Christmas retail was dismal. Reports are coming back that the Holiday Season was even worse than expected. Shoppers stayed away in droves. Even the alleged bargains didn’t draw shoppers, really. Shoppers and their bucks, this year, were not easily separated. Not a surprise, since walking around we could see the paucity of shopping bags in even the ritzier shopping areas.
And then Macy’s first announced, post-Christmas, 30% t0 50% off everything in the store. We know they were in trouble. Sure enough, he is the announcement that Macy’s is closing eleven stores across the nation. Needless to say, that means more employee layoffs and a lot less buying at the wholesale level.
If you are a retailer you may be fully online or you may be dabbling online. You may even still be thinking about online. Well, it is probably time to go online. Sure it’s competitive but with the right marketing and search agent use, coupled with pricing, etc., you can reach a much larger market by becoming an Internet presence.
This season the Internet racked up over $127 Million in ecommerce. Granted, this was down about $25 Million or so, but a good many people still decided to avoid the malls and for their shopping needs, click a few buttons instead. Saved time, energy, and who had much holiday spirit, anyway?
If you decide to go online, you will have to hire employees who have ecommerce experience. You will need people who can optimize your search engine presence and create websites that will attract shoppers. You will need good copywriters who are aware of keyword writing. You will need employees who can insert creative graphics to give your site that extra special something.
Yes, it is an investment, but it may prove in the long run money well spent. Beats sitting around waiting for shoppers to come in off the street. of course you will have to reorient your preemployment screening program so that it matches your needs for qualified ecommerce and Internet savvy personnel. Run the professional reference checks to betteer ascertain qualifications for your new job candidates. Makes sense.
Be adventurous. Get started. And, above all, check them out before you hire.
