The product range of digital signage has rapidly expanded, offering options for all types of retailers. We check out what’s hot in this market. Visual marketing has always played an important part in retailing, to attract and inform customers, and of course to entice them to buy more. The digital age is bringing a whole […]
Feel ready to open a second shop? Feelings are not a bad place to start, but before you go much further you will need to do a lot of research and planning. Mel McGoldrick takes us through the process. Your business is going extremely well and your gut feeling is that another store would prosper […]
Don’t expect customers to connect the dots in a vague and miserly branding and marketing campaign – To make a franchise work, you need to understand its point of difference and then you need to flaunt it. The branding and marketing of your franchise is as important as the product or service you sell. For […]
In any retail market independent retailers must compete with mass merchants to get their piece of the pie. And while it’s often customer service that gives them a point of difference, finding and capturing a niche can keep them a step ahead. Rebecca Spicer explores some successful niche outlets to find out what gives them […]
Staying flexible and being able to set competitive prices is fundamental to small business so the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has released a fact sheet outlining small business’s and retailer’s rights to do just that. A Competitive Advantage The resale price maintenance provision in the Trade Practices Act protects all businesses from having […]
Our techno culture hasn’t yet eradicated the need for human contact. Growing your people network may be the key to that next big contract. Imagine: you bump into your next-door neighbour one day and start chatting about your day job. You comment on how your plumbing business has been a bit slow lately, while your […]
The rapidly growing demand for naturally grown and uncontaminated food is pushing agriculture and retail industries to think bigger and to develop mutually beneficial business. Camille Howard talks to growers, sellers, and analysts to find out how things are, and where the business of organics is heading. No longer associated as the sole domain of […]
In our youth-obsessed culture, we tend to write off the elderly and even the middle-aged as having little or limited economic and workforce value. This waste, of people and business opportunities, needs urgent attention. While the economy is booming, the government is sending a clear message to employers—beware of skill shortages. This issue is particularly […]
Behind the glamour and beyond the catwalk, Wayne Cooper’s fashion empire is built on savvy business skills, passionate ideas, and an instinct for knowing what customers want a year or more before they know they want it. By Camille Howard His mates had him pegged as a trendsetter from an early age. And apart from […]
On New Years Day, while many of us were recovering from the night before, doors of opportunity were opening for small business all over the country. Tim Harcourt looks at how free trade opportunities will benefit Australian exporters. On January 1 this year, the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA) came into effect. AUSFTA has […]
