Lumens are the New Watts

Using lumens as the measure of a light bulb’s brightness will simplify shopping for light bulbs…

Back in the old days, when there was only one basic type of light bulb consumers could buy, (the incandescent bulb descended from Edison’s original) we could rely on the term “watts” to help us choose the right bulb for our lamps and outdoor lights. Although “watts” refers to how much energy a bulb will use when lit, we understood the relative brightness levels between 60-watt, 100-watt or 150-watt light bulbs.

Then along came the energy-saving CFL bulbs A 15-watt CFL bulb, according to the package, produced the equivalent light of a 60-watt incandescent. A 25-watt CFL was comparable to a 100-watt incandescent in light output. And so forth. Shoppers were expected to understand the wattage conversions of these strange looking new CFL light bulbs.

LED bulbs, more efficient than CFLs, use even less wattage to achieve desired brightness levels

As we gradually got used to the idea of the CFL bulbs and began to understand how to choose the right CFL for our lighting needs, the new LED bulbs came into the mix. Originally used for small task lights such as flashlights and instrument lights, LED technology has evolved rapidly with new 

LED bulbs available for most applications in the home. LED bulbs, more efficient than CFLs, use even less wattage to achieve desired brightness levels. A 6-watt LED is equivalent to a 15-watt CFL which is equivalent to a 60-watt incandescent bulb.

It’s getting confusing isn’t it?

And besides three different wattage equivalents for the three basic types of light bulbs on store shelves, there are new halogen incandescent bulbs, new LED tube lights, and terms like Coloring Rendering Index (CRI) and Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) which further describe characteristics of light quality from a bulb.

The FTC has mandated packaging changes for all light bulbs, effective in 2012, which simplify and standardize the differences in light bulb output.

To help shoppers make sense of the many choices in lighting today, the FTC has mandated packaging changes for all light bulbs, effective in 2012, which simplify and standardize the differences in light bulb output. Wattage is no longer a reliable way to gauge a light bulb’s brightness. Lumens, the measure of a bulb’s actual brightness, are the new standard for comparing light bulbs of all types.

Lumens, the measure of a bulb’s actual brightness, is the new standard for comparing light bulbs of all types.

Lumens measure brightness. A standard 60-watt incandescent bulb, for example, produces about 800 lumens of light. By comparison, a CFL bulb produces that same 800 lumens using less than 15 watts. But you don’t need to understand yet another conversion. It’s simple. The more lumens the brighter the bulb is going to be.

You can use lumens to compare the brightness of any bulb, regardless of the technology behind it, and regardless of whether it’s a halogen incandescent, CFL or LED. Using lumens helps you compare “apples to apples” when you shop for light bulbs. Once you know how bright a bulb you want, you can compare other factors, like the yearly energy cost.

Getting Started Online

Did you want to make your current print advertising into an Email Blast too? 

I would recommend doing an Email Reminder that will feature 2 products at a great price and we can also place a link to your full Dealer’s Choice Ad.  You will notice in your BW packets for the Dealer’s Choice there is an option to add on an Email Reminder. Simply fill out the edit sheet on what you would like to do and we will proof your Email Reminder via email.  To add an Email Reminder to your Dealer’s Choice sale is $30.00 each.

Click the link below to check out a sample

http://graphics.unitedhardware.com/Corporate/0512/Dealers/361-7/0512.html

The second option would be to do a custom email blast with a list of sku numbers that you send to me.  You will be able to pick up to  around 15 products and I will make a custom design based off of the products you select.  To do a custom design is $40.00 each.

 Click the links below to check out a couple samples

 August Sale:  http://graphics.unitedhardware.com/Custom/963-9/0811/0811.html 

Vendor Specific:  http://graphics.unitedhardware.com/Custom/963-9/1111/1111.html 

Winter Sale: http://graphics.unitedhardware.com/Custom/963-9/1211/1211.html 

All of the options above will be able to be emailed out to your customers, shared on your Facebook, Twitter or other social networks, along with being able to add to your website if applicable.  We also have an option of adding a tab to your Facebook page to have your sales up on your Facebook page 24/7.  

Questions?  Just ask Allison and she will be happy to answer them!

Have a great day Dealers! 

Collect those Email Addresses!

Find United Hardware on Facebook!

Check out United Hardware's Facebook page for the latest updates and know how for your online advertising!

Setting Up SKUs For Your Greenhouse

As you prepare your greenhouse for its opening weekend, it’s important to make sure your POS system is ready too. To track the performance of your live goods with accuracy, you need to be sure you are recording the true gross profit on the items you’re selling.

First, identify the SKUs you will be using to sell live goods. Use whatever number of SKUs will work best, and make sure you clearly communicate to your employees which SKUs are to be used for which products. Also, make sure these SKUs track quantities on hand. Don’t use non-diminishing or non-stock SKUs. Next, make sure that you receive the live items into your system by a) entering the correct quantity for each SKU and b) using the actual cost of the goods. As with any other purchase, the dollar value going into your POS inventory should match the total on each invoice. Be sure to continue this practice throughout the season as additional deliveries come in.

There’s no question that you will encounter damage and spoilage when you’re selling live goods. In addition, there will likely be items that are rung through incorrectly during the season. These factors are ultimately part of your Cost of Goods Sold. When the plants are gone and you close your greenhouse down, take a look at the inventory count for each SKU. If you still show a positive count, ring up that quantity, selling those items to yourself for $.01 each. For items that show a negative quantity on hand, you can either ring up a credit (return) transaction at $.01 each, or enter a purchasing transaction that buys those items at a cost of $.01 each, bringing all of the quantities on hand for your live goods to zero.

You may be thinking “Why can’t I just adjust the stock counts?” By simply adjusting the quantities on hand back to zero, you won’t get an accurate picture of your true gross margin on live goods. When you sell or buy back the incorrect quantities, the total amount you paid for plants is accounted for in your overall Cost of Goods Sold. If you simply make stock adjustments, your reporting doesn’t capture the cost of plants that were lost or discarded. It is for this same reason that you shouldn’t use non-diminishing or non-stock SKUs.

By taking these few steps to maintain accuracy, you’ll be able to accurately see the success of your plant sales and the profit they contribute to your business. You can use this same strategy for selling pumpkins in the fall and Christmas trees during the holidays. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at ext. 599 or email jbettendorf@unitedhardware.com.

Looking for How-to Projects and ways to Save?

Have you checked out our new WordPress blog Doityourselftoday?

Lots of consumers now a days are looking for more resources online and doing more projects on their own to save money. Are you sharing How-to projects on your website and social networks? Spread the word by talking about your online resources in your store as well.

We have created a variety of blog posts for you to use. Feel free to copy and paste and use however you would like. Did you have a project in mind? Please let me know and I will do my best to execute.

You can also check out Hardware Hank's Facebook page to share blog posts with one click.

Please let me know if you have any questions and I will be happy to assist you.

Happy Friday Dealers! I hope you all have a great weekend.

- Allison
agoebel@unitedhardware.com

Collecting Email Addresses

Collecting email addresses is an important step in developing your online marketing. It is important to try to give your customers an incentive to join your mailing list. We want to add value to your email marketing by offering your customers "Exclusive Online Offers Only". When the customer knows that they will only get these offers electronically, that will give them incentive to want to join your email list. It is important that you only offer these incentives online, otherwise your online marketing loses value.

As Darwin taught us, it is not the strongest that survives, it is the one that adapts. These email addresses will help in many different ways in your marketing plan in the future. United Hardware will have many new options for you starting in 2012.

The first step when collecting email addresses is to ask your customers at the register or when they are walking in to your store. You can have cards at your register for the customer to fill out. United Hardware also has a signage package to get you started. Just ask!

Here are a couple other ways for you to collect email addresses in your store:

Have a contest - You can collect email addresses when your customer signs up for a promotion, contest or give away.

Join RepeatRewards - Having a loyalty program is a great way to make your customers feel like they are getting something in return.

Have a newsletter - Send out a monthly newsletter with current events in your community along with other exciting news you would like to share.

Facebook Fan Page - United Hardware can get you started on adding a tab on your Facebook fan page to collect email addresses straight from one location. This is a great tool for those of you who have already started a fan page on Facebook.

There are many other creative ways you can collect email addresses. The most important fact to remember is to make sure your customers know that they are "opting-in" to Exclusive Online Offers.

If you have any questions, please let me know and I will be happy to assist you.

Have a great day Dealers!
- Allison

Practice the art of listening

So much of advertising and promotion, even on social technologies, involves shouting, one-way communication. What about the lost art of listening? While traditional media don't offer many opportunities for listening, you can do so on social platforms (and even in your store). Ask questions and let your customers talk. By giving them a voice, they will provide ideas for your store.

Now, not every idea will be a good one or even something you can implement, but listen intently and sincerely. You'll gain insights into your customers, and they'll feel appreciated as a shopper. Social technologies simply provide the venue for listening and discussion, but that's it. Facebook is just a portal; it doesn't ask questions or listen. You do that. When you're implementing a social media strategy, consider how you'll listen.

One thing's for sure: you'll never know what your customers want, need or think if you never listen to them.

- Brian Sonnenberg

Preventing Employee Theft

Employee theft has been a problem for retailers since the beginning of retail… which roughly dates back to the beginning of commerce. Unfortunately, we still haven’t solved the problem. Employee theft can range from the pilfering of store supplies to elaborate schemes in which thousands of dollars disappear before the very eyes of the business owner. In fact, in the retail industry, one study by a forensic accounting firm cites employees “out-stealing” shoplifters.

Despite the disturbing facts surrounding employee theft, it’s not helpful if you simply assume the worst from your employees and create an atmosphere of distrust. That said, there are certain measures you should consider to limit your exposure to dishonesty. Your POS system can provide you with tools to both detect and prevent instances of employee theft. By using them, and by showing your employees that you are paying attention to their work, you can go a long way toward “keeping them honest.”

Tips for Using Your POS System to Combat Employee Theft:
• Make sure every POS user has a unique user ID and/or password to log into the system.

• Run a report each day or each week to review voided items, and do the same with returns. Make a point to ask questions regularly about any transactions that don’t make sense. Contact your POS vendor if you need assistance finding or using these reports.

• Require that your employees enter a specific reason for any voided sales.

• Do a physical inventory check on any high dollar returns. Did the items really get returned?

• Require a customer name, Driver’s License number, and phone number for returns exceeding a certain dollar amount.

• Watch returns on non-diminishing or non-stock items carefully.

• Look for payment types on returns. Flag any returns where the refund payment differs in type from the original payment (i.e. purchased with a check and refund given in cash)

• Promote accuracy with your registers, and reward your employees when the registers remain in perfect balance for a certain period of time.

• Review stock adjustments. Limit the entry of stock adjustments to employees who have an inventory management role.

• If you have a camera system, make sure each cash drawer is visible. Reports from your POS system coupled with video footage can tell the story of what is happening in the register.

If you suspect that an employee is stealing, trust your instincts and investigate. If you have good processes in place, your POS system can facilitate both the prevention and investigation of employee theft. To read more in this topic, take a look at the following resources online:

Kessler International Report

NRHA Loss Prevention Training

AR = Attention Required

The Accounts Receivable (AR) functions in your POS system are designed to help you serve commercial customers efficiently. If you haven’t paid much attention to them, it’s worth taking a few minutes to check them out. What payment terms does the system provide for? What kinds of discounts can be calculated? Can you offer discounts for prompt payment? What are the statement printing options? Can you customize the messages that print on your statements? Can you email statements? You might find features you didn’t know about, and therefore more options for managing credit with your customers. If you find there are features you don’t understand, ask your POS vendor to explain how they work.

On its own, your POS system will keep track of customer charges and payments. But without the required attention and proper maintenance, these functions can cause major headaches. To use AR effectively you need to open new accounts carefully, utilize credit limits, get proper documentation for each transaction, and reign in past due accounts.

By opening an account for a new customer, you are literally loaning part of your cash flow to them. Start this process by providing a credit application (consult with your attorney regarding the language in the application) and consider requiring a personal guaranty for commercial customers. Obtain documentation for tax exempt accounts, and maintain a paper file for documents related to each account. Finally, establish a checklist each time you set up a new account in your POS system. Forgetting to enter a credit limit or clicking a sales tax flag could lead to problems down the road.

Your POS system should be set up to trigger a credit hold for accounts that are past due or over their credit limit. You may also have the option for certain employees to override this hold at the cash register. It can be helpful to allow a manager or other trusted employees to override credit holds, but you should be sure to establish and communicate a policy that limits how much further any customer’s credit can be extended in your absence.

All customers charging on an account should be expected to sign for their purchases, either on paper or using an electronic signature pad connected to your POS system. In addition, the name of the person charging should be typed in or selected from a list by the cashier. Even if your customer does not require this information on invoices or statements, having a typed name will be easier than deciphering a signature if there is a question or problem with a transaction later on.

Monitoring your receivables carefully will ultimately help your cash flow. Choose a day early in the month to make phone calls to past due accounts. Make sure you’ve applied any checks you’ve received up to the current day. Then, generate a Trial Balance to identify the past due accounts you need to call. Make a friendly phone call to each account with a past due balance. You might feel uncomfortable making these calls at first. However, you will quickly find that one “reminder” call to a customer can lead to many timely payments in the future. Document each phone call either in your POS system or in the paper file for the account.

Finally, keep in mind that AR represents your money, which you are allowing your customers to use. Extending credit is a risk, but it is also a helpful sales tool. For more tips on managing credit, check out this article from the University of Missouri’s Extension service.

Handling Multiple Facings with a POS System

Do you have new plan-o-grams coming from the June market? Did you order in a clip-strip assortment to do some cross-merchandising? These always look good at the market, until you’re back in the store trying to figure out how to manage one SKU on multiple pegs or in two different locations. From a logical standpoint, it’s tempting to eliminate the duplicate locations to avoid the inevitable challenge of managing the inventory in your POS system. Don’t give in! We are in the retail business, and multiple locations sell more product.

Here are a few ideas for handling items that have multiple facings and/or multiple locations:

1. For shelved items (i.e. motor oil), invest in some colored plastic strips that fit the shelf rail. For each SKU, cut a length of the material and install it where you are merchandising the product. Slip your bin label in on top of the material, and center it under the merchandise displayed along the plastic strip. Be sure to use colors that enhance your display and don’t clash with the actual product on the shelf.

2. A second way to handle shelved items is to use the same concept as in #1, but instead of using plastic inserts in the rails you can use white (or another complimentary color) electrical tape on the horizontal surface of the shelf, up close to the front rail. Center the bin label on the rail below the area that the tape spans, and spread out your merchandise along the tape.

3. For items that hang on multiple hooks or are merchandised in multiple locations, try using a small colored dot on the bin label to indicate the product has multiple locations. They should be inconspicuous to the customer, but serve as a flag to your employees that the item has multiple locations. This technique also works for overstock items.

Once you’ve developed a system that you like, train your employees to understand it and use it. Everyone who merchandises new items, stocks shelves, maintains the presentation on the sales floor, and counts inventory needs to be on the same page.

Do you have other ideas? Click the comment link below and share your thoughts!

If You Dislike CHANGE… You Are Going to Have a Hard Time Coping with Irrelevance

WE HAVE A CRISIS IN RETAILING TODAY AND IT’S ALL ABOUT CHANGE.

Maybe Charles Darwin, the great British Naturalist and author of the Theory of Evolution in the mid 1800’s, holds the key to our success. He said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”

This week Rick Segel did a webinar on the power of Inbound Marketing and it made me think of the changes that have already occurred and those changes that are yet to be.

Read these facts and you might be in awe as well. Many of these are just subtle shifts in behavior that we have all become part of.

Check out the full article

Social media principles existed long ago

For centuries, humans have participated in 'social media' in one form or another. We've always recommended businesses or products and shared photos just in a different manner.

Harvard Business Review looked into the archives and found a 1966 study discussing the principles of "social media."

Now, the vehicle has changed. Without question, Facebook and Twitter make it easier to share and recommend certain products or brands, but social media principles have been discussed...at least four decades ago.

So, if it helps, realize that the vehicles have changed slightly (Facebook, Twitter), but social media has existed for centuries.

Get connected to gain POS expertise

Take a minute to think about how you and your employees gain product knowledge. Maybe you attend seminars once in a while, or even use a formal training program. Both provide an important foundation for learning, but there is no substitute for experience. Most of what you learn, both inside and outside of your store, comes in bits and pieces from your own experiences combined with the others’ experiences. Your hardware product knowledge grows each day as you solve problems with customers, and talk with vendors.

When it comes to your POS system, the situation is different. You might have a user manual, and hopefully you’ve attended some user group meetings at the Markets. At times you may contact your vendor’s support line if you have a specific problem. However, despite the fact that your POS system is the information backbone of your store, your knowledge doesn’t grow very quickly if you’re not connecting with other users.

The opportunity to connect is just one click away! There are numerous blogs and online forums that can connect you to others who may have the same questions you do, or who can offer their expertise in solving problems. On the other hand, you may hold the answer to someone else’s problem. Most importantly, it doesn’t take a lot of time. You can usually sign up to receive emails when there are new posts, so you don’t have to visit a web site regularly. You can read when you have time, and delete or ignore when you don’t.

Blogs and forums administered by vendors (like this one) are usually monitored by the vendor, and often times they will answer questions and participate in the conversation. Independent forums, such as the Hardlines Digest, deal with POS questions relating to many different systems along with other topics. You may have to be a customer to use some of the vendor-specific forums. Here’s a short list to get you started:

AgVantage Forum: Private vendor forum for AgVantage users

ARS Blog: Public Blog sponsored by ARS, mostly related to ARS system features

DBMS User Forum: Private vendor forum for DBMS users

Pacsoft User Forum: Private vendor forum for Pacsoft users

Hardlines Digest: Public forum, requires registration. Content covers all aspects of hardware retailing including POS systems. Recent posts relating to Activant and RockSolid POS systems.

Do you know of other online resources for retailers with POS systems? Click the comment link to share them!

Consumer behavior online

Pinpointing consumer behavior is like trying to catch a fly with chop sticks; however, occasionally, statistics provide insights.

Via comScore.com, Shop.org administered a study looking at consumer behavior and attitudes toward 'social commerce.' They broadly defined commerce to include not just purchasing, but also posting comments or conducting product research on a variety of social media sites.

It's interesting research and something to think about as you wade into social media.

- Brian Sonnenberg

Is your POS system protected from severe weather?

Spring is here! Hopefully your registers are getting a workout. As the days grow warmer, the likelihood of severe weather increases too. As you probably know, power surges from severe weather are a natural enemy to your Point-of-Sale system. This threat isn’t limited to items plugged in to electrical outlets – electrical spikes running through telephone and cable connections can also have damaging effects. Can you imagine the nightmare of losing your POS server to a lightning strike on a Saturday morning in June? Too often there is a tendency to add or replace equipment with the idea that “we’ll add some surge protection later when we get time.” Don’t wait for lightning to strike… NOW is the time to check your equipment and be sure it’s really protected.

The 15 amp breaker in a standard power strip will protect the wiring in your store from being overloaded if you’re drawing too much power, but it won’t protect any of the equipment that is plugged into it from power surges. All components of your POS system should be powered through a surge protector, or better yet through an uninterruptable power supply (UPS). This includes the computers, monitors, network switches, routers, modems, charging cradles, cash drawers, and printers that make up your POS system. You should also check your fax machine, stand-alone credit card terminals, paint computer, color-match equipment, and mobile phone chargers to be sure they are protected as well.

UPS units provide surge protection, but they also provide your equipment with a few minutes of power in the case of a power outage. You won’t be able to run your POS system all day on a UPS, but if the power flickers or shuts off for just a few minutes your system will continue to run on the UPS’s battery power. In the case of a longer power outage, you will have at least enough time to finish some customer transactions and shut down your system properly. A basic UPS unit costs around $90.00, and will provide you with 5-15 minutes of battery life depending on the power that is being drawn from the unit. If you only buy one, use it for your POS Server. If your equipment is protected by a UPS already, make sure the battery is still good. Replacement batteries are available for most units. Most retailers that carry computer equipment will have UPS units available, and you can also find them online.

At bare minimum, you need surge protection. Prime Wire & Cable makes a surge protector that will accommodate phone, data and cable (RG6) lines along with eight three-prong electrical devices (Hank and TW SKU 070-151). Running your phone and/or cable line through this unit along with the electrical connections will provide the best protection. Here’s an added bonus: when you’re done checking and updating the surge protection for your own equipment, talk to your commercial customers about it. Chances are they have similar equipment that needs to be protected, and you can point them to the surge protectors you carry in the store.

Do you have additional tips or comments? Have you lost equipment or data due to power surges? Comment below.

Google changes, even small businesses face consequences

Selling products online has its challenges: catalog maintenance, fulfillment, customer payments, etc. There are many moving parts, and it requires much strategic thought.

You may not sell merchandise online now and perhaps never will, but NPR ran a story about a small New York company that was adversely affected by a Google search tweak.

Even though you it may not affect you directly, it's good to know some other challenges to online retailing, and that while gigantic, Google can affect your business.

- Brian Sonnenberg

Facecrooks

Have you heard of Facecrooks?

If you are worried about SPAM and your online safety, you should definitely become a Fan of Facecrooks on Facebook.

Facecrooks provides current news, educational resources and alerts on social media privacy, safety and scams.

Check out Facecrook's Fan Page for more!

GoGreen Promotion

Happy Monday Everyone!

The GoGreen promotion has started and I just wanted to remind everyone who participated to update your Facebook Fan Page and Website!

All of you should have received marketing materials via email or on our UH Private Group on Facebook. Please let me know if you did not receive the materials and I will re-send them to you! :)

It is important to have your Website and Facebook Fan Page consistent. If you have any questions, please let me know and I will be happy to assist you!

Have a great week Everyone!

- Allison

Website admin portal videos

Happy Friday Everyone!

I hope you are having a great week.

I just thought that I would let you all know we have How-To Videos for the Website Admin Portal. There are a couple different options and I would recommend looking at all of them :)

Click to view the Videos

I am also working on a little User Guide for all of you! Please let me know some of the problems you are having so I can answer all your questions.

I am here to help, so please contact me via email or phone and I will be happy to assist you.

Have a great weekend everyone!

-Allison