We’re now down to the wire for this holiday shopping season. You have just a few remaining days to ring in as many sales and help as many holiday shoppers as possible. How are your sales looking for the season?

If you’d like to kick it up a notch here are a few tips you can implement by the time you open up tomorrow morning.

Offer free shipping
Whether you sell online or not, anything you can do to create greater convenience for your customers, the better. Offering free shipping is a great promotion to not only draw customers to shop with you, but also an opportunity to offer great customer service that will have customers returning to your store after the holiday season is over.

Events
Host a few special shopping events, like a men’s shopping night, a “We Love Procrastinators Day,” or a kids shopping event. If you don’t already offer gift wrapping, offer it for free at your special events. Offer free hot chocolate and cookies to give your events a festive flair.

Sampling
If you sell anything that can be sampled, try sampling a different item each day and promoting that you are offering free samples.

Price themed displays
Create a few tables or display areas in your store to arrange various gifts in a certain price range. Last-minute shoppers love this kind of convenience and helping them stay within their budget may actually spur them to spend more on other impulse items, which usually carry a larger sales margin for you.

Email marketing
Any last-minute promotions such as those listed above are all great reasons to send out an email blast—and don’t be shy about sending them out frequently (even once a day).

Hiring quality employees is one of our greatest challenges as business owners and managers. Here are some tips to use in the interview process to weed out the losers and choose the winners.

Know precisely what you are looking for. When preparing for interviews. make sure you have your job description and skills list with you — and that you take it with you into the interview. Formulate questions ahead of time that will help you determine if your candidates have the skills and experience you need. Test certain skills (punctuality) with the interview itself. Set a time for the interview and make note of which candidates show up on time (or ideally a few minutes early).

Know how to ask questions. Create a comfortable, conversational atmosphere for your interviews. Candidates will likely be nervous, so start out with small talk to put them at ease. Plan to use open-ended interview questions, such as “tell me about a situation with an angry customer and how you dealt with it.” Avoid questions that only require a 'yes' or 'no' answer. If the applicant doesn't have specific experiences to draw from, you can ask them “tell me what you would do if…” and pose a situation.

Make note of the non-verbal interview. Of course you will listen carefully to the candidates’ answers to your questions, but make sure you are noting what candidates are telling you non-verbally. Important qualities, such as whether the candidate is presentable, genuine and possesses good communication skills are likely important to you. Other non-verbal cues like friendliness and a sense of humor are also good qualities to watch for.

Recently I've had a number of retailers post comments and email questions about interviewing and hiring tips, so I thought it would be helpful to cover this topic more frequently.

Please let me know what topics you would most like to hear about by posting a comment below or emailing me directly.

With the holiday season upon us I thought I’d share a bit of inspiration for your holiday displays with an example our trends editor, Becky Tyre, shared with me. The shots below are from A. Dodson’s, a store in Suffolk, VA. I love the stop-you-in-your-tracks creativity this store displays by wrapping the tree branches in yarn for a soft, snowy look and hanging ornaments from them. I also applaud the use of silver, white and blue, all trendy colors this holiday season.

Kick up your creativity a notch and create a display that passers-by will just have to stop and check out.

I'll be speaking this winter at the Las Vegas Gift Show on in-store Visual Merchandising and I’d love to have you join me. I’ll be presenting 50 plus ideas to give you fresh, new inspiration for your in-store visual merchandising. The time and date of the seminar have yet to be set, but the show is January 30 to February 3, 2012. In the meantime, please visit the show’s website for details, dates and travel information. I look forward to seeing you there!

For more merchandising trends and holiday tips make sure to check back here and follow us on Facebook.

We know it’s coming and it’s fast approaching… the craziness of the holiday season. Time flies, demands are high both from work and home life, and it’s easy to feel pushed to the limit. Now consider that your employees and customers are likely feeling similar holiday stress. So, how can you alleviate some of this stress while still getting everything done? I’ve been reading up on the subject lately and here are some timely tips you can put into practice:

Set priorities
Remember that monsters live in the dark, so make a point of shedding light on the enormity of what you have to accomplish during the holiday season by creating an overall plan of attack before it begins. Then make a habit of creating a "to do" list each day, and assign a priority to each and every item on your list. Your priority ranking should include three categories: critical, must be done today; important, but can be done tomorrow; and low priority, can be done in the next day or so. Share your priorities and "to do" list with your staff as well.

Remember stress relief techniques
For some reason, in the hustle of our busiest times we tend to forget the techniques we use in calmer times to manage our stress, such as walking, deep breathing or practicing yoga. Create a system to remind yourself and your staff of the stress relief tricks that work best for you. Get daily reminders by "Liking" About Stress Management on Facebook or installing an app on your smartphone.

Affect your environment
Create a calming environment both at home and at work that will carry you through your most stressful days. At your store play to the five senses by choosing a soothing scent, calming holiday music and perhaps even serve calming herbal tea to customers and employees. Keep in mind that “laughter is the best medicine” and foster an air of humor and fun among your employees and customers. For example, create a fun, unobtrusive game with daily prizes for employees. Have a game for customers as well, such as spinning a prize wheel for daily prizes.

Have fun and enjoy the holidays!

According to a new study that was just issued by American Express, independent American Express merchants who participated in Small Business Saturday saw an average boost in sales of 28% on Small Business Saturday.

Here are three ways that you can participate in Small Business Saturday (taking place on November 26th this year):

Contact your customers via email, telephone, social media and mail to invite them to store—utilize all of your marketing channels to promote this important initiative.

Plan fun and creative events for the day—Make the day special through a calendar of events for the day such as, holiday food sampling, festive music, free glasses of wine, tree trimming classes, or a local artist to the store to hand sign their work.

Hang signage throughout your store and use your windows to announce your participation in Small Business Saturday—remember that your windows serve as free “billboard advertising,” along with clever in-store messaging about the importance of why your customers should shop locally.

Are you looking for some additional tips on how to market Small Business Saturday to your customers? Please join us tonight for a free webinar titled, “A Retailers Guide to Small Business Saturday: How to Leverage the Power of this Initiative to Drive More Traffic and Profits for Your Store."

Register now for this free webinar.

I’ve been reading up on how retailers can better market to their male customer, and here are some observations about men’s consumer behavior and how you can better hone your message to reach out to them.

Men are likely to seek out advice about what products to buy (and where) online from people they don’t know. Customer reviews increase the credibility of your products and/or store for your male customers.

Men look for products that will help them become the man they want to be. Men are generally seeking power, prestige and distinction within their chosen community, profession or interest. So, when communicating with men, either on the sales floor or in your marketing, make sure you are highlighting how your products will help them become the man they want to be.

Men exist in the present and when shopping they are purposeful and want their desired product now. When marketing to men, remember to communicate how your business or product will help them achieve their purpose now.

Men tend to be linear, focused and sequential. Men appreciate organization and clarity when it comes to shopping. When it comes to attracting men to your store, create a store layout that appeals to a man’s desire for organization and sequential structure. Stores that require lots of browsing will likely drive many men nuts; they want to easily see the products they are seeking displayed in an organized, easy-to-find fashion.

Men value self-reliance and individuality. When communicating to men, make sure you highlight how your store or products will help men achieve greater independence, win over the competition and/or become number one.

If you're looking for some creative new retail business ideas you must check out this article on new vending machine concepts from around the world. There are 100 ideas here that range from very cool to inspirational to downright bizarre.

Whether your company produces a product or you’re a retailer, there are a wide range of interesting ideas here from a hot pizza vending machine to a jeans dispenser. Even if you have a brick and mortar store, you may want to consider adding one of these to your store.

The National Retail Federation recently released a report that said a whopping 97% of retailers surveyed utilize background screenings during the application, hiring and employment process. Hiring this year’s holiday staff will likely result in a large influx of applicants and conducting background checks is one way to whittle down candidates.

Here are a few tips to help you use background checks effectively and avoid getting into legal trouble. As always, I recommend seeking professional legal advice for your specific questions.

Credit reports… Checking an applicant’s credit report is one of the most common background checks by employers. Be sure you are getting express written consent from potential employees to check their credit. If you use anything in the credit report as a reason not to hire, you must provide the applicant with a copy of the report and let them know they have the right to challenge the information.

Criminal records… Whether or not you can check an applicant’s criminal record varies by state, so make sure to look up the law in your state or consult your attorney.

Medical records… From what I’ve read, there’s much mis-information and confusion over whether employers can access a candidate’s medical records. According to the SBA.gov website, you can only request medical records based on whether the applicant will be able to perform specific job duties. Also, laws regarding employers access to medical records vary by state, so on this one I’d highly recommend seeking legal counsel.

Worker’s Compensation records… Much of the information on worker’s compensation claims is a matter of public record and thus you do not need consent to access it. However, if you decide not to hire based on this information you must document that and be able to show the applicant’s injury would prevent them from performing their job duties.

Also, mention to applicants that they are entitled to a free copy of their background screening report. They can contact a screening firm such as ChoicePoint, one of the largest firms, at 866-312-8075 to get a free copy of their file (if one exists for them).

It’s no secret that I’m a huge Apple fan and I love my Mac, iPhone and especially my iPad. I recently saw a great article about how small retailers are using iPads to better serve their customers. Perhaps some of these strategies may be worth a try for your business.

(I’d also love to hear other ways you are using iPads or tablet PCs to reach out to customers at your business.)

Collect customer sign-ups
Numerous businesses now use iPads to collect customer data, whether it’s a yoga studio that has new customers join and sign waivers on an iPad, or a cupcake shop in New York that allows customers to sign up as fans and followers on Facebook and Twitter to receive free frosting.

Offer customer entertainment
A New York nail salon is using iPads as an upscale amenity to entertain customers while they are getting their nails done. Customers can browse the web, read email or play games while they wait.

Assist with order taking
Restaurants and other retailers that take orders as a part of their service are using iPads to allow customers to place orders in the store. Although iPads are unlikely to replace a friendly server to answer questions, it can help expedite orders and improve customer service.

Electric car manufacturer, Coda Automotive, is fighting an uphill battle (against other major competitors like Nissan and Mitsubishi) to become better known. So it’s come up with a new, hip sales strategy that may just give them a leg up on the big guys.

Perhaps what Coda’s doing may inspire you to freshen up your image and make some changes to increase your competitive edge.

Revolutionizing the car buying experience
Possibly inspired by Apple’s stores, Coda has opened sleek, stylish retail outlets in major malls, like the Westfield Century City Shopping Center in Los Angeles, that are named Coda Experience Centers where no pressure “gurus” answer questions.y
 
Unique location
Coda is going where few car dealerships have gone…the mall. Within the store they have created a hip Electric Vehicle Bar where shoppers can use interactive displays to learn more about electric vehicles. How and where can you sell your products that would be unexpected, revolutionary… and successful?
 
Changing the image of EV buyers
The vibe of the Coda stores attempts to draw a younger, hipper demographic than the older earthy-crunchy crowd that has originally been associated with electric cars. How can you tweak the environment of your store to attract a new generation of loyal shoppers?
 
Unexpectedly great service
Coda is also revolutionary on the service side. According to what I’ve read, when your car needs service they will come to you, pick up your vehicle, fix it and return it to you. What are some new ways you can provide unexpectedly great service?
 
Read more about Coda on CNET.