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        <title>Lightspeed</title>
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                <title>Contribution Margin: Definition, Formula and How to Calculate it</title>
                <link>https://www.lightspeedhq.com/blog/contribution-margin/</link>
                <comments>https://blog-assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2026/09/054d6092-t43097_contribution-margin_-definition-formula-how-to-calculate-it.webp</comments>
                <pubDate>Fri, 11 Sep 2026 19:20:44 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lightspeed]]></dc:creator>
                
                                    <description><![CDATA[When you look at your sales numbers, high revenue doesn&#8217;t always mean you&#8217;re actually making a profit. The contribution margin is the amount of revenue left over after subtracting the variable costs of producing or selling a product, which then goes directly toward paying your fixed costs. Tracking this metric helps you pinpoint exactly which [&hellip;]]]></description>
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                    <item>
                <title>How to Prepare Your Retail Store for a Busy Holiday Season</title>
                <link>https://www.lightspeedhq.com/blog/retail-holiday-season-preperation/</link>
                <comments>https://blog-assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2026/09/a5eb34f4-t43187_finserv-blog-sept-_-how-to-prepare-your-retail-store-for-a-busy-festive-season.webp</comments>
                <pubDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2026 02:13:42 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[Katie Nelson]]></dc:creator>
                
                                    <description><![CDATA[For retailers, the holiday season can bring some of the busiest and most valuable trading weeks of the year, but it can also put pressure on almost every part of the business at once. Inventory needs to be planned, stocked and on the shelves before the rush begins. Staff need to be ready for higher [&hellip;]]]></description>
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                <title>Open-to-Buy in Retail: Process, Calculation and Challenges</title>
                <link>https://www.lightspeedhq.com/blog/open-to-buy-in-retail/</link>
                <comments>https://blog-assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2026/09/59969d51-t43107_blog_open-to-buy-in-retail_-process-calculation-and-challenges.webp</comments>
                <pubDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2026 18:06:37 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lightspeed]]></dc:creator>
                
                                    <description><![CDATA[Open-to-buy (OTB) is an inventory budgeting strategy that determines exactly how much merchandise a retailer can purchase over a specific period to meet forecasted sales targets without overstocking. When you are scaling a multi-location business, relying on gut feelings for your purchasing budget usually leads to tied-up cash and dead stock. Let&#8217;s break down exactly [&hellip;]]]></description>
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                    <item>
                <title>15 Retail KPIs Every Business Owner Should Know</title>
                <link>https://www.lightspeedhq.com/blog/retail-kpi/</link>
                <comments>https://blog-assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2026/09/ced1a828-t43098_refresh_-15-retail-kpis-every-business-owner-should-know.webp</comments>
                <pubDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 08:42:24 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lightspeed]]></dc:creator>
                
                                    <description><![CDATA[Whether you run a brick-and-mortar shop, an ecommerce site or both, getting a grip on how your retail business is performing is key to pulling through. When it comes to performance, numbers don’t lie. Are you at a loss with what’s happening in your business? One of the first things you should do is look [&hellip;]]]></description>
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                <title>Types of Demand Forecasting in Retail: Methods and Examples</title>
                <link>https://www.lightspeedhq.com/blog/demand-forecasting-methods/</link>
                <comments>https://blog-assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2024/10/fbe1a6d2-t31264_different-types-of-demand-forecasting-methods-and-examples.jpg</comments>
                <pubDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 06:35:20 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[Goose Fraser]]></dc:creator>
                
                                    <description><![CDATA[Accurate demand forecasting is vital for any business to reduce costs and meet customer demand. From qualitative approaches that rely on expert insights to advanced machine learning techniques, demand forecasting methods vary in complexity and application. Merchants can use these retail forecasting methods to gain a competitive edge by aligning inventory with market demand, minimizing [&hellip;]]]></description>
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                <title>What Is Procurement in Retail? Types, Process and Advantages</title>
                <link>https://www.lightspeedhq.com/blog/what-is-procurement-types-process-and-advantages-in-retail/</link>
                <comments>https://blog-assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2025/03/4a50a38a-t33433_what-is-procurement_-types-process-and-advantages-in-retail.jpg</comments>
                <pubDate>Tue, 01 Sep 2026 15:02:31 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jessica Romera]]></dc:creator>
                
                                    <description><![CDATA[What makes a retail business rise above the rest? A well-oiled operation that keeps shelves stocked, prices competitive and customers coming back time and time again. But behind the scenes, it comes down to one crucial piece of the puzzle: the procurement process. Many might simplify procurement in retail to just buying supplies, but it’s [&hellip;]]]></description>
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                    <item>
                <title>How Do Barcodes Work? Your Questions, Answered</title>
                <link>https://www.lightspeedhq.com/blog/how-do-barcodes-work/</link>
                <comments>https://blog-assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2026/09/eae27cfd-t43081_refresh_-how-do-barcodes-work_-a-complete-guide-to-barcoding.webp</comments>
                <pubDate>Tue, 01 Sep 2026 09:00:44 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lightspeed]]></dc:creator>
                
                                    <description><![CDATA[A barcode is a way to encode information into a visual pattern (those black lines and white spaces) that a machine (a barcode scanner) can read. ]]></description>
                                                                 <enclosure url="https://blog-assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2026/09/eae27cfd-t43081_refresh_-how-do-barcodes-work_-a-complete-guide-to-barcoding.webp" type="image/jpeg" />
<media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" medium="image" type="image/jpeg"  url="https://blog-assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2026/09/eae27cfd-t43081_refresh_-how-do-barcodes-work_-a-complete-guide-to-barcoding.webp"  width="600"  />  <author>Lightspeed</author>            </item>
                    <item>
                <title>Product Cannibalization in Retail: Meaning, Examples, and Tips</title>
                <link>https://www.lightspeedhq.com/blog/product-cannibalization/</link>
                <comments>https://blog-assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2026/08/26c2c521-t43082_product-cannibalization-in-retail_-meaning-examples-tips.webp</comments>
                <pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2026 01:08:03 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[Francesca Nicasio]]></dc:creator>
                
                                    <description><![CDATA[Product cannibalization occurs when a new release reduces the sales volume or revenue of your existing merchandise rather than capturing new market share. You might think you are expanding your reach, but you are actually just shifting your current customers from one item to another. We&#8217;ll look at exactly why this happens, how to calculate [&hellip;]]]></description>
                                                                 <enclosure url="https://blog-assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2026/08/26c2c521-t43082_product-cannibalization-in-retail_-meaning-examples-tips.webp" type="image/jpeg" />
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                    <item>
                <title>Private Labeling: Meaning, and How it Works?</title>
                <link>https://www.lightspeedhq.com/blog/private-labeling/</link>
                <comments>https://blog-assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2026/08/0bf17715-t43109_private-labeling_-meaning-and-how-it-works_.webp</comments>
                <pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2026 01:03:16 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[Francesca Nicasio]]></dc:creator>
                
                                    <description><![CDATA[If you want to sell exclusive merchandise without the massive overhead of running a factory, private labeling is often the smartest route. Private labeling is a business model where a third-party manufacturer produces goods that are sold exclusively under your own brand name and logo. While it might seem complicated at first, taking control of [&hellip;]]]></description>
                                                                 <enclosure url="https://blog-assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2026/08/0bf17715-t43109_private-labeling_-meaning-and-how-it-works_.webp" type="image/jpeg" />
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                    <item>
                <title>15 Ways Retailers Can Manage Surplus and Overstock Inventory</title>
                <link>https://www.lightspeedhq.com/blog/manage-surplus-overstock-inventory/</link>
                <comments>https://blog-assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2023/12/2abbbc3b-t33005_refresh_9-ways-retailers-can-manage-surplus-and-overstock-inventory.jpg</comments>
                <pubDate>Thu, 27 Aug 2026 11:45:31 +0000</pubDate>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[Goose Fraser]]></dc:creator>
                
                                    <description><![CDATA[You’ve been thinking about it. You know it’s time. You know your business needs it. You know you need to take a minute to assess your overstock inventory. Holding on to surplus inventory for too long can hurt retailers, but you’re not stuck with stagnant shelves. With the right data and a few tricks, you [&hellip;]]]></description>
                                                                 <enclosure url="https://blog-assets.lightspeedhq.com/img/2023/12/2abbbc3b-t33005_refresh_9-ways-retailers-can-manage-surplus-and-overstock-inventory.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
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