I talked to a liquor retailer about their "Click and Collect" service vs. in-store sales. I was stunned when told that customers using their shop online in their basket with Click and Collect spent 38% more than when they were in the store. When I questioned it, as surely the customers would spend less because there are no impulse sales with Click and Collect. They informed me that they were tracking the information through the shop rewards card. People using Click and Collect purchased more than those that came into the shop. Clearly, they are using their customer CRM in their system.

See the importance of customer information here! Any rewards program you have should collect names so you can track these details too.

Click and Collect is attractive to the Australian consumer. 

1) Cost. With Click and Collect, they can get free delivery without paying inflated prices for so-called free delivery.

2) Speed, Click and Collect. They can often pick it up hours as opposed to days for delivery.

3) Convenience. They can drive-in on the way home or at lunch breaks.

4) It is easier for the Australian consumer to carry.

Some pluses for the retailers

1) An employee picks an order eight times faster than a customer.

2) The retailer does not need a checkout.

3) No theft. Customers can't steal if they aren't coming into the shop.

4) The retailer can select items that expire sooner.

Currently, about 10% of Australian retail sales are Click and Collect.

If you have a website, I suggest you introduce this service.

Our system was the first in our market space to offer such a service so why not use it?

Prepare for mother's day as it's coming. This is the third-largest retail event following Christmas and the back-to-school season. So it's worthwhile preparing.

Based on previous years, the retail industry is looking at an increase in overall sales this year with an average spend of about $80.  

For Mother's Day (25%), a considerable percentage of shoppers state that convenience is crucial when picking out a Mother's Day gift. They do not know what you buy, and they want to do it quickly. So make it easy for your shoppers to find their gifts. Consider creating a display such as this that features your Mother's Day merchandise with signage to lead shoppers to this exhibit. You want to make it easy for your customers to grab and go.

If you are unsure of what will work in your shop on Mother's Day or to get some ideas.

Go to Register reports.

Now pick "Top N Stock Sales for a Given Period."

 In the form, put in the week before May 9, 2021, and check it out. That will give you what worked last year.

Now put in the year before COVID-19 hit on May 12, 2019, and see that report. 

This year will be a mix of these two dates. As people expect restaurants and special outings to be down compared to 2019, so flowers and gifts should be up on 2019 figures. 

Now, these are the items that worked for you then. They will probably work for you again this year.

Mother's Day is an excellent shopping day in retail. Although it is a limited-time shopping festival with a short season, it can considerably impact your shop if correctly done.

A while ago, I pointed out that if you were looking to upgrade your POS system shortly the time to buy was now. This was because computers and POS equipment were going up in price. Well, those that listened to me, I am sure, are happy now.

Well we are living in a real-world, and these prices are still going up and with the shortages, we have now are unlikely to come down soon. You know with inflation, once the price goes up, it never comes down. Inflation defies the law of gravity, which says that what goes up must come down. 

Plus, as China showed a few days ago, COVID has not gone away. 37 million there in lockdown.

So we can expect that prices will continue to go up soon so we are hoping that the current hardware costs stay on hold for as long as possible!

So my advice is unchanged: if you are looking to upgrade your POS computer system soon, the time to buy is now.

These are five methods I have seen suppliers mislead you with pricelist.

Both big and small suppliers use these methods.

) Salesmen know that margin and mark-up are a source of confusion. I have seen even experienced retailers muck it up with many years of experience. That is why the salesman will use it. Here is a chart to help you convert from one to the other.

Understanding the two terms is essential to know if you're pricing your stock effectively.

Best solution: Always use margin, and you will not be confused. It will be one less thing to need to think about.

) Rate cards

Rather than quote a price, suppliers will present you with a rate card of their costs. They know that few will work through the items on the rate card. They then tell you how these rates are competitive. There are computer programs designed to shuffle costs to trick you to think that you are getting a good deal.

Best solution: Thank them for the rate card and request a quote of the cost. See what they say and try to get this figure in writing. In the worst case, you may have to work through the rate card.

) Average margins do not equal your margins.

Some suppliers will list an extended price list and tell you the average margin is this. Okay, but this may differ from your margin as you do not handle many of these items.

Best solution: Thank them for the price list and examine the items you handle. Your point of sale can give you the actual figure.

) Conditions change.

The retail world is now moving fast. Prices are going up, and sometimes they go down. What was a good deal yesterday may not be tomorrow.

Best solution: Because you have checked once does not mean you do not need to check again. You need to check it regularly.

) Extra responsibility

One of my clients started selling mushrooms. One day, they learnt that the mushroom industry has a big yearly sale in one month with a special price list and that they are expected to help out. If you think about it, it means that they are running on reduced margins one month a year. They sell a lot in that month, but they are working for the supplier in this product.

Best solution: Check what you are getting into first.

I hope this helps.

Ever wonder why many majors hit you first with the dearer item when you come into the shop?

Why in a car yard are the dearest cars in front not the best selling cars?

This is the "anchoring effect." You should consider this for your shop. When hit with a lot of new stuff, it works as people tend to grab the information they get first as the basis for making decisions.

Here is an example of how it works.

Imagine you have three items on sale.

1) $30 item

2) $40 item

3) $50 item

If you see the $30 item first, your immediate thought is that the $40 and $50 things are dearer.

But, if you see the $50 item first, your immediate thought is that the other items are cheaper.

Studies have shown that having the $50 item on display first makes people more likely to buy it, as the $30 and $40 items seem reasonable. Interestingly, sales of $40 increased dramatically. It is claimed that it is worth having the $50 just because of this, even if it does not sell. 

It is something worth thinking about.

Here is a video of how it works in practice and what you should do about it.

This is where you have to be very careful looking at your sales reports.

Today business needs 24/7 access yet some POS systems are installed on-site on local computers with no cloud. These systems are exposed to many risks, such as data loss. Something goes wrong, and sometimes your data is gone.

So we offer a cloud-based backup. The shop can burn down. Everything inside is lost, and your data is safe. Besides added protection, the added advantage is that using this. You can consult your information anywhere at any time by logging into your cloud backup.

Why do you need 24/7 information access?

Here is an example of a common situation now when two people out of the shop need figures.

Let me give you an example of what happened to me. I went home early one day. I then got an urgent call at 4 pm that some of the information for the stock cost was missing. I tried to help the person on the phone, but they could not get it. So I logged into our cloud system at home and was able to call up the information immediately. That saved me an urgent trip back to work.

Today, we need to have this sort of information immediately.

The Cloud will allow you to better manage and control your shop, even if you are away from it.

VANA/NLNA has been pushing a new premium chocolate range. One of my competitors do not like the offering. Several asked what I thought of their comments. They are not unbiased observers either, but I suppose no one is. I can say that I have no financial or any other interest in the Newsbar offering nor am I likely to have such an interest.

What I do think is that many of my clients should look at the premium chocolate market. Here are some facts:

) There is no market dominance, and small companies are successful in this market. A few players do not own it.

) Many of my clients are in an excellent location to sell such products.

) The cost of entering this market for them is not high. The risks are small. If it does not work, sell the stock and exit.

) It allows a merchant to trade items on almost any holiday eg there are Valentine's day chocolate, green St. Patrick's Day chocolate, easter chocolates, etc. So bring in people into the shop.

) The current growth rate of the Australian chocolate market is about 7.8%. Growth is expected to continue at that rate for the next five years.

Sounds good to me.

Now let us get to the objections to Newsbar.

Yes, it would be wonderful if:

) A well-known brand company in premium chocolates

) Would be prepared to offer many small-to-medium-sized size businesses that have no history in premium chocolates

) An exclusive deal

) A 50% margin on the chocolate range,

) Promise to follow it up with millions of dollars in TV and billboard campaigns.

How many such companies do you see offering such a deal?

The reality is you do not need in premium chocolates to have millions of dollars in marketing behind you. Many premium chocolate companies are pretty small. I have many clients in premium chocolates. Both they and their suppliers are not such huge companies. I am sure you have seen such small premium chocolate places too.

The quality of the product.

This is the big question, the most critical question. If people like it, then they will come back. It is one I cannot know as I never tasted it. This is the most crucial consideration.

I have seen chocolate producers parade their high-quality goods, and they were no such thing; people were not fooled.

Mass marketing is not the important point here, a bad product will bomb no matter how much advertising you pump into it.

Is the Newsbar expensive at $5?

This depends on the quality. A cheap mass-market chocolate bar is generally about $1 to $2. A premium chocolate bar ranges typically from $9 to $15. So, depending on what it is, will determine this question.

Are the Newsbar margins huge at 50%?

Well, it depends on your perspective. If you concentrate on lotto, newspaper delivery, magazines, etc., the answer is YES. Conversely, if you are in a market where 60% to 70% is standard, then NO.

For premium chocolates, 50% is acceptable. 

One point that you need to check is that the margins are what is quoted. Sometimes suppliers fudge margins, as readers here will know, I have discussed this issue before here.

Is the Newsbar name a good one?

No. It does not conjures up an image suitable for premium chocolates. I think of a bar where I spent a lot of time in, with complimentary newspapers. Not the sort of image required to sell a premium item. It will be a problem if you are looking to sell a $5 chocolate bar.

Does these chocolate bars have to save any business?

It does not have to, a product that sells well gives good returns and is not difficult to handle is a good product should be considered.

Few things can save a world does that mean we should reject everything else.

These are my opinions, and if anyone wants to discuss them further happy to take it further.

COVID has protected us from the flu for the past two years, but the flu has not disappeared. Most people have not taken a flu shot for two years, so they are susceptible to getting the flu. Then there are currently two years of seasonal infections, with the current year's most recent variations coming with the opening of Australia's borders. So expect an extreme flu season.

Unlike COVID, the flu does not care about your age, wellbeing, or way of life.

The most effective way to safeguard yourself is to get your flu vaccine soon.

Unfortunately, there is a shortage of flu vaccines now, so I suggest you book now, if possible, your staff. Lucky for us, these flu vaccines, unlike COVID, have a proven safety record.

Also, COVID is a flu, and our flu season is coming up, so be prepared for another wave of COVID. But that is another issue, some of the guys at work doctors have told them to take a fourth shot.

Biometric identification is becoming better so more important in security. Rather than using a password, you use some physical characteristics of yourself. There are some real and immediate advantages to using them:

1) Unlike passwords, your biometrics are always with you and cannot be lost or forgotten.

2) Biometrics can't be stolen like a password. In a shop where people work close to each other, this can be a real problem.

3) They are the only identification systems in use now in retail that can verify an individual's identity with near certainty. Security on passwords can be dubious as people who work with you may know your passwords, but they do not have your fingerprints. Unlike ID cards and passwords, people cannot steal them to gain access to areas of your software where they should not go.

4) It is often much more convenient as people walk around with their fingers. They usually do not walk around with their employee ID cards.

5) It also makes it harder for hackers who have developed elaborate schemes to break into your computer systems. Now they have to hack the native security system of the biometric system too.

Integrated biometrics can safeguard your system.

Most people spend far too much time in front of screens, so today, about 8% of work comp cases involve eyes. Many of them relate to computer eye strain. According to the list, I can see reporting tired, sore eyes, headaches, dry eyes, blurred vision, double vision, sensitivity to glare, twitching eyes, and neck and shoulder pain. This all adds up.

There are special monitors for eye strain, but most people prefer standard monitors. In practice, good quality big, curved screens are almost as good.

So here are some suggestions. Check your staff's usage of the computers. For example, if your team is working on the front counter, generally, they are not looking at the screen all the time, so there should be minor problems. It could be a problem if they are doing stock receiving, rostering, accounting, etc. These people, you need to review.

This is a youtube video from an eye doctor that is worth seeing here. One exercise that works for me well in the video is cupping although I use the coffee machine to warm my hands first rather than rub them. It will help you too I am sure.

Also, Australian Standards state, which is worth quoting in full as you should be following it. 

i. Give It A Rest—Remember the 20-20-20 rule. At least every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet (6 metres) away.

ii. Size Up—Smaller screens on handheld devices and laptops usually favour small fonts that challenge our vision. Instead of bringing the screen closer to the eyes, increase the font size so the device can be used at a distance that is more comfortable for the eyes.

iii. Sharpen Up—Better resolution offers greater clarity and usually more comfort. Adjust the brightness of the screen to a comfortable intensity, neither too bright nor too dim.

iv. Reduce Glare—Handheld devices present challenges in various lighting conditions. Users should try to reduce glare where possible and try to make sure lighting is not directly behind or in front of their heads.

v. Look Down—It's easier on the eyes to focus on reading material that is below eye level, therefore, a computer monitor or handheld device can be positioned slightly below eye level (AOA 2010).

There is a trend in our market space for our clients to look into premium chocolates.

When handling premium chocolates, you need to consider their shelf-life. Preference should be given, if possible, to these longer shelf-life items. Although many long shelf-life chocolate products are suitable for gifting all year round, many are not.

But if you are serious about this market, you need some shorter shelf-life fresh chocolates. A fundamental problem here is white chocolate. It only has a low shelf-life. The darker, the better.
The biggest problem is that, over time, white stuff appears on the chocolate, which makes them unmarketable.

It's a problem as, unfortunately, these chocolates do not enjoy being refrigerated! Putting them in the drink fridge, which sort of works for mass-produced chocolates, is not a good idea for premium chocolates. If you must, use a wine chiller. 

Ensure your chocolate counter is out of the sun. That it is in a cool, dry area as the moisture ruins the packaging.

Fortunately, checking your premium chocolates, which should be done regularly, is straightforward.

Go to register reports> Stock> Old Stock on hand.

Now pick the department and get a list of when this stock arrived and the quantity you have on hand.  I am sure you will find some are very old; these must go.

Meet up with Garth Brennan, our Senior Sales Manager, in a free webinar to learn about transitioning to a new POS system for your retail business. This is the software used by progressive retailers all over Australia.

Switch to the #1 POS Software which has for the last 38 years, made it our mission to help retailers modernise their businesses and give them the means to stay ahead.

It can be used anywhere goods or services are sold. 

Find out how to cut your overhead costs, save time, and improve your customer experience.

It is built for your retail shop. It has e-commerce integration, financial control, order management, contactless payments, inventory management, and much more.

Start managing your business.

And if you don't want to pay a ton of money in credit card fees, click here to get details

Unlike others, we tailor our POS solution to meet your different needs and provide migration and set-up with software and hardware at an affordable price.

We are now seeing that the rising petrol costs are now causing higher delivery prices. 

Where it is going? A New Zealander tells me that the fuel price there can be $3.60, so we are doing well. In Queensland, we are now witnessing an added problem. The floods have mucked up the public transport system, so people have to drive more cars on the road, resulting in longer queues.

This increase in petrol costs is getting people to review their delivery charges. So we are getting many people ringing up to ask about changing their delivery fees in our software. It is not hard, but people use it so rarely that they have questions about how to do it.

Here are some points (tips) that may help:

) It is an excellent time to review their charges if you use couriers. Some have not updated their prices!

) If you do the delivery yourself, why not use the Google Map integration in your POS software to plan your route? It is free, so why not use it? What is helpful here is to see the effect of changing your delivery time on your trip.

) You can save some money by using a fuel check app. I like GasBuddy, I heard that petrolspy is good too. The NSW government has one too, but I know nothing about it at least it will not have ads.

You will find it handy to know the best prices when shopping for petrol in an area.

) Investigate Click and Collect. Many people are now using it for supermarket orders. For these people, it can be handy to collect your order at the same time.

The reality is that there are problems. Couriers are taking longer to save petrol. So use our POS software to send your customers' parcel delivery updates by email. Tell your customers where their parcel is and the expected delivery details. Most people appreciate it when you get them. You are providing them with a personal touch to your business. It keeps them in the loop, so they know what is happening. It also puts your name out to an engaged customer. Include a picture of your shop and logo with your details in the email. Also, set a link to your social media, e.g. Facebook page, and do some free marketing in the email.

In business never let an opportunity go to waste.

If your shop needs it, you will find SMS marketing extremely useful. The software is available free in your point of sale software.

Where it's ideal is if you have items that you need to move quickly, like last-minute deals. For example, let's say you sell sandwiches. The sandwiches need to be sold soon or dumped. Another example would be gifts for special occasions when the day is ending.

So what is required is to have a list of phone numbers to send out a last-minute offer. Say after lunch: "All sandwiches are $3 today." Besides sandwiches, you may pick up sales in related sales. If you think about it, the sandwiches here cost you nothing now.

The plus here is that these messages get delivered almost immediately. They also have incredibly high open rates. Another advantage: it is hard for your competitors to match your prices as they do not know about your offer.

The main disadvantage is the cost. If you are sending 100 SMSs, that cost is about $6. In our sandwich example, you need at least two sales to justify the SMS marketing.

If you intend to use this form of marketing, you need to keep the following in mind.

) Keep your messages short. SMS is rarely used for long messages.

) Be ruthless in your VIP marketing to prune your SMS marketing list. Unlike emails, you are paying for each SMS sent.

) Do not use emojis. Many people do not understand them.

) Make sure you put your name on it. We had one client that sent off some SMS without an address. It became clear that the receivers had no idea where to go for the special. Also, you are required to put your details.

Make sure to add an opt-out option, such as a "Reply 'STOP' to opt-out" at the end of the SMS. As I stated, it is very much in your interest to prune out your SMS marketing list. Also, some people do not like these sorts of commercial SMS, and you should respect their views.

) Sometimes, like late at night, you should not send SMS.

) Cost depends on how many SMSs you are willing to buy in advance

Other than that, you will find that SMS campaigns are great for engaging more people to buy in your shop if it's a good fit.

​Nothing has over the years proven to be a more successful marketing campaign for a retail shop than *Birthday Marketing*.

It is so simple to do with our loyalty program. Just put in their birthday when entering a VIP customer. Although it is much better to use their actual birthday if they do not tell you, make it an anniversary date with their joining date. You can always correct it later if they point it out.

Birthday offers typically have about 25% success with our clients. Here are some figures from Experian

) People buy on birthdays

) Birthdays are all year round

To do Birthday marketing, all you need to do is send a simple 'Happy Birthday' message. It will be appreciated and read. Almost everybody reads these emails. Now add some offer - a coupon or free item to encourage them to return to your business.

I'm sure you have seen a Google map like this one when looking for something.​

What it shows on the map are the nearby places for what you are searching for and the top three search choices. Looking at this map, I can see a business selling lotto that is not on this map. It costs them as many people use this to find the place they want to shop.

Why not check if you are on the list?

Now put in a few of your major products and see if you are listed?

If not, then it is costing you too.

What you need to do is

ADD YOUR BUSINESS TO GOOGLE MAPS!

It is free, so why not do it?

Here is the important point on google maps, *David can beat Goliath* as one of the main factors used by Google Maps is location. If you are closest, the odds are good; you will appear and appear first.

Here are some of my tips before your start.

) Give google what they ask, do not be a smartarse like trying to stuff into your name marketing keywords. If Google does not like you, they will put you on the bottom.

) Do not capitalise on your name! Use John Smith not JOHN SMITH

) Do not add trade names use your company name!

) Avoid special characters ^#%&*( unless they are part of your business name.

Now are some step-by-step instructions.

Let me know if you have a problem as I am happy to help; I have a Google Ads Search Certification.

Google Maps Is So Important For Your Business

COVID has boosted the comic and related industry. I was stunned as readers here will know last year with the figures. Yet, current statistics show that the market appears to be still growing. According to the latest benchmarked figures in the US (no one giving me Australian statistics, probably because of my comment last year on their distribution system), comics are up 46% over the previous two years.

DC comics are up 33%. They started on a lower base. Still, they have Batman, and the latest movie is now out almost everyone will check it out.

Marvel Comics 25%, still the best sellers they have now 9 in the top 10 sellers.

Interestingly, I have noticed that comics as the price is around the ball-park, the price is not that important.

Manga unbelievable is 143% up.

The novels are doing well too. They are up 36%.

Anything now with the Superhero market will do well now as people want escapism, and you do not get more escapism than Ghost Rider, Batman, Spider-Man,  Wolverine and Star Wars.

The big problem is that all these types of products are all protected by Copywrite so it is strictly controlled by the majors.

Premium chocolates are a growing industry. Here is a summary report free from Jan 2022 from TechSci Research. They are claiming a growing market for the next few years of about 7.5%. This is plausible, as I have been saying for years. It's been growing at that rate for years, with no sign of slowing down.

So I was pleased that VANA started pushing premium chocolates into their retail shops. I have no idea how good the company they are pushing is, but it does have a 5-star rating online, and their entry-level order is reasonable. They look small which may be a plus as small producers will be something unique but a negative for marketing. Large brands may pay small margins but they do move product.

Since it is in the market space of our software, here are insights, I have seen from some of our clients that are marketing premium chocolates now.

Here is the first one. The biggest issue in this market is that premium chocolates are very seasonal, unlike the regular chocolate market. If you are not in it, you probably don't realise how seasonal-driven it is. The longest season is Christmas, which will give you about six weeks. Easter is also good, but that only gives you about two weeks. Easter can be a pain to plan for as it moves every year. That means most of the year it is a little more than breakeven. Though I will say that Valentine's Day was good but that is only one day.

To be successful here, you need to create some retail theatre. You'll want to change your window displays frequently and keep your range current.

It is not a "set up and forget" type of business, but then again, nothing is "set up and forget."

My first piece of advice would be to go around your local shopping area and check out what others are doing here.

The Australian Retail Association has assembled a list of current state government support packages.

There, you will find the link to the relevant state government support packages. 

One objection I am hearing and seeing is that one state government is extremely hesitant to pay the awards owed. People are going to the state ombudsman. So if you are rejected for a grant, I suggest that you make some further enquiries.

Click here for details of the list.

It is worth a quick look to see what you might be qualified to get.

Unfortunately, computer work gets harder after 40 as our eyes become less flexible. This problem gets worse as time goes on.

Here are some tips if you have older people using computers in your shop.

I find it best not to give them a laptop screen to work on because it is too close, so use a sizeable separate monitor.

The bigger the monitor, the better. A 4K screen is best as it will offer them four times the pixels found on a traditional monitor.

You will find that factors like clarity and crispness are less important than size. People mistakenly try to increase the resolution of a screen, thinking that this will make the text look crisper and easier to read. It does make it look crisper, but it also makes the text smaller. In my experience, people with poor eyesight need bigger text. The fuzziness is less critical.

The next point is that our software can take advantage of larger screens, unlike many other point of sale software packages. Use this and set it to the largest.

Another helpful point is to cut the glare. If light from a nearby window or lamp casts a glare, try moving the monitor. Two light sources cause fatigue because of the different amounts of light hitting the eye.

I hope this helps.