The food we buy is always changing, so keeping customers engaged with brands is challenging
Sobeys recently decided to dump Air Miles and start its own loyalty program. Empire Co. Ltd., Sobeys’ parent company, is joining the Bank of Nova Scotia and Cineplex as co-owners of the Scene+ program. This move by Sobeys is no coincidence. As we brace for higher food prices and cope with a post-COVID-19 workforce still…
By following our tips
Most of our focus these days is on digital marketing. We want to make sure we have a well-defined and easily found digital footprint. We pour lots of money into our websites, PPC ads, etc. It’s essential, though, that you not forget about marketing and promoting your business in the 3-D world as well. There…
Small business owners often don’t think about pricing until it’s too late
Last week, you walked into a business or viewed something online and you questioned the price of a product. Something didn’t seem quite right. Perhaps the item or service seemed too high. Perhaps it seemed too low. Leaders make a variety of pricing mistakes over the years of operating their businesses. I’ve made many of…
Employees play an integral part in the success or failure of a business
We were walking by the Vancouver airport recently and an employee was standing outside of the Plaza Premium Lounge greeting passersby and encouraging them to try the service. More akin to the credit card hawkers you typically find in an airport than a lounge greeter, this woman was engaging and aiming to please. If I…
Grocers are bringing the farm to the store so consumers can have both the farming and the retail experience at once
Canadians have started to notice that grocers have begun to sell plants in miniature greenhouses. We’ve seen gardens on rooftops, vertical farms close to stores and even some selling gardening equipment to gardeners who are shopping for food. The farm is essentially merging with the food retail spaces we roam as consumers. It’s quite interesting.…
A grad of U of A’s fashion business management program, Frances Heaton gained a deep understanding of the industry and a strong network
Frances Heaton has always loved dabbling in fashion design, even creating her own figure skating outfits as a kid. “It’s like art, but with human bodies, which has always intrigued me.” Fast-forward to spring of 2021, as she becomes one of the first graduates of the University of Alberta’s bachelor of science in fashion business…
As an online marketer, I spend a lot of my working day (you guessed it!) online. And I try to organize my time so I can be as efficient as possible for my clients and my business. About six months ago, I switched from using the Firefox browser to the Chrome browser as much as…
With sales falling and too many locations, many Subway franchisees are struggling to make a profit
COVID-19 has not been kind to restaurants, as we know. But for Subway restaurants, the problems are much broader. Subway is the world's largest restaurant chain with nearly 42,000 locations, more than Starbucks or McDonald’s. But the chain is shrinking rapidly. It was already experiencing difficulties pre-pandemic and closed several thousand restaurants in North America.…
How to make your DIY photo shoot a success and, most importantly, give you some amazing images to use to grow your business
Photos are an important part of any social media feed. And along with stock photos, you need to incorporate some photos of you, your team, your product, your office, etc. If you aren’t in a position to hire a photographer every quarter, you are going to have to do the photo shoot yourself. That means…
Offer them amazing discounts and perks to make sure they know how important they are to your business, then let them spread the word
Our online customer buying journey is about to come full circle. We’ve gone from someone first hearing about you all the way to a regular customer becoming a raving fan and helping you grow your business. Let’s recap what we’ve talked about in the past few weeks: We started with interest and awareness. Someone already…