A CD ladder is a series of four or more CDs ranging from a three-month term to a five-year term—imagine one CD on each rung of a literal ladder constantly moving up and earning interest when it reaches the top at maturity. CD laddering provides more liquidity than putting all your savings in a single-term…
Ultimate Guide
Startup Business Loans: 7 Best Ways to Fund Your Startup
Getting funding as a startup business can be difficult, largely because lenders are aware of the high failure rate of newer companies. As a result, many will not offer funding unless you have a track record of two or more years of performing well. Even if you can find a lender willing to offer funding…
What Is Event Marketing & How to Develop a Winning Strategy
Event marketing involves promoting events and attending or holding them to advance your broader marketing objectives. Leveraging events such as seminars, webinars, and tradeshows creates exciting opportunities for branding, sales, and relationship-building before, during, and after events. However, events can be a significant investment for a small business, so choosing the right ones and making…
The Ultimate Guide to Ecommerce Merchandising in 2024
Merchandising isn’t just for brick and mortar—your digital storefront also needs some creative TLC to maximize sales and tell your brand story.
Merchandising is the practice of promoting goods and/or services for sale and dictates the visuals, placement, pricing, and even targeting of products. Retail merchandising in a brick-and-mortar setting involves product displays, signage, and other in-store features. Ecommerce merchandising applies this concept to your online store. Below, find out what ecommerce merchandising is, why it’s important,…
Is Temu Bad? An In-depth Look Into the Temu Controversy
Since its launch in 2022, Temu has surged to be a leading ecommerce marketplace and the most downloaded app in the US[1]. Known for dirt-cheap prices, free shipping, and free stuff, Temu hasn’t been without controversy. Just months after its US launch, two separate class action lawsuits about data privacy and malware were filed against…
Commercial Bridge Loans: What They Are & How They Work
A commercial bridge loan is a type of short-term financing commonly used to purchase real estate. These loans are typically used if traditional long-term financing is not an option, which can occur if the borrower has bad credit or the property needs repairs. Commercial mortgage bridge loans have eligibility criteria that are often easier to…
Retail Inventory Management: Definition & 5 Best Practices
Retail store inventory management is about stocking products buyers want, pricing and promoting to sell those products at a profit, and maintaining stock levels that meet demand without over-purchasing. As a retailer, you know that your merchandise is the crux of your business, so creating an accurate and efficient system to manage products will play…
AI in Retail: Ultimate Small Business Guide
Artificial intelligence (AI) is technology that employs machine learning and automation to make decisions and solve problems like a human would. This technology is more common than ever in the retail landscape, with online chatbots, AI-driven inventory and vendor management, and marketing materials and shopping experiences personalized by the technology. The AI wave won’t be…