It’s hard enough to compete with big merchants without paying large costs for things that make your retail store run smoothly. But the wonderful thing about being a small retail business is that you’re a lot more active and able to explore more inexpensive products and services.
These tools will certainly help you save money that you could return into your business:
1. Cellular phone
The time is over now for the old PBX phone systems, particularly for shops. If you’re the only employee, a cellular phone with a big calling plan should be enough to deal with business calls. If you have other staff, set up a free Google Voice number and route it to whoever’s working.
Money-Saving Tip: Set up your Google Voice to direct calls to the appropriate individual. For example, you can set the store hours and address, after that callers can press 1 to talk with an online sales associate, 2 for accountancy, and so on.
2. Signage
In this period of Do It Yourself, it’s become unnecessary to hire a developer and fancy ink-jet printer for your signage needs. Use an online alternative like StoreSigns, which provides stock photos and signs you can customize for a fraction of the cost of even more traditional choices.
Money-Saving Tip: Acquire holiday-themed signs when they’re on sale and reuse each year.
3. Mobile Payments
Many restaurants and shops accepting credit cards through an iPad and Square card visitor. While mobile payment technology was introduced, it’s not unique to it. You can avoid expensive merchant card processing service charge and equipment rental or purchase by paying a per-transaction fee and using a card reader.
Money-Saving Idea: Investing in an iPad to process your bank card transactions could seem like a large expense, so ensure it serves several uses. After your working hours you can use an inventory app or update social networks using the tablet.
4. Social Media
Twitter. Facebook. G+. Foursquare. Daily Deals. We’ve got a deluge of social media sites marketing options, and they’re all free or affordable to use. As customers come to be more accustomed to checking business Facebook Pages for promotions and specials, retailers are jumping at the chance to connect with customers more economically and efficiently. Its the best source to provide them customer services.
Money-Saving tip: Daily offer sites are struggling to obtain new clientele. Negotiate the price you’ll get paid on a deal with more recent websites that don’t have the clout of Groupon, and help promote the deal to get more traffic.
5. Online Sales
When in-store sales are low, it’s great to have the backup of selling online. But who intends to establish and handle an online store? Etsy, eBay and Amazon offer built-in ecommerce solutions; all you have to do is provide the product. They take a fee on every sale, of training course, but working through channels that do their very own marketing makes the cost of entrance ridiculously low.
Money-Saving Tip: This is more a money-making tip as compare to money saving. If you’re an Amazon.com vendor, making use of Amazon Fulfillment can get you a lot more business, considering that folks can use their Free Prime Shipping service with your products.
Source: http://smallbiztrends.com/
