Katie Allston, Christine Epps, Nikia Brown-Jackson, Vernonic Vool, and Deborah Reed. These are just some the spirited women of Baltimore. These women are some of the people that make Baltimore a special place. They will be rewarded at a big luncheon at Morton’s Steakhouse.

In these tough economic times, every one is having to find ways to save money and adjust their spending. The same is true to stores, especially small, local stores in our area. But how do they change and adjust not only to the economic climate, but also the competition that big store chains like Wal-Mart, Target, Sears, and others bring?

Companies are trying to understand what are some of the possible motivators for consumers to purchase counterfeit products. One is that consumers were more likely to purchase fakes because they thought it was just as good as a legitimate product but for a discounted price; since they cannot afford a genuine product.

Companies like PepsiCo are tapping into Twitter and holding marketing events by holding a taste-test event and revealing their new product Ultraviolet Mountain Dew. Having the event definitely created a buzz, but what is not clear is how much of the buzz translated into dollar figures.

Product packaging has always delivered the message it was created to do until now. With bigger stores carrying an assortment of packages, it is difficult for one product to be seen over another. That is why manufacturers are looking into incorporating more in-store interactive systems in the future. Retailers are working out new ways to mix medium to reach out to consumers.

Positive consumer experience plays a large role in customer loyalty. Most consumers are willing to pay up to 10 percent more for exceptional service, contrary to the popular belief that the customer only looks at price when searching for items to purchase.

During what is the second largest retail sale period, many small retailers are struggling with fund shortage to keep the necessary inventory in stock. Banks continue to dramatically reduce the small business owners line of credit up to 75 percent, with no alternative aid to the businesses.

It is especially evident that American are spending, but much less than they used to. Sales dropped by more than 5 percent this July making it the longest sales losing streak since 2000.

Americans continue to spend, even in the current economy. But they are more conscious of the products they purchase. Websites like Amazon.com and Shop.com are seen as smart shopping tools and not as bargain hunting sites.

A lot of retailers that had profits in previous years are struggling to stay afloat. Department stores such as Macy’s had to reorganize their structure, as well as reduce their workforce by 4 percent to compensate for their losses.

More companies move towards using environmentally friendly materials to package their products. They are learning new ways to help reduce unnecessary waste and also finding out that it used less energy to create the products; as well as being cost-effective in the long run.

Despite the recession, companies are planning to spend about 10 percent more on word-of-mouth campaigns to reach out to more consumers. Most marketers are using online communities such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace to accomplish their goals.

In this video George Whalin, retail speaker, author, and consultant, offers tips on marketing a retail business.

There’s nothing better than giving away free samples to get your customers to try, love, and buy whatever it is you have to sell. Why so much sampling? You sample, you sell!

Marketers are finding it a bit tricky to advertise to the baby boomers and the silent generations, especially since there seems to be a lot of stereotypes surrounding aging and most of the people in that category say they feel up to 15 years younger than their age. Marketers are working on ads called ‘ageless’ marketing, where the product and service are used to meet their needs.

Please don’t miss Second Hand Suzzy’s 3rd. Annual Flea Market & Craft Show on Saturday, August 15, 2009, from 8:00 A.M. TO 2:00 P.M at the Holy Family Catholic Church, in Randallstown MD.

Customer surveys don’t really work because most consumers do not know what they really like or don’t like majority of the time. A lot of the consumer’s opinions are based on their emotions and not on the logical facts.

Wardrobe retailers such as J. Crew, Banana Republic and Henri Bendel are opening or continue to expand their existing accessories stores. Purchase of accessories accounted about 12% of sales the last year and retailers are hoping that the expansion will help boost sales.