Retail Display Benefits - Sell More With Retail Fixtures

Retail display solutions can substantially increase your product sales. According to latest research reported by POPAI (Point of Purchase Agency International) most of the consumers are making their purchase decisions at the point of purchase. They estimate that over 60% of total purchase is attributed to retail displays as the major promotional eleMent in store.

Retail Display Benefits - Sell More With Retail Fixtures

Retail Display Benefits - Sell More With Retail Fixtures

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Retail Display Benefits - Sell More With Retail Fixtures

Retail Display Benefits - Sell More With Retail Fixtures

Today shoppers are overloaded with lots different product information and advertiseMents. In order to convert high margin sales retailers need to find effective solutions to make their brand get noticed from the mass. And it is more important then ever to know how to compete for consumer attention in retail markets.

Retail displays are merchandising fixtures that holds inventory or present featured products. Retail display racks are excellent for attracting customer's attention in a competitive retail store floor.

Retail displays provide following benefits when properly designed and deployed:

1. Increase Your Profits. A sophisticated retail display will increase the perceived value of your products and draw prospective customers to merchandise. Our testing reveals that in many categories shoppers will pay up to 50% more for products displayed on well-designed retail fixtures. It is even expected by consumers that brand products are displayed exclusively to demonstrate value.

2. Attention is everything. An eye-catching retail display increases sales by garnering the attention of customers and enticing them to physically engage with store products. You cannot convert sales if your product can't compete against the mass and get noticed.

3. Location, location, location. Intelligent positioning of your retail displays can guide customers through your store to the high margin product areas. Not only must you present the products at the right place in the store, but a branded retail display ensure your real estate is secured.

4. Elevate Your Brand. Elegant custom retail displays will highlight a few main features of the product and effectively market brand name. With informative banners and signs you have the chance to not only get the shoppers attention, but also communicate your featured message about your product or company to consumers.

5. Promote new products and services. Innovative retail fixtures provide a platform to launch new products and services to prospective customers.

Which kind of retail display will best make your products sell will depend on your product's features, your program and goals. Find some custom retail display design inspiration on the web or magazines.

Contact manufacturers and designers with proven industry experience and a credible track record. Discuss with experts about your favorite design to get your ideal custom retail display produced.

Retail Display Benefits - Sell More With Retail Fixtures

Retail Jewelry Lighting Techniques That Stand Out

Do you own a retail jewelry store or a store that has a fAirly sizable jewelry departMent? If so, selling as many pieces as possible is integral to your bottom line, right? Retail owners perform all manner of tasks in order to increase jewelry sales, but few really seem to consider the amount of benefits that could be gained from a simple change in lighting. Today, we will look at various retail jewelry lighting techniques that might be able to help boost your bottom line and to improve the customer experience, all while helping you conserve energy and money.

Retail Jewelry Lighting Techniques That Stand Out

Retail Jewelry Lighting Techniques That Stand Out

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Retail Jewelry Lighting Techniques That Stand Out

Retail Jewelry Lighting Techniques That Stand Out

Technique # 1-Low-Profile Lights

Do your display areas offer very little space within which to work? If so, low-profile lights may be the best possible option. The use ofthese lights is one of the most popular retail jewelry lighting techniques because it allows you to get the most possible light into the least amount of space. Low profile LED light fixtures offer you superior lighting quality and an even, natural look without taking up too much space or becoming cumbersome. It can really be a great fit in smaller spaces.

Technique # 2-LED Light Strips

LED light strips are one of the best retail jewelry lighting techniques if you have a display that is frequently changing or if your display case has a unique shape. There are a couple of reasons for this. For starters, the strips can be easily moved and removed to offer a different look, pattern or shape according to your needs. Because LED light stripsare flexible, they can be easily tailored to line or highlight any display case and can even be cut or attached together to create the perfect size.

Technique # 3-Under Cabinet Lighting

Under cabinet lighting is another of the more common and effective retail jewelry lighting techniques. You will find that this option makes it possible for you to easily showcase all of your pieces or to put special illumination on the most prized piece in your collection. Under cabinet lighting is versatile and adjustable, and you will find that almost all LED lights can be easily outfitted with dimmer switches to help make them even more highly functional.

Retail Jewelry Lighting Techniques That Stand Out

Boutique Design Layout Ideas

Figuring out how to layout your boutique can be a challenge. If you are a new boutique owner, chances are that you have plenty of ideas about how you want your store to look. Now, fitting your ideas into the space that you end up with, could be another story. You also want your boutique to have an "effective" layout, enticing customers to make purchases. We've compiled these tips and ideas from professional retail designers to help you figure out how to make the most of your space, create an effective selling environMent, and keep things in line with your vision.

Boutique Design Layout Ideas

Boutique Design Layout Ideas

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Boutique Design Layout Ideas

Boutique Design Layout Ideas Boutique Design Layout Ideas

Proper Lighting For a Jewelry Store

Proper lighting store can attract more customers to any establishMent, help sell more product, and strengthen a store's image. Many designers argue that the most important eleMent of a store's design may be its lighting. Unfortunately, lighting is often the most neglected component of store design.

Proper Lighting For a Jewelry Store

Proper Lighting For a Jewelry Store

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Proper Lighting For a Jewelry Store

Proper Lighting For a Jewelry Store

When choosing the lighting for any store or display cases, here are a few ideas to keep in mind.

Ceiling Height: The height of a store's ceiling is one of the most important factors that goes into a plan for lighting in jewelry store in such a way that the merchandise looks spectacular. As the source of light moves farther away from the merchandise the power and intensity of the light diminishes. Stores with higher ceilings (9 ') face somechallenges with lighting. Stores with ceiling that are taller either have to use more lights that are spaced closer together to illuminate a showcase or bring the light source closer by dropping down a track or using a pendant.

Color: The color of light is measure in kelvins (temperature). The higher The temperature (Kelvin) reading the cooler the color of light and the lower the temperature the warmer the color. For example a light that is 3000K would be a warmer color and a light that is 4000K would be a cooler light. As the temperature of light gets too high (over 4200K) the color of the light begins to take on a blue quality. Lights that are in the 5500K to 6500K will look "blue" to the eye.

Bulb Life/Quality: How long a bulb is expected to last is based uponits "rated life". The better bulbs have a rated life in excess of 10.000 hours. The quality of a bulb can also be measured by its CRI (Color Rendition Index). The higher The CRI of a bulb the better the quality of the light that it projects will be. CRI numbers over 80 signify a very high quality of light. CRI numbers over 90 signify an exemplary quality of light.

Power of Light: The power of a bulb is measured in lumens. The amount of light that is generated is measured in Lux or, more commonly, in foot-candles ("fc"). The higher The lumens, the higher the amount of foot-candles that will be generated by the bulb.

Different Light Sources: There are three main sources of light that are used in Jewelry stores. They are (1) Ceramic Metal Halide (2) Halogen(3) Fluorescent. LED technology is being used more and more but is still far behind the main three. The best source of lighting for jewelry is still Ceramic Metal Halide. This is due to its qualities. They are energy efficient, powerful (lumens over 6000), as in warm and cool colors (3000K to 4200K) has excellent CRI (over 80 and in most cases over 90 CRI) and can provide foot-candles that can exceed 400. Halogens are hot, have lower CRI 's, do not maintain their color over the life of the bulb and are about a quarter to a third of power of a ceramic metal halide. Fluorescents are energy efficient but do not project enough power to be useful in a jewelry store when it comes to illuminating merchandise.

LED's are the "buzz" but they have limitations and problems. LEDtechnology is constantly changing. An LED fixture you buy today is (as in the case of a personal Computer) will be outdated within a year. Keeping a consistent color of the LEDS over time can be problematic due to the changes in LED technology. LED's can make jewelry look great inside of the showcase but are not powerful enough to be placed over the case where the sale is actually made. Due to this limitation, a different source of light is required above the showcase such as ceramic metal halide or halogen. This is where the problems occur. What happens is that there are two different sources of light each making a piece of jewelry look different. As an example ... a customer see's a piece of jewelry inside of a showcase being lit by an LED strip. They askto have the salesperson take it out for them to see it. It is taken out and is now over the glass being illuminated by a DIFFERENT light source which makes the piece look different. The customer begins to wonder if the lighting inside the case is there to "trick" them into thinking the jewelry looks good. As sales are finalized on the "glass" having a light source that makes the jewelry look the same inside the houses as it does above the case is crucial to closing a sale.

TIPS:

(1) Most designers who understand the proper way to light a jewelry store will tell you that you light "for diamonds" and the rest of your merchandise will survive do just fine AND that if you light for gold your diamonds will die. Diamonds require a bright white light thatprovides enough power to make them sparkle. Diamonds should be shown under lights that are in the 4000-4200K range. This provides a beautiful white color that stops short of taking on blue color qualities. Gold colored stones, and warmer look the best under warmer colored lights 3000K to 3500K. However, if a store is going to use a single color of light throughout its showcases then the adage of "lighting for diamonds" is the way to proceed.

(2) Make certain that lighting is powerful enough to produce a minimum of 200fc. Having light that is less than 200fc is universally agreed to be lower than the minimum amount of light to properly light jewelry, especially diamonds. Readings of between 200 and 400fc is the optimum amount of power over to showcase light depending on thestore owner's personal preference as to the amount of light that they think looks best.

(3) Have ambient or general lighting be warmer and less powerful than the lighting over the showcases. The human eye is attracted to brighter light. If the general lighting in a store is the same color and power as that of the showcases then there will be nothing to attract the customers to the showcases and the store will have a cold non-inviting feel to it. By having the general (ambient) lighting less powerful (about 75fc) and of a warmer color (between 2500 and 300 k) the lighting over the merchandise will stand out and attract the customer to the cases.

(4) When lighting a window display that has natural sunlight shining into it use twice the amount of light that would becommonly used over a showcase in order to combat the power of the sun.

When upgrading lighting the trend is commonly a change from Halogen technology. Customers who are using Halogen and who switch to ceramic metal halide will notice an immediate difference in the quality and power of the light, the decrease in heat and the remarkable change that it makes to their merchandise.

Things to consider when choosing the type of lighting:

Track: This provides the most versatility as fixtures can be moved and repositioned with ease. If merchandise is moved from case to case or showcases are moved track lighting provides the store owner with the most options.

Recessed: This provides the sleekest look. The limitations are that the store owner willbe limited in their ability to add or decrease light as well as limitations with moving merchandise and showcases around inside of the store. Once a recessed light is installed the cost to add or take away lighting becomes a large expense as electricians are required to remove/move lighting as well as the issues involved with repAiring the holes in the ceiling where the recessed fixture was installed.

Pendants: Pendants are a great way to bring a light source closer to the showcases where the ceilings are high and the store owners do not want to spend the money required to add additional lights to compensate for high ceilings.

Proper Lighting For a Jewelry Store

Lighting at the end of the Craft Trade Show Booth-Options for the Budget-Conscious Artist

Good lighting is a main ingredient of a successful trade-show booth. Just the right lighting system can help an artist create the atmosPh Meter. Total: $ 60.00

Lighting at the end of the Craft Trade Show Booth-Options for the Budget-Conscious Artist

Lighting at the end of the Craft Trade Show Booth-Options for the Budget-Conscious Artist

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Lighting at the end of the Craft Trade Show Booth-Options for the Budget-Conscious Artist

Lighting at the end of the Craft Trade Show Booth-Options for the Budget-Conscious Artist

· 2 Straight Connectors by Thumbnails, Item # 120716 Portfolio, for joining two of the track sections end to end. The idea is to have only one cord to Plug in from a rowof four lights. Total: $ 5.92.

· 2 Cord and Plug Sets, Portfolio brand, Item # 120827, to power track from a standard AC wall outlet. I connected these to the end of the two sections of the track by unscrewing the covering on one side of the track. Total: $ 17.06

· Various multi-purpose Ties (cable ties), by Catamount, for attaching tracks to booth pipes. Total: $ 5.00

· 2 heavy-duty extension cord/power strips-14, 15-feet gauge, with three outlets each, Woods brand, from Lowe 's, Item # 170224, 82965 model. Total: $ 22.00

Grand total: $ 213.86

The Gimbal lights I chose to only accept 50-watt PAR 20 bulb, which made it easy to pick out the bulbs. So in this case, the fixture drove the choice of bulb, not the other wayaround.

According to the Bulb Ph Meter 5 when it reaches 10 feet away. It offers about 12 foot-candles worth of light at 10 feet away from the bulb (a foot candle is the level of illumination on a surface one foot away from a standard candle.)

For the sake of comparison, PAR 30 beam offers a diaMeter of more than 10 feet away at 8, and you still get about 14 foot-candles at that distance. What happens if you notch it up to a 75-watt bulb? You get a lot more foot-candles (38) at 10 feet away. This suggests that larger trade-show booths might want to take advantage of higher and higher watt bulbs PAR.

All together, the track lightingsystem I chose uses 400 watts of electricity. This left me another 100 watts to add specialty or accent lighting to my booth, while still remaining at the 500-watt limit.

Cords, Plugs and Hanging Lights

The Las Vegas Convention Center has very strict rules for cords, plugs, and hanging lights.

The two-pronged, 18-gauge cords that the manufacturer has attached to your lights are acceptable (leave the UL tags and labels intact). These lighting cords cannot be plugged into the convention center outlet, however. Instead, you must plug them into a three-pronged, heavy duty, 14 gauge extension cord-or a breaker strip with a 14-gauge cord. You can then plug that 14 gauge extension cord-into the convention center outlet.

A 14-gauge extension cord is capableof handling 1.825 watts. It's helpful to read the brief extension cord sizing and safety-information on the web pages of the Underwriters Laboratories (www.ul.com/consumers/cords.html) and the University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service ([http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/FY800]) before purchasing a cord.

Bruce Baker suggests the cord be 20 feet with six outlets, and that it include a cord reel. I couldn t find this type of cord at Lowe 's, so I decided on two 15-foot, heavy-duty, 14-gauge extension cord/power strips, each offering three outlets. If you have a larger booth, you can find a 25-foot cord with three outlets at Lowe 's.

There are so many different approaches to hanging lights, and so many variables to consider, that it could be a topic for anotherarticle. In general, you can hang or clip lights onto a cross bar or onto the hard walls of your display if you have them. Depending on the rules of a particular trade show and the size your lighting system, you may be permitted to attach the lights to the booth's existing pipe and drape.

Since my booth design does not include my own walls, my lights will attach either to the existing pipe or to a cross bar. Cable ties (commonly called zip ties) appear to be tool of choice for attaching tracks to the pipes or bars, and even for attaching additional cross bars to existing pipe and drape. One artist I know uses Velcro strips, followed by cable ties to secure the attachMents. There are a few enTire websites for cable ties. One of them ishttp://www.cabletiesplus.com.

The multi-purpose Ties purchased from Home Depot. They can bundle 4 inches in diaMeter, withstand temperatures up to 185 degrees Fahrenheit, and hold up to 50 lbs.

Accent Lighting: LEDs

There are many ideas for accent lighting, although a fAir treatMent of the topic is beyond the scope of this article. Light-emitting diode (LED) lighting is one technology that is experiencing breakthroughs and growing Fast. It takes many LEDs to equal the light output of a 50-watt bulb, and LEDs are fAirly expensive, so LEDs aren t ready for prime time when it comes to lighting a whole booth.

There are several close-up applications for LEDs, however, that are worth looking into now. An example is the in-counter light bars sold by MKDigital Direct at http://www.mkdigitaldirect.com (at a whopping $ 175 per foot). The more affordable MK Sparkle Light Pocket ($ 30) is a portable device that has extra long-life of over 100.000 continuous hours and promises to give jewelry maximum sparkle and scintillation.

The Nexus mini LED light system (www.ccl-light.com), meanwhile, offers a lot of illumination for its size to puck shape not much bigger than a quarter. The company says it is for direct display lighting of crystal and glass, and it can even be submerged in water. The light is attached to a cable that ends in 12 to plug, and has mode switch with seven different color choices. Unfortunately, white is not one of the color choices, and at $ 25 it's a bitexpensive. Still, a few of these lights combined with room lighting could draw viewers into your booth and toward your most dramatic displays.

LEDS also include tube lights, flexible, linear lights, lights and bulbs. Superbright LEDs (www.superbrightleds.com/edison.html) has a collection of 120-volt screw-in LED bulbs for accent and other low-lighting applications, as well as a host of other fascinating products such as plant up-light fixtures.

At this writing, the search was still on for accent lighting to give my booth an extra special glow. Stay tuned for a future article on the results.

Online Resources

The following list is not an endorseMent, but rather a starting point for research on lighting systems, cable ties, and accentlighting.

http://www.ccl-light.com-inexpensive and many choices, has Bulb Photometrics page to help determine how much light and what kind you want from a bulb

http://www.direct-lighting.com-stem-mounted and track lights

http://www.usalight.com-large selection of lighting and bulbs

http://www.bulbs.com – quick visual comparison of PAR bulbs (halogen section)

http://www.cabletiesplus.com-Cable (zip) ties for securing track lights to pipe

http://www.mkdigitaldirect.com-LED lights for jewelry cases

http://www.american-image.com/products/lights/lights.html-a nice selection and visual layout of stem-mounted and other lighting (but not cheap)

http://www.brightmandesign.com/products/wash-super.html-goodtechnical information and images of lights set-ups for trade shows; several stem-mounted clip-on designs

http://www.superbrightleds.com-LED accent lighting, including screw-in bulbs and light bars

Lighting at the end of the Craft Trade Show Booth-Options for the Budget-Conscious Artist

How To Open A Boutique-Tips On Opening A Boutique

Here are the top 11 tips on opening a boutique.

How To Open A Boutique-Tips On Opening A Boutique

How To Open A Boutique-Tips On Opening A Boutique

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How To Open A Boutique-Tips On Opening A Boutique

How To Open A Boutique-Tips On Opening A Boutique

or Name your boutique suitable to what you sell. Opening a boutique with an attractive name surely attracts customers.

or Apply for small business license and other legal permits well in advance. This is crucial for getting power turned on when you start operating. Certain merchandisers also insist on legal permits. By opening a boutique with legal permits you would be able to buy your merchandise from suppliers who offer quality products at a low cost.

or Do a budgeting at the early sTAGe itself. Estimate the startup cost and identify your financial resources well in advance. This will save you from financial pitfalls. Clearly know about the expenses and the resources from where the money would come from. If you try youcan even find some investors to finance your boutique. You can even join hands with another partner who is interested in doing business together with you. Before opening a boutique comprehensive financial planning and budgeting. This is the key to a successful start and a smooth running thereafter.

or Select a location where the foot traffic is more. You can even find a shop in a mall. When negotiating for lease, do not forget the duration.

or Fix your target market and cater to them. Before opening your boutique, decide whether you want to sell woMen's wear, Men's apparel, kids wear or teenage stuff. Select a specialty Clothes range and plan to sell them. Select from sports wear, formal wear, casual wear, etc.

or Decide on the colors and sizes you intend to sell in your Clothingstore.

or Do not consider just one merchandiser. After analyzing a few suppliers and studying their terms "settle for the best deal. You can buy your merchandise from more than one supplier if it is cost effective.

or Buy just the right amount of stock. This can be done by having an idea about market analysis and estimated sales.

or Decorate the interior of your boutique attractively. Attractive shops will undoubtedly impress your customers. Be creative to design your window displays. Even just an onlooker should be tempted to step in your boutique. Opening a fashion boutique with an unimpressive and unattractive interior is a crime!

or Hire talented staffs. Your employees are the ones through which you communicate with your customers. So when opening a boutique, besure to employ warm and friendly staff. Take a look at the past records of the employees and decide accordingly. You may also give some initial training to your staff to make them accommodate for your unique business. Also the staff should have knowledge about the fashion trends and have sense of style. They should be able to assist the customers on their selection of Clothes.

or Grand opening is a must for a fashion boutique. Make an impressive and attractive start by spending freely on advertising. As far As your budget allows, you should give importance to initial advertising. Give creatively phrased advertiseMent of considerable size in local newspapers and magazines. This is how you would get to be known in the neighborhood.

How To Open A Boutique-Tips On Opening A Boutique

Types of Store Fixtures

Store fixtures are used for visual merchandising and display. Different types of store fixtures are fixtures, slatwall gridwall fixtures, Clothing store fixtures, hangers, display cases, shopping bags, jewelry displays, gondola shelves and mannequins. Store fixtures offer maximum exposure to products.

Types of Store Fixtures

Types of Store Fixtures

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Types of Store Fixtures

Types of Store Fixtures

There are different sizes and colors of slatwall store fixtures. Slatwall is also referred to as slatboard, slotwall or grooved board. Slatwall can be used to display Clothes, accessories, equipMent and jewelry. The different types of slatwall store fixtures are panels, hooks, faceouts, fixtures, floor wire displays, wire baskets, wire shelves, cornerforms, brochure holders, acrylic displays. Hangers are another type of store fixtures used to display Clothing. Different types of hangers are wooden hangers, metal hangers and plastic hangers.

Display homes provides security to the retailer. There are economy style and aluminum frame style display cases. This includes full vision, half vision, open cases, jewelry and register stands. Other type of display cases are special tower, countertop, oak pedestal cases, cases, and custom portable fixtures. Different types of store fixtures are used for jewelry displays. This includes store fixtures for necklace, bracelet, ring display, chain and jewelry Watch. Differentmaterials used in jewelry store fixtures are acrylic, metal and wood and velvet.

Other types of store fixtures are gridwall panel and gridwall hooks. They can be used on the wall or floor in any store. Grid wall panels can be customized. Gridwall store fixtures includes wire shelves, shelf brackets, grid, grid, exhibit sign holders, connectors and floor fixtures. Shopping bags are another type of store fixtures. Different types of white craft shopping bags are bags, bags, tinted natural craft, shopping baskets and Christmas bags.

Types of Store Fixtures

Make Your Craft Show Display Stand Out From The Crowd

If you have decided to try your hand at setting up at craft shows, festivals, or flea markets, then you'll need to have the right craft show display to make your wares stand apart from the rest. This is especially important if you are selling something like jewelry or any other staple craft show item. Having a great craft show display can make a big difference between having someone walk right by you or stop for a look and hopefully to salt. Here are some great ways to create an eye-catching craft show display.

Make Your Craft Show Display Stand Out From The Crowd

Make Your Craft Show Display Stand Out From The Crowd

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Make Your Craft Show Display Stand Out From The Crowd

Make Your Craft Show Display Stand Out From The Crowd

Craft Show Display Basics

When you first get started you will have to purchase the right equipMent and this can be a bit of an investMent, but if you think you will continue doing shows then you'll need thefollowing:

or Canopy or tent-The proper canopy or tent will protect your goods from rain and sun. Delicate crafts made from fabric, paper or handmade Clothing can become damaged from just a few hours of direct sunlight.

or Tables-Most craft show displays require at least table or two for their set up. Buy the lightest, easiest thing to carry around. You can find many aluminum models that fold up with ease and can be tucked away in almost any vehicle. Don't forget a small chAir for yourself.

or Weights-Make sure you carry Weights, large water bottles that can be filled, or small sand bags. You will need to tether these to your tables or tent with bungee cords in case of a windy day.

or Display cases-No matter what you are selling you can findthe right craft show display case for your items. Look at retails suppliers or ask other vendors. A thrift store can give you some great items on the cheap.

or Quality fabric-Cover your tables with bright fabric. Take your time to come up with a great color scheme for your craft show display. Work your tent, table covers, and products into a harmonious craft show display.

Beyond The Basics

Once you have the basic equipMent that you'll need for your craft show display then you'll need a few creative ideas to get people into your booth.

or The set up-Make sure that your tables are positioned in a way that is easy for customers to see. Keep your tables near the front of the tent so people can walk by casually. Don ' texpect people to walk to the back of your booth, it may seem obvious, but people want to keep going unless something really interests them.

or Height-Try hanging things from the tent to catch people's eye from afar. This can work for a lot of items. If you can't do that, make sure you vary the height on your tables. Use small shelves, boxes, or other display items to give the tables a richer feel.

or Mirrors-Always bring a mirror for people to look at things they may want to try on.

or Signage-Have a banner or business cards on display is a great idea. Even if someone doesn't want something today, they can come back and find you or email you.

or Pricing-For many people seeing clear price TAGs on items is very helpful. Lots of shoppers don'tfeel comfortable engaging in a chitchat over every item in the booth. If you are getting really busy, this will save you lots of time from answering questions.

Hints To Keep You Ahead

Make Your Craft Show Display Stand Out From The Crowd

How to Do SWOT Analysis Retail Company

Why do SWOT Analysis

How to Do SWOT Analysis Retail Company

How to Do SWOT Analysis Retail Company

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How to Do SWOT Analysis Retail Company

How to Do SWOT Analysis Retail Company

As a retail owner or a manager you need to learn more about your company. There is a powerful tool called SWOT (Strengths; Weaknesses; Opportunities; Threats) Analysis that will help you to do this research. What are your company's strengths and weaknesses? Are there opportunities in the future? Is the company facing any external threats?

Why is it good to do? Because all successful businesses build on their Strengths, need to improve their Weaknesses, use Opportunities and be aware about Treats. You can use SWOT analysis for business planning or strategic planning, competitor evaluation, marketing, business and product developMent, etc.

You can be more specific and evaluate only one area:
1. Product (what are we selling?)
2.Process (how are we selling it?)
3. Customer (to whom are we selling it?)
4. Distribution (how does it reach them?)
5. Finance (what are the prices, costs and investMents?)
6. Administration (and how do we manage all this?)

SWOT Analysis AdvanTAGe-free and Fast!

The great advanTAGe of using SWOT Analysis that it is free! You and your team could also generate new ideas about how your company (store) could use strengths to defend against threats in the market in a very short period of time. You will analyze how you could maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses, use internal and external opportunities and overcome threats. It is also a great team building activity.

How to use this technique

You will need to organize a brainstorming(40 min to 1 hour) meetings with your team. If you have a large team, you can divide it into groups of 5-6 people. Explain to your team the purpose of the meeting and the rules of brainstorming activity. They are: do not criticize or judge, no welcome any ideas, respect others point of view, focus on quantity, not quality, and record ideas and thoughts.

Provide the details of the SWOT Analysis. Give each group a prepared flipchart. In order to make it, just draw two lines to make 4 squares. Write the titles for each square. A square on the top left will be Company Strengths; the square below it will be Opportunities, the square on the right-"Weakness", and the last one-Threats. Let your team brainstorm and write down all the ideas they have.

You will be very surprised abouthow active and creative your employees will be during this meeting. I recommend that at the end of this meeting, each group makes a presentation and has an opportunity to ask questions and have a discussion.

Strengths

Strengths are resources and capabilities that can be used as a basis for developing a competitive advantage. Think about what your company does well (store). Use your customers ' point of view-how do your clients see and describe your strengths?

Examples

• Good reputation among customers

• Excellent customer service

• Superior product performance vs. competitors

• Cost advantages

• Direct delivery capability

Weaknesses

The absence of certain strengths may be viewed asa weakness. Is it anything you could improve? What are the areas for improvement? List the areas that are a struggle. What do your customers complain about? What do your customers see as your weaknesses?

Examples

• Poor reputation among customers

• Customer service staff needs training

• Large administration component

• Lack of following-up procedures

• Small market presence

Opportunities

Try to uncover areas where your strengths are not being fully aquamaps data sources: GBIF. Are there new opportunities that will arise soon for your company? How can you turn your strengths into opportunities? Is there a product/service area that you could do well in but are not yet competing?

Examples

• Newtechnologies

• New market niche

• Loosening of regulations

• Removal of international trade barriers

• Local competitors have worse products

Threats

Look both inside and outside of your company for things that could damage your business. Can your weaknesses become threats? Internally, do you have financial, development, or other problems? Externally, are your competitors becoming stronger, are there new trends?

Examples

• Shifts in consumer tastes

• Change in market demand

• Emergence of substitute products

• Environmental effects

• New regulations

How to Do SWOT Analysis Retail Company

Start a Flea Market Business

So you just gotta have a storefront business.

Start a Flea Market Business

Start a Flea Market Business

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Start a Flea Market Business

Start a Flea Market Business

Why not start a flea market business?

Flea markets are entrepreneurial hotspots. You could most likely do some market research into what people want to buy and what they are buying at your local flea market.

Over 500.000 vendors sell from America's 5.000 flea markets. There are 150.000 .000 people who shop at flea markets annually.

Here are the reasons you may want to open your start a flea market business before starting a traditional business, taking the plunge and signing a long term building lease.

a. Flea markets offer a low cost entry into business

Get your sales tax license and a county business license and you are virtually ready to go. You can rent a boothfor a day, a weekend or by the month. If it doesn't work out, you're out of there without losing thousands.

b. Flea markets are great for part time entrepreneurs.

You may be holding down a part or full time Job and need the income. No problem. Start a flea market business on the weekend or work the flea market daytime and work a Job nighttime.

c. Flea markets are a great place to liquidate merchandise.

Let's say you have a great source of slightly blemished goods at a cheap price. The flea market may be just the place to liquidate them.

d. The flea market may become your full time business.

Many an entrepreneur decided to try something new and liked the flea market so well that they just stayed there and never move on to a storefront elsewhere.

e. Flea markets are great for niche marketers.

Let's say you just want to sell something like pickles, handmade pretzels, dog collars, or a specialized Clothing. It may be hard to build a storefront around a niche. With the flea market traffic that is already there it could work.

f. Start with virtually no advertising.

Just business cards and maybe flyers and you are ready to go. The flea market has already advertised so you have immediate traffic. Now just be friendly and engage the customers and let's make some sales.

g. Start with very little capital.

Flea markets allow someone with just a trunkload of merchandise to get started. I have a good friend whowent to prison due to a partnership dispute. When he reentered society he had next to nothing. With a small purchase of liquidated goods he was able to build larger every week with his profits. Today he has a large flea market business and also wholesales to other dealers.

h. Give yourself a plan B.

Start a flea market Business.

I have a relative whose wife has a good job and expects a good reTireMent. In today's market, even her governMent job is at risk. She started her own jewelry business as a hedge against a possible layoff. She works flea markets, small shows and eBay to build her business, which was started with minimal outlay of funds.

i. Start with minimal business fixtures.

Usually just a table, a couple chAirs and possibly some display racks and you have all you need to display your goods at the flea market. You can continue to improve things as you build your business from week to week.

j. A good add on for the Home Business Entrepreneur.

Some of us don't like to be tied down to a regular work week. Most flea markets offer all kinds of different business models. Some are only open weekends and others offer the option to have a storefront open a full work week. Some entrepreneurs like to have their schedule flexible. This is harder to do in a traditional brick and mortar business without hiring employees.

So what do you do to get ready?

First, visit the flea market you may want to sell at.

Talk to the vendors. Check out the traffic. Check out the cost of a booth. Some flea markets are online and you can do much of your research ahead of time.

Get your licenses. If you're not sure what you need to ask some of the vendors at the market. They will know, as most of them will have the licenses.

Get your tables, chAirs, merchandise, price labels, snacks, cooler for drinks and so on ready ahead of time. Get some ones, fives and change. You can use to cash bag, a fanny pack nail belt, or a cash register to keep a control on the cash.

Get a good nights sleep and get to the flea market early to set up. That way you'll have time to make a quick run back if you forgot something or have a snag setting up.

Good luck as you Start a Flea Market Business.

Start a Flea Market Business