Get Ready for Holiday Shopping Season 
Forecasts predict modest growth this Christmas. Retail strategist Alison Levy recommends how independent retailers can stand out. Watch video
Retail Industry News
Recent Retail Industry News Articles
Get Ready for Holiday Shopping Season
How Small Retailers Stand Out for Holiday Shopping
Their work cut out for them, small businesses turn to customer service and experiences to differentiate this holiday shopping season. Read more
How Cinnamon Smells Will Save Holiday Sales
Retailers have to up their game to capitalize off of holiday sales. Here's how to leverage the five senses to encourage customers to buy. Read more
Why it Pays to Help Holiday Shoppers Relax
Retailers use festive music and decorations to put customers in the giving spirit. Perhaps they should also consider back massages and pedicures. Read more
Market Research is the New Black
Start-up Stylitics allows marketers to have a voyeur's view into the daily clothing choices of consumers. Read more
Inc. 5000 Update: Costume Craze
Kate Maloney of Costume Craze finds success selling Halloween costumes. Read more
Obituary: Norbert Olberz, 1925-2011
With a firm hand (a very firm hand) and an eye for detail, he built a regional sporting-goods giant. Read more
How Much Would You Gamble to Put Your Brand on Prime Time?
A fashion entrepreneur takes a major leap of faith, and it pays off at the Emmys. Read more
Entrepreneurs Vie for a Piece of Fashion's Night Out
Want to get in on the action at fashion week? Here's a look at how some small businesses are using the event to market their brands. Read more
Made in Louisiana
Two New York fashionistas launch their fashion house Jolie & Elizabeth in New Orleans and lead the charge of bringing fashion back to the Garden District. Read more
Is This the Future of Retail?
SHOPBOX, the newest addition to DeKalb Market, a temporary mall in Brooklyn comprised of shipping containers, has its products on display, with no clerks to ... Read more
The Fastest-Growing Private Company of 2011
Paul Hurley of ideeli, the midmarket fashion juggernaut, on how he rose to the top of this year's Inc. 500 Read more
America’s Fastest-Growing Retail Company
Ideeli sells apparel, accessories, shoes, and home and travel items through a members-only shopping site. Read more
Reshaping the World of Retail
People are shopping with a mission, and brands are announcing themselves from behind store walls. The Proximity Era has begun. Read more
The Cost of Starting Up a Retail Shop
Starting a retail business isn't cheap. Here, Sharon Munroe shares how much it cost her to open a consignment store in Austin. Read more
Apple? No Competition
After two decades of working with the tech giant, Darryl Peck opened a small Apple retail store called PeachMac. Here's how he grew his business by imitating... Read more
How to Handle Crazy Demand
Robert Croak, creator of Silly Bandz, remembers life at the center of a craze. Read more
Avril Lavigne's New Business
The rock celebrity launches a new retailing business, called AbbeyDawn.com. Read more
How to Break Into the Big-Box Big Leagues
Do you ever wonder how all those products end up on the shelves of your favorite retailer? Here are some case studies of small businesses who cracked the code. Read more
Giving Himself Room to Roam
After a long spell of intense focus on one company, Paul Budnitz, founder of Kidrobot, is finding there’s nothing quite as liberating as being all over the... Read more
How to Build an Empire
David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim stuck to a positive message, and made Uglydolls into a household name. Read more
Never Giving Up on Her Soapsuds
When she wasn't satisfied with her career choice, Anne-Marie Faiola decided to make a business out of what she knew how to do best: Make soap. Read more
Making Life Easier for His Customers
Chris Zane isn't in the business of selling bikes but creating experiences that will make his customers feel good about the product they walk away with. Read more
Adding Some Pep to Our Step
When he couldn't find a pair of quality men's shoes, George Vlagos decided to make his own. There is currently a six-week wait list for a pair. Read more
Bringing Fixed-gear Bikes to the Masses
Craving cooler wheels, two friends from the University of Southern California found an inexpensive manufacturer, and have been hawking sturdy minimalist bicy... Read more
Old Hollywood Beauty With Natural Formulas
A makeup artist since age nine, Jessica Truesdale was inspired by beauty-industry legends like Estée Lauder and Elizabeth Arden, and founded True You Cosmet... Read more
Learning From the Customer
Bill Crutchfield has been perfecting customer service for 30 years, and he credits his customers with teaching him everything. Read more
7 Tips on Boosting Post-Holiday Retail Sales
Small business owners give advice on how to keep sales up after the holiday buying wave has passed. Read more
Mobile Payment Firm Square Drops Transaction Fee
The company says dropping the credit card fee is part of its vision to "create zero friction and complexity" around payments. Will its competitors follow? Read more
Turning Fierceness Into a Brand
Designer Christian Siriano of Project Runway fame takes time out from Fashion Week to talk about growing sales and falling models. Read more
What's Wrong With How We Innovate?
Can we learn from China's R&D? Plus, Europe's start-up ecosystem is maturing, U.S. "buy local" efforts are working, and more of the day's news. Read more
How to Bring an Alcoholic Beverage to Market
Hey, home-brew whiz. So you have what it takes to get your intoxicating beverage behind bars and on liquor-store shelves? Read more
Manufacturers and Retailers Rebounded in December
Two industries battered during the recent recession are showing signs of renewed vitality—and fueling an economic recovery, the Fed reports. Read more
Clothing Start-ups Seek Solutions as Cotton Prices Climb
Soaring cotton prices continue to present retailers with tough decisions: cut margins and risk profitability, or raise prices and risk sales? Read more
Cleaning Up—and Greening—the Jewelry Industry
In the wake of the blood diamond controversy, there's a growing niche for sustainable and ethically created fine jewelry. Small businesses are stepping in to... Read more
