John’s Blog

A number of you will be aware that I was recently on the Australian TV programme, “Today Tonight”, to present a session on how retailing will change once we get over the discount mode of doing business. If you missed it click here to view. I discussed the fact that I believed “Bundle” retailing would […]

Over the last few months I have been talking in conferences about retailers using YouTube to develop their own training programmes for customers and staff. Many have put this in the too hard basket. This week The Gardening Channel was launched, a how to TV channel for gardeners. This is an excellent tool and shows

For those of you who were involved with the Tipster marketing workshop, Jurek mentioned Pride and Passion a tipster web page that has been developed by the tourist board in Scotland. www.prideandpassion.net This is the link to the web page, it promotes local tourist attractions in Scotland.

Dr Charlie Hall is the present chairholder of the Ellison Chair in International Floriculture at Texas A & M University in the USA. He has a brilliant blog on marketing trends in the industry that everyone should be aware of. On February 15th he produced an excellent article on ‘Marketing During a Recession’. Under his

Retailers are doing it tough around the world, the lessons learned to grow a business in the good times, do not apply to the economic climate of 2009. Having said that, I do believe that retailers who analyse the market and introduce new strategies have something to smile about. The consumers’ attitudes have certainly changed.

There is one thing that is certain, shoppers change their shopping habits in a downturn. This is evident when you pick up the daily newspaper up or watch the news and see the bankruptcy of specific retailers. The challenge for many retailers has been to react quickly to a rapidly changing economic climate. We have

Anaconda is an Australian based outdoor store selling clothing, boots and equipment for the various outdoor activities. When you purchase products they ask customers if they would like a 10% discount if they returned on their birthday and purchased something else. They provide a birthday discount certificate to existing customers. This is a simple, but

I was speaking at a conference recently in the Australian capital, Canberra, and the organisers put me into the Crown Plaza. At first it was like many hotels around the world, until I went to breakfast. On the table was a promotion to inform guests that we were stopping in the first hotel in Australia

I recently attended the West Australian Nuffield scholar report backs from scholars who had travelled the world looking for new ideas in the agricultural sector. One presenter introduced the audience to Beyond Organix, www.beyondorganix.com. This webpage is worth checking out as it takes the discussion on organic food to the next level. What made me

Many of you have emailed me about the fires in Victoria and what affect it will have on the communities and the retail industry. The best person to answer that is someone who is on the spot. Maree Planner of Grevillea Nurseries is a garden centre owner from the suburbs of Melbourne, this is her