Carol Schroeder recently shared how local shops help our communities and their environment. I liked the excerpt below from her post:
”Returns are one example of something local shopkeepers do better than Amazon and other giant web retailers. The e-commerce return rate is estimated to be two to three times that of brick & mortar stores – averaging a shocking 20%-30%. According to The Guardian, a returns platform “recently calculated that only 50% of ...
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In this time of uncertainty, how can your store help customers? I recommend reviewing the strategies of two retailers. The Fisherman's Wife (in North Carolina) and Elizabeth Clair's (in Mississippi) are promoting pick up and curbside delivery. Buying online and picking up in store is referred to as "BOPIS."
Carol Schroeder, who owns a store in Wisconsin and uses Bridge for her gift registry service, shares her thoughts on "porch pirates"--thieves that steal packages delivered to your front porch.
Carol suggests that porch pirates can be used as leverage to encourage customers to 'buy online, pick up in-store.' When customers do this, they often buy more while in the store picking up the item.
I developed Bridge Network, an e-commerce platform, that is not included in this article. Here are some things I have learned over the last 20 years of e-commerce development:
1. The article’s ranking criteria includes themes and templates. I believe you don't need an assortment of templates to have a functioning (or successful) e-commerce site. Just look at ...
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July 2, 2019
July 2, 2019
Carol Shroeder, owner of a gift shop, a retail expert, and a Bridge member, shared this advice about inventory:
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Markdowns = Money “Don’t let inventory become family” is one of my favorite retail sayings. We all know the feeling of bringing in merchandise because we love it, hoping that just the right customer will come in who loves it too. It’s sometimes hard to accept the fact that it is costing the shop money to hold onto an item that isn’t selling.
Have plans next Monday morning? Make some time to hear retail expert Carol Schroeder speak at 10:30 am EST at NY NOW.
Details: Successful Selling in Today's Experience Economy Monday, August 13, 2018: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
The consumer trend towards preferring to spend money on experiences instead of things is not limited to just Millennials and Gen Z shoppers - so it’s important to think about how to market your store to these customers. Proving a delightful shopping experience is essential. And ...
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July 15, 2018
July 15, 2018
Happy to see Carol Schroeder as a speaker at this summer’s NY NOW. We’ve mentioned Carol’s book (in which we’re featured) many times. ...but this post comes with an asterisk. The retail industry is facing a huge cliff as Amazon bulldozes it. The NY NOW pamphlet doesn’t mention any amazon seminars. Amazon is the biggest threat to you and your business. Yet according to this slick marketing piece, stores should party like it’s 1999. It even suggests starting the day with mimosas. This show may ...
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June 4, 2018
June 4, 2018
Carol Schroeder shares this neat collaborative marketing program her community is doing: they're all accepting the same gift card. Cool idea!
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Carol's post: If you are looking for a new way to promote your town, shopping district or mall as a shopping destination, a shared gift card may be a good option. We’ve recently created one to help Monroe Street, the part of Madison, WI where our shop is located, survive a year of roadwork. And we sold an impressive $7,500 worth of cards...
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Continuing to enjoy Carol Schroeder’s book. Here she shares some additional services a store can offer.
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April 23, 2018
April 23, 2018
What happens if you store receives an order from a manufacturer and needs to send it back? Just ask Carol Schroeder. Her book Specialty Shop Retailing has a suggested form to handle these mess ups. You can even download the form on her website.
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February 19, 2018
February 19, 2018
Are you a local shop? Then these stats here from Carol Schroeder show why you’re important to your community.
$48 of every $100 stays in the community when you shop at an indie store. $14 of every $100 stays in the community when you shop at a chain store. Indie stores contribute: 3X MORE :)
For every $10 million in sales at a brick and mortar store, they employ 47 people. For every $10 million in sales at Amazon, it employs 19 people. Indie stores contribute: 2X MORE to local employment :)
Would you think that an award-winning indie store owner is also a poet and Danish translater? Well, that’s our friend Carol Schroeder. We’re reading her book Specialty Shop Retailing and we were happy to learn more about her on her references page. She’s a deep soul.
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February 16, 2018
February 16, 2018
A special thanks to Carol Schroeder for recommending Bridge in her latest book Specialty Shop Retailing. ............................
What should your business do in 2018? The first step: get this new book from indie store owner and author Carol Schroeder. In this 4th edition of this famous series, Carol tackles the Amazon topic, new ways to succeed in this era, and even offers downloadable forms.
Carol Schroeder, a shop owner that writes about retail, suggests in her weekly column that stores give up and let Amazon and other online entities eat their lunch. Upon reading this, I had to ask: "pardon me?"
Carol appears to be wearing a troglodyte's writer cap. Steer clear of her advice. Bridge encourages you to use the most efficient tools to get online, get found in Google, and sell.
Excerpt from Carol's column:
"...Most of us didn't go into retailing in order to handle faceless orders ...
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March 15, 2016
March 15, 2016
Carol Schroeder, a retail advisor and retail store owner, shares her tips for making customers feel special: .................
Your preferred customer program, POS or even just your intuition should make it possible to identify those individuals who mean the most to your business. It pays to give VIP treatment to these “regulars” whose loyalty is key to your success.
1) It seems like a simple thing, but greeting them by name is an easy way to make them feel ...
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December 28, 2015
December 28, 2015
Carol Schroeder, a retail shop owner and advocate, shares in her blog her ideas about inspiring RTB ("Reason to Believe") in a store.
Excerpt: Here are some concrete examples of Reasons to Believe for a retail store: We are locally owned. We have been in business __ years. We've been voted the best gift shop in town __ times. We have the largest selection of ___ in the area. Our staff is certified in ___. We provide _____service/warranty to back up our products. We are love _____ and look ...
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August 31, 2015
August 31, 2015
Brochure websites vs. E-commerce websites Squarespace & Wordpress vs. Bridge & Shopify
Carol Schroeder, a store owner who pens a nice blog about retail, reviews website design services in her post this week. Carol mostly covers 'brochure style' website design tools. Brochure sites are characterized by attractive pictures and often a lack of functionality. My hope here is to stress how different brochure websites are from online stores. It's also to share my view that brochure sites are good for ...
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July 7, 2015
July 7, 2015
Carol Schroeder, who writes about the retail industry, shares her thoughts about retail shops using Facebook as their primary site.
Carol doesn't touch on this topic, but I thought I may mention that I’ve read that Facebook tracks all the visitors to your site and your Facebook page, and then promotes ads to them. So for example, if you own a store that sells furniture, Facebook will show ads to your visitors for your competitors' ...
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