Retailer Must-Reads: The 10 Most Popular Vend Posts of 2020

It’s that time of the year again. As we say goodbye to the year 2020 — something that many of us are eager to do — we thought we’d take a quick look back at the blog content that drew the most readers.

In this post, we’re shedding light on the top 10 most-read posts of the year. Check ‘em out!

1. How to Increase Sales in Retail: 19 Expert-Backed Tips to Try in Your Store [2020 Update]

Driving sales is a priority for many retailers, which is why it comes to no surprise that one of our most popular articles this year is a post on increasing sales. This post, which we updated for 2020, contains new tips incorporating the “new normal” brought about by the pandemic — including promoting safety, social distancing, and more. 

2. 9 Retail Marketing Strategies to Help You Get New Customers — and Keep Existing Ones

This article dives into the ways that retailers can put their businesses in front of new shoppers while continuing to engage existing customers. It’s packed with advice on in-store and online marketing, making it a must-read for any retailer. 

3. 15 Retail Skills Every Sales Associate Should Have (and How to Develop Them)

Whether you’re hiring or training your sales associates, you’ll find some nuggets of wisdom in this article. Written by a former retail employee, this post tackles the different skills to look for and develop in your staff — and how to do it. 

4. Retail Metrics: 14 Essential KPIs for Tracking Your Business’ Performance

Getting a clear picture of your business performance requires tracking the right metrics, and this post shows you exactly how to do that. It sheds light on the formulas to use when calculating critical metrics and offers tools you can adopt to accurately run the numbers in your business.

5. Taking a Physical Inventory Count: 10 Practical Tips to Make the Task a Whole Lot Easier

A physical stock count isn’t the sexiest task in retail, but it’s something that all merchants must do regularly. This article outlines the steps required to conduct a physical inventory count and contains pointers to help you streamline the task and  minimize mistakes.

6. 6 Types of Inventory and Sales Reports to Use in Your Retail Store

Inventory and sales are closely linked in retail, and you need to keep a close eye on the numbers to ensure that you’re stocking the right items and generating sales out of them. This article lists the top sales and inventory-related metrics you can use when making important business decisions. 

7. Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About SKU Numbers

If you need a primer on SKU numbers, this post has your back. It tackles the ins and out of SKUs and discusses how to generate SKU numbers, how to use them, and how to differentiate between SKUs, UPC, and serial numbers. 

8. Inventory Turnover 101: What It Is And How to Get It Right

What exactly is inventory turnover? How do you calculate it? Why is it important? This post answers all those questions in detail, so you can get a better understanding of inventory turnover — also known as stock turn — and find ways to improve. 

9. Avoiding Stockouts: 5 Preventable Causes of Out-of-Stocks and What to Do About Them

Out-of-stocks are one of the leading reasons behind missed sales and poor customer experiences, which is why you should avoid them at all costs. In this article, we dive into the common causes of stockouts and the steps you can take to prevent and address them. 

10. Retail Analytics: How to Use Data to Win More Sales and Customers

Making data-backed decisions is one of the keys to retail success. That’s why it pays to have a solid understanding of retail analytics and to have a tech stack that allows you to get your hands on the right data. Learn how to do just that in this article.