Steps to Starting a Successful Retail Business (ePub)

Steps to Starting a Successful Retail Business shows you how to find a niche so that you can compete effectively against the big box stores. Find out where to get great ideas.This book shows you how to direct import your own merchandise. It covers the different ways you can pay for the goods you import including the use of letters of credit and bankers acceptances. You are provided with the names of a number of firms that are involved with trade finance.This book discusses different transportation methods for importing your goods together with some of the advantages and disadvantages. It covers clearing your goods through customs using the services of a customs broker. It cautions you to adhere to local laws.It shows you how to act as a distributer for the goods you import and different warehousing alternatives. It then helps you figure out if there is a market for the products you have selected by conducting a survey or by using Internet search engines.Learn about legal structures for your business and select the one that is most suitable for your needs. Don't forget about government sales tax permits.Think about the importance of location and the hazards of lease renewals. Factors you should consider in your layout and store fixturing. Don't ignore the importance of exterior and in-store signage, lighting and window displays.You'll find a chapter on how to advertise and use direct marketing to augment your sales. Learn how to benefit from discount rates for bulk mailings. Find out how to develop your internal mailing lists or use the services of a list broker. Examine the basic ingredients of the mailing piece and the best times to mail.Find out how to successfully use fax broadcasting but observe the Do-Not-Call lists. Take a look at newspaper and magazine advertising and don't forget the classifieds. Read a frank review about the merits of advertising in the Yellow Pages.Look at radio and television advertising. Finally, consider holding customer appreciation parties.Create a human resource plan and determine how many people you will need to hire. Take a look at salary administration, hidden costs, pay equity and employment contracts Also, be alerted to the horrendous increase in theft by staff and shoplifters.Find out how to connect your computer to your cash register and how to calculate your shrinkage.Find out how to use planogramming to fine-tune the position of merchandise within your store and how to discontinue underperforming lines.Extend your reach beyond your bricks and mortar operation by using the Web to advertise your merchandise.This book shows you how to create your own Web site and how to register your domain name and select a Web hosting service. You will learn about the use of cascading style sheets as well as the difference between static and dynamic Web authoring software. You are provided with reviews of ten different software packages that you can use to create your own Web site.Find out about the essential ingredients of an e-commerce site: the shopping cart; the checkout, methods of payment and payment gateways. Think about offering your customers alternative ways to order and pay. Consider some of the challenges presented by international transactions, fulfilment and the security of transactions. Finally, you can read reviews on five different e-commerce software packages.The chapter on search engine optimization shows you how to improve your ranking on search engines. It reveals the role of spiders, crawlers, meta tags, title tags and keywords. It shows you how you can use pay-per-click and other methods to drive traffic to your Web site. It gives you a sobering look at your average...