Merchant Cash Advance Blog

Big-box stores are closing left and right with many proclaiming the death of brick and mortar retail.  This simply isn’t the case.  The reason these stores are closing is due to poor customer service, generic inventory and a lack of customer awareness.  These are all areas where small retail shops typically excel.  That’s right, retail isn’t dead, it just got smaller.  Here are just a few reason to keep your money local.

Small businesses are the driving force behind the American economy and as such it is of vital importance that consumers make an effort to support them.  While the convenience of shopping at a large box store or the predictable quality of a chain restaurant can be appealing, making the decision to buy locally not only benefits your local economy, it can provide a myriad of other benefits to your community.  Additionally, the items you purchase are often unique and the customer service you receive tends to be far superior to that of large chains. 

Starting early, running unique promotional campaigns and having a strong online presence are the keys to success for small businesses looking to compete with the retail giants.  Here we’ve collected some information from across the web to help you prepare for back to school season.

We’re getting ready to roll into a new year so we’re taking a look into the up and coming food industry trends.  Whether you’re in the restaurant, catering, bakery or retail business it’s imperative that you keep up to date with expanding tastes.  It takes being innovative while remaining authentic to truly succeed in a highly competitive market.  Your ability to adapt will directly impact your ability to bring in new customers.  Trends come and go but there are some that have been steadily growing and appear headed for a heavy increase in popularity in the coming years.  You’ll notice some of these shifts have been occurring for years.  While several other movements have come and gone, the following trends look to become mainstays in 2017.

Technology has transformed the modern day coffee shop.  Small businesses looking to compete with the likes of Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts need to lean heavily on the technical revolution.  While you don’t want to sacrifice the feel and atmosphere of your coffee shop to incorporate the latest technical trends, there are certain things that are now common place and expected of an up to date coffee establishment.  Some of these items will require a significant upfront investment but the revenue returns will help to grow your coffee shop.  These are the amenities that will draw customers in and keep them in your establishment for a longer period of time.  Providing convenience, customer service and the ability to perform business tasks while enjoying a cup of brew will have a big impact the longevity of your coffee shop.  Bookkeeping and inventory management software can also help your company run more smoothly and allow you to focus on business development.