Register Now for the 2010 MSA Conference & Expo and Save $130!
from MSA
Registration for the 55th MSA Retail Conference & Expo is now open. The 2010 Conference program focuses on MSA's Knowledge Standards in three content areas vital to the success of your museum store: Communications, Financial Management and Operations. Come to Austin in April and get the knowledge you need to keep moving forward! Get details about who's exhibiting and the schedule of events on MSA's Web site. Register today to take advantage of MSA's new lower early bird rate! More

Two New Positions Posted to MSA's Job Source
from MSA
Two new positions have been posted to Job Source, MSA's online resource for the most up-to date job listings in the cultural commerce industry. More

Burden of Safety Law Imperils Small Toymakers
from The New York Times
For 35 years, William John Woods has made wooden toys for children. Each one of the 2,000 or so he makes each year passes through his hands at his shop in Ogunquit, Maine, and no child, he said, has ever been hurt by one of his small boats, cars, helicopters or rattles. But now he and others like him -- makers of small toys and owners of toy resale shops and boutique stores -- say their livelihood is being threatened by federal legislation enacted in the last year to protect children from toxic toys through more extensive testing. More

Handmade Toy Alliance Pushes for Senate Hearing
from Playthings
The Handmade Toy Alliance was one of 40 organizations calling for Senator Mark Pryor of Arkansas to hold an open hearing in the Senate Commerce Committee to address the consequences of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) on small manufacturers and retailers. More

Four Strategies for a Better Holiday Season
from Retail Customer Experience
Following one of the worst holiday sales seasons in history, retailers recognize the need to prepare for the upcoming season with carefully planned merchandise assortments, inventory levels and cross-channel promotions that drive sales. While some economic reports have shown bleak outlooks, several indicators suggest the economy is beginning to improve. With so much uncertainty, how will retailers prepare? More

Retailers Scramble to Adapt to New Realities
from MSNBC.com
The recession has dramatically changed many Americans' shopaholic habits, at least temporarily and perhaps forever. Now the question is whether the nation's retailers have kept up. "The answer is no," said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst with NPD Group. More

Global Consumer Confidence Rebounds, but Spending Still Restrained
from Nielsen Wire
With many economists reporting that the worst of the global economic crisis appears to be past, consumers around the world are expressing more confidence about their personal financial situations according to the most recent Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Index, which jumped 9 points from 77 index points in April to 86 in October. Brazil, Hong Kong and South Korea recorded double-digit boosts in confidence, while the U.S. recorded its first increase in consumer confidence since early 2007. But even though most consumers are feeling better about the economy, they remain cautious about spending their money. More

The Hispanic Market Is Set to Soar
from Adweek
Hispanic Americans continue to grow in number at a rate four times that of the general population, with the 2010 Census expected to show their total rising to nearly 50 million, from 38 million in 2000. And second-generation Hispanics are fast becoming the driver of the group's growth, with 88 percent of Hispanic children born in America, versus 61 percent of adults. More

Display Challenge, Part One
from OneCoast
It is always educational to see how artists express their ideas. Give several stylists a selection of merchandise, and ask them to create a display with it. The results will have the commonality of the items, but the creative expression used to present the products will vary widely. It's up to us as retailers to find inspiring ways to share products and ideas with our customers. Even if that product appears in another store, we can make it our own by the way we show it off. More

Conversion: 15 Reasons Why Consumers Will Leave Your eCommerce Site
from Practical Ecommerce
If you think from an online customer's perspective, they really don't care about the complexities of your business -- they are looking for a simple and intuitive shopping experience. Here are 15 conversion hot spots you should pay attention to. More

Visual Merchandising: The 'Silent Salesperson'
from Manage Smarter
Great visual merchandising should not seem like visual merchandising at all, according to panelists at a recent presentation on "Visual Merchandising and Store Design." In fact, it should serve as the "silent salesperson," said Pam Levine, the president and creative director of the New York-based luxury-branding firm Levine Design Group. More

Why SMS Messaging is More Than a Teen Tool for Marketers
from DMNews
SMS is more than a teenage communication technology; it can and should be a critical part of the marketing communications mix. The direct and brief nature of SMS (each SMS message permits a maximum of 160 characters, including spaces), allows marketing teams to deliver concise, targeted messages that customers will actually opt-in to receive. SMS/text messaging can boost sales and strengthen customer relationships. More

Organized Chaos: Viral Marketing, Meet Social Media
from Wired
Viral marketing -- the technique of wrangling word-of-mouth to create a buzz around your product or idea -- has been a powerful tool since the first caveman started the first rumor. And it requires the confidence to lose control of the message by setting it adrift. Viral marketing is now a proven method -- so good in fact, that many thought it couldn't possibly be replicated. Enter YouTube, which introduced viral marketing to social media. The courtship was quick and the relationship was more successful than anyone could imagine it would be. More

Create Your Own Success
from OneCoast
Q: What sort of proactive measures can I take right now to be successful in Q4 and beyond? A: Great question - create your own success. Here's some ideas on how to do that. More

Retailers Dodge a Bullet on CIT Bankruptcy
from Retail's BIG Blog
CIT Group filed for bankruptcy protection over the weekend. But despite all the hype about this being one of the biggest corporate bankruptcies in U.S. history it looks like most retailers may have dodged a bullet. CIT is important to the retail industry because it provides specialized "factor" financing to about 2,000 suppliers who furnish goods sold at about 300,000 retailers across the country. More

Small Businesses Could Face New Credit Squeeze
from The Wall Street Journal
Business owners could face a new credit squeeze as early as November, in what amounts to a gap period between the expiration of two popular stimulus provisions and the ramp-up of President Barack Obama's plan to boost loans for small companies. To be sure, the stimulus provisions -- which lured hundreds of banks back to the small-business lending arena -- could survive past late November or December, when funding is expected to be depleted. More

DOE Releases Data on How to Achieve 50 Percent Energy Savings in Stores
from Chain Store Age
The U.S. Department of Energy and the DOE national laboratories have released technical support documents that suggest how to achieve 50 percent energy savings in four key commercial building sectors: general merchandise, grocery store, lodging, and medium office buildings. More

Returns Fraud will Cost Retailers $9.6 Billion in 2009
from Retail Customer Experience
Though return fraud continues to plague the retail industry, changes in policies have helped companies see improvements in some areas. According to NRF's annual Return Fraud Survey, completed by loss prevention executives at 134 retail companies, two-thirds of retailers (69 percent) say their company's return policy has changed in the past to account for fraud. However, the losses remain staggering: the retail industry will lose an estimated $2.7 billion in return fraud this holiday season and an estimated $9.6 billion this year. More

As Economy Flounders, Cultural Organizations Struggle to Hang On
from the Billings Gazette
Funding for nonprofits across the country has fallen by up to 50 percent during this economic retrenchment, according to a February study of the arts in the Pacific Northwest. It is now clear that this financial crisis is more severe than anything we have experienced in 50 years and is likely to be protracted. At least 25 percent of 29 cultural organizations in the Seattle area are aggressively planning their survival, 60 percent are actively addressing the near-term challenges, and 15 percent are in denial, the study suggested. Read on to learn how the Yellowstone Art Museum has had to cut back to weather the storm, and what techniques it is implementing in hopes of reversing its fortunes. More