I have seen quite a few articles, polls, and blog posts about the recession and how retailers are dealing with it.  One that particularly caught my interest was a recent Gifts and Dec poll asking, "What readers are doing for their businesses in the current economic climate?"

The answers aren't too shocking, but they definitely might kick some retailers into taking more of a proactive approach during this sluggish time for our economy.  An overwhelming 70% stated they are "increasing marketing efforts" and 24% said they are "having more sales" or "increasing PR efforts." A very low percentage stated they would lower prices and no one said they would offer free shipping or delivery.

I thought these stats were very interesting for a few reasons.  First, I agree that now is the time, more than ever, to increase marketing efforts and really promote, promote, promote!  Think about it, if people are cutting down their dining out from 3 nights a week to 1; you want to be that one night out!  And the best way to do that is to attract new customers through marketing and PR efforts and to keep current customers through continued promos, fun events, and sales!

Secondly, I thought these poll results were very interesting because no one who voted mentioned they would offer free shipping or delivery.  The reason I found this of interest is simply because I have also been reading a lot about internet retailing going through the roof and not feeling the recession at all. In fact in the first quarter of this year internet commerce reported a 17% increase!

Most E-commerce sites you visit offer free shipping and/or delivery through promos.  (i.e., once the customer reaches a certain amount, or enters a promo code through an email campaign).  This has proven to be one of the most successful marketing tactics for online retailers, so it was a bit shocking to me that other retailers would not consider this option.

Overall, I think now is the time to promote your store and offer special promotions.  In a previous post I noted how we are starting to gear up for the rebate checks and offering special promotions for people who use them at our shop.  I know the first batch of rebate checks hit banks this week, so we will just wait and see how these really will affect consumer behavior.