New York vs Los Angeles - Different Retail Environments

Google Maps Search for "Retail Stores"

I was very surprised on my recent trip to New York City to observe how rarely I came across chain stores (except for of course in the very occasional "mall" and the high end chain stores around 5th Ave). The city is not set up for strip malls (a west coast staple) and I noted only one (ONE?!) Gap during my week long trip and didn't spy a single supermarket.

This observation paired with the knowledge that NYC is home of many flagships; is generally known as one of the top shopping cities in the US and is the most densely populated city in the US got me thinking - is this a independent retailing mecca or are chain stores just well hidden?! In chatting with a few locals it was a point of pride that there were majorly independent retail locations and grocery stores, many are greatly concerned that retail giants will continue to box out mom and pop shops.

As the top vacation destination for Americans and one of the top vacation destinations for explorers across the globe an interesting point is - tourist shopping. Tourist shopping as opposed to local shopping: to an American, New York symbolizes something very different from the international travelers. To an international traveler NYC=USA, items purchased from chain stores (many, including Express have been popping up at Time Square) are going to become a souvenir to the international traveler.

I decided to do a little bit of research to see how the actual numbers came out. New York City (the 5 boroughs) boasts a total of 3 Walmarts for their 8.2 million population vs 20 Walmarts for the greater Los Angeles' 9.9 million inhabitants. To put that into perspective, 2.2 million people live in Portland and they have 14 Walmarts. Regarding Gap, there were comparatively as many Gap stores per capita as in Los Angeles.

Target has 4 locations in the 5 boroughs of New York vs over 50 in Los Angeles County. When Target finally opened a store in Manhattan (Bronx) it was an exciting addition to the island and many locals remembered it clearly.
For a resident of NY the small market on the corner of the street that has all of the basic staples they may need (soaps, milk, Bandaids) and will charge more than Target but be far more convenient. The battle of convenience and service will continue to play out with the local residents.
Additionally, the largest chains in NYC are Dunkin Donuts and Subway. Starbucks comes in #1 on the island but #5 out of all boroughs.

It appears that NY independent retailers are competing against large chain stores just as much as the rest of the US, it just appears that the fight against big box giants is also being fought by the local communities. Whereas resident West Coasters have long since become used to going to their local Target for bleach and Gap or Nordstrom for a new pair of jeans. Speaking of Nordstrom, there is one for all of the NYC boroughs vs 10 in the greater Los Angeles (3 are Nordstrom Rack).


Related articles:
NYC Got Malled 2004
Big Box in NYC 2011
10 Biggest Chain Stores in NYC

Read More

Launch LA Tradeshow - West Coast Culture Embodied

One Step Retail Solution's blogger, Amy Hanson attended day one of the first LA Launch Tradeshow. Held at Barkar Hanger just off of the Santa Monica Airport in an appropriately unique location. With over 60 exhibitors and a solid showing of retailers and buyers, LA Launch looks to have some serious staying power.

Urban and hipster sheik strike me as correct words to describe the event, board shops and So Cal boutiques will love the laid back feel, comfortable space and the decidedly hip products you will find. Many of the products were eco friendly, made from recycled wood, coffee bags, plastic, etc.

"Launch is a carefully curated collection of brands, designers, artists, and visionaries at the vanguard of design and West Coast culture." - Launch LA

Some of the attendees and exhibitors of Launch LA 2012

Read More

How to Perform a Mail-Merge Using 2D Barcode Fonts

by Nate Schubert

Microsoft Word Mail Merge is one of the most tried-and-true methods of merging a data source with a main document in order to create customized documents automatically, without having to create each individually. This can save untold amounts of time for those who wish to generate invoices, labels, envelopes, letters and more. Integrating 2D barcodes to these documents can add a great deal of flexibility to virtually any project by reducing human error and decreasing the amount of time spent processing results.

But how does a mail merge work when 2D barcodes are involved?

While many industry professionals are experienced in the art of Microsoft Word Mail-Merges, people who have a clear understanding of how to include 2D barcodes are few and far between. The IDAutomation technical support team is well aware of this fact, however, and has produced an excellent tutorial that can effectively demonstrate the task of performing a word mail-merge using 2D barcode fonts, Data Matrix in particular, with the help of one of our free font encoder tools, the Barcode Add-In for Excel. Please take 5 minutes to view the video tutorial below, and do not hesitate to leave a comment with any questions or concerns.

Read More

Independent Retailing Like an Internet Giant - What You Can Learn From Amazon

When a company implements a wide internal campaign and then shares that knowledge broadly, it is not because they are only searching for more job applicants. It is because consumers will support a company that is giving back.

As a result of their recent (and ongoing) employee perks Amazon will not only have happier staff but they continue to establish themselves as the kind of company you feel comfortable supporting even if they are not "local" and they are the "big bad" on-line store.

How can independent brick and mortar stores integrate giving back to their staff and community in a way that makes you more appealing to customers? DO YOU give back to your community and your staff AND most importantly, are you making that information broadly known (press releases to media outlets, promotion through social media, blogs, etc)?

Related idea: A tip jar, if I see a tip jar and I get good service I almost always throw (at least) my change in there. Doesn't just have to be in place for coffee shops. It could even say "(insert name here)'s Paris fund" or "Let's help (insert name) fund her next year of college!". Each member of your team could even have their own box that they decorate and has labeled what they are saving for (travel, education, an iPod, etc).

As of July 24th this open letter can be found on the Amazon home page.

Read More

Retailing is a Service: Definition of Service

serv·ice

¹/ˈsɜrvɪs/ Show Spelled [sur-vis]  noun, adjective, verb, serv·iced, serv·ic·ing.

 

1. an act of helpful activity; help; aid: to do someone a service.

2. the supplying or supplier of utilities or commodities, as water, electricity, or gas, required or demanded by the public.

3. the providing or a provider of accommodation and activities required by the public, as maintenance, repair, etc.: The manufacturer guarantees service and parts.

4. the organized system of apparatus, appliances, employees, etc., for supplying some accommodation required by the public: a television repair service.

5. the supplying or a supplier of public communication and transportation: telephone service; bus service.

 

Source

 

 

 

Read More

Retail Party July 2012: Independent Retailers Battle Showrooming

On July 20th at 11:30am retail industry experts gathered for our monthly "Twitter Party" hosted by One Step Retail Solutions. The theme of the month was indepedent retailing in honor of Independent Retailer month (July). Active contributors included Retail Smart Guys, King Retail Solutions, Independent Retail USA and Smart Retail. This discussion was on the topic of showrooming and indie retail versus internet giants as suggested by Dan Jablons of Retail Smart Guys.

Independent retailers competition for sales against internet giants is exacerbated by "*showrooming" which effectively puts independent retailers resources to work for the likes of Amazon.

The general observation is that this is very much an ongoing issue for independent retailers and attendees offered several tips to counteract show rooming, key being strategic merchandising and top-notch customer service. Other suggestions are educating your sales staff on the benefits of shopping locally so that they can in turn educate your shoppers and have way to address showrooming.
Benefits of buying local include feeding into your own communities economy and avoid unnecessary pollutants through excess shipping and transport of goods.

An additional resource is opening up your very own eCommerce site, made possible by top of the line Point of Sale systems.
a) Making your products easily viewable by your customers at all hours, everyday.
b) Make it so that your buyers can make a purchase at any hour, everyday. Pick-up in store may be a good arrangement.

Here are some of the most memorable Tweets.
@danjab Another point: retailers should not try to compete on price. You never win that battle! Hold price, provide great service!
@IndieRetailUSA Shopping local helps biz owners who are passionate about making a difference. They're the first to give back to their community.
@danjab Benefits to buying locally: Esp in fashion, you need people who can help you look great by choosing the best items for you.
@kingretail Mom & Pop Stores account for >1/2 of US retailers! Great service in store is always memorable!

@danjab Make sure your staff has COMPLETE product knowledge. Customers will buy if they are educated.

@kingretail we just did a survey (results not yet announced) but basically yes, Americans love local grocers, boutiques, etc.

@danjab Indie retail defeats price by providing better value & service & being FIRST with new fashion & product. Trumps price every time

To follow any of these active Twitter accounts:
@danjab Dan Jablons of Retail Smart Guys
@kingretail King Retail Solutions
@indieretailUSA for Independent Retail USA
@smartretail for Smart Retail


To attend our August Retail Twitter Party go to http://twebevent.com/RetailParty, with the look and feel of a chat room it is easy to discuss concepts amongst your peers and retail industry specialists.

August 17th at 11am PST - Discussion of Visual Merchandising and Retail Design


*showrooming, where a buyer checks out a product in store to ensure quality or value and then purchases on-line for better price. Your retail store acts as a showroom for e-giants.

Read More

Good news...Created a forum for basis

Hi Friends,

After success of http://sapbasisdurgaprasad.blogspot.com, as per request from most of you, now I have initiated a forum to help our basis friends exchange ideas on various basis concepts or issues. I request you guys to register in this forum and post any basis question and get answers from the other sap experts.

Please find below forum link:

http://sapbasisdurgaprasad.freeforums.org/

I hope you guys will find this forum useful and make this a grand success.


Thanks,
Durga Prasad

Read More

Yahoo! Feature of 6 Biggest Challenges White Paper

Check out our most recent feature of 6 Biggest Challenges Retailers Face Today in Yahoo news!

This white paper has been downloaded by thousands of retailers nationwide and was recently updated to fit the current economic trends and retail scene. A must read for retailers both big and small.

About Us: One Step Retail Solutions is celebrating its 27 years of experience in the retail point of sale / inventory control industry, with over 3000 stores currently being serviced and supported across the US. As one of the largest retail service providers in the United States, it has supplied retail technology solutions to well-known name retailers in apparel, sporting goods, museums, jewelry, shoes, entertainment venues and sports arenas. Its corporate headquarters are in Phoenix, Arizona with offices in Los Angeles and New York. Website: http://onestepretail.com.

Read More

Retail Technology [Info-graphic] for the Small Retail Shop

Click image to enlarge.

For a free retail technology consultation.

Read More

[Demonstration] Retail Hardened POS Systems

The extreme testing CounterPoint Retail Management systems undergo.
Fore more information or to get a free demo of NCR CounterPoint, CLICK HERE.

Read More