Minnesota: Home of the world’s largest shopping mall. You’d think, after reading all the stories about how Mall of America and Wal-Mart are pushing out all the mom-and-pops, that small retailers are on the endangered-species list.

Not so, according this article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. It points out that a Purdue University study revealed “having a large retailer nearby encourages small business development.” And it gives several examples of how several small retailers in Minnesota have come to think of themselves as extensions of their big-box neighbors.

Makes sense to me. Like pilot fish trailing a whale shark (thanks, Discovery Channel), small retailers can pick up sales the big stores can’t navigate. Take educational supplies, for example. I know the big-box stores carry some of them. But I visited an educational-supply store in Long Beach, California, that puts any Wal-Mart or Costco to shame. The owner told me that many of his clients buy the basics–like backpacks and pencils–at a nearby Staples. But they swing by his store for the harder-to-find items like reading drills, math games and educational toys.

Customers might like the overwhelming selection a Wal-Mart provides. But have you ever heard one say how much she liked the service? Your small store should have two advantages that keep customers coming back: specialized selection and great service. Make those among your top priorities, and you’ll have little to fear when the big-box stores try to muscle in on your ‘hood.

Interesting to learn from this article that more than 8,000 McDonald’s offers customers free Wi-Fi with their meals. And that digital signage is coming way down on price (more on that below).

I’m a big fan of Wi-Fi. I use it every day at home, the office and in stores I visit. Like a lot of you, I’m more likely to buy coffee and a snack from a shop that provides Wi-Fi — or a clothing store, or a gift shop. I suspect many of your customers feel the same way, since so many of them access the web on their laptop PCs and cell phones.

If you have an Internet connection in your store, why not use it to attract customers? Wi-Fi routers cost less than $100 these days. Set one up and let everyone know you offer Wi-Fi via email, your website, ads, flyers, etc. Put in a few chairs so users can get comfortable and linger awhile. You might get some malingerers, but you can set time limits to cut down on abuse.

I say the more reasons you can give customers to stay in your retail environment, the better. The Wi-Fi users will tell their friends about you and you’ll benefit from the word-of-mouth. Just don’t forget to turn off the router when your store is closed, lest you want “access point surfers” camping outside, using your signal.

As for digital signage, I think they’re great for food menus and any retail space. They can be as subtle or as loud as you want. Most of them now come with programmable handheld remotes or wireless keyboards, so you can change messages in a flash.

We at TRIO just started carrying wireless LED moving-message signs. I’m sold on them as merchandising tools. Early sales show that our customers are as well. Check out our selection for yourself.

Wi-Fi and digital signs: Two bright ideas you can put to use today and see results by tomorrow.

If you sell clothing, you need to read this article. It talks about a change that’s long overdue in the apparel section: turning fitting rooms into sales tools.

Who hasn’t dreaded walking into that cramped space — usually about the size of a small closet — to try on clothes while your significant other waits outside to critique each outfit?

It looks like retailers have finally realized that fitting areas are a great place to make customers feel good about themselves and, in turn, the store itself. Better lighting, more mirrors, extra clothing hooks, room for another person — these are a few of the nice touches that smart retailers are incorporating into their store design. Some even have lounge areas with big-screen TVs for those who wait.

If clothing is part of your merchandise mix, this might be a good time to think about making over your fitting area. And I’ll bet the customers peeking over the top of its half-door, with their feet showing below, would agree.

Give them some privacy. Give them some space. Keep the room clean and uncluttered. Make a play area for their kids. In return, they’ll reward you with repeat visits and great word-of-mouth.

Why didn’t anyone think of this sooner? I can’t really say. The high-end retailers have had more personalized service for years. But I don’t recall any of them having a really inviting fitting area on my visits.

This is one bandwagon you can jump on right away. Swap that curtain for a real door, add some hooks, put up some shelves and, like the article says, give your customers some space. It’s time for fitting rooms to come out of the closet!

It’s easy to forget that when it comes to retailing, the United States is a relative newcomer. Yes, we probably have the most up-to-date technology and resources of any nation. But as for putting customers in a shopping mood, we can learn a lot from the bazaars and marketplaces that continue to thrive in ancient cultures.

That’s why I was fascinated by this article in the Hindu Business Line–a site not on my usual daily reading list. The writer, a retail designer, notes that Western design elements like sleek fixtures and flashy graphics don’t hit the mark with the average Indian customer.

Instead, that average customer prefers the hustle and bustle of the bazaar, where shelves overflow with merchandise, the aisles are crowded with shoppers and yet, “the customer…is the centrepiece of the show.”

The bazaar shopkeeper has learned over the centuries what we sometimes forget today: to make the costumer feel at home. I’ve met far too many storeowners who are so impressed with their fixtures and signage, they don’t realize they’re putting the customer second. Their stores might look great, but if they don’t feel great, they won’t keep the customers coming back for more.

I like what the Hindu writer says: “…familiar elements of celebration, warmth and family… are sure to touch a chord with the Indian consumer. In mood and in spirit, the scene evokes the feel of homecoming.”

It doesn’t take much; some tea and other refreshments, pleasant aromas, attentive salespeople. That’s how they’ve been drawing ‘em into the bazaars for hundreds of years. Maybe they’re on to something.

Make sure your customers feel at home. If you don’t, someone else in the great retail bazaar will.

I’ve always been leery of successful people who try to convince others they can strike it rich by following their example. You know, the “My 10 Steps to Instant Wealth” kind of guys. I figure if they’re so successful in their field, why would they want to teach anyone else how to compete with them?

But I’ve come around, and now I’m sharing my story with everyone.

I’ve been fortunate to have watched my company’s sales double annually each of the past five years. I did it not by relying on of the “10-step” methods but by taking advantage of a technology that’s available to anyone with an Internet connection: keywords. You might have even found this blog by using keywords in Google, Yahoo! or another search portal.

So I have no problem telling you and the world how using keywords helped my business grow. In fact, I’m probably one of the most unlikely proselytizers you’ll find since I’m not a tech guy. I leave the tech side of things to the qualified people I hire. They know that when the business does well, they’ll share through my incentive programs.

I’m convinced that keywords are the key to making it in any business venture. Reading my story will hopefully inspire you to chart your own keyword strategy. No matter where you or your business is located, the assets for success are available to you. You just need to get online and get started.

I know that jumping into Internet technology can look scary and expensive to a traditional brick-and-mortar retailer. So my team and I have decided to pass our knowledge on to you to shorten your learning curve. TRIO Display will soon kick off a slate of affordable services including website reviews, keyword planning and pay-per-click implementation. Watch this blog and our main website for details.

I like to see others succeed, no matter what business they’re in. Success didn’t come overnight for me, but as you’ll read in my article, a light bulb went off in my head when I realized just how powerful keywords can be. If I can help you see the light–and possibly use our services to make it even brighter–we’ll both be the richer for it.

A lot of articles about large retail spaces have been circulating through the blogosphere lately. There’s no shortage of retailers eager to fill those spaces, as my last two blog entries below point out.

Usually, it seems, the new occupants are in businesses vastly different from the original tenants’. Interesting that a former Tower Records store in Seattle is now the home of a 42,000-square-foot CD-only music store. Smart move. Customers are already used to buying music in that location.

The owners of Silver Platters have clearly carved a niche for themselves in the Pacific Northwest. With the iTunes Store and other digital music services getting so much press, you’d think the CD was nearly extinct. But the Silver Platters guys figured out that there’s a vast market of buyers who still like the CD format. They want to browse well-stocked aisles and talk to salespeople who know their musical genres.

“Selection and service, service and selection,” one of the owners says. “Those are the two things that keep people coming back.” I don’t know the guy, but we’ve been on the same page for years.

Like the other big-box retailers I’ve blogged about, the new Silver Platters is becoming a destination in itself, with a stage for free music performances and a rewards program for frequent buyers.

Stories like this show that knowing your audience and how to attract them to your location are as important as ever. That’s how Silver Platters has become a big fish in a small pond.

My last blog was about World of Decor, a huge retail space where the salespeople leave customers alone until they’re ready to buy. Now I see in The New York Times (free registration may be required) that retail giants like Samsung are opening huge “experience” stores where they don’t sell a thing.

“The new stores are designed to put a piece of merchandise into customers’ hands and teach them how to use it. The assumption is that after all the touching and feeling, customers will be willing to spend more.”

That’s what the article says. I can see the thinking behind it, if you’re a big corporation with lots of money to invest in getting consumers to “experience” your products. For most small retailers, though, it doesn’t work that way. You’ve got to get the merchandise off the shelves to pay the rent and wages.

But the concept does have some good lessons for the rest of us. Customers at the newer AT&T and Maytag stores get real hands-on experience with the products, from PDAs to dishwashers.

Even if you don’t have a huge budget and inventory, you can encourage customers to browse. Maybe even add comfortable couches and chairs, like Samsung does, to encourage lingering. Make sure your employees keep current on the products you sell, so they can give hands-on demonstrations. There’s no greater turn-off than salespeople who don’t know the merchandise.

I haven’t been to one of the “experience” stores. But I try to make every store our company designs an experience in itself. We do our best to get customers in your door. The rest is up to you.

Ever dream of setting up shop in a former Sam’s Club building? Margaret Ackermann did. She’s living large–and selling large–in a 127,000-square-foot retail space in Downey, California.

Her massive World of Decor offers oversize furnishings and accessories that probably won’t fit in your SUV. As she says in this article, customers spend hours just grazing through the eclectic collection of odds and ends, cabinetry, fountains and other big things that belong in big houses, hotels and even movie studios.

The founders of World of Decor obviously know their market. But I like their unorthodox approach to selling: salespeople don’t approach customers unless asked. It makes sense to me. World of Decor customers love to wander around without interruption. When they have a question or are ready to buy, they’ll let a salesperson know. In the meantime, sales staff can focus on the other aspects of their jobs, then close a deal when asked. This won’t work in every retail shop, but it seems to be paying off for World of Decor.

If a customer finds the same product for a lower price elsewhere, World of Decor will refund the difference–not just once, but for as long as the customer owns that product. The stores also conduct frequent auctions that the community flocks to. With free catered food and name entertainment like the Pointer Sisters, the auctions drive even more traffic into the stores’ wide aisles.

That’s a pretty good combination: freeing up salespeople until they’re needed to close a sale, lifetime price matching for customers, free events that engage the clientele. Even if your store is 127th the size of World of Decor, you can come up with ways to keep your customers coming back. Need inspiration? Read all about it.

Did you know that the concept behind neon signs was originally dreamed up by a French astronomer more than 300 years ago? Or that the first neon signs in America were installed in a Los Angeles car dealership in 1923?

I didn’t. All I know is that neon signs have the potential to bring in at least one new customer each day. And that a sign will quickly pay for itself. Think about it: If your store gets one additional sale of $50 a day, that’s $18,250 a year in extra revenue. Not bad for an investment of about $350 or less. Plus they only cost pennies a day in electricity.

Neon signs can be seen at night from hundreds of feet away, so they’re ideal for attracting motorists and pedestrians. I’m telling you all this to get you to visit the new Neon Signs section of our online catalog. These are indoor neon signs, so there’s nothing complicated about setting them up. Each one is easy to hang and no permits are typically required.

When we first decided to carry neon signs, I was amazed at the variety and style of what’s available. We’re offering more than 1,000 signs for business such as restaurants, hair and nail salons, locksmiths, flower shops, travel agencies, convenience stores, mattresses–you name it.

We even have them for karaoke and income tax e-file locations. If you can’t find a sign that fits your business in our alphabetized online catalog, we’ll have one custom-made for you.

I’m really sold on neon. You’ll be too after you see how it brightens up your revenues.

When it comes to wine sellers in Los Angeles, their cups runneth over. This L.A. Times article points out that even though business is booming, wine merchants still must do something to set themselves apart from the competition.

One is selling tastes of premium vino by the thimble-full. Another brings in fortunetellers during tastings. The smart retailers are selling wine as a lifestyle. The really smart ones are also establishing themselves as neighborhood hangouts.

The article also attests to the selling power of email and the Internet. A good email can help sell product in days instead of months. And a website can not only sell while you sleep, but also attract new customers who might have never found you in the brick-and-mortar world.

This article has great advice for any retailer. The best nugget of wisdom comes from the wine seller who wants her shop to be “a place where no one is ever made to feel stupid.”

I’ll drink to that. My firm designed Bella Vino in Virginia. Even though their wines appeal to an upscale clientele, we wanted the place to be warm and inviting for all. Because today’s wine novice could be tomorrow’s connoisseur.