In retail, store signage could be considered our message-alert system. Think about it… day or night, open or closed, our store signage is our first “hello” to customers. Does your signage “alert” the potential customer that they need to pay attention, come inside and take a closer look or does it make them hit the mute button in their mind?

I was walking up to the door of a boutique home furnishings store at the same time that a couple was arriving. As the gentleman reached his arm around my left to open the door for me and his companion, he read aloud the sign on the door. “No Strollers. No food or drink in the store. No public restrooms. No soliciting.” He followed with “No sales!” so quickly one would have thought that it, too, was on the sign. The store owner followed all of the right rules of crafting a sign but still sent an inadvertent and potentially costly message to a potential customer. It didn’t matter that the paper was of high quality, that the text was in a nice font or that the sign was framed in a beautiful wood frame. The sign made that person feel unwelcomed to make a purchase in that store before he ever crossed the threshold. No matter how nice the product or staff or layout of the store inside, he had hit the mute button of his mind.

Seventy-four percent of all purchase decisions are made at the point of purchase. Seventy-four percent. What does that tell you about how critical point of purchase signage is? Point of purchase signage is the silent sales associate. The one who speaks to your customer about the benefits of the product, the story of its creators and why they need the item. If your store’s exterior signage is the message-alert system, then the point of purchase signage is the “message”. It’s what that tells your customer what action to take (purchase this product).

Messages are not only words and signs, though. Messages are the way that we communicate our brand promise to our customers. It’s the care that we put into packaging a purchase – making sure that the tissue is just so – before we tote the bag to the customer’s car. It’s the fingerprint-free (okay, handprint-free) door that says that we care that our product is of quality. Everything that we do in our stores tells our customer (both potential andloyal) about who we are as a store and in turn, these messages impact our bottom line.

The new economy has left today’s consumer feeling a bit famished for the shopping experience. With the closure of a number of retail outlets, the consumers are more attentive than ever. Bottom line? Consumers notice messaging missteps. In the past, a stumble meant that she told her immediate friends and family. Today, with her heightened media options, she’s instantly reporting her poor experiences at a record pace to throngs of social friends. It’s simply too risky.

We have to realize that our new consumer wants to shop but she won’t just spend her money anywhere. Those days are long gone. She wants to spend her money in a store that provides her an experience, where she feels like she belongs, with people that understand her needs and products that fit her lifestyle. At the end of the day, our goal is to create a group of loyal customers by creating a shopping experience. A customer who understand your brand conversation so well that they can (and do) repeat it to everyone that they know. The good news is that we Indie retailers have the unique ability to make swift changes in our business models and adapt to this new economy and the consumer it has created.

Melissa Haberstroh owns the Burlap Horse and Melissa Jeffrey Home in Boerne, Texas, with her husband Jeff. She also is a member of the AmericasMart Advisory Board.

This year we introduced bright colors to coordinate with existing patterns and colors. I am partial to blue and white. Blues are now popping up in so many shades; from deep indigo to a light French blue. We have also worked on a new white-white for Sunbrella^® that we are calling Salt. Especially popular is our pattern Trax.

All these furnishings are available at the Charles Ray Showroom in Building 1, 14-F-2.

Enjoy your summer and know that with Sunbrella^® you won’t have to worry about fading in the summer sunshine.

Also remember that the Living. Indoor/Outdoor. ^® The Gardens. ^® floors at AmericasMart are open everyday, offering a plethora of casual living options. Located in Building 2 WestWing, Floors 9 and 10.

(I was inspired to do this article after visiting my daughter’s store, RUBY,  where I noticed how many little items she had tied together with ribbon as a “set.”  There were several bracelets together, panty packs of two, three or five, a package of three tees, etc.  The pricing was even numbered like $10, $20, etc. and as a shopper I could realize how quick and easy this choice could be. It seemed especially effective for the Valentine shopping season in progress.  The more I thought about it, the more I felt the need to share “bundling up” for better profits with each of you!)

All of us enjoy a sweet deal, by just like icing on the cake, it can be overdone.  Bundling is a delicate blend of ingredients that:

*Sweetens the deal for your customers
* Increases your average sale
* Boosts your employees’ productivity
*Reduces your risks

If you are considering bundling, ask yourself these questions:

1) What are some of the challenges shoppers face in buying clothing
Some folks are color blind or have no fashion sense. They are in a hurry and forget to buy the related purchases they need. They long for help in making    decisions.  A bundle is already combined and ready – no choice.

2) What can I bundle together to make life easier for my customers?
Shoes and Handbags
Assorted Accessories that mix/match
Hosiery for the outfit
Socks for the shoes
Tees with Jeans
Tops w/suits
Slippers with robes
Panties with bras
7 panties (one for each day)
Basic tees set (red, black, white)
Lip gloss and mirror
Gloves & scarf
Anything that makes sense together or fills a need!

3) What benefits would buyers gain from bundles?
Customers would save time, whether shopping for themselves or a gift, they would find things easier. A bundle usually adds more versatility and functionality to a wardrobe by mixing and matching. Shoppers usually think a bundle is a better deal and they feel good about saving.

4) What benefit would the retailer gain from this?
Total sales should increase. Multiples units would be sold. Customers would appreciate the creativity and novelty of the combination.
Employee’s productivity should go up because they will generate more sales dollars per customer.

Look around, what goes together as the perfect bundle in your store?

Learn even more and be further inspired at TJ’s seminar at the Apparel Market on Saturday, April 2 at 10 a.m. She’ll get you excited about driving traffic through promotions and contests. More information on her seminar and full lineup of events can be found here.

More on bundling can be found in “Pricing for Profit” by Dale Furtwengler, available from www.amaconbooks.org.

In 2010, if you didn’t use social networks like Twitter and Facebook to market your store, network with your community and find ways to grow your business, then that’s ok. It’s ok because in 2011 you’re going to do things differently. You’re going to embrace social media and use it as a daily tool to help you grow, learn and succeed! (If you did use social media in 2010, leave a comment on how it helped your business; also assess what worked and what didn’t, then make a 2011 Plan of Social Media Action.)

To get started, here are 5 ways to use social media to ensure a successful show this January.

1. Pictures! If you don’t have a phone with a built in camera, make sure you bring your digital camera to the show because you’re going to want to make your customers so excited for your new products they can’t stand it! Take pictures of some new items or lines you bought at market. Post to your Facebook page and let your networks know that in a matter of days they could get their hands on those items. Posting pictures of the showrooms and people shopping at market is also a great way to let your customers in on your business, taking your relationship with them deeper.

2. Follow Vendors and Sales Agencies. The best way to stay up-to-date at market is to be monitoring your favorite vendors and sales agencies on Twitter and Facebook. You might even find show specials posted on their social media outlets. To find their accounts (if you don’t know them already) visit their websites, go to search.twitter.com and enter the company name or try Googling their name +Twitter.

3. Hashtags! You might not know what a hashtag is, so let me first explain.  Hashtags were developed as a means to create ”groupings” on Twitter. Through these you can tag a post with a keyword so it can be found or referred to later. You create a hashtag simply by prefixing a word with a hash symbol:  #hashtag. Here are a few examples:

via @AmericasMartATL: AmericasMart launches HD Home juried home furnishings/lifestyle collection: http://bit.ly/hFp0ty #atlmart

Via @AlexasAngles: “To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; credible we must be truthful.” #quote

Via @snapretail: Cute Displays for the #Holiday Season http://ht.ly/3ipaP #retail#marketing

4. Connect with other retailers. Running a successful retailer store can be hard. One way to learn what works is by talking to a retailer that has proven success. You can find these retailers online and set up a time to share a coffee, walk showrooms together or grab dinner after market. Continuing that conversation throughout the year will help you stay on track and feel the support of someone who knows exactly what you’re going through. A great way to find these retailers is by following the #atlmart hashtag. Another way is by sending out Facebook posts and Tweets that you’ll be attending the market and you’re looking at connecting with other retailers. Finally, go to AmericasMart Facebook page and see who they are talking to/who is posting on their page and reach out to them.

5. Attend a social media seminar at market. As you return to your store after the shows, you should be asking yourself: how will I market the products I just bought? It’s important to create a 2011 marketing plan and make sure social media is a part of that plan.

There are lots of good seminars at Market. I will be speaking on Thursday, Jan 13^th in the Social Media Track. Please consider spending an hour with me on: Top 10 Facebook and Twitter Strategies to Drive Sales.

For a complete list of seminars visit AmericasMart seminar page and SnapRetail’s seminar series page.

If you can embrace social media in 2011, you will find how beneficial it is for your store. Just make sure you know what you’re doing, how to use the sites, and create a plan of action first that way you can track your efforts. Wishing you a happy new year and a successful 2011!

And so, you may ask, why should anyone care? Actually, the decorative application of handmade rugs does matter. For one thing, they represent one third of the usable space and are the first element that catches your eye upon entering the room. Secondly, aside from furniture, they outlive any other furnishing in the home—including window treatments, wall paint and coverings, and upholstery. Their resilience to wear-and-tear and virtually all forms of human abuse is second to none in essence guaranteeing that they can not only move with you from house to house but also be passed down from one generation to the next. Hence they are the most-effective investment furnishing investment in the home. Last but not least, they are the greenest of floor coverings being produced with renewable organic materials such as cotton and wool, and free of from adhesives and petroleum-based products, present in most machinemade carpeting products that produce off-gassing. Still, despite these attributes, handmade rugs have been treated as the orphans of the decorative trade.

When editor of The Oriental Rug Magazine and later consulting editor on AREA Magazine, I sought to redress the image of handmade rugs as important elements in the décor with an ongoing article series featuring  the country’s most prestigious designers’ use of rugs in their work. I knew I was onto something when they all responded with unquestionable enthusiasm. “Finally! It’s about time to publish articles on how rugs are actually used in interior design!” they exclaimed. When helping my clients buy rugs, I always was a bit at a loss when trying to recommend books helping them identify rugs they would like to buy.  Most found rug books too intimidating. Some sent me photocopies of illustrations of rare collector’s items that they wanted in oversizes. Not surprisingly, they were frustrated when I told them these did not exist in the market only in the hands of a few collectors and museums. Other clients, desperate for a visual guide, created their own “look book” with ads and images of rugs in rooms torn out of magazines.

And so, buoyed by the encouragement of my clients and featured interior designers, I took on the project of The Decorative Carpet—Fine Handmade Rugs in Contemporary Interiors, a monumental but very rewarding task. I was lucky to find Monacelli Press/Random House who believed in the project. My 32 featured celebrity designers—including Samuel Botero, Clodagh, Jamie Drake, David Easton, and   Bunny Williams—were overwhelmingly as enthusiastic as I about giving decorative handmade rugs at long last their deserved place in the interior design world. Today, handmade decorative rugs are orphans no more.

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Learn more from Alix at her presentation on Friday, January 14 during Market at 2 p.m. Here she’ll discuss “The Decorative Carpet in Interior Design.” Plus, stay around and purchase a book for her to sign. Find her in Building 1, Floor 4, 4-G-7

Being that I have spent some serious time there both shopping for fun and shopping for work I have some tips for making the most out of your AmericasMart experience.

1. You MUST wear comfortable shoes. It is not an option, it is a necessity. You will walk forever and you need to be comfortable (or you could just buy cute flats somewhere in Building 3.)

2. Get a map/directory and hold on to it! If you are coming for the first time you might get disoriented but a campus map and the directory will get you where you need to go.

3. Bring business cards. As a designer this should be automatic, but it is the easiest way to hook up with showrooms. Give an associate your business card and ask them to send you whatever you need to set up an account/line list/etc. This way you don’t leave with 5,000 brochures, unless you’re into that.

4. It also doesn’t hurt to keep a copy of your Tax ID and Business License in your bag. I carry mine around and I pull it out more then you could imagine.

5. Bring a small notebook that can fit in your bag. You will need it.

6. Have your camera ready and charged. Of course always ask if you are allowed to take pictures, but I find that snapping a photo of what it is I like and then jotting down where it is from, is the best way to keep track of what I see. There are so many showrooms and options that if you like a piece, snap a photo, get the info, then send that photo to your showroom rep and chances are they can hook you up with the rest of the line.

7. Utilize the Coat Checks! You will have your hands full, you will have a bag, maybe a cart as well, they will get full and cumbersome. There are coat checks located in each building near the lobby or registration area, ditch your coat, it’s one less thing to struggle with.

8. Market Wednesdays are awesome. If you can’t make it to Market or if the idea of fighting ATL traffic downtown on a busy Market Week isn’t appealing, hit up Market Wednesday. They are typically every other month (check www.americasmart.com for exact dates) and most showrooms are open specifically on those dates. Sometimes showrooms are open every day, some are only open during Market, etc. But most vendors make and effort to be open for Market Wednesdays.

9. Coffee. If you need coffee like I need coffee (or water and sustenance in general) you can find it in every building! Specifically: Building 1, floors: 2, 4, 7, 10, 14, 15, 16, 19. Building 2, floors: 8, 10, 12. Building 3, floors: 1, 2, 5, 6.

10. Strategy: I like to work from the top down and walk the loop in each building. It helps to have an idea of where you want to go and what you are looking for in advance, that way you make the most of your time. If you aren’t up for chatting with vendors or showroom staff and just want to get through as much as possible, I like taking my directory and noting each showroom that looks appealing and then contacting them for information later. That way I can see as much as possible and still get the information I need when the time comes.

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If you don’t see Niki on the Home floors, you can find her at the “Blogging, Business and Bites” panel on Saturday, January 15. She, along with three other blogging peers, will give insider tips on how blogging can build your business. It all starts at 4 p.m. in Building 1, floor 14, 14-D-9.

Here is a sneak preview of what I’ll be sharing.

Keep It Simple

It really couldn’t be easier to create a blog for your business. It is much easier than creating and maintaining a website and can even be your business’ website if you don’t have a reason to keep a separate web presence. Using free blog hosting services such as WordPress and Blogger, it’s as simple as creating a free account, selecting from one of their excellent blog templates and filling in the blanks to customize the blog for your business. Then you do have to actually come up with what you want to blog about.

More about that at my upcoming seminar. Hint: It’s simple.

Keep Communicating

One of the original reasons I started a blog was because I didn’t want to send emails to customers too often at the risk of ending up in their SPAM folders or them just not reading emails because they were to frequent. I have always sent a monthly email newsletter to customer who subscribe and found that as business grew, there were times I wanted to communicate with customers more than monthly. Blogging was my answer. I post information on the blog that is worthy of sharing between newsletters and then direct customers to the blog for special updates, event info, sale and new product notifications. In this case, if customers want the information, they are free to review it, however, we are keeping our promise of only emailing them once per month.

Keep It Going

Blogging does take time. You may be lucky enough to have someone to delegate

blogging to, which would mean it won’t take as much of your time. I actually really enjoy blogging and using it as a platform to tell others about my business, therefore, I maintain our blog entirely on my own. Anything worth doing takes time and one of the biggest blogging mistakes you can make is to stop blogging once you’ve started. Make a commitment to your blog, just like you commit to your business. Make it something reasonable for you, not something an expert told you. If you can commit to blog once a week that’s great. If you can commit to once a month, that’s better than not at all.

Keep It Connected

Because I’m also an avid user of social media for my business, I use other social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter to promote our blog to existing and prospective customers. After I post on our blog, I always put a link to the new post on Facebook and Twitter. These avenues expose our blog to many more people than just those who choose to follow it. I also reference the blog in our monthly email newsletter. I’ve found that this makes creating the newsletter faster and easier. I typically cover some of the same information in the monthly email newsletter that’s recently been posted on the blog. I link directly from the newsletter articles to the blog to share more detailed information, making the newsletter more concise.

These are just a few of my “blogging for business” tips. I’ll be sharing much more at the upcoming panel discussion “The Power of Blogging” AmericasMart University: Building

Your Brand Course on Thursday, January 13, 2011 from 1- 2 p.m. in Building 1, Floor 10, Room 1001. I hope to have the opportunity to meet many of you there!

In spite of the fact that VERANDA began as a privately-held magazine competing against large publishing houses, it was successful. I believe this was due in large part to the fact that it chronicled this evolutionary process by showcasing the most inspired and forward-thinking interiors.

The products that go in our homes are the elements that create provocative design. Over the last ten years I worked at the magazine, I traveled the world to trade shows and events, tracking and observing the changes taking place in design.

I love the discovery process and it has inspired me to create my own business. With a web site I hope to launch in the spring called Style InSite.com. I intend to share these views on design products made for the home.

In this power point presentation for the January market, I take a look at six design currents. Color, use of materials and form are among the subjects of commentary that elucidate the influences and innovations prevalent in today’s market.

I am not a psychic, but there are clearly some predictors surfacing that may have a profound effect on products for the home. Join me for a look at THE EVOLVED SPACE: NEW DIRECTIONS IN DESIGN. January 15

First and foremost, while this article is being written, printed, and distributed Facebook has just gained enough users to make up a small country. There are more subscribers to Facebook than there are people in the United States. If Facebook were a country it would be the third largest country in the entire world just behind India and China. Therefore, your uno, number one choice for social marketing for retail stores and brands should be Facebook!

With over 500,000 users think of Facebook as the largest newspaper in the world that more than 50% of the subscribers actually login to read every single day. Yes! That’s exactly what happens people read what’s happening in the world by going to their Facebook “newsfeed” before they open their email! Facebook makes it easy for people to like and share all of their favorite things. When each subscriber has an average of 130 friends you can bet that those “things” that they like spread like wild fire!

So what’s the missing piece of the puzzle??? Many independent retailers dive into Facebook and other social media as if they’re the BIG BOX and BIG BRAND. Think about it! Does the world know your brand? Do they know of your store? OR do they know YOU!??? In many instances, many independent retailers fail to use their personal relationships in their social media campaigns.

How do you rewind??? Start by creating a personal page, expand your knowledge with the platform and then of course find some friends. You may be thinking there’s no place or space for you. Or that you prefer not getting caught up in the social web or that you’d just prefer a “place” to advertise your business. The last excuse is what I tend to hear most from retailers…they want a “place to advertise” their stores for free. Free is good, but it working to increase your bottom line is better.

Building your “personal” page and “personal” friendships on Facebook are more valuable than you think Remember: Each Facebook user has an average of 130 friends. Therefore, if you can find 100 friends that are in your community that already know you, like you, and may know of your store, then your chances of reaching the masses for FREE are greater!

After setting up your personal page, first and foremost….make the page personal! Fill in as much information as possible on your info tab. You can choose to hide specific information by going to account (top right hand corner) and then privacy settings. I recommend that you leave your information page visible to all, yet hide your posts and wall so that people have to ask you to be a friend in order to see your comments and posts. Be sure to add photos, comments, and positive personal comments that are well written. Post your favorite quotes so that your new friends know something about you.

Next, on the right hand column of Facebook Newsfeed, under Get Connected allow Facebook to find your contacts from your email service provider (ESP). If you haven’t imported your customer email list into your ESP, you’ll want to do so. With a couple of clicks, Facebook will begin to find ALL of your customers for you almost effortlessly. You’ll have hundreds of friends before you know it!

You maybe thinking…”I don’t care about having friends, Christi!” I want my business to benefit! On social media it’s most important for your to connect personally so that you can advertise your business secondly. Think of how your relationships with sales reps, if you have a relationship with a sales rep you’re more likely to buy from their manufacturer. The same is true for your customers.

In most cases, the BIG box stores have products that are like or could replace the products you have in your store. What is the major difference between “Jane’s Hallmark” and Target? RELATIONSHIPS! Target and Wal-Mart change employees faster than most of us change underwear! Independent retailers have the advantage of the relationships and customer service-make yours count

To learn more about marketing your retail store on social media including Facebook and Twitter, join Christi at AmericasMart University – Thursday, January 13 at 9 a.m. Location: Building 1, Floor 10, Room 1002

Have questions about Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, or other social media sites? Ask Christi on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/PuTTinOuT

Let’s face it, just operating your business takes a heck of a lot of your time.  Things like staying on top of trends, buying smart, training your employees,  and planning ahead requires the right information. Since the Business Fairy  doesn’t come into your bedroom while you sleep and magically input that  knowledge in your brain, it’s up to you to make time to learn.

Recognizing your, and your employees’, strengths and weaknesses is a great start. You personally have some retail strengths or you would not be in business. You hired your employees, hopefully, because you recognized some strengths in them. So, the most important question you must answer is: What are the weaknesses that are getting in the way of my company’s success?

Answering that question requires a serious reality check and some ego adjustment. Weaknesses can be found in all areas such as: sales ability, merchandising, hiring, training, business tools such as a POS system, or on-line marketing. Write down all of the specific weaknesses you can think of, and be specific. Then ask your employees to do the same (let them know this is not a test, you are asking for their honest input).

Now that you have the weaknesses list, the next step is do something about it.

There’s a ton of information out there to help you succeed. You can find it in bookstores, on line, in seminars and workshops, and in your fellow retailer’s brains. You just have to go and get it. That means making the commitment to learn and then acting on the knowledge you have gained.

What you do with your time on a daily, weekly and monthly basis dictates how successful you can be.

Speaking of time and learning, if you are coming to the January Market, be sure to carve out some time to attend the great retail seminars offered through AmericasMart University.

http://www.americasmart.com/markets/gift/amu-seminars

These free seminars are designed to help you stay in business, grow your business and, above all, make money.

Come join me, and the excellent group of presenters at the January Market.

Remember, time is money. It’s your time.

Never, never stop learning.

William Smith’s seminars at AmericasMart:

Friday, January 14, 2011- 1 pm “The Dreaded ‘S’ Word”

Sunday, January 16, 2011- 9 am “So Where’s My Profit”

Sunday, January 16, 2011- 10:30 am “When the Cat’s Away,  What are the Mice Doing?”