Midweek Retail Roundup - March 19th

Posted every Wednesday or Thursday, the retail round-up includes the top retail related news and insights from the week, curated just for you.

Easy.

I'll even summarize the key learnings so (in case you don't want to read the full article).

The March 19th | Midweek Retail Round-up

E-Commerce / Online Retail / Social Media

Are you making these 11 mistakes with online contest? via Shopify's blog

Are you running a contest? Or planning to? Learn how to avoid some common mistakes such as making the entry WAY too complicated, poor followup, timing or promotion. Shopify is killing it with their blog lately. Major kudos for another awesome post!

Why it's good Facebook business pages will look like personal pages via Small Business Trends

In case you haven't heard, Facebook is redesigning business pages to look like personal pages (you may have received a notice on your business page to test it). This perspective from SBT, thinks this is a good thing making it easier to find info on your business, and read up on page insights. Leave it to you to decide!

Branding / Marketing

6 Steps to a successful Integrated Marketing Campaign via RIS

Retail Info systems does a great summary of 6 things to think about when creating your marketing campaigns. Your target (of course, be uber clear), defining objectives upfront (what do you want to achieve...no matter WHAT the investment you should have these!), 3Cs (clear, consistent and compelling content), channel your messaging (customized, yet consistent message by channel), adjust your campaign based on analytics... pivot if needed and start with "Why" for loyalty programs (and by gosh, don't start a points program just to have one!).

SEO / Blogging / Content

The Three Hidden Benefits of Blogging via Forbes.com

I know there is a ton of resistance from retailers to having a blog. But, if Forbes is talking about blogging for business. You gotta pay attention! Content strategy (of course, better SEO), authority (your readers will love it if you know something about their interests) and demographic targeting (help hone in on who you want to target with your content). Blog now!

Other

Canadian Retailers Feeling Pinch of Selling Less for More in 2014 via Financial Post

In case you missed it, inflation is rising due to the softness in the Canadian dollar. So what does this mean for retailers? For those that buy inputs or products from abroad, it means costs will go up, and margins will be squeezed unless you can reasonably pass these costs along to consumers. Disposable income growth in Canada is also relatively flat. Time to start strategizing for how to add more value with your products in a what might be a tough financial year!