How Did This Natural Grocer Use Automation to Excel?

Jessie Jellicorse — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:05:00 GMT

Kimberton Whole Foods

How Automating Key Areas can Yield Profit Growth, Opportunity, and Efficiency

Kimberton Whole Foods is an independently owned natural grocery chain with four locations and a central warehouse in Pennsylvania. Serving the communities of Kimberton, Douglassville, Downingtown, Ottsville, and surrounding areas, Kimberton Whole Foods offers health food with an emphasis on creating a "dynamically supportive marketplace" for organic farmers and local producers.

The business started in 1988 as a small store within Seven Stars Farm, but they soon outgrew their Seven Stars location and moved to the Village of Kimberton. From there, it did not take long for demand to lead Owner Terry Brett to further expansion and additional locations were opened.

Kimberton Whole Foods goes beyond store shelves in their quest to promote healthy lifestyles and local agriculture by offering educational classes, a fresh food café, wholesome recipes and supporting industry causes such as the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA).

In 2003, Brett decided to implement CATAPULT retail automation after seeing the system at a natural products trade show. Kimberton had operated with manual processes to that point, but Brett could see that they were quickly outgrowing this labor-intensive, often ineffective, method of enterprise management. Management noticed the benefits of system implementation immediately, even with a steep learning curve and sometimes difficult transition to new processes. It did not take long for staff at Kimberton Whole Foods, a sales-oriented, customer-focused business, to realize time was better spent elsewhere than manually stickering, and re-stickering, every item and waiting for pricing guns. Customer checkouts also became faster and more accurate, an improvement appreciated by staff and customers. Over the years, Kimberton Whole Foods has experienced some transitional periods with the system but, as Brett discusses below, has overcome obstacles to now enjoy a powerful system that provides complete, centralized enterprise management with tangible return on investment.

Read the Q/A with Brett Here→

Learn how ECRS is Automating the Science of Inventory Management

Jessie Jellicorse — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:25:00 GMT

Learn more about ECRS Gateway Here!

Re-Vitalize Your Company Break Room and Reap the Benefits!

Cari Culp — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 14:00:00 GMT

Research continues to show that healthy employees are essential to your company’s bottom line! From increased daily productivity, to fewer sick days, to significant reductions in employee healthcare expenditures; a healthy staff means big benefits for all parties involved! After all, what employer wouldn’t want their most valuable asset to be in optimal health?

Various types of employee wellness initiatives exist, most of which provide positive results, but let’s face it; research confirms that what we eat can have a significant impact on our overall health and longevity, as well as daily performance, so to see major results, it’s a good idea to start there. With preventable diseases like obesity and diabetes on the rise and heart disease and stroke remaining two of the top 10 leading causes of death in the U.S., it’s obvious that undesirable dietary patterns are much to blame for many of the health disparities we face today.

You are probably thinking that changing the eating habits of some employees would be a daunting, near impossible task, leaving many disgruntled that you're attempting to impede their right to a daily fast food outing. However, approaching the situation the right way, could result in major kudos from your staff and positive changes in your company overall! What if, you made healthy, yet delicious, food readily available to your staff right in the company break room as a perk to employees? For many employees, the vending machine is the first defense against the sudden onset of hunger, leading most down the road to decreased energy, poor productivity, and overeating from lack of satiety. What if, you removed those unhealthy snacks, characteristic of traditional vending machines, and replaced them with nutrient dense foods that were still appealing to staff?

Using a self-checkout market kiosk, a glass cooler, and a rack or two for dry goods, you can transform your break room and your staff into a wealth of health! To stock your break room with nutritious foods, team up with a local caterer or food vendor who can regularly furnish fresh, healthy items. You could even consider working with a registered dietitian in the area who can help with menu planning and ensure items are good for employees and taste good too! Going a step further by working with the dietitian or other health professionals in the community to provide nutrition information to employees, would be a great way to motivate staff to take advantage of the new break room. Education could be as simple indicating “heart healthy” menu items with a special seal of approval or, a bit more involved like monthly “lunch-and-learn” seminars. Feel free to keep it simple, but knowledge is key to initiating behavior change, so including an education piece will help ensure success!

Your employees will be amazed at the speed and simplicity of purchasing meals from your on-site market, allowing some extra time during the lunch break for a walk or quick workout! Some vending kiosks provide customers the ability to load cash onto a membership card that can be used for purchases, making transactions quick and easy. Membership accounts are also great because they can store individual information, which could be linked to employee health initiatives, for example, awarding purchase points to the member with high cholesterol each time they make a heart healthy choice. You could even consider subsidizing healthier options as an incentive to make better choices or, get right down to business and only stock healthy items. Even if you don’t go all out by supplying only optimal choices, placing less nutritious items on lower shelves, could make these items less visible, and require a little work to obtain them. Studies have proven these simple methods to be effective in decreasing consumption of less nutritious foods. Either way you go, making healthy foods more accessible to employees will greatly increase the likelihood that positive dietary changes will result, leaving employees happier, healthier and engaged!

See how our free Micro Market installation can trasform your workplace here!

Get To Know The ECRS Family

Austin Saylor — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 17:07:00 GMT

ECRS is a great family. And this family believes in helping you. After browsing the infographic below, swing by ECRS.com to learn more about what we can do for you.

What The American Taxpayer Relief Act Means for Merchants

Jessie Jellicorse — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 13:30:00 GMT

Click on image to see larger version.

How A Small Business Can Utilize Smartphone Technology

Kristen Williams — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 13:30:00 GMT

Smartphones are prevalent in the United States. “Survey: New U.S. Smartphone Growth by Age and Income” at nielsen.com showed statistics for 20,000 mobile users. Over 48 percent of these users have smartphones. With such widespread usage, small businesses will do well to take advantage of this technology in marketing their products and services. Using smartphone applications for marketing purposes will reach a target audience accustomed to having information a few taps away on their phone. Tailoring marketing information, product descriptions, availability, and other information to fit their needs will promote loyalty. In a world where so much information can be found online, convenient access across the mobile platforms will help make your business stand out from the competition.

Businesses who are interested in creating a smartphone application for their stores have various options:

Have a developer create the application. According to Smartphone Apps Fuel Business Growth at entrepeneur.com, this can cost between 2-8 thousand dollars depending on the complexity of the app.
Develop your own application from programs such as iPhone Developer or Sweb Apps. These methods will cost between 100 and 300, depending on the platform you choose.

In addition to creating mobile apps for marketing purposes, you can also use current applications for internal purposes making your business more efficient. “Small Businesses Love Mobile Technology” states that 78% of business owners claim to save time by using mobile applications. The question is, what apps will businesses find most useful...

LucyPhone: This convenient application will save hours of time. With LucyPhone, you will never have to wait on hold when placing calls. Open this application, enter a toll free number, and when you get put on hold, press “*” twice on your phone. This will end the phone call, but still keep you on hold. As soon as an employee is on the phone, Lucy will call you back immediately and you will be connected with the employee.
Dropbox: Save them to this application and view them from any phone, tablet, or computer that has installed Dropbox. This convenient program will avoid having to use those pesky USB drives that are easy to misplace or damage. With your information saved using this cloud technology, you will be sure to have access to all of your vital documents. This free application will certainly be put to good use. With Dropbox, there are three subscription rates. The first is free, offering 2 GB of storage space. The Pro offers 100, 200, or 500 GB starting at $9.99 a month. The teams subscription starts at a base price of $759 and offers 1 TB for five users. By keeping only the most current documents on Dropbox, small business owners will likely be able to effectively use this service without purchasing a subscription.
Quickoffice: Edit Word and Excel documents right from your mobile device. It is no longer necessary to wait until you have computer access to work on these important files. Documents can be written on your mobile device while using public transportation, waiting for your party to arrive at a restaurant, at a park, on your couch, or any other location where your cell phone goes! This app adds convenience and flexibility into the equation for people who have deadlines and smartphones. This $14.99 app will be well worth the cost, and can be very efficient when used in conjunction with Dropbox. With both of these apps, users can create their documents and have them available at any computer, without the hassle of additional hardware.
MbPointer: If you have an iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone, use these devices as a remote control for your PowerPoint presentations at conferences. As long as the receiver application is installed on the computer you are using, this app will allow you to easily take control of your presentations. You will no longer have to worry about working smartboards, or purchasing and working expensive remotes. This app also allows you to turn your mobile Apple product into a wireless trackpad. This can especially come in handy if you are working on a computer that has a less than satisfactory mouse or touchpad. This application only costs $2.99.
Skype: This free application will allow you to videoconference and instant message with customers, coworkers, and any other variety of people that business owners will need to contact. This is especially convenient because you can communicate with someone overseas in a face to face videoconference for free. Many languages are supported by this app, making it useful for international or foreign businesses as well.
iTeleport: This groundbreaking application will be sure to help make running your business easier and more efficient. As long as your devices meet certain requirements, it will be possible to Photoshop from your iPhone, iPad, and other compatible devices. This truly awesome application will allow you to access your computer from anywhere in the world. Although this app has the potential to be “fun,” it also has many practical uses for the business owner. For example, if you saved an important file on your computer, and for some reason chose not to bring it, or accidentally leave it at home, it will be possible to access your files. It is also possible to view Flash sites on your iPhone or iPad!

With these invaluable applications, business owners are sure to save time which they can direct towards customer service and finding innovative ways to improve business. Taking advantage of smartphone technology in both marketing and internal organization, small business owners will be sure to take advantage of the latest developments, giving them a competitive edge in the marketplace.

Breaking Customer Loyalty Down to a Science

Cari Culp — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 14:23:00 GMT

In today's retail, where customers have a multitude of choices, small business owners understand the value of every guest that walks through the door. Whether it’s the first time shopper or the customer that comes in every weekend or three times per week, each one adds to the profitability of the business and provides an opportunity to make that customer want to return or chat about your business with their friends. Nurturing your customers from simply consumers to members of your culture who faithfully follow your brand, doesn’t have to take a costly advertising campaign, impractical for many small business owners. Creating a following of customers committed to your brand can be achieved using a low cost, points-based program like many mega-brands with large marketing budgets are using today. Points-based loyalty programs are simple to start up and can provide unique benefits that make a significant positive contribution to your bottom line.

With customizable loyalty programs, points can be tailored to meet the unique needs of your business and your customers. For example, points can be used to reward specific customers for loyalty, move sale items, provide holiday incentives or even allow customers to donate to their favorite charity. To meet the needs of your business, loyalty points can typically be set to match specific price margins and provide useful, real-time data about your customers and the purchases they make. In addition, your customer loyalty program is a great way to establish your brand.

Research estimates that it costs 5 times more to attract a new customer than it does to keep an existing one, which is why it’s important to keep customers coming back time after time. Loyal customers likely return because they have a positive attitude about your business which is reflected not only by continued purchases, but also by spreading the word about your business to their friends. Providing loyalty points is a fantastic way to give customers a positive emotional connection with your brand! However, with all the loyalty programs around today, it’s important to think outside the box and make sure customers are getting something out of yours. A recent poll from The Chief Marketing Officer Council found that over half of the U.S. population is motivated to return as a customer based on loyalty incentives, but almost all of these individuals felt that the loyalty program had little or no value, which can eventually deter once loyal customers. The following tips will help ensure you and your customers get the most out of your loyalty program.

Know your customers: Determine why customers are loyal to your business. Use customer purchasing data to help define the terms of your loyalty program, such as how much your best customers typically spend, and what your customers would get more out of, for example: rewards on purchases, referral rewards, or both? Then tailor the loyalty program to customers to provide a personalized experience and rewards that will entice them to return.

Think about what you want to achieve: For example: Do you want customers to purchase more of specific items, or are you more interested in having them make referrals to their friends?

Keep it simple: Customers want a simple to understand reward system with clearly defined rewards that give them something tangible to work towards. Too many exclusions and complicated terms are some main reasons customers see little value in a loyalty program. Also, the easier it is, the bigger impression it will make and the more customers will talk it up to their friends.

Differentiate your loyalty program from competitors: With so many rewards programs, it’s important to make yours stand out. Offer your customers something creative like the ability to donate rewards to their favorite charity or a mini (1 minute or less) shopping spree. Keep rewards fresh, experiment with new reward ideas frequently, and try to come up with conversation starters.

Use loyalty to market your brand: Give your loyalty program a unique name that closely relates to your brand strategy and include your company logo on all loyalty related materials. Then be sure to advertise your loyalty program and offer something extra in the beginning as an incentive to join.

Engage your customers: Give customers something to work towards but don’t make it so far out of reach that they can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Set up your program so loyal customers can reap the benefits often (every three to six months is a good goal). It’s also a great idea to acknowledge your most loyal customers by doing more than the general loyalty program offers. Take their picture and do a brief interview about why they love your brand; then write up an article with their picture to be displayed in your store.

Keep customers in the loop: Each time you give rewards, make sure the customer knows they’re being rewarded. Use your Digital Customer Billboard to keep customers informed of their point balance or reward options.

Develop a Partnership: Use purchasing data to determine what partnerships would most benefit your customers. Then form a strategic partnership with a company that compliments your business and its culture, and allow customers to exchange loyalty points there too!

Click here to learn more about implementing a loyalty program with:

How A Vending Kiosk Can Transform The Workplace

Kristen Williams — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:30:00 GMT

Who.int explains that on a worldwide scale, the number of obese people has doubled since 1980. As of 2008, 1.4 billion adults were overweight, and 500 million of this population was obese. Annually, 2.8 million adults pass away as a result of being overweight. As any employer and employee can see, it is extremely important to make healthy eating choices. By choosing to eat healthy foods on a regular bases, employees will notice that this healthy lifestyle results in them not only feeling better, but also having better health, allowing them to be more comfortable and productive at work. While it is important to eat healthily outside of work, eating healthy at work is also extremely important, especially for people who work long hours each day.

Employers can take active measures in helping employees make healthy choices. Vending machines are a quick and easy way to provide drinks and snacks for employees without them having to bring their own snacks or leave the premises to purchase one. However, the convenience of vending machines does not come without a cost. Often, snacks and drinks found in these machines are filled with sugar or have a high fat content. Eating these foods on a regular basis will not contribute to the healthy lifestyle that employees want. Alternatively, employers can set up micro markets with easy-to-use self service kiosks that provide convenient, delicious, and healthy foods for their employees. Breakroom Provisions Company and ECRS have teamed to offer such a solution creating the most popular trend in workplace dining to date.

Check out how Breakroom Provisions and ECRS are transforming workplaces with the Micro Market with Vending Kiosk solution in the video below:

Surveys Show Gift Cards Are This Season’s Hottest Gift

Jessie Jellicorse — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 13:30:00 GMT

Original Article Here. Washington, November 14, 2012. "Gift Cards: The Season’s Hottest Gift, According To NRF"

Total Gift Card spending to reach $28.79 Billion

It’s the win-win gift for givers and receivers, and this holiday season, shoppers plan to spend more than ever on the most flexible and convenient of gifts: a gift card. With retailers providing increasingly creative ways for gift cards to be personalized and delivered, NRF’s 2012 holiday consumer spending survey conducted by BIGinsight shows that 81.1 percent of shoppers will purchase at least one gift card and will spend an average of $156.86 on gift cards, the highest amount in the survey’s 10-year history. Total spending on gift cards will reach $28.79 billion.

According to NRF’s first holiday survey, released in October, six in ten (59.8%) of those polled said they’d like to receive gift cards this year, up from 57.7 percent last year.

“Retailers are pulling out all the stops this year to make their gift cards personal, convenient and desirable,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “Savvy shoppers know they can purchase a much appreciated gift card with ease either in store, online or through their mobile device, and give their loved ones the option to buy something they really want or need.”

Consumers will spend an average of $43.75 on each card they buy. As in previous years, men plan to spend significantly more on gift cards than women, shelling out an average of $172.98 versus women’s $141.66.

When it comes to which gift cards people will buy this holiday season, more people than ever say they will give their friends or family members a gift card for an online merchant (11.2%) and coffee shops (18.1%). Others will buy gift cards to department stores (39.1%), book stores (20.8%), grocery/gasoline stores (12.6%), and discount stores (14.2%). And 33.3% of shoppers will send friends and family for a night out with restaurant gift cards.

“Gift cards are the perfect practical and personal gift, allowing the recipient to treat themselves to something nice, or even something they need,” said BIGinsight Consumer Insights Director Pam Goodfellow. “Whether it’s a mobile card that consumers can use whenever it’s most convenient or one that includes video or audio, gift cards can still be extremely personal.”

More than one in five (21.1%) gift givers say they’ll buy gift cards because they are easier and faster than traditional gifts. But practicality comes out as the most likely reason shoppers will buy gift cards this year as 44.7 percent say they’ll buy gift cards because they allow the recipient to select their own gift (down from the 46.4% of people who said the same last year).

Is your store prepared to provide this holiday season's highest demanded product? If not, contact us to discover our flexible & affordable gift card solutions.

Learn more about our gift card solutions.

A Rapidly Emerging Trend in Retail Automation Boosts Profits

Cari Culp — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 13:30:00 GMT

Retailers find profits with paperless receipts

Original article here Wendy Koch, USA TODAY

More stores and banks find it's profitable to offer shoppers electronic rather than print receipts, because they use the e-mail address for direct marketing. But do e-receipts pose consumer dangers?

Story Highlights

More stores and banks are offering to e-mail receipts
They use e-mail addresses to market directly to shoppers
E-receipts save paper, but promotional e-mails often follow

11:46AM EDT November 3. 2012 - The "paper or plastic" mantra at store checkouts is getting a digital twin: "paper or e-mail."

As smartphones proliferate, more stores and banks are offering to e-mail shoppers their receipts rather than giving them a printed copy. These electronic or digital receipts, touted as green for saving paper and convenient for saving time, enable retailers to market directly to customers.

"It's a growing trend," says John Talbott,of Indiana University's Center for Education and Research in Retailing. He says companies are rushing to mimic what Apple started in 2005, adding he expects "any retailer worth their salt will offer this."

This year, Macy's began offering paperless receipts at its stores nationwide and, beginning in August, Wells Fargo extended this option — begun at its ATMs in 2010 — to transactions inside bank branches. Citibank announced in September that it would also offer electronic receipts at its ATMs. Other companies with an e-receipt option include Nordstrom, Best Buy, Whole Foods, Kmart, Sears and Gap.

A third, or 35%, of retailers offer digital receipts, and half of them do so at all their stores, according to a survey of 3,900 retailers released earlier this year by marketing firm Epsilon.

"There's a tremendous amount of interest," says Epsilon President Andrew Frawley, noting digital receipts have proved to boost sales. He says while an e-mail address can be worth hundreds of dollars to a retailer, he advises corporate clients not to deluge customers with too many promotions because of "e-mail fatigue."

"Sustainability is a large part of our culture, so paperless receipts were a no-brainer for our shoppers," says Rick Kilmer of FLOR, a company that opened 12 U.S. stores this year to sell carpet squares made with recyclable materials. He says usage varies by city, but at least half of its customers nationwide choose e-receipts.

"It's really about convenience for the customers. ... No one likes the mess of all the paper," says Richele Messick of Wells Fargo. She says 12% of eligible ATM receipts are now electronic.

At Macy's, shoppers are also choosing e-receipts for 12% of transactions, says spokesman Jim Sluzewski, adding the digital option was part of a corporate effort to go paperless.

E-receipt users need to be vigilant about e-mail, says Katherine Hutt of the Council of Better Business Bureaus. "Scammers may pose as a bank or retailer having a problem with your account, and ask you to click on a link or provide personal information," she says. "That's a common tactic for identity theft, and we expect it will become more and more common as people shift to paperless receipts."

Frawley says digital receipts do not make consumers more vulnerable to identity theft, partly because they're easier to trace.

While that may be true, what's driving e-receipts is the bottom line, says C. Britt Beemer of America's Research Group, a consumer research and consulting firm. "Less paper means fewer people" to file records, he says. "It has everything to do with saving money."

Rose Holley, a shopper at Tysons Corner in McLean, Va., says she's old-fashioned and still wants printed receipts. "Because I'm bombarded with e-mail already, I don't want to overlook a receipt" or get more promotions, she says.

Talbott says his wallet often bulges with receipts, so he goes paperless when given the option. In the past, he says he'd collect receipts for Christmas purchases but, post holiday, couldn't find them. Now he has a designated computer spot for e-receipts.

Must Haves for a Successful Retail Business

Cari Culp — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 13:30:00 GMT

In today’s intensely competitive business world, retailers are working hard to differentiate themselves among competitors, yet many still have manual processes in place to perform the multitude of tedious tasks necessary to operate their businesses. For many that are effectively keeping up with the competition, painstaking processes, unnecessary time spent correcting human error, and high labor/operating costs have become a thing of the past, through automation. For those who remain loyal to manual methods, have you looked closely into how much time is spent to stock your shelves and manage inventory? Manually performing the monotonous tasks that go into inventory and supply chain management can be a costly endeavor, considering labor costs from time spent manually preparing purchase orders, receiving inventory, and maintaining correct inventory counts and or and purchasing bias. Without automated systems in place, many retailers spend countless labor hours to manually keep track of inventory, but lack awareness of their true assets due to undetected theft, inaccurate inventory counts and lack of real-time sales data. In a fast-paced world where efficiency is key, working smarter, not harder, will be the successful business’ strategy to stay afloat in an ever increasing competitive market.

Over the years, ECRS’ comprehensive automation solutions for inventory management have become so advanced that, those who have implemented them, have experienced drastic improvements in operating efficiency. Retailers that have invested in automating their inventory systems have experienced a multitude of benefits including: reduced labor hours needed to keep shelves stocked, increased purchasing and inventory accuracy, increased shelf space for a more diverse inventory, reduced holding, labor and operating costs, and increased sales. Their staff is not tied up with tedious order and receiving processes lending more time to devote to the overall customer experience, increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty. What results is an overall increase to their bottom line.

An automated supply chain, through ECRS Gateway with auto-reorder such as DemandFill, allows more efficient communication with suppliers enabling shelves to be accurately and consistently stocked with products customers are purchasing, in less than half the time of manual processes. Retailers also rest at ease knowing that prices are automatically updated and margins are maintained. Investing in supply chain automation allows retailers to devote the time that used to be spent on unnecessary business disruptions to focus on the big picture of the business using real-time data generated through Catapult. When used correctly, ECRS’ automation solutions for inventory and supply chain management pay for themselves. By implementing ECRS DemandFill, one company has been able to reduce their supplement inventory by $60k while seeing a 20% growth in sales from the same department! In an increasingly competitive retail market, reducing operating costs, increasing productivity, providing an unparalleled customer experience, and having ultimate awareness of business operations can be critical to survival of the business. With endless data to show that automating the inventory and supply chain processes does just that, automation could be a comprehensive solution to catapult your business to the next level among competitors.

Confirmed: Social media requires significant time commitment

Jessie Jellicorse — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 13:30:00 GMT

So you have read hundreds of articles on how to create an online presence, and you try very hard to keep up, but the reality is you just don't have the time. Good news, you are not alone.

Original Blog Here. By Heather Clancy for Small Business Matters. November 5, 2012

Facebook and Twitter continue to be the dominant social networks for small businesses interested in building their marketing presence via social media, according to a new survey by Vertical Response.

Fully 90 percent of the 462 small-business owners surveyed by the marketing services company said they are active on Facebook, while 70 percent are using Twitter. That compares with just 32 percent for Google+ and 29 percent for Pinterest, according to the survey.

The other theme that sounds loud and clear is one that I mentioned a few weeks ago in another post about this subject: Many small-business owners are struggling with the time commitment and investment that social media takes; they are balancing it against the payback.

The survey results show that 43 percent of respondents spend six or more hours per week on social media activities; while 25 percent spend six to 10 hours. Whether or not that time is borrowed from other things (such as time dedicated to marketing in the past) isn't clear. But that's a lot of time.

"The extra work will likely lead to time management issues, especially for the small-business owner who's handling social media on top of all the other responsibilities of running a company," said Janine Popick, founder and CEO of VerticalResponse. "This implies that small businesses are in need of tactics and tools now to help them save time."

The complete VerticalResponse survey results are part of the infographic below:

Vital Operations: Why is it Important to Backup Your Data?

Cari Culp — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:30:00 GMT

Unfortunately, life is unpredictable. While we all hope things run smoothly day after day, this is just not always the case as evidenced with the recent Superstorm Sandy. In the event of natural disaster, fire, theft, or hardware failure, smart business owners know it is critically important that your data is securely housed in an offsite location and easily retrievable if needed. With such insurance in place, if something should happen to your store system, important data, such as inventory, customer records, and financial information, will not be lost. It means the difference between starting over with all of your store, or enterprise data, or starting over with nothing. Attempting to retrieve lost data can cost thousands and consume hours in labor. In many cases, data can never be fully restored.

5 Traits of a Good Online Backup System

Backups occur automatically with no user interaction
Data is stored offsite in multiple locations
Authorized personnel receive alerts should an issue occur in the backup process
The backup system is tested and robust enough for retail applications
Data is owned by the store and easily retrieval by authorized personnel

What is the Ideal POS System for a Liquor Store?

Kristen Williams — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:46:00 GMT

Stores that focus mainly on beverage sales know just how important it is to have a POS system that has customizable features, inventory controls, promotional tools, and data analysis functions. With the many challenges faced by these retailers, having an excellent POS system will make business operations run as smoothly as possible. With many software programs available, sometimes it can be challenging to find the best choice. While deciding which system to purchase, consider the benefits of each system and consider how these features will benefit your business. One POS software system that many beverage stores have found to be of exceptional quality is CATAPULT.

Why liquor stores choose CATAPULT:

Centralized Promotion Management
CATAPULT organizes data in charts and graphs to easily allow the retailer to see which promotions are most and least profitable to the business. When retailers have access to this data, they can easily choose what promotional deals to offer customers in the future. By eliminating the less profitable promotions, retailers can both offer discounts that will profit the store, encourage loyal customers to return, and even encourage new customers to make purchases at your store.

Automated Re-Ordering:
As Apthrop Pharmacy stated, CATAPULT’s automated re-ordering feature has been very helpful in maintaining inventory levels. It cuts down their reordering time by hours. Time formerly spent making ordering decisions can now be dedicated to customer service, and other areas of business that need attention. Additionally, orders come in more steadily. Instead of receiving large orders at one time, smaller ones arrive as needed.

Inventory Management:
With this convenient feature in place, retailers can update item prices right from the shelf after scanning the item and entering the updated price. The item will ring up with the updated price only seconds later! If you are walking through the aisles and discover that an item is out of stock, you have the ability to reorder right from your portable device. This helpful feature allows you to swiftly place orders so suppliers can get started on your order as soon as possible. Retailers can also keep a watch for items which are running low, allowing reorders to occur even before the item runs out of stock. Customers will be sure to appreciate this proactive method of inventory, ensuring that products are always available when they need and want them.

Single/Six Pack Control:
Single/Six Pack Control allows a 24, 12, or 6 pack to be broken up and sold as single items. This way, retailers can serve a wider customer clientele base, who do not necessarily care to purchase a whole case of beverages.

By choosing a POS system that best suites the needs of your store, the retailer can be sure that they are making the most of their time and running their business as efficiently as possible.

Learn more by downloading our beverage brochure.

Convenience Store Loyalty Marketing To Boomers And Millennials

Jessie Jellicorse — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 12:30:00 GMT

Original Article Here, CSD Staff, October 18,2012

Millennials focus on self identity while Boomers focus on convenience, but brands need to cater to both demographics.

Every specialty brand in America today must decide how to appeal to two arguably incompatible demographic groups. Eighty million Millennials will soon reach peak buying power. At the same time, 77 million Baby Boomers are entering new lifestyle stages—retirement, second career, empty nester—and so in many retail categories, brand loyalty is up for grabs.

It’s a seemingly impossible feat: choose to matter to a 65-year-old retiree and a brand risks compromising cachet and cool in the mind of someone as young as 18; solely target the 18-34 age range and risk ostracizing a demographic group with spending power—40% of total consumer demand—that’s simply too big to ignore.

“We wanted to answer some arguably elusive questions facing specialty retailers today: Does cool matter? Does it actually drive purchase? How does a specialty brand define itself without limiting itself?” said Lee Peterson, executive vice president, Client Services. “Our passion is building retail brands for the long-term, rather than the next trend cycle, so we sought to figure out how relevant brands act and communicate with consumers in the marketplace.”

The latest in-depth research report by WD Partners, The Continuum of Cool, explores changing attitudes and emotional needs among two generations of specialty store customers—Boomers and Millennials, and this generation’s important subgroup: Hispanic Millennials. It provides specialty retailers a strategic foundation to navigate this enormous demographic divide. Here are a few of the highlights from the study:

Identify and Prioritize Emotional Needs of Both Generations
Brands that help them express and define identity; Boomers value specialty brands that make life better, but don’t need brands to define who they are. Millennials use brands more intimately at this stage in their lives.

How Millennials Define Cool: It’s All About Identity
Cool is a social construct; Millennials seek peer approval through the brands they choose and find aspirational specialty brands most appealing. They want brands that allow them to create a personal style; products that signal a lifestyle to others or denote membership in a distinctive social tribe. Technology no longer serves as a way for this generation to signal difference; its ubiquity and thorough lifestyle adoption defines the entire generation, so it no longer serves as a way to define identity.

How Boomers Define Cool: It’s All About Relevance
As people age, they don’t become less concerned about fashion, trends, and what’s considered cool; it’s just these kinds of constructs become less relevant to how they structure and create identity. Boomers still want to try the latest cup of coffee; dabble in the freshest fashion trends; and stay up-to-date on the technological change. Yet, unlike Millennials, it’s less about identity-formation and more about making life easier or empowering communication with family and friends.

The Common Ground: Health, Wellness and Good Works
Broader consumer trends around organic food, local buying, healthier lifestyles, and corporate philanthropy, appeal to both generations. It’s the most robust area of cross-generational appeal. Brands that communicate with messages of health, wellness and good works resonate most deeply with consumers of all generations.

Methodology
WD Partners relied on a customer insights team, led by executive director Michelle Fenstermaker, which conducted 20, four-person in-depth focus groups. For geographic diversity, it conducted focus groups in both San Francisco and Columbus, Ohio. This research then informed the design of the quantitative study.

For the quantitative study, WD Parnters conducted an in-depth panel of 1,200 consumers, including 600 Millennials and 600 Boomers. Of those respondents, approximately 20% were Hispanic. Respondents ranked 40 specialty brands on the continuum of cool.

For more information, http://www.wdpartners.com/research/continuum-cool.php

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Can a Retail Business Improve The World?

Kristen Williams — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 22:15:00 GMT

With one glance at the nightly news, it is clear that some people are living in less favorable conditions, nationally and internationally, than the average American family. Sometimes events such as natural disasters occur, business deals don't go through, or people are born into economically difficult situations. Regardless of the cause, it remains that there are hardships for them to work through.

Some critics might believe charities exist merely to benefit freeloaders, or “lazy people.” However, in reality, there are people born in certain countries where resources are not available, regardless of how hard they work. Also, in America there are some very hard working families not doing well financially. There are also people with legitimate medical conditions, preventing them from being able to work. Yes, there are people who attempt to receive the most they can out of charities when they are fully capable of fining a job and earning their own money. However, this exception should not stand in the way of helping people who truly need assistance.

Retailers (and other able individuals and companies) are in a position where they can help improve these conditions. By making contributions to the surrounding community and people across the world, the living conditions of others are improved. Even if it is only one family receiving food, one child buying school supplies, or one civil rights cause being supported—these contributions make a difference. With everyone doing their part, great things can be accomplished.

There are many organizations and causes which can greatly benefit from monetary contributions. Donating to charities not only enriches that particular cause, but also the people whom they are helping. By giving back, retailers are making the world a better place for current and future generations.

By choosing business interactions with companies dedicated to improving the world around them, companies indirectly supports their charities. Retailers can also research and find programs, charities, and organizations where they can directly donate. Once you discover this charity, it is important to check it's validity and be sure that money is going where they say it is going. The Federal Trade Commission actually provides guidelines for finding legitimate charities. For a full analysis, follow this link: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/telemarketing/tel01.shtm. For a brief summary of their website, keep reading:

Charities forming quickly in response to a natural disaster might not have the resources to actually get the money where it needs to go.
Legitimate charities will be able to send you written information detailing the specifics of how your money will be used, their mission statement, and evidence that you will not be taxed for your donation.
Check the National Association of State Charity Officials to be sure that your charity is registered.
Ask how much of your donation will go to the actual charity.
If you spoke with someone collecting for the charity, contact them to make sure this is legitimate.
If possible, contact the recipients and ensure the charity in question actually does make contributions to them.
If the charity is using a similar name to a well known charity, it just might be a scam.
Understand financial language they use such as “tax exempt” and “tax deductible.”
Agents placing a high urgency level on your donation is a red flag that it might be a scam.
Be aware that accepting goods or services for your donation might be taking away from the cause to which you are donating.
Use a check to pay, decreasing the likelihood of theft or loss.
Know your rights to prevent further solicitation from the charity you donate to, and others who they may sell your information to.
If you suspect fraud, report it to the Attorney General of your state at naag.org or to a local agency at consumeraction.gov.

Retailers following these guidelines for finding charities will be less likely to be taken advantage of by fraud. Taking these steps to ensure donations go to the right places may seem like extra work, but when all factors are considered, it will be well worth your time. Contributing to the well-being of those in need will not only make positive changes in their quality of life, but also enable them to become (to a greater extent) contributing individuals who in turn are able to help others.

In addition to realizing the benefits to donating to causes and charities, what exactly is it that motivates people to give? Where are people likely to volunteer their time? What causes do people want companies to address? To find out these answers and more, visit Infographic: Where and Why People Donate their Time and Money.

Check out ECRS Community Outreach opportunities.

Smart Business Tips: Equip Your SMB to Match Large Competitors

Cari Culp — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 21:05:00 GMT

For more smart business tips: Download the ECRS Brochure

Customer Loyalty Insight: How Colors Influence Consumers

Kristen Williams — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 20:45:00 GMT

Creating appealing products is the goal of any retailer. Of course, this is first achieved by having good quality products that customers need and want to use. While this is necessary for repeat purchases and a good reputation for your company, a few other factors contribute to the attractiveness of your product. Color can influence buyer's decision to both buy a certain product and even influence their satisfaction of the product.

For example, in “How Color Effects Marketing” by Channa Leichtling, one study by Proctor and Gamble was examined. Customers were offered the same detergent soap with different color flecks added into them. The color of the red, yellow, and blue flecks were the only differences in the products. Customers who bought the product with red or yellow specks both complained. For the yellow specks, customers did not find the detergent to clean their clothes sufficiently. Customers with the red specks claimed their clothes were damaged. However, customers who received the blue speckled detergent noted that their clothes were cleaner. This simple experiment shows that color truly does have a psychological effect on customers, directly increasing or decreasing their satisfaction of the actual product.

Another example, explained by Leichtling, is the sales (or lack thereof) of the children's game “Perfect Wedding.” On the box, the figurine of the groom on the cake had gray hair. This game was not selling well. However, they altered the appearance of the box and made the groom's hair black. Consequently, sales for this game increased. This fluctuation of sales points to the fact that coloring of products can either decrease or increase the number of products sold.

In addition to creating aesthetic products, it is also helpful to give certain product colors appealing names. Bob Cooper, from the Marketing Group in Oak Park, Illinois suggests giving colors appealing names (for products such as paint) like “antique silk” rather than “off-white.” This way people will be more likely to purchase the product. This theory further supports the idea that packaging does matter, including not only color, but also labeling.

Why do aesthetics and color play such a large role in consumer decisions and satisfaction? Colors tend to have meanings in different societies. Leichtling quotes Kathy Wollard's “Orange You Glad You Aren't Blue?” explaining the generalized meanings and feelings that colors invoke. For example, in North America, black suggests sophistication, independence, and strength. Supposedly, red can actually increase the viewer's blood pressure, and green can reduce it. Such examples suggest that people are effected by color, and therefore retailers need to chose product color and display case colors very carefully. By selecting colors that are pleasing to customers, they will be likely to maximize potential sales.

Check out this Infographic to learn more.

Natural Grocers Boost Loyalty by Giving Customers What They Want

Cari Culp — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 21:00:00 GMT

Download our Natural Grocers Brochure

Retail Security Solutions: The Importance of Strong Passwords

Kristen Williams — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 13:58:00 GMT

Passwords are sometimes a hassle to remember or enter, but having secure passwords to vital accounts is a necessity. Although you might not be operating a hotel business, the lessons learned from Wyndham Worldwide is invaluable to all retailers. An article on cnet.com, “FTC sues Wyndham hotels over data breaches” states that card information for over 600,000 customers was breached. This occurred over a two year time period. The source of the computer hack originated in an internet address registered in Russia; it resulted in losing over 10.6 million dollars to fraud. Card information was stored in a plain text format, firewalls were not used, and strong user passwords were not required. Wyndham has cooperated with the Federal Trade Commission and claims to have improved security features for storing customer's private information. Although Wyndham has since improved their security, this former breach not only cost millions of dollars in fraud, but also tarnished the trust customers once had for this reasonably priced hotel chain. Customers impacted by this breach in security might be hesitant to stay at a hotel from this company in their future travels. Simply creating strong passwords for the accounts storing vital information, and implementing other security features ensure that customer's vital information is safe from hackers. Taking the time to remember secure passwords will be well worth the time and effort.

Retail Security Password Tips:

Creating a spreadsheet on Excel (saved only on a private USB drive), creating a private drop box account, or creating a note on a password protected smart-phone with a list of account usernames/passwords is an excellent way to keep track of all of your passwords. For information on creating secure passwords, see "Smart Business Tools: Best Practices for Password Management."

How Gift Card Solutions Increase Revenue (Infographic)

Jessie Jellicorse — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Get Your Own Copy of our Gift Card Solution Brochure

Smart Business Tips: Optimize The First Hour Of Your Work Day

Cari Culp — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 19:30:00 GMT

Original Article Found Here: Kevin Purdy, August 22, 2012

What you do in the first hour of your day sets the tone. Ideally, that first hour should set you up for success. Some say the day is best started with a revenue generating activity or by empowering others. What are some ways you set yourself up for a successful workday?

The article below provides helpful tips from people who seem to have perfected the productive a.m. routine. No matter your morning activity of choice, be sure to include breakfast!

How much does the first hour of every day matter? As it turns out, a lot. It can be the hour you see everything clearly, get one real thing done, and focus on the human side of work rather than your task list.

Remember when you used to have a period at the beginning of every day to think about your schedule, catch up with friends, maybe knock out a few tasks? It was called home room, and it went away after high school. But many successful people schedule themselves a kind of grown-up home room every day. You should too.

The first hour of the workday goes a bit differently for Craig Newmark of Craigslist, David Karp of Tumblr, motivational speaker Tony Robbins, career writer (and Fast Company blogger) Brian Tracy, and others, and they’ll tell you it makes a big difference. Here are the first items on their daily to-do list.

Don’t Check Your Email for the First Hour. Seriously. Stop That.

Tumblr founder David Karp will “try hard” not to check his email until 9:30 or 10 a.m., according to an Inc. profile of him. “Reading e-mails at home never feels good or productive,” Karp said. “If something urgently needs my attention, someone will call or text me.”

Not all of us can roll into the office whenever our Vespa happens to get us there, but most of us with jobs that don’t require constant on-call awareness can trade e-mail for organization and single-focus work. It’s an idea that serves as the title of Julie Morgenstern’s work management book Never Check Email In The Morning, and it’s a fine strategy for leaving the office with the feeling that, even on the most over-booked days, you got at least one real thing done.

If you need to make sure the most important messages from select people come through instantly, AwayFind can monitor your inbox and get your attention when something notable arrives. Otherwise, it’s a gradual but rewarding process of training interruptors and coworkers not to expect instantaneous morning response to anything they send in your off-hours.

Gain Awareness, Be Grateful

One smart, simple question on curated Q & A site Quora asked “How do the most successful people start their day?”. The most popular response came from a devotee of Tony Robbins, the self-help guru who pitched the power of mindful first-hour rituals long before we all had little computers next to our beds.

Robbins suggests setting up an “Hour of Power,” “30 Minutes to Thrive,” or at least “Fifteen Minutes to Fulfillment.” Part of it involves light exercise, part of it involves motivational incantations, but the most accessible piece involves 10 minutes of thinking of everything you’re grateful for: in yourself, among your family and friends, in your career, and the like. After that, visualize “everything you want in your life as if you had it today.”

Robbins offers the “Hour of Power” segment of his Ultimate Edge series as a free audio stream (here’s the direct MP3 download). Blogger Mike McGrath also wrote a concise summary of the Hour of Power). You can be sure that at least some of the more driven people you’ve met in your career are working on Robbins’ plan.

Do the Big, Shoulder-Sagging Stuff First

Brian Tracy’s classic time-management book Eat That Frog gets its title from a Mark Twain saying that, if you eat a live frog first thing in the morning, you’ve got it behind you for the rest of the day, and nothing else looks so bad. Gina Trapani explained it well in a video for her Work Smart series). Combine that with the concept of getting one thing done before you wade into email, and you’ve got a day-to-day system in place. Here’s how to force yourself to stick to it:

Choose Your Frog

"Choose your frog, and write it down on a piece of paper that you'll see when you arrive back at your desk in the morning, Tripani advises."If you can, gather together the material you'll need to get it done and have that out, too."

One benefit to tackling that terrible, weighty thing you don’t want to do first thing in the morning is that you get some space from the other people involved in that thing--the people who often make the thing more complicated and frustrating. Without their literal or figurative eyes over your shoulder, the terrible thing often feels less complex, and you can get more done.

Ask Yourself If You’re Doing What You Want to Do

Feeling unfulfilled at work shouldn’t be something you realize months too late, or even years. Consider making an earnest attempt every morning at what the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs told a graduating class at Stanford to do:

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

“Customer Service” (or Your Own Equivalent)

Craigslist founder Craig Newmark answered the first hour question succinctly: “Customer service.” He went on to explain (or expand) that he also worked on current projects, services for military families and veterans, and protecting voting rights. But customer service is what Newmark does every single day at Craigslist, responding to user complaints and smiting scammers and spammers. He almost certainly has bigger fish he could pitch in on every day, but Newmark says customers service “anchors me to reality.”

Your own version of customer service might be keeping in touch with contacts from year-ago projects, checking in with coworkers you don’t regularly interact with, asking questions of mentors, and just generally handling the human side of work that quickly gets lost between task list items. But do your customer service on the regular, and you’ll have a more reliable roster of helpers when the time comes.

Do you have your own smart business solutions? What are some productive ways spend the last hour of the day?

How The Traditional Store Compares To Your Co-Op (Infographic)

Jessie Jellicorse — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Check out Berkshire Co-Os Market: A Case Study in Creating Bottom-Line Results Through Inventory Automation

Improving Pharmacy POS

Kristen Williams — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 12:00:00 GMT

In the pharmacy business, it is important to keep inventory up to date and organized. When care is not taken, life threatening mistakes could be made. According to naturalnews.com, two large retailers mistakenly filled prescriptions that had devastating effects on customers. In 2008, one pharmacy was accused of filling a prenatal vitamin prescription with a chemotherapy drug, used to treat Hodgkin's disease. This error caused the customer to have a miscarriage and potentially impeded her ability to become pregnant in the future. In addition, that customer also has to be concerned with her health. By unknowingly taking this harmful drug, she now has an increased chance of developing lung cancer and solid tumors. A more recent incident in 2012 resulted in fifty families receiving incorrect prescriptions. The families who thought they were filling fluoride pill prescriptions for their children were actually receiving chemotherapy pills. The children who took these pills now face an increased risk of developmental problems as well as cancer. These pills were similar in size and color, however; both manufacturers took the time to ensure that each individual pill was marked with identifying letters and numbers. When proper protocol is followed, and proper equipment and tools are provided, mistakes like these can be prevented. In order to prevent future mix-ups, pharmacies should be sure to organize their inventory and take active measures to ensure that customers are receiving the correct prescription.

Primarily, it is important that employees receive proper training, when they are empowered with knowledge, they are able to provide customers with the correct items. In addition to excellent training, it is important to make sure employees are held responsible for any mistakes they make. With extra precaution in place, the likelihood of accuracy increases.

Secondly, having an efficient POS system will further decrease the likelihood of human error. A system with efficient inventory management will allow employees to dedicate more time to ensuring accuracy in filling prescriptions, as well as making that supplies are labeled correctly. When the health of the customers is the top priority, it is advantageous to alot as much effort as possible to accuracy.

In addition to taking proactive steps to ensure accuracy, pharmacies also have a way of ensuring that customers do not misuse products. As explained on nplexservice.com, some over the counter drugs have ingredients which are used in making the illegal drug, methamphetamine. By having the customers sign for these drugs and making sure that there is a limit on how much each individual can purchase, the pharmacy is taking action in preventing illegal behaviors. This is called The NPLEx Solution. Some software programs, such as CATAPULT, from ECRS, have implemented the signature capture devise and other customizable features that allow pharmacies to easily track how much of each product customers purchase. The NPLEx PSE tracking feature of this software will help pharmacies prevent illegal substances from being produced. Additionally, this feature can help law enforcement officials identify individuals who have purchased over the legal limit of these products. With law enforcement and pharmacies taking these active measures, the general public will have a decreased probability of encountering this dangerous substance.

With the responsibilities that pharmacies have, comes unprecedented opportunity to serve the surrounding communities. Filling prescriptions accurately because of effective organizational skills and tracking medicines that have potential for misuse, help individuals in the community both regain their health and maintain a healthy lifestyle. When this opportunity is responsibly addressed, both the customer and the pharmacy benefit.

PG Names Harris Teeter as 2012 Retailer of the Year

Jessie Jellicorse — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 16:17:00 GMT

Original Article Here

Progressive Grocer, the leading voice of the supermarket industry for 90 years, has named Matthews, N.C.-based Harris Teeter as its 2012 Retailer of the Year.

To salute the regional grocery chain with its highest annual honor, PG’s cover profile story of Harris Teeter will appear in the publication’s upcoming October issue.

In announcing its 2012 Retailer of the Year recipient, Editorial Director Meg Major praised Harris Teeter’s “customer-focused culture, which has been at the forefront of the company’s exemplary performance through the years.” In addition, Major continued, “We are extremely impressed by Harris Teeter’s overall excellence as an employer and merchant, as well as its abiding commitment to excellence in customer service and satisfaction and aggressive stance as it expands geographic footprint into new marketing territories, all of which are certainly no easy feat in the present retailing climate.”

PG’s editors will also applaud Harris Teeter’s achievements in social responsibility and sustainability while showcasing the company’s growing base of innovative, attractive and functional stores that have engendered strong shopper loyalty through the years for their outstanding value, selection, service and kid-friendly values, among others.

With 2011 sales of $4.29 billion, Harris Teeter, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Harris Teeter Supermarkets Inc., operates 204 supermarkets in 8 states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Maryland, Delaware, Florida and the District of Columbia. They operate pharmacies in 133 of their stores.

Developed more than 15 years ago as a way to recognize overall excellence among U.S. food retailers, PG’s Retailer of the Year coverage of Harris Teeter will appear in the magazine’s October 2012 issue.

Please join us by saluting Harris Teeter in October by placing a CONGRATULATORY ad in PG. Space close is September 10^t^t.