Register now for Retail Day 2010
Retailers will once again gather in Springfield on Wednesday, May 5 to make their collective voice heard at the Statehouse.
If you’re concerned about excessive regulation, insurance mandates and costs, payment backlogs, or just want to have some one-on-one conversations with state lawmakers, this is your opportunity to make a difference. Given the poor condition of the state’s finances, it is more important than ever for retailers to participate in the annual event with business leaders from throughout the state.
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Retail Day will be held as part of the Business Day 2010 event, hosted by the Illinois Retail Merchants Association in conjunction with the Illinois Manufacturers Association at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel and Conference Center, 701 E. Adams Street, Springfield.
The program, which includes a visit to the Illinois State Capitol, brings retailers face-to-face with leaders of Illinois government to discuss relevant topics of concern. For many retailers, this event is their chance to be heard and contribute to the lobbying efforts of one of the largest and most active business groups in the state.
The program starts with a Noon Luncheon at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel and concludes with an evening reception offering live music, food and drink, and a chance to meet casually with legislators and fellow business leaders
To make reservations to attend this event, contact IRMA at 800/572-5044 or email dbasowski@irma.org. Individual registrations are $85 per person. Meeting and hotel registration deadline is Tuesday, April 13. A limited number of rooms are available at a group rate of $102/night at the Presidential Abraham Lincoln Hotel & Conference Center, Ask for Group Code “IRMA” and call 866/788-1860 for room reservations.
Energy Star Appliance Rebate Program begins April 16
Illinois appliance retailers are preparing for the next phase of the Energy Star Rebate Program beginning Friday, April 16.
Federal stimulus dollars will fund 15 percent rebates on qualified Energy Star appliances sold by retailers to residential customers in their stores.
Illinois retailers who enroll in the program will be able to offer their customers instant 15 percent rebates on the sale of new Energy Star dishwashers, clothes washers, refrigerators, freezers and room air conditioners.
The program, designed to help customers save money, help the environment and provide a spark to the local economy, is being funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
In February, retailers offered rebates on hot water heaters and Illinois contractors offered rebates on Energy Star qualified HVAC products. The appliance phase of the program is expected to attract a wider variety of customers.
The program rules are spelled out on the program’s website: www.helpgreenillinois.org.
Retailers can only offer rebates to residential customers buying appliances in their stores between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., starting on Friday, April 16. Program sales will be monitored daily and the program will be shut down when the available funds are spent.
Retailers must record the make, model, purchase price, date purchased, rebate amount paid and customer zip code. They are required to post daily sales data online by noon for the previous day’s sales – even if there were no sales.
If the program shuts down early, all participating retailers will be notified by email by 3 p.m. the last day of the program. No rebates will be allowed after that day. It is the responsibility of the participating retailers to check their email for the shut-down notice.
No pre-sales are allowed, and all appliances in the program must be delivered by the close of business day on May 10. Corporate customers and online customers are not eligible for the rebates and purchasing with a corporate check or credit card is not allowed. Customers can only claim one rebate per appliance category – so they could not receive two rebates when buying two refrigerators.
Invoices for reimbursement of the rebates will be accepted no earlier than May 11 and no later than 5 p.m. on June 8.
Customers are eligible for an additional $75 rebate if they have their old freezer or refrigerator recycled. Any size freezers are eligible for the recycling rebate; refrigerators must be at least 7.75 cubic feet.
Consumers will not have to turn in their old appliances to qualify for the rebate. Customer recycling forms can be filled out at the store or on the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity website: www.illinoisenergy.org/appliancerebates
Energy Star, a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, was created to save money and protect the environment through the use of energy efficient products and practices.
Social media becoming more important to retailers
Whether you know it or not, people are likely having conversations about your business, not just in your store, but on the internet.
With the growth of social media from Facebook to Twitter, customers and potential customers are connected like never before. It is a reality which can either hurt or help retailers, depending on how they react.
Whether those conversations are positive or negative, retailers who have introduced social media plans at their business say it’s important to get involved while the medium is still new.
You want to know what they’re saying,” said Sarah Endline, founder of SweetRiot, a web-based chocolate business, who spoke to retailers about social media during the National Retail Federation’s Annual Conference in January. “We’re going to see more of this niche media. Getting in now is a great idea because it’s going to keep growing.”
Social media not only makes your business more transparent by letting the online community know about every great deal and every unsatisfied customer at your store, but it levels the playing field, allowing independents the same opportunity as national chain stores to market directly to customers at a very low cost.
But what social media doesn’t cost in money, it costs in time, said Anita Campbell, Founder and Editor of Small Business Trends. Campbell explained that for a blog to be effective, a writer must constantly feed it, adding content regularly.
To create a plan using social media, Campbell suggested asking yourself three basic questions: what are you trying to achieve; who is your target market; and which social media activities fit your plan the best.
It’s not just the independents that are taking advantage of this new way to reach customers. Even companies like Best Buy realize the need to get involved.
“We must explore new social platforms to drive the message we’re trying to get to,” Mark Williams, President of Financial Services for Best Buy, told the NRF audience.
Community building on social media platforms is simply grouping people with common interests together. The key to getting started is to find which site works best for your business, based on who you want reach and what you want to tell them.
“Finding your core, your focus and therefore what tools make sense is real important,” Endline said. “It has to be scalable and sustainable. Who’s going to make that time investment within your company?”
Twitter.com has become a major traffic driver back to small business websites and works well with a blog. Youtube.com displays videos that relate to your business. Facebook.com is a great way to interact with potential customers of similar interests. Myspace.com caters to the entertainment business and the youth market.
In order to monitor the impact of your social media activities, Campbell suggests setting up Google Alerts and Google Blog Alerts to be notified via email whenever you or your brand are discussed online. Likewise, TweetBeep.com monitors and sends alerts when you’re mentioned on Twitter.
While many retailers still find success in email marketing, it’s important to note the direction social media is taking the customer. It’s also important to consider the demographics of many households and looking at just who is making the buying decisions.
Kelly Mooney of Resource Interactive, told retailers at the NRF conference that while American moms are the chief purchasing officers of the typical household, American teenagers serve as the chief influencing officers.
But in order to communicate with these teenagers, social media is vital.
Teenagers are the first true digital natives, Mooney said. The digital world is the only one they have ever known. Even so, it is important to note that email is no longer relevant to teens. I-phones are the new jeans – the new hip and cool, she said. Technology has become the new way for teens to express their independence. They prefer communicating on social media pages.
Visit IRMA’s new web site at www.irma.org
Visit the Illinois Retail Merchants Association’s newly redesigned website at www.irma.org.
Along with its bright, colorful new look, the updated design has fewer redundancies, making it easier to navigate. Visitors to www.irma.org will find familiar features such as information on energy savings programs, registration for Retail Day and the latest industry news.
With live links to retail- and government-related websites and updates on important legislation, www.irma.org continues to offer IRMA members an excellent platform to find out about all things related to retail in Illinois.
U.S. unemployment remains high in February
The national unemployment rate remained at 9.7 percent in February and the number of jobs in the retail industry was unchanged from January, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
While there were 7,000 new jobs in building material and garden supply stores and 6,000 jobs added in department stores, these were offset by 9,000 job losses in the food and beverages sector.
The Illinois seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for January 2010 was 11.3 percent, up from the revised December 2009 rate of 11 percent, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security. The state’s unemployment rate is at its highest level since August 1983.
Diplomats may use tax exempt retail cards
The U.S. Department of State grants retail sales tax exemption privileges to eligible foreign officials and diplomats on assignment in the U.S. including more than 1,700 foreign officials and their dependents in the Chicagoland area.
Those entitled to these exemptions are issued a credit card-size Tax Exemption Card which shows the bearer’s name, photograph, protocol identification number, name of their foreign mission, expiration date, and whether the card is for personal or official use.
These card are used at the point of sale for exemption from state and local sales and other similar taxes collected from customers. The cards do not authorize an exemption for taxes imposed on utilities, gasoline or vehicle purchases.
Retailers must check the cards to comply with the exemption requirements stated on the back. Some cards may show a minimum amount of goods sold to be eligible; others may indicate certain sectors which are not eligible (such as restaurants or hotels).
If the card is a Personal Tax Exemption Card, only the person whose photo appears is eligible to use it. If the card is a Mission Tax Exemption Card, payment must be made using a check, money order or credit card in the name of the consulate. The individual identified on the Mission Card does not have to be present when the purchase is made.
For more information, visit www.state.gov/ofm/tax or call 312/353-5762.
