Go Above The Advertising Noise

There is no escape from advertising and commercials in our daily lives.  From the moment you turn on the TV, pick up a newspaper or drive down the highway, there are advertising and marketing signs everywhere.  Imagine if you live next to a busy street, the noise level would probably bother you when you first moved there.  But over time, you would probably get used to it.  Consumers are experiencing the same effect by all the commercials and marketing programs they are faced with daily.  The intended purpose of these marketing efforts is often lost.  So how does one get above the noise?

One of the strategies is to personalize the marketing materials to the targeted consumers instead of blasting generally targeted ads.  The company needs to first identify the consumers who are most profitable.  The company should create a multi-dimensional profile of their customers and not just looking at what they are buying, but also what they may be thinking of buying and how they are behaving online.  As the growth of e-commerce and social media continues, information about consumer habits outside of the traditional brick-and-mortar store is increasingly more valuable to marketers.  This information, analyzed correctly, could help companies get to know their consumers and personalize ad campaigns to create more sales and customer loyalty.

This may seem simple but the biggest challenge for a company is to know who its customers are and what their needs are.  Without the correct information about their customers, a company’s ad campaign could easily miss its intended audience.  It’s a known fact that about 20% of a company’s customer base brings the greatest profit and about half are only marginally profitable.  The challenge is for the advertising effort to reach out to those customers who are most likely to drive in the maximum value to a company.  Another strategy is to look into consumer behaviors beyond the past store purchases.  This is referred to as a multi-dimensional consumer profile.  Online behavior and past purchases could help to determine buying patterns more than just purchase history alone.  With increasing number of people engaging in online activity and social media, it is important for marketers to not rely on one facet only to predict consumer behavior.  When these information are processed correctly, consumers gets the benefit from being offered goods and services that they are looking for and companies profit from advertising dollars well spent.

Make A Good Last Impression

The checkout process is the last interaction a customer will have with a store on a shopping trip.  In the years past, consumers went to the store just to make the necessary purchases.  Not much was expected from the checkout experience.  Today, shoppers expect something different from each shopping trip.  In the past, stores existed to satisfy a person’s need in a short period of time.  But today, stores are becoming a destination where shoppers linger and browse, a great opportunity to upsell.  Retailers are working hard to create an atmosphere not only to satisfy consumers’ needs but to create a positive experience that separates them from their competition.

Point of sale is more important than ever in creating the total shopping experience.  You want your customers to have a good experience from the moment they walk into the store and to leave with a good last impression.  To help create the last good impression, a retailer needs to consider maximizing checkout space to ensure efficiency with consideration on security, ergonomics and aesthetics.  It’s common to see the space at the checkout areas are maximized with impulse-buy items such as candies, gums and small seasonal and novelty items as well as items that are frequently used by cashiers such hand-held scanners, item code sheets, and small bags for coupons.  There is often no rhyme or reason for the placement of these items and the cumbersome arrangement takes away counter space for both the customers and the cashiers.  The setup is aesthetically unappealing and could potentially damage your brand’s image.

One solution to the limited space issue is mounting solutions.  Consider mounting flat panel displays, cashier keyboards, touch panel monitors and PIN pads up off of the checkout.  Another solution is to “hide” the POS equipment that does not require user interaction under the counter or checkout lanes.  Making sure there is proper pace at the checkout line is important as customers usually get most anxious during the checkout process.

Don’t make the mistake that many retailers make by solely focusing on the store’s entrance and the grocery aisles and neglecting the final place of interaction, the checkout.  With the proper design and placement of the POS system and checkout area, you could achieve efficiency, aesthetics and security for the checkout area that will make a good last impression for your customers.

Employee Productivity in the Workplace

Productivity and organizational growth work hand in hand to create a strong relationship.  To put it simply, the productivity of a company’s employees measures their effectiveness and efficiency inperforming their day to day tasks.  Sometimes however, these lines become blurred and their description feels too broad, making it difficult to find practical methods for improving productivity.


The corporate environment in every industry is becoming increasingly challenging. This cold hard fact suggests a constant need for employees to strive to achieve greater productivity in their daily work. 

Here are six tips to help you increase productivity.

#1: Personalize Agendas
Employees who develop their own daily agenda typically perform more resourcefully than those who are provided with a rigid schedule to follow. In order to keep a schedule each day, we can simply jot an "activity list" on a piece of paper which can easily be referenced throughout the day.

#2: Clump Small Tasks Together
Every working individual has a list of routine tasks to be performed on a daily basis. In just a few minutes, you can break down each responsibility into small tasks. When each requirement is taken on as a set of brief tasks, it's sensible to pick out and "group" the related items together. This prevents us from having to jump back and forth to the similar duties, hampering productivity.

#3: Monitor Agendas
During a busy work day it is very easy to steer off the beaten path.  When this happens it takes longer to recover and get back on track.  Employees often find it helpful to prepare a schedule that he or she can follow through out the day.  Once a set task is finished simply cross it out and continue on with the rest of your list.

#4: A Clean Desk Equals a Speedy Train of Thought
An untidy desk seems to have an impact on the owner's thought process. More often than not, finding things lost in the clutter also becomes time-consuming. However, there are some employees that firmly believe that they're more comfortable having a relaxed and casual way of working. The items on their desks aren't always a mess, and might actually be placed in a way that's easily accessible to them.  Either way, the number of things spread around the desk should be neatly placed, rather than in a clutter, in order to expressively reinforce work principles.

#5: Finish Disliked Tasks Quickly
Procrastination settles in during a regular day at work for several reasons. One common problem is the requirement to complete least-favorite tasks. The best way to put an end to procrastination before it even comes into the picture is to complete the tasks that we dislike. As soon as those are done, the remaining day becomes less challenging or more exciting, with greater productivity.

#6: Revitalize at Lunch or Dinner Hour
With increasing pressure at work, many people ignore breaks completely.  Taking a proper break for a meal offers positive medical and psychological advantages.  The practice of taking proper breaks from work is the best way to get an instant energy boost for the remaining workday.  Also if you can, go outside and take a short walk and get some fresh air.  This will help get your blood flowing and take your mind off of work for a few minutes. 

Using these six helpful tips will not only help productivity at work but will also make you a happier and more valuable employee.