Without customers, your business cannot exist. An obvious statement, however many businesses small to large, don’t put enough focus on managing their customers. That’s where a CRM (Customers Relations Management) system comes into play. Collecting important data like names, address and orders to product preferences and dispute resolutions, can help your business foster a loyal […]
Parking Australia is the national body representing the interests of the parking industry in Australia. The NRA is currently assisting Parking Australia in the successful delivery of the Accredited Operating Scheme (AOS) In order to better understand the impacts of overstay/illegal parking on the retail industry, Parking Australia is conducting a short survey on private […]
Last week we discussed the Australian Bureau of Statistics retail trade figures for June, which continued a year-long pattern for the sector of almost standing still when population growth is factored in. As we’ve been analysing the highlights of the industry over the last year, however, there have generally been two sectors performing ahead of […]
In July, the 2016-17 Annual VET Investment Plan was released. It outlines the Queensland Government’s planned investment in vocational education and training over the coming year; a record $810.7 million in skills and training, an increase of $56.1 million from last year. Over 1/4 million Queenslanders undertake publicly funded training every year with 2015-2016 seeing a 6.4% growth […]
Recent statistics have discovered that sexual harassment in the workplace is at an all-time high with 25% of women and 16% of men experiencing this form of harassment. In July, the Supreme Court ordered WorkCover to pay a family support worker over $1.5 million after she was sexually assaulted by a client within the workplace. […]
“We are all now connected by the internet, like neurons in a giant brain.”– Stephen Hawking Over the June-July period our consumer insights division talked to some of our leading retail CEOs and CIOs regarding their digital capability investments over the next 12 months and on average an increase to the order of 30 per cent […]
Since the 1950’s, shoppers around the globe have succumbed to impulse buying and point of purchase displays. Impulse purchases can drastically increase your profits and shouldn’t simply be an afterthought. How do you get the most out of your impulse offerings? Choose the right products Draw attention with promotions Encourage purchases with strategic placement Use […]
Instagram’s new Snapchat inspired story telling feature lets followers view off the cuff or behind the scenes moments from your brand. Your ‘stories’ whether they be a photo or video have a shelf life of 24 hours and won’t taint your carefully curated Instagram feed. If you don’t use Snapchat why would you use Instagram […]
The National Australia Bank has released the Online Retail Sales Index: Indepth Report for June 2016 showing that online sales are surging, however bricks and mortar stores are still pulling ahead. At a glance the online retail spend in Australia is $20.1 billion while bricks and mortar equates to $296.9 billion. Although NSW has come […]
Following the 4 yearly review of the Modern Awards by the Fair Work Commission, a number of changes have been introduced to ensure consistency around annual leave provisions. The affected awards include: General Retail Industry Award 2010 Fast Food Industry Award 2010 Restaurant Industry Award 2010 Clerks Private Sector Award 2010 Hair and Beauty Industry […]
Online fashion retail giant ASOS is going from strength to strength with sales surging in recent months and the company is only getting started. ASOS recently announced that shoppers will be able to return products free of charge. Working with Temando and Australia Post, customers were previously able to return goods for a fee. ParcelPoint […]
With just a little over 4 weeks until the winners are revealed, preparations for the 2016 Rewards for Excellence Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony are ramping up. Last Tuesday saw the 25 Young Retailer of the Year Finalists wow the judges during their Skype interviews. Our judges were extremely impressed with the calibre of talent […]
Webinars are not a new concept, however implementing them into your marketing plan could still be essential to building brand awareness and providing value for your current customers.Running a webinar offers you a chance to gain insights from your customers and target audience while delivering key messages and engaging content. So how do you start? […]
When my husband and I took over Peter Baker-Finch in 1999 the company was already a member of the National Retail Association (NRA). There was never any question of not continuing the membership, as in our early days of running the store, NRA proved to be an extremely helpful resource. NRA provides me with updates […]
Many NRA members and indeed the wider industry will have had some dealings over the years with our energetic and bubbly Director of Events, Marketing + Partnerships, Carly Faragher. Carly has been an integral part of the NRA team, organising events such as our POD Summit and Young Retailer of the Year Awards, as well […]
Last week saw two lots of major news for the retail sector, and overall it was a mixed bag. Tuesday’s announcement by the Reserve Bank of a cut to official interest was good news at first glance, even though it carried the underlying warning from the RBA of weakness in the economy. We know that […]
A Western Australia crane hire company was recently fined $25,500 for contravening sections of the Fair Work Act when they terminated a crane operator’s employment for expressing his workplace right of being underpaid for overtime. In May 2014, the mobile crane operator and the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) confronted WA Universal Crane […]
The Victorian State Government has commenced its small business regulation review to help identify barriers that are hindering growth and sustainability across the state. The review will be led by the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, with a goal to reducing red tape and the regulatory burden on small businesses. Small businesses […]
The National Retail Association (NRA) 2016 Rewards for Excellence Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony promises to bring together Australia’s top talent for an extravagant evening of champagne, Rio themed frivolities and enjoyable company. Retailers are hoping to beat out their competition to win gold, however they aren’t the only people excited about the results from […]
Every man and their dog seems to have an online business these days with brands abandoning bricks and mortar’s hefty overheads. However 4 pure play (online only) retailers have done the opposite and expanded their online offering offline. Although online retail is booming, it is still only a small percentage of total retail sales worldwide. […]