Father’s Day spending is one of the lowest of all ‘holidays’
June 14, 2010 – 1:24 pm | No Comment

When it comes to spending money on our dads, the average is about $95 dollars. That is one of the lowest spending dollar amounts for gifts of any of the ‘holidays’ in this country. However, we will spend on our dads, so on Good Morning Maryland @ 9 we showed off a few ideas from local stores.

Read the full story »
Epps Consulting News

Read this section to find out what’s going on at Maryland’s premier retail marketing firm.

Free Chat Opportunities

Free retail marketing and PR opportunities for your store… just because you read the Free Chat Newsletter!

Media News

The latest news concerning regional and national magazines, newspapers, and television stations.

Regional Events

Participate in these events and your store could benefit from tons of media exposure.

Special Offers

Promotions, coupon codes, and discounts from companies with experience in helping small businesses grow. You’re sure to find the perfect vendor right here.

Home » Archive by Category

Articles in Featured

Hesitant Consumers May Slow Sales This Summer
June 17, 2010 – 11:36 am | No Comment

On a hot, humid day in Washington, D.C., customers are lined up at the registers of an H&M clothing store waiting to make their purchases.

Macy’s Adds Oomph To Gay Pride Events
June 8, 2010 – 11:44 am | No Comment
Macy’s Adds Oomph To Gay Pride Events

While the gay and lesbian market has long been on Macy’s radar, the retailer is cranking up the volume on its efforts, scheduling in-store events, parade sponsorships and celebrations nationwide to celebrate Pride Month.

Reach Customers in 140 Characters, All of Them Free
June 3, 2010 – 9:21 am | No Comment
Reach Customers in 140 Characters, All of Them Free

Does Twitter still leave you scratching your head? Many businesses are struggling to make sense of Twitter, but even if it strikes you as an enigma or hype, consider this: many of your customers are already there.

How to Wake Dormant Customers
June 1, 2010 – 3:48 pm | No Comment
How to Wake Dormant Customers

Customers go quiet… they just do. They may no longer buy a product or service, or they may have stopped interacting with the brand altogether.

How to survive a construction zone outside your store
May 26, 2010 – 6:28 am | No Comment
How to survive a construction zone outside your store

Whether it’s road resurfacing, sidewalk repairs or a sewer upgrade, public works projects can wreak havoc on local businesses — and thanks to stimulus money, 2010 has been full of them.

6 Ways to Create a Memorable Customer Experience
May 24, 2010 – 7:09 am | No Comment
6 Ways to Create a Memorable Customer Experience

It is often the little details that customers recall even more than the product they purchased or the service they received. Little details that customers notice, and that makes them feel good about not only making the purchase, but making the purchase from you, is a significant part of the overall customer experience. Here are six ways to go above and beyond good customer service and boost customer loyalty.

Bra Building: New Engineering for Bigger Curves
May 17, 2010 – 9:29 am | No Comment
Bra Building: New Engineering for Bigger Curves

Now, more retailers are looking to offer attractive bras in all sizes. The name of a year-old shop in Los Angeles’s hip Silverlake neighborhood says it all: “Jenette Bras: The Alphabet Starts at D.”

Sustainability Planning for Business Owners
May 12, 2010 – 7:14 am | No Comment
Sustainability Planning for Business Owners

Wise businesses are now weaving environmental sustainability into their long-term strategies, and they’re doing it by writing comprehensive sustainability plans. The point: to identify key areas of eco-friendly opportunity and give your business a roadmap of how to maximize of those opportunities.

Retailer’s April Sales Will Show How Recovery Is Progressing
May 5, 2010 – 8:05 am | No Comment
Retailer’s April Sales Will Show How Recovery Is Progressing

Retailers are expected to post very modest sales growth when they report April figures on Thursday, as stores seek to maintain the recent momentum in consumer spending.

Retailers, restaurants offer deals as more of us pinch pennies
April 24, 2010 – 12:15 pm | No Comment
Retailers, restaurants offer deals as more of us pinch pennies

America has become a nation of penny pinchers.
The economic meltdown was the 500-pound catalyst, but even amid signs the economy is picking up, many of us still are pinching away. It’s a trend that analysts say reflects a seismic — and perhaps lasting — change in our spending habits, and retailers are responding.

Upcoming Mother’s Day taping: We need your items!
April 24, 2010 – 5:38 am | 2 Comments
Upcoming Mother’s Day taping: We need your items!

Christine Carter of Epps Consulting will be featured on a segment to discuss Mother’s Day gift ideas for ABC2News. If your store or your shopping district plans to offer incredible deals for Mother’s Day, or your store offers unique gifts you’d like to promote to a large audience, please email Christine by May 1st!

Nordstrom Rack… and others… coming to D.C. shopping scene
April 20, 2010 – 6:55 am | No Comment
Nordstrom Rack… and others… coming to D.C. shopping scene

Discount retailers, including Nordstrom Rack, Wal-Mart, Forman Mills, AJ Wright and Hobby Lobby, are moving more aggressively into the Washington region, leasing space vacated by Circuit City and other stores that went out of business, according to real estate research firm Delta Associates.

Guess what? Men shop too!
April 15, 2010 – 5:51 am | No Comment
Guess what? Men shop too!

In an industry obsessed with the wants and needs of women, men have been an afterthought among retail and marketing executives for as long as many can remember.

Is khaki due for another day in the sun?
April 15, 2010 – 5:46 am | No Comment
Is khaki due for another day in the sun?

The former casual Friday staple was overtaken in recent years by denim. But the beige twill is finding its way into sportswear collections and high-fashion designs and appears poised for a comeback.

Free-spending teens return to malls
April 3, 2010 – 6:45 am | No Comment
Free-spending teens return to malls

Youth-oriented retailers report strong sales for the second consecutive month, nurturing hopes of a broader upswing.

Jos A. Bank to expand portly and tall line, tuxedo rental program
April 3, 2010 – 6:42 am | No Comment
Jos A. Bank to expand portly and tall line, tuxedo rental program

Men’s clothier Jos. A. Bank said Thursday that it will expand its line for portly and tall men and roll out to all of its stores a pilot tuxedo rental program it started last year.

How America Now Shops: Dollar Stores, Online Retailers
March 29, 2010 – 6:20 am | No Comment

Consumers may be emerging from the Great Recession a little more willing to spend these days, but they’re still incredibly price-conscious and making smaller, more frequent purchases rather than loading up on costlier bulk goods.

Department stores: The new social experience
March 29, 2010 – 6:05 am | No Comment
Department stores: The new social experience

In a world consumed with technology, where Twitter and Facebook are the new “hot spot” for social interactions, where–or rather how–does the department store fit in?

Social Media Helps Men’s Wearhouse’s ‘Prom Reps’ Get to the Dance
March 15, 2010 – 12:14 pm | No Comment
Social Media Helps Men’s Wearhouse’s ‘Prom Reps’ Get to the Dance

It’s already time for the prom at Men’s Wearhouse, and the formal wear brand is going to the dance with social media for the second straight year.

Consumer Spending Perks Up Economy
March 15, 2010 – 12:11 pm | No Comment
Consumer Spending Perks Up Economy

A string of surprisingly strong corporate earnings reports and economic data show that U.S. consumers have emerged from a long hibernation to start spending again on everything from new TVs and restaurant meals to spring outfits.