Top 2012 Global Franchising Companies

Posted on July 23, 2012 by bermanevansretail
Each year, Franchise Direct compiles a list of the top 100 franchising companies around the world.
Click the icon to access the most recent report.

Posted in Global Retailing, Part 2: Ownership, Strategy Mix, Online, Nontraditional | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Art of Social Gifting

Posted on July 22, 2012 by bermanevansretail
Some retailers are quite innovative in the tactics that they utilize to generate shopper enthusiasm through social media. One emerging tactic is known as social gifting.
For example, as reported by Chain Store Age: “Brooklyn, N.Y.-based apparel retailer Brooklyn Industries, which has 12 stores in New York, one in Chicago, and another in Portland, Ore., as well as an E-commerce site, is among the list of merchants embracing social gifting. In April 2012, it partnered with Swedish-based social gifting app Wrapp, which allows users to send free virtual gift certificates to friends on Facebook. Yes, free. But there’s a catch: A friend has to meet the brand’s target demographic criteria. The gift certificates — which are usually valued at $5 to $10 — can be posted on a friend’s Facebook wall or Timeline, along with a personal message such as ‘Happy Birthday!’ (Users can add more money to the card to increase its value). To do so, the Wrapp app must be downloaded to an Android or iOS device.”
Click the photo for the full Chain Store Age story.

Posted in Part 7: Communicating with the Customer, Social Media and Retailing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Should You Pursue the Entrepreneurial Or Corporate Path?

Posted on July 22, 2012 by bermanevansretail
BestFranchise.org provides a lot of useful information at its Web site.
For a person who is trying to determine whether or not he/she should pursue an entreprenurial or cororporate career ladder, BestFranchise.org has a free 32-item quiz: “If in these questions, you answer yes to at least 50 percent of the choices, you probably have what it takes to own your own business or be a consultant. That is IF, and ONLY if you are willing to grow and seek help for the areas that need improvement.”
Click here to take the quiz. Then, click the image below to access a collection of free planning templates.
 
Posted in Career Useful Information, Careers in Retailing, Part 1: Overview/Planning, Part 2: Ownership, Strategy Mix, Online, Nontraditional | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment