We received a post on our forum yesterday from someone who is opening her first retail location, and she was asking for advice about what to do with her walls.

My suggestion is to paint them! It's amazing how a can of $30 paint can liven an entire store and help to create an ambience that's attractive and inviting to customers. Plus you can tie the walls into your branding effort by using a color that is in your logo or on your store bags.

Here are a few fun examples of how color really works on store walls.

I just chatted with a retailer who said she had a fantastic holiday season. After congratulating her, I asked about her top selling product. She told me it was a new product that she only added to the store in July, and she was thankful that she decided to bring it in, because at the time she was a little uncertain.

She went on to explain that the story behind the product was really fantastic and every time she personally told the story, the sell-through rate was very high. We went on to discuss how her store employees don't tell the stories behind the products because they don't know them—and/or because it's difficult to educate them on all the products in the store.

I started thinking that it would be a great idea to create small signs (4×6 or 5×7), using identical professional frames, and print the stories behind the products. That way you'll be educating your customers and your employees.

It's my guess you'll also increase your store sales at the same time.

Last week I walked by a store in the airport and was compelled to stop by a wonderful storefront display. I saw an attractive barrel with cute little cosmetic bags overflowing from it and a chalkboard sign that read, "Special Sale: $4 each, or 3 for $9." Since I do a lot of traveling (and I'm female!), little bags come in handy—plus, I loved the price.

Before I knew it, I had found three great patterns and shapes and walked over to check out another store display. Since I was already buying, my psychology switched from the mode of "just looking" to "is there anything else I need." I was out of lip balm, and ended up picking up a more expensive lip gloss than usual because I fell in love with the fragrance.

As I walked to my gate, I was intrigued by the psychology of the display and my response to it. I'm not even sure I would have gone into the store if it wasn't for the barrel, and once I made the commitment to buying, I went into shopping mode.

I encourage you to create an impactful display with products that are reasonably priced. Locate the display near the front door and tie the products into the time of year, or where you're located, or another angle that you think will attract customers.

Even if you don't have super high margins on that particular product (or you reduce your margins to encourage sell through) I think you'll be surprised at how many people buy that product—and more. You might consider testing various products and monitoring the results.

I do a lot of speaking all over the world to educate retailers, so I just uploaded my first professional video clip to YouTube. I thought it would be a good marketing tool in YouTube and on my website, so we've embedded the video on the homepage of PatriciaNorins.com. Plus, we've also added video testimonials to our tradeshow site.

It got me thinking about the many creative ways you can use YouTube to promote your store, so here are a few to get you started:

1. Interview some of your customers to get reviews of a product they've bought in the past. I just read a study that reported customer reviews can up web sales of a particular product by as much as 30%.

2. Feature a new product of the month that you profile and talk about in a two minute video. Make sure to link to your video in your enewsletter—and embed the video on the page of your site that lists the product.

3. Make a short design video. Show your customers how to set the perfect holiday table, how to accessorize their fireplace mantle or how to hang pictures to create a gallery effect on their wall. This will position you as not only a resource for gifts and home decor, but also as an expert who is willing to give advice to customers who are in need of a few tips.

4. Ask your customers why they love shopping in your store. (They keep coming back, there must be a good reason!)

5. Show a "before" and "after" display of your windows or a section of the store. Use the opportunity to talk about the products you've placed.

Have you made a YouTube video for your store? Post a link so we can see it!

I was in a meeting today and we were talking extensively about how much to charge for a new special report. In the meeting, I reflected back on a white paper that I read a few years ago which gave fantastic information about how a specific price point can impact sales.

The author tested many different price points of different products over time, and realized that when the number "7" appeared in the price it always outperformed the others—by more than 10 percent. Her theory was that the number "7" is a lucky number for many people, even if it's subconscious. Interestingly, the price of the product did not have to end in "7," such as $9.97, it could appear anywhere in the price and it had the same effect.

The author also noted that there were two instances where using cents versus a round number ($30) can substantially hurt sales—products with a certain "prestige," and products priced over $100.

The next time you're running a sale, think about testing a price point that includes a "7," such as $9.97 or $19.97, instead of the more traditional sale number of $.99.

A fascinating study conducted on in-store sampling revealed that it delivers quite amazing results! On the day of the sampling event, items sampled over multiple categories showed an increase of 475%. Even more amazing, the study revealed that repeat sales are impacted positively long after the event—purchasing of the product increased 11% over a 20 week period, and other products in the brand also showed a significant increase in sales.

Here are three ideas I came up with after reading the study:

• Offer store sampling as frequently as possible to increase product sales—not only on the day of the event, but also as many as 20 weeks after.

• Think about offering sampling on lines that have multiple products in the brand (i.e., sauces, dips, cake mixes, etc. that have the same manufacturers' name).

• Market your store sampling through every channel available—blog, Tweet and write about it in your store's email newsletter.

Have you already been product sampling? Has it worked well in your store? Please share your success story with us!

Last weekend I went shopping with my six-year-old daughter, and she asked me why a store was selling lollipops near the cash register. I explained the concept of impulse buying and that got me thinking about how frustrated I get when retailers don't change out their cash register displays regularly. Every penny counts, especially if your store sales are down, so here are three suggestions for increasing impulse buys near the register:

1. Change your display every 30 days!
2. Add a small sign to suggestively sell the product (perhaps indicating where it was made, or by whom).
3. Test, test, test! Test different products and different price points to keep your customers interested.

Earlier today I was thinking back to an experiment we did in a business management course I took in college. First we were given a handout which described a hypothetical situation in which we were flying on plane that crashed in the middle of a desert. We had a limited amount of supplies and as an individual you had to decide which course of action to take—sit there and wait for help or leave the crash site and try to go get help. Then we were divided into groups and asked to discuss the dilemma again and come up with a group consensus for what we should do. We were able to collectively share survival information that we had all individually learned—and by working together we increased our chances for survival. Most groups came up with the right answer—the best decision was to stay at the crash site and wait for help.

To this day I value getting together with our staff to brainstorm an idea, or meeting with colleagues to share business plans. At the upcoming National Stationery Show, I'll be hosting two retailer roundtables (which are free to attend)—the first on May 17th at 4PM, and the second on May 18th at 4PM. We'll be brainstorming lots of topics (no-cost and low-cost marketing ideas, creative store promotions and unique visual merchandising displays) with one goal: how to increase foot traffic and sales in your store.

I hope you can join me, but if you can't make it to the session, please stop by GIFT SHOP magazine's booth (1209). I look forward to seeing you there.

One last store that caught my attention in Ohio was called Moochie & Company. They sell adorable products to pamper your pet (dog outfits, gourmet dog treats, cat toys, etc.) and two things struck me when I was there:

1. The store was super crowded—so crowded in fact that you'd never know there was some kind of economic slowdown when you were in there. Pet products will always be a strong seller despite the economy.

2. Store signage goes a long way to bring customers into the store. It's located on the second floor where there aren't a lot of other stores, out of the way of the main traffic flow. (I would have called it a bad location if they would have asked me my opinion prior to opening.) But they got my attention from the first floor with their use of red awnings with paw prints, bold store signage and a great front window display with strong graphics.

This store illustrates the value of using strong merchandising to attract customers to a bad location.

Another store that caught my eye while I was at the Easton Town Center in Ohio, was C.O. Bigelow, who has created what I would consider award-winning merchandise displays. A step up from Bath & Body Works (their sister company), they sell mid- to high-end bath and body care products, including cosmetics. Their store is a creative mix between modern design and old world and it's the fresh combination of old and new that really makes the design work (including the antiques they've brought in to use as display pieces).

Left: Here they used a old rolling cart, a bundle of wood and an antique box to create a display that encourages customers to take samples home. Right: An old scale was used on a display table to add visual interest.

Left: Apothecary jars and images above communicate the theme of store. Right: More apothecary jars and a rack are cleverly re-purposed to create a point of sale display near the cash wrap—perfect for impulse sales!

A tres chic vintage couch with new, Parisian-inspired fabric was coupled with an antique radio and table to create a striking display.