spending this holiday season has surpassed expectations, though many shoppers continue to stick to their budgets and buy only what they need,” said NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz.

As the world’s largest retail trade association and the voice of retail worldwide, NRF represents retailers of all types and sizes, including chain restaurants and industry partners, from the United States and more than 45 countries abroad. Retailers operate more than 3.6 million U.S. establishments that support one in four U.S. jobs – 42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.5 trillion to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer for the nation’s economy. NRF’s Retail Means Jobs campaign emphasizes the economic importance of retail and encourages policymakers to support a Jobs, Innovation and Consumer Value Agenda aimed at boosting economic growth and job creation. www.nrf.com.

 

November 17, 2011

Small business Saturday, the day after Black Friday

Posted by Mark under Business, Economy, Marketing, retail
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May 26, 2011

Five tips for getting more from Facebook

Posted by Mark under advertising, Advertising Tips, Business, Marketing, Media
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So many businesses and business people have Facebook pages that making yours stand out from the crowd is an increasing challenge. Just utilizing FB is no longer much of a competitive advantage.

John Jantsch in his column for Duct Tape Marketing provides his suggestions for improving your return on investment.

Want more?

Your News-Review advertising account manager can hook you up with Swift Digital Marketing Partners who works with many small businesses and entertainment venues in the western United States.

 

April 8, 2011

BBB recommends opting out of junk mail

Posted by Mark under advertising, Business, Marketing
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OPT-OUT TO REDUCE UNWANTED MAIL

BBB Tips to Decrease Environmental Impact and Identity Theft Risk

Lake Oswego, Ore. – April 8, 2011 – Unwanted junk mail is an identity theft risk and a nuisance. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says Americans throw away more than 4 million tons of mail a year. It is nearly impossible to completely eliminate junk mail; however, Better Business Bureau serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington offers tips to help reduce mailbox clutter:

Opt-out. Contact the sender, marketer or bulk-mailer to remove contact information from lists.

  • To avoid receiving “pre-screened” credit and insurance offers: Call 1-888-567-8688 or visit Optoutprescreen.com—the official website of the Consumer Credit Reporting Companies: Equifax, Experian, Innovis, and TransUnion. For identification confirmation, those who opt-out will be asked for their name, phone number, Social Security number, and date of birth; the website form is secured and information is kept confidential. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), consumers are eligible to opt-out for five years or permanently.
  • To help stop product solicitations: Opt-out of mail from companies represented by the Direct Marketing Association at www.dmachoice.org. Also, opt-out from companies associated with the Canadian Marketing Association. Registration may take six months to take full effect.
  • To avoid being overwhelmed by catalogs: Contact Epsilon, an alliance of direct marketing companies and programs—including Abacus and Shopper’s Voice. To avoid receiving “resident” mailings: Contact Valassis, formerly ADVO, Inc. To help stop coupon packs: Contact Cox Target Media.

Stay off mailing lists. Signing up for sweepstakes, surveys or coupons can lead to an increase in junk mail. Read the company’s privacy policy before providing contact information. Before purchasing from catalogs and online retailers, fully review order forms to avoid signing up for unwanted programs or offers.

Go paperless. Contact current service providers: Ask to opt-out of solicitations and find out if they can email statements or post them online instead of mailing them.

Shred unneeded personal documents. Visit www.akorww.bbb.org/secure-your-id for free shredding locations on Saturday, April 16, 2011.

Visit www.bbb.org or the Federal Trade Commission for more tips.

 

February 12, 2011

Oregon’s answer to social media, “We talk to each other”

Posted by Mark under advertising, Business, Marketing, retail
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Okay, the Oregon tag is what caught my eye on this story from Bplans.com. It is a brief article about a bakery thriving in small Oregon town and doing so without (gasp!) any social media. No website. No blog. No twitter.

Just a the owner’s smile , friendly conversation with longtime customers, and the embracing smell of fresh bread.

 

January 26, 2011

Umpqua Bank and Ray Davis saluted in Harvard Business Review blog

Posted by Mark under Business, Business leadership, management, Marketing
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Blogger Bill Taylor recently featured Ray Davis and the culture of Umpqua Bank as an example of “finding the revolution before if finds you.”

The article revisits the banks roots in Roseburg and its ascendancy to a multi-state bank with assets totaling more than $111 billion. It salutes Davis’ vision of changing the banking experience by appealing to all five senses. An interesting article about vision and change made all the better because of our local connection. Read it  here.

 

December 2, 2010

What do you think of social couponing?

Posted by Mark under advertising, Economy, Marketing, Promotions, retail
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You may be familiar with Groupon, a deeply discounted social couponing program. In some metro markets it has become the latest big thing for early adopting marketers.

The environment would appear to be right. As we’ve reported here for the past two years coupon redemption rates have rebounded in the down economy and coupons have been hot.

Locally we have not seen strong retailer interest in coupons. We’ve published coupon books and coupon pages and we found pretty limited response to an online auction deal program a  few years ago. The trade materials I’ve been reading are beginning to migrate from lots of hype about Groupon to a more balanced view of the pluses (can generate lots of business) to the minuses (deep, deep discounts that often don’t lead to profitable sales). Here is a one of the better current articles from Harvard Business Review. Here is another article from the same source wondering whether the pluses outweigh the minuses for businesses.

If your business has tried this, or something like it, I’d be interested in hearing of your experience.

 

December 1, 2010

Cord cutting – is this the future of television?

Posted by Mark under advertising, Business, Economy, Marketing, Media
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The economic climate is accelerating several changes in consumer behavior, especially changes that reduce household expenses.

Cable company charges have long been a source of consumer frustration and technology changes are providing an alternative. Online offerings from Hulu and streaming content from Netflix and similar offerings have played the introductory role. Several hardware manufacturers are now marketing the change.

Here is an interesting post and accompany video from gigaom.com entitled Cord Cutters: The Gift Guide for Cable Free Holidays.

 

October 1, 2010

Business use of social media plateaus

Posted by Mark under advertising, Advertising Tips, Business, Business management, Marketing, Media
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All the social media buzz generated rapid business adoption of social media as a way to engage customers and promote their business … to a point. But that point, according to emarketer.com arrived quickly, stalling at 24%.

If you are among the large majority of business who were skeptical of the value of social media you’ll find you have plenty of company. The article suggests social media may be more valuable for building brand loyalty than for acquiring customers.

 

July 28, 2010

Yeah, you have a website and it sits there like your telephone. Big deal.

Posted by Mark under Business, Business management, Marketing, Media
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With over 100 million websites competing for time and eyeballs, having a website doesn’t mean much. Most websites generate little traffic and fewer sales. You need one but unless you are prepared to put time and expertise into generating results you are not likely to be very satisfied with the outcome.

Frank O’Brien at imedia connection.com takes on the issues with his six reasons to rethink your website.

 

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