23 search results for “Lindsey Peacock”

Here at Shopify, our prime directive is to “Make Commerce Better for Everyone.”

This credo will only stand strong if we speak to the needs of entrepreneurs who want to sell everywhere — whether it’s online, at an event, or a brick and mortar storefront.

Entrepreneurship is deeply rooted in in-person sales. Even today, more retailers and market merchants hawk their wares from booths at craft shows, on tables nestled in rows at community flea and farmer’s markets, or in a physical shop on Main Street.

Consumers still crave face-to-face interactions, and want to buy from an expert — someone who can offer a solution to a problem or access to a lifestyle rather than simply selling a widget. Obviously, it’s difficult to achieve that kind of experience when buying through a screen online. 

So, what’s the bottom line here? At the end of the day, a sale is simply one person buying from another. People buy from people. And we'll tell you why that matters.

Continue reading

Shopify is headed to the UK to talk about all things commerce.

Beginning in late September, a group of experts, gurus, and staff will stop in some of the UK’s biggest business centers for our next installment of the Shopify Retail Tour. Merchants and aspiring entrepreneurs alike can get tips to help with wherever they are in their selling journey. Whether it’s setting up your online store, optimizing your product shipping, learning the best ways to sell in person, or more advanced growth hacks, merchants will have plenty of high-impact advice to draw upon during the all-day workshops.

As a busy merchant, we know your time is valuable. Which is why each of our dates is chock-full of actionable advice. You can also set up a one-on-one appointments with our helpful customer support team at the Guru Bar, speak with local Shopify Experts at our Experts Bar, and sign up for a day full of workshops.

We’re also premiering the new Shopify card reader across the UK. Bridge the gap between your online and offline sales with Shopify POS, our free iPhone and iPad point of sale app, and the tap, chip, and swipe card reader. So no matter where you sell, you can keep your products and customers in sync.

Continue reading

While every business is unique in its own right, many retailers currently face a set of common challenges. Regardless of your product, the ever-changing retail landscape has one goal on most shop owners' minds: boosting sales.

But in the face of an evolving industry, how can retailers coax more customers through their doors? Based on the current retail climate, eager entrepreneurs can implement a handful of clever solutions to turn common stumbling blocks into building blocks. 

If you're a retailer who is ready to take advantage of these specific opportunities to revitalize your business, then let's get started.

Continue reading

So, you’ve taken the leap — you’re set up with a mobile point-of-sale system to make it easier to sell anywhere.

Shopify POS offers a bevy of great features and capabilities built right in. But you can also extend the flexibility of this mobile POS with the help of a few key apps.

After scouring the Shopify app ecosystem, we’ve rounded up some of the top-rated apps that can make in-person selling that much easier. From loyalty programs to referral systems to automated invoices, these apps can enhance the abilities of Shopify POS while also automating or streamlining everyday retail tasks.

Ready to read up on them? Here are our top picks for merchants to consider.

Continue reading

It’s tough to scroll through dozens of blogs or read an ever-increasing collection of newly published books on industry best practices. But there’s a growing medium that allows stretched-thin retailers and entrepreneurs catch up on industry news and gossip while on the go: podcasts.

Podcasts, or digital broadcasts split into episodes, are quickly gaining traction with listeners hungry for info and entertainment across the globe. According to a recent study from Edison Research, the average population aged 12 and up listening to podcasts grew 23% between 2015 and 2016. Just how many folks are tuning in? The same research estimates that 21% of the American population — that’s 57 million, give or take — listens to podcasts. That’s a sizeable audience, and it’s only growing.

Much of the appeal of podcasts is the ability to catch the latest episode when running errands, or while performing tedious work tasks (like monthly inventory or accounting). Essentially, podcasts are highly mobile, with 64% being listened to on tablets or smartphones.

So, if you’re ready to tune into some of the most helpful and highest-rated podcasts on issues affecting retail, read on.

Continue reading

In the midst of the busiest shopping season of the year, many retail entrepreneurs may feel like there’s little time to prep for the year ahead.

Although Black Friday and Cyber Monday are behind us, a report from Stitch Labs shows that almost half of retailers say their holiday season ends in January.

Between keeping shelves stocked, fulfilling orders, and keeping employee morale high while they work over the holidays, it’s an understatement to say that retailers are often stretched thin this time of year. And while you still need to finish year-end inventory counts and review reconciliation reports, there are plenty of less cerebral ways to get ready for 2017.

So, here are a few low-key activities you can tick off your to-do list that your future self will thank you for doing.

Continue reading

When it comes to tasks that take up significant time and energy, training new staff members certainly ranks toward the top of the list. Between finding, hiring, and preparing new workers, much of a merchant’s time can be spent simply getting staff up to speed.

Not only is it time-consuming, but replacing and training staff members is also expensive. A Center for American Progress study showed that the cost to replace a $10/hour retail employee is around $3,328.

The training portion of this formula can be particularly tricky. If retail employees have lackluster preparation for their new job, then they may not be able to perform their duties well (or at all). Important tasks could go undone, or they could provide poor customer service to shoppers.

On the other hand, every day spent training a new employee takes resources away from running your business. And some sources say trainees take a lot longer to get up to speed than you might think. According to an article in Training Industry Quarterly, it takes at least one to two years before an employee is “fully productive.”

So, creating an efficient training program that ensures each staff member is thoroughly briefed on your products and their new responsibilities can save merchants time, money, and plenty of unneeded stress. 

Continue reading

As many retail merchants are already aware, your point-of-sale system is far more than just a cash register. 

Sure, you can take payments, dole out gift cards to loyal customers, and perform product exchanges. But what if I told you that you could use your handy point of sale to fatten your bottom line?

With each transaction, your POS is picking up multiple bits of information that you could use to improve your business. POS data, or those little nuggets of wisdom, is a valuable tool for merchants looking to optimize their business — and it’s just sitting on your checkout counter, waiting for you to dig in. 

But what kind of data should you be looking for, you ask? While every business will find some data points more relevant than others, there are a few common bits of info that most merchants will find useful.

Ready to hear more? Let’s take a deeper look at some POS data that can bring more shoppers through your doors, optimize your marketing efforts, and give you deep insights into your ideal customer.

Continue reading

There’s a reason many retailers ask for a customer’s email during checkout: email is both effective when it comes to snagging sales and is inexpensive to send to even the largest of lists.

As most merchants are aware, email marketing is a necessary function when running a small business. Regardless of your ideal customer, email messages resonate with most demographics. Email also has a higher impact than other digital mediums. For example, an email message is five times more likely to catch your customer’s eye than a Facebook post. And it’s also better and drawing new customers, according to McKinsey. Information sent to someone’s inbox is 40 times more effective at converting them than social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

Because email is so effective, it's wise for most retailers to consider it as a primary pillar of their marketing strategy. But setting up email marketing campaigns can be an overwhelming endeavor for merchants just getting started. Luckily, there are dozens of tools available to make the process more palatable for merchants — but which should you employ for maximum impact with minimal effort? Here are our votes for the 10 most essential retailers should check out to get the most from their email marketing efforts.

Continue reading

Even though the Shopify Retail blog only launched back in June, we’ve created lots of articles for our ever-growing readership this year.

After all, it’s our audience of entrepreneurs and retailers who matter — and what content most resonates with you. So, after reflecting on all our past posts and studying the numbers, we’ve compiled the list of the year’s most popular articles.

Without further ado, here are the top 10 articles for 2016.

Continue reading