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Retail Alliance Newsletter
Greetings!
Attention Holiday Window Works Participants:
You've Earned Yourselves FREE Adverting This Holiday Season!
Retail Alliance has entered into an agreement with Enercom Norfolk (94.9 FM - The Point) to provide  additional FREE exposure to all participating stores. All stores also have the opportunity to provide one or more gift certificates that the radio station will give away on the air in contests and call-ins providing extra visibility. Radio personalities will supplement advertising with on-air commentary about individual neighborhoods and merchants.
So, those stores participating in Holiday Window Works get all of the following just for entering the competition:
- Listing on WVEC-TV, Channel 13 website (Hampton Roads)
- Listing on CHKD website (Hampton Roads)
- Listing on Retail Alliance website
- Radio station visibility on 94.9 FM - The Point (Hampton Roads) with hyperlinks and a web banner
- Radio station visibility on WSLK (Smith Mountain Lake)
- Opportunity for more on-air visibility by donating a gift certificate or merchandise (Hampton Roads)
Holiday Window Works is designed to encourage merchants to use their windows to their best advantage and subsequently get more customers.
If you are still interested in participating, the deadline to get your form in is today, Tuesday, November 25 by 4:00 p.m.
Windows should be decorated by Black Friday, 
November 28. Judges will be randomly visiting participating locations without forewarning within one week of the contest start date, so be prepared!
Winners will be contacted on December 15, 2008 in both categories and invited to attend the Holiday Window Works Awards Breakfast on December 19, 2008 at 8:00 a.m. to accept their award. The breakfast is open to all Retail Alliance members for $20.
For more information on the HWW contest contact Tanya Profancik at 757.455.9309 or tprofancik@retail-alliance.com.
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A Customer-Loyalty Survey in 5 Simple Steps
Knowing your customers -- understanding their  interests, priorities, goals and desires -- is key to surviving the economic downturn, according to one writer. Steps toward conducting an effective customer survey include: Decide on goals for the survey; use a solid, free, Web-based service to host the survey; design an effective survey; administer the survey through e-mail; and look for trends and surprises when interpreting results.
MSNBC/Entrepreneur.com has the full story.
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Convenience Still Top Reason Shoppers Buy Online
Convenience is still the main reason shoppers log on to buy products -- 76% of consumers noted that the ability to shop 24 hours a day  was the reason they logged on to buy, and 74% percent mentioned saving time, a survey reveals. Fifty-three percent of consumers report that price is one reason they buy online, up from 46% in 2007.
Adweek/NielsenWire has the full story. |
Co-Op Advertising with Retail Alliance
Retail Alliance is offering numerous co-op advertising options for members in coming weeks.
Discover Magazine (several city editions still available; one-year shelf-life) $615 1/6 page ad
Virginian Pilot City Tabloids Ads available for two insertions each for the weeks of November 30 and December 7 for as little as $125.
Please contact your Director of Membership Development for complete details. On the Southside Carlene Bowers at (757) 455- 9311 or Janet Balestino at (757) 455-9324. On the Peninsula contact Jodi Weygand or Viktor Mays at (757) 926-5306.
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Retail 2 Retail
 6-8 p.m.
Tuesday,
December 2
Goin' Postal
620 Stoney Creek Lane
Suite 19
Newport News, VA 23608
Join fellow retailers for an entertaining evening of networking and fun, complete with refreshments.Retail 2 Retail takes place the first and third Tuesday of each month and is free to RETAIL ALLIANCE members.To RSVP call Jen Webber at 757.455.9323 For directions to this R2R and to view upcoming R2Rs click here. |
Tell Us About the Holidays
Again this year Retail Alliance will coordinate its popular Holiday Sales Watch identifying consumer activity and trends. Participants need only agree to complete a weekly e-mail survey to be included in the program. Local media rely on the Holiday Sales Watch as a business story staple and routinely ask to get connected with participating merchants. It is great free visibility.
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Bright, Cheerful Shopping Bags Designed to Boost Holiday Spirits
Some retailers are hoping their fancy, brightly colored shopping bags will help get cash-strapped customers into the holiday mood. Bloomingdale's has launched a bag decorated with a watercolor, created by Tony Bennett, that depicts the company's New York flagship store. Saks' bags feature snowflake drawings by artist Marian Bantjes.
The Wall Street Journal (free content) has the full story.
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E-Retailers Prepare Cyber Monday Sales
Retailers with an online presence ranging from Lindor sweets to Charming Shoppes are planning more sales on Cyber Monday, the first workday after the Thanksgiving weekend. Almost 84% of retailers are planning special promotions that day, according to a survey commissioned by Shop.org.
The Wall Street Journal (free content) has the full story.
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LEGISLATIVE SCOREBOARD
Speaker of the House Requests Economic Testimony from VRF
Virginia Retail Federation (VRF) representatives were recently asked to testify at the Speaker's Economic Advisory Council on the economy's impact on Virginia's retail industry, especially small business. The council, composed of state delegates and business leaders, were made aware that Virginia's small businesses with 500 employees or less total 149,265. However, the majority of those businesses, 129,731, have fewer than 20 employees.
VRF representatives offered the following solutions for legislators seeking to help retailers survive the economic crisis:
- Offer short-term, low-interest bridge loans from the state to credit-worthy businesses. The state could stipulate that the businesses commit to continue operations and retention of employees.
- Streamline business assistance at the local level, creating one form for filing all business licenses, appeals and fees. Also, mandate that local governments provide one Office of Business Assistance, providing one-stop agency resources and permitting rather than multiple agency applications and phone calls.
- Streamline tax filings, audits and assessments by combining the duplicative constitutional offices of the Commissioners of the Revenue and Treasurers, saving taxpayers and the state and local governments hundreds of thousands of dollars.
State Commissioner to Re-Consider Norfolk BPOL Appeal
Commissioner Janie Bowen, Virginia Department of Taxation, met with VRF representatives who outlined the inconsistent responses from the local commissioner following a round of Norfolk audits on interior design retailers. The VRF pointed out that the Norfolk commissioner changed the BPOL category of approximately 10 small businesses, bumping them up to the service category from the lower cost retail BPOL tax. Moreover, the commissioner's audit responses were highly inconsistent. Some businesses received letters, others phone calls, at least one has had no response at all and another had the audit dropped after a personal meeting with the commissioner.
Consequently, Commissioner Bowen agreed to consider an appeal at the state level from one of the audited businesses. If favorable, her ruling will create a statewide benchmark for all commissioners to use when considering the BPOL category of retailers engaged in interior design and framing occupations.
Plastic Bag Coalition Initiates Model Recycling Project
At the latest coalition meeting of interest groups seeking a solution to plastic bag litter, the group heard a presentation from Tad Phillips, Allied Waste Management and the Virginia Waste Industry Association. In summary, Phillips outlined the strong precautions large operators in Virginia take to cover, clean and transport litter. However, he pointed out that reputable operators cannot control small "mom and pop" trash haulers who may not adhere to the same standards.
The group discussed its recycling project proposal which has suffered a temporary setback due to state budget cuts. However, an upgraded proposal, to include partnerships with plastic decking manufacturer Trex, commercial real estate management companies and retailers, has been submitted to a variety of private grantors. The coalition agreed that the revised proposal, which includes installation of recycling bins at strip centers in Isle of Wight and an aggressive marketing program, will be a model for the state. The project is scheduled to kick off this winter.
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