Page 251 - AmericasMart: Market Magazine July 2017

GENERAL GIFT/CHILDREN’S WORLD
MANAGING MODERN
RETAIL
Five technologies small businesses need to know about today
by Nicole Leinbach Reyhle
There is a tremendous amount of complexity when it comes to technology...and likewise, consumers. Keeping this in mind, merchants today shouldn’t shy away from the value technology can offer their businesses but instead embrace the support technology can offer their brands. This is particularly true considering technology can help bridge the
gap between consumers and businesses—bringing them closer together and more connected to increase brand visibility, enhance sales and even save some money.
Victor Roseman, CEO of Feedvisor, explains that “the most effective decisions businesses make should not be based on gut feelings but instead facts and data.”
When you consider how facts and data can influence your business, also consider how technology can help. Below, discover five technologies that can help small businesses be the best they can be.
TECHNOLOGY 1 ANALYTICS
Google Analytics is the most widely used web analytics service on the Internet for a variety of reasons but among them—it’s free. Launched in 2005 by Google to track, analyze and report website traffic, Google Analytics is the perfect resource for both casual users and those looking to gain more complex data details. Everything from how frequently your website is visited to where your primary users are coming from to how long users stay on each of your web pages can be discovered by using Google Analytics. It takes just three easy steps to sign up and get started, helping you to bridge the gap between technology and your customers—and ultimately helping you to understand your business and consumers better. To learn more, visit Analytics.Google.com.
TECHNOLOGY 2 REWARDS
Gone are the days of loyalty punch cards helping to keep customers coming back to your store again and again and again. While loyalty is still in style, however, how it’s tracked and how customers respond to it is entirely different than what it used to be. This is where Belly Card comes in, allowing small businesses to create their own digital customer loyalty programs—helping to drive repeat business and increase customer retention. An added bonus is that this technology driven loyalty program also collects customer data during the sign-up process that allows merchants to stay connected to their audience via email marketing and mobile campaigns. To learn more, visit BellyCard.com.
223