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What you need to know about Instagram’s newest shopping options

Emma Fitzpatrick Marketing

Instagram is the ultimate inspiration board. People use it to collect places they want to go, people they wish they could meet and products they hope to buy. In fact, Instagram is the social network that people say influences their purchases the most, according to a 2017 Dana Rebecca Designs survey. The latest research, which was just released by Facebook, details exactly what people are buying and what their shopping journey looks like. Conveniently, this research debuted a day after Instagram rolled out new shopping features. Read on to learn how your business can take hold of this trend.

Vending machines poised to take retail to a new dimension

Katherine Radin Retail

As long-standing merchants such as Sears and Toys R Us shutter, retailers continue to feel the pressure to perform "in person." When we discussed this topic more than a year ago, commercial landlords were turning to restaurants and food markets to help fill the void. Now, it seems that a more technological approach could be seen in the future — with the use of vending machines. A beloved vendor of chips, chocolate bars, and carbonated beverages, the humble vending machine has dished out a more diverse lineup of products for sale over the years, from makeup, to books, to electronics.

Negotiating commercial leases: Renewal rent reductions

Dale Willerton and Jeff Grandfield Retail

For many commercial tenants, negotiating a good lease or lease renewal against an experienced agent or landlord can be a challenge. While an entrepreneur focuses on marketing and managing, savvy real estate agents and brokers are specialized salespeople. Their job is to sell tenants on leasing their location at the highest possible rental rate. Whether you are leasing a new location for the first time or negotiating a lease renewal for your business, here are two money-saving tips.

McDonald’s workers strike against sexual harassment in several major…

Michelle R. Matisons Food & Beverage

A lot has changed in labor organizing as the Fight for $15 campaign, which seeks to raise the minimum wage, and the #MeToo movement addressing workplace sexual harassment recently merged to target workplace sexual harassment against McDonald’s workers. On Sept. 19, McDonald’s workers in 10 cities — including Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Miami, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Orlando, Durham, and Kansas City — hit the streets demanding better sexual harassment training programs, a better employee complaint process, and a sexual harassment complaint committee.

Fair trade? China-US tariff tensions rise

Seth Sandronsky Civil & Government

Take the world's two biggest economies. Then, increase trade tariffs, or taxes, as a policy to solve disputes. President Trump said on Sept. 17 that tariffs on $267 billion of China’s imports to the U.S., its top buyer, will begin on Sept. 24 (10 percent) and rise in 2019 (25 percent) if Chinese concessions to Washington are not met. In response, officials in China have announced retaliatory tariffs of $60 billion on U.S. imports. Wilbur Ross, the commerce secretary, downplayed the economic impacts of the U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods to American businesses and consumers.

Sacrificing service on the altar of efficiency

Anne Rose Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Few companies like to see wasted effort, loss of productivity, and wasted resources. Efficiency is hailed as the end goal of every organization. But sometimes customer service is sacrificed in this quest for efficiency. Even small businesses use automated voicemails to route phone customers to the right department. Press 1 for store location and hours. Press 2 for new orders. Press 3 for existing orders. Press 4 for accounting. Sure, you haven’t wasted a real employee’s time to route that call, but in the meantime, you've possibly alienated a customer who just wants someone to give him a tracking number for his overdue order without it taking 15 minutes to get a live person who can look up the information.

Not just pumpkin: Fall food and beverage trends hit the retail sector

Bambi Majumdar Food & Beverage

Fall deals are springing up everywhere, and the retail space is putting up some exciting offers. Among these, the food and beverage segment is creating quite a wave. Retail marketing sees new trends and styles come up all the time, at times seasonal and at times event-based. This is one of those times where marketing strategies evoke more seasonal cravings than usual. Even before the season has truly set in, there have been some interesting products unveiled for consumers, both in retail stores and food establishments.

Welcoming Gen Z into the workplace

Linchi Kwok Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Gen Z, also known as the iGen or post-millennials, has grown up. Born between 1996 and 2010, Gen Z makes up 32 percent of the world's population. They are young, they are energetic, and they are driven. They are now joining other generations in the workplace. As Gen Z is different from the previous generations, their expectations may or may not align with other generations, especially millennials. With what they want in mind, companies must adjust their recruitment strategies in attracting the top talents in Gen Z.

How to best serve our male clients at the spa

Elizabeth Donat Retail

Let's face it, men probably make up the minority of the clients at your spa or medical spa. Unless you are running a facility that caters to this demographic exclusively, chances are you probably have about a 10 percent male clientele, at best. But just because these gentlemen clients comprise the minority doesn't mean that we should be unprepared to serve them well. After all, many men are extremely invested in their appearance and are seeking out professional-grade products and services in increasing numbers.

Why your business should embrace the Christmas creep

Emma Fitzpatrick Marketing

Now that summer’s over, it’s time to start dreaming of what the rest of the year holds. For most people, that means thinking about the holidays. After all, Christmas is only about 100 days away! However, some people simply can’t wait that long! More than 10 percent of internet shoppers surveyed by eMarketer said they start their holiday shopping before September. While it’s easy to write them off as enthusiasts, you may be surprised that nearly half of those shopping on the internet (40 percent) start purchasing before November.

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