This Month on NATSO's Blog

Last month, we had some fantastic content on NATSO's blog. 

Darren Schulte shared three posts in his blog series, Darren’s Great Ideas! for Independent Operators! The biweekly column provides digestible retail tips by Darren, NATSO’s vice president of membership. In May, Darren discussed:

1. Three Food Trends that Boost Sales: Food service remains one of the few mega growth categories left in our industry. Although some locations continue to see dine-in growth, overall grab-n-go offerings are hot and knowing which products to offer when can help spur sales. Locations can select and refine their offerings based on their key customer demographic and industry trends. Read the blog post to learn three current trends to help boost your food sales. 
2. Four Steps to Maximize Gift Sales: Travelers on a road trip, tourists de-barking a bus or professional drivers out on their route are all likely to browse the gift section within a travel center. Having the right mix of products and eye-catching displays can help maximize sales. Read the blog post to gather four tips for making the most of this category.
3. Improve Your Online Presence with These Five Tips: An online presence is crucial for businesses today. Current and potential customers expect to find you on the web, but simply having a site isn’t enough. When customers walk into your location, you interact with them and ask how you can help. When they visit your site, show them how you can help them and position yourself as a resource. To ensure you are getting the most out of your online investments, follow the five tips provided in this blog post.

Darren also blogs regularly on timely subjects. Last month, he blogged on:

1. Collecting Dust or Collecting Interest: I recently came across an article written in the small business section of the Costco magazine titled "It's all in the numbers." The article identified 3 things to watch as a small business owner. During my reviews of locations these are often mentioned as imperative to know and understand. Read the full post here.
2. iPad Point Of Sale Innovations: Many of the locations that I visited last year are in the beginning stages of replacing and or upgrading point-of-sale (POS) systems. Interestingly enough, many retailers large and small are experimenting with a tool that many of us see on a more and more frequent basis being utilized by schools, sales persons and those sitting next to us in airplane. This tool is the tablet. Read the full post here.

And, Tiffany shared with us the best stories of NATSO News Weekly, NATSO's weekly e-newsletter.

Don't forget to join the conversation by adding your voice in the comments. We'd love to hear from you!