The Power of Retail

People are like stained-glass windows.
They sparkle and shine when the sun is out,
but when the darkness sets in,
their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.
-Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

The trouble with so many of us is that we underestimate the power of simplicity. We have a tendency it seems to over complicate our lives and forget what’s important and what’s not. We tend to mistake movement for achievement. We tend to focus on activities instead of results. And as the pace of life continues to race along in the outside world, we forget that we have the power to control our lives regardless of what’s going on outside.
-Robert Stuberg

Quotes from Quoteland.com

I’ve yet to find my specification of a stand where I can keep all my electronic items, such as printer/fax/scanner and a spot of storage space for all the extra ink cartridges, toner, printer paper as well as my reference books. I’ve been looking for a while but haven’t found something that will fit in my office as yet. Today, I came across a site called Rapid Supplies that specializes in discount office supplies. The site is organized by type of product and I found it really easy to navigate around and find a stand that looks pretty nice and will probably fit my office space. I’m hoping my search will end and I will have an organized and completed refurbished office.

Just read an insightful article by Tracy Mullin in National Retail Federation on the requirement of leaders in the retail field. I agree wholeheartedly with the author that retail as a profession is still not very highly regarded, especially since most college students worked part-time with some retailer or the other during college. The article got me thinking on my path in retail. I did my internship at a local retailer for which I was graded by a professor as well as my boss, so I took my work there rather seriously, but for most part-timing college students, it was just a job where one of the main advantages was the employee discount.

Our department in college was rather small, even though we we consistently ranked in the top 5 universities in the US for Apparel and Textile Marketing. The fact of the matter was that no one really took retail to be a great career choice then. Now, I am in a position that very few people are, having a specialized degree from a great university and work experience with some of the major names in the industry.

The boom in retail has lead to several institutions and companies scrambling to launch retail courses to provide staff for all levels of retail operations. I have received several really great offers, but so far have preferred to stick with my current company that gives me the flexibility as no retailer could ever do. I just hope that everyone getting into the field is genuinely interested in it for itself and not the huge salaries that are currently being offered, as retail is all about connecting with the consumers and the products.

I love getting this personalized for myself as well as for gifting. There’s really something special about getting a gift with your initials or a special date etched. To make a item really special, the best option is to customizing a gift so that it is completely unique and like no other. There are lots of companies that create customized and personalized items and AJ’s Jewelry is one online company that can create any design you create and turn into reality. The company specializes in custom jewelry for men and women, including items such as name plates, diamond rings, bracelets etc. With their focus on custom womens jewelry, it makes sense to go to the best, when you want to get something special for yourself.

Pier 1 had not been having too good of a year, until it got the results of its direct-to-consumer sales, which increased by 23.5%, compared to overall store sales that fell by 8.6% for the year. Pier 1 has been listed at #298 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, and saw its direct sales increase from $15.3 million in 2005 to $18.9 in 2006. The company’s e-commerce site gets an average of 5.7 million visits per month.

According to new research by Mintel European Retail Intelligence, the European market is worth Euro 81 million, with the bulk of the retail business in e-retail. The main focus of all e-retailers in Europe is to branch out into multi-channel retailing. The report also suggests that the British consumer is the most positive about home shopping than any other European consumer.

As a retail analyst, I’m constantly meeing lots of small retailers who want to find ways of getting their businesses noticed. Most of them are doing well in terms of sales as well as customer satisfaction, but they are not able to reach the next level of making a brand for themselves in the marketplace. That is where a small business web design and business marketing firm called Website Pros comes in.

With their expertise in the field of marketing and web design, they can build a web presence using a tool called Visibility Online for your company. It is essential not only to have a website today, but to promote and market yourself as well as your website as a brand. Unless a brand is created, your products and services can get lost in the maze of competing products and services. Visibility Online creates a package of web design, search engine optimization, online advertising and other marketing tools to enhance local business opportunities and build awareness of your brand.

Online advertising has grown by 35% to $16.9 billion in the year 2006, showing just how much companies, advertisers and marketers are taking to the Web as a place to sell products and build brands. According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s (IAB) report, total online sales were higher than their predicted $16.8 billion. The total online ad spending for 2005 was only $12.5 billion. According to Randall Rothenberg, president and CEO of IAB, the trend will continue as results achieved from online ad spending are effective ways of connecting to consumers.

Most of the money spent on Web advertising targets consumers, according to IAB. While most online ad dollars are paid to the top ten sellers, advertisers seem to be spreading the wealth a bit more to some less-traveled sites: The top ten sites grabbed 69 percent 2006 dollars, about 3 percent less than in 2005.

It is said that every third person in LA is an aspiring actor. While, that might be true, only the smartest ones register with the right companies such as Showbiz LTD, that can get an actor noticed and provide the right leads on modeling jobs, auditions and casting calls. Becoming an actor and getting that call is a lot harder than most people think it to be and unless you keep on persevering, you’re not going to get anywhere. Rejections are part and parcel of the acting world, along with strong critiques that can get extremely personal, so it is essential to get as much help as you can from those in the know, like Showbiz LTD. There is lots of information on their site about common scams, where people pay tons of money and end up with nothing at all. Showbiz themselves do not take any fees from any actors at all, which goes to show they are serious about their business and in it for the long run.

I use Google. I like it so much that even if I have a Yahoo page open after logging out of Yahoo mail, I still open a Google search page. I have compared the results several times and I always get better results with Google. According to Nieslen/NetRatings, both search engines combined account for over 77% of all US web searches, with Google accounting for 55.2% of a total of 3.8 billion searches in the US in April. Not only are they the largest search engine companies, they are growing at a much faster rate than other search providers.