As any retailer knows, getting your product safely to the customer is vital for fostering trust and loyalty. At the same time, going overboard on shipping supplies will lead to increased materials and shipping costs, which deter shoppers and cut into your bottom line. The challenge of packaging is to find the most secure, cost-effective…
Ultimate Guide
What Social Media Advertising Is, How It Works & What It Costs
Social media advertising is any type of paid advertising on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok, among others. It’s a widely used and effective way for small businesses to easily connect with targeted audiences. Keep reading to learn everything about social media ads, what they are, how they work, average costs,…
How Much Does VoIP Cost? 7 Considerations Affecting Prices
The average cost of a cloud-hosted voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) service ranges from $15 to $60 per user on a monthly basis. Other fees add to your VoIP expenses in the form of metered calls, types of phone numbers, number of users registered, premium call features (add-ons), hardware, and internet plan. In this guide, we’ll explore how…
Shopify Pricing Plans: Comparison, Fees & Calculator
Starting at just $5 per month, Shopify pricing is transparent and straightforward, consisting of monthly and per-transaction fees.
Shopify offers a starter plan perfect for social media selling at $5 a month and a full-fledged online store starting at $39 a month. Shopify’s affordable pricing plans (along with its ease of use and robust yet scalable features) earned it the top spot in our list of the best ecommerce platforms. However, if you’re…
Retail Expansion: What You Need to Know to Grow Your Store
Perhaps you didn’t consider expansion when you first started your retail business—it can be intimidating to think about growth when you are just starting. However, retail expansion doesn’t have to be overwhelming if you approach it strategically. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know when considering retail expansion—from determining when the…
Normal Wear & Tear Versus Property Damage Guide (+ Checklist)
Due to aging and constant use by tenants over time, rental buildings experience normal wear and tear. This differs from tenant-caused property damage, which frequently happens due to carelessness, neglect, or abuse. While landlords must repair regular wear and tear, such as faded paint and dents in walls, they are exempt from paying for damage…
IVR Containment Rate: Definition & How to Improve It
The interactive voice response (IVR) containment rate, a call center metric, refers to the percentage of calls the IVR system successfully handled without assistance from a human agent. A high IVR containment rate means the system was able to resolve customer concerns, reducing the burden on the human workforce and improving the overall call center…
Cost of Goods Sold: What It Is & How To Calculate It
Cost of goods sold (COGS) represent the total costs in making or purchasing a product. In simpler words, COGS is the amount you paid when you produced or purchased the products that were sold during the period. Selling costs like commissions are not part of COGS. Rather, these are recorded as part of operating costs….