For Small Businesses: Payment Processing Must Be Easier

Posted on June 10, 2016 by bermanevansretail
For large retailers, handling multiple credit/debit card brands is pretty systematic due to their own sophisticated computer systems and the support from the major card issuers. The tasks are not as simple for small retailers.
As reported by PYMENTS.com:
“Running a small business is complicated. Small business owners, who play the role of CEO, CFO, and CMO, don’t just wear many hats – they may wear every hat – and managing the responsibilities of those roles while keeping a close eye on the bottom line can seem like an uphill battle.”
“The American Express U.S. Small Merchants Group, a unit within the company led by Tyler Vaughey, has started to revamp its offering to small merchants in order to help simplify their lives as business owners. ‘We provide our card-accepting merchants with much more than just the means of accepting payment from American Express Card Members. We are constantly fine-tuning that offering so that we can help small business owners focus on running their business and spend less time thinking about their payments platform.’”­­­­
“In looking at how they could positively improve the lives of small business owners, Vaughey and his team focused on two core areas when upgrading their policies: time and money. That focus has brought on the unveiling of upgrades that help small merchants manage cash flow and make it easier and more efficient to accept American Express.”

 

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Posted in Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information, Part 5: Managing a Retail Business, Part 6: Merchandise Management and Pricing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why Don’t Some Store-Based Retailers Get It?

Posted on June 9, 2016 by bermanevansretail
Target had a lot of problems a couple of years ago, with hackers get into the accounts of millions of shoppers. It received a lot of negative press; and for a while, Target was distrusted by some of its customers. Since then, Target has enhanced its security measures, beefed up its Web site, and freshened up its merchandise selection.
Target did seem to grasp the basis of omnichannel retailing from the consumers’ perspective: merchandise available anywhere and any time. That’s why one recent decision seems to be counterproductive. Was the following customer service option a failure or did Target fail to market it properly and have a lack of commitment? It never made it out of testing.
As noted earlier this month by BI Intelligence:
“Target is officially shutting down its curbside pickup program after running a pilot program, reports Consumerist. The test run launched in October 2014 in a partnership with Curbside in six metropolitan areas across the United States. Curbside is a third-party startup that partners with retailers to provide pickup at select locations.”
“The service lets shoppers place orders online, and a Curbside employee will have the order ready for pickup in front of the store and load it into the shopper’s car for them. Target’s program will officially shut down on June 15. Customers will still be able to pick up items they order online at their local Target store, but will no longer be able to retrieve them without leaving their car.”
“This news comes at a time when curbside pickup is growing in popularity among other retailers, including Target competitors. In April, Walmart announced the expansion of its curbside grocery pickup service to a number of new cities in the United States.
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Thomson Reuters photo.


 

Posted in Online Retailing, Part 1: Overview/Planning, Part 2: Ownership, Strategy Mix, Online, Nontraditional, Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information, Part 5: Managing a Retail Business, Part 6: Merchandise Management and Pricing, Part 7: Communicating with the Customer | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Part Three. Words of Wisdom to Be Happier

Posted on June 8, 2016 by bermanevansretail
To round out our three-part series on being happier, we offer the wisdom of Poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nobel Peace Prize Winner Nelson Mandela, Holocaust Victim Anne Frank, and Former U.S. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The wisdom expressed below is part of the UN’s Annual Day of Happiness.
To access our first two parts on happiness, click these links: “Part One. Happiness in Life: An Infographic“ and “Part Two: Happiness at Work: An Infographic”. 
 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Part 5: Managing a Retail Business, Social Media and Retailing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment