Small, smart retailers can not only survive but flourish when they set themselves apart from the competition.

Here’s two ways to create “inexpensive miracles” to attract shoppers:

> Spend $40 to tie a big ribbon around your store.
> Put a pig in the window or a bull in your china shop. (Do whatever you can to create a stir!)

Peter Glen, author of It’s Not My Department, says “the retail business is routine, and can kill you one day at a time.”

He urges small retailers to sell merchandise at regular price, and focus on your unique ability to provide real customer service and keep a customer for life.

Offer customers a unique way to pay—with barter/trade dollars—for merchandise is another way to stand out from the masses.

Glen says department stores will eventually disappear…Americans will soon be buying groceries and other staples via the Internet while shopping in small boutiques for luxury items.

Small retailers must face the fact that people are spending less time shopping. A recent shopping center industry survey revealed that five years ago, Americans spent 142 hours a year shopping—last year it fell to about 40 hours.

“And last Christmas, people bought entertainment and adventure, not things that came in boxes,” said Glen.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 30th, 2007 at 12:37 am and is filed under Entrepreneurs & Small Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.