Let it snow, but don’t let a frozen marketing budget derail 2025 goals

Let it snow, but don’t let a frozen marketing budget derail 2025 goals

6 ways to optimize marketing ROI during economic uncertainty Depending on whom one asks, anywhere from 30 to 35 percent of North American firms plan to increase marketing budgets for 2025 – apparently the lowest number to do so of any region in the world. Why the...
Beat ‘em and join ‘em: Online retail needn’t be the enemy of brick-and-mortar

Beat ‘em and join ‘em: Online retail needn’t be the enemy of brick-and-mortar

The following is the final article in a 3-part series called “Attention Shoppers… The Competitive Strategy Approach to Addressing the Elephant in the Room of the Retail Crisis: The Customer Experience” One of the greatest retail debates of the last decade is over the...
Is Self-Checkout a Self-Imposed Hardship on Retail and Grocery? 8 Ways to make self-checkout a net-positive for staff and customers

Is Self-Checkout a Self-Imposed Hardship on Retail and Grocery? 8 Ways to make self-checkout a net-positive for staff and customers

The following is the first article in a 3-part series called “Attention Shoppers… The Competitive Strategy Approach to Addressing the Elephant in the Room of the Retail Crisis: The Customer Experience” The news about retail challenges is getting hard to ignore. This...
Re-post: Lowe’s has an answer for Target and Walmart’s theft problems

Re-post: Lowe’s has an answer for Target and Walmart’s theft problems

We’ve written about the decline of service in retail generally. In the home improvement sector retailers and customers are thinking similarly to resolve a problem that seemed like a good idea at the time. We note with interest in particular the Lowe’s CEO...
Your line in the sand: Drawing (and owning) your territory enhances competitive advantage

Your line in the sand: Drawing (and owning) your territory enhances competitive advantage

Without a doubt, a retail or other customer-facing enterprise can pin a significant portion of its success to location. Whether a grocery store, bank branch or family medical practice, WHERE one is situated is a major factor in business success. Once location is...
“D cubed” is the equation to yield continuous improvement in account generation and banking relationships

“D cubed” is the equation to yield continuous improvement in account generation and banking relationships

It may not be the most glamours activity in the banking world, but for community banks to effectively compete against larger counterparts, some rote processes must be involved.  The following 3 steps of a continuous improvement sales process, though, may yield...