November conjures up images of pumpkins, changing foliage, turkey, and of course, Thanksgiving. Whatever business relation exists with this particular month orbits around Black Friday and Cyber Monday, two of the biggest shopping events of the year. However, November brings more opportunities to small business in America thanks to Small Business Saturday. Held on the 26th, this event aims to raise awareness for independent business, prompting people to “shop small.” The event has its own [...]

Here at Merchant Resources International we like to stay on top of every online development. That is why we are now on Google +, the social network that has been hailed as “the new Facebook.” It remains to be seen whether G+ will dethrone Facebook as the ruler of online interaction, but for now we are having a great time playing with its features (the games are great). Are you or your business on Google [...]

Social couponing is all the rage right now, with shows like TLC’s “Extreme Couponing” and sites like Groupon and LivingSocial rising in popularity. Some merchants report having a bad experience with these types of sites, but they are still favorites with consumers because they allow them to save significant amounts of money in a tough economy. And when something is successful, it doesn’t take long for copies to pop up all over the place. This [...]

Our previous post listed some unique holidays taking place in September, such as National Cream-Filled Donut Day and International “Talk Like a Pirate Day” (September 19th). But this month offers more than zany observances. Case in point: Business Women’s Day on Thursday 22nd. This date marks the creation of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) by Hilary A. Bufton Jr. in 1949. Do not be fooled by the name: Hilary was a businessman. He founded [...]

Customers are the key to success for a small business, so naturally, you want to keep them coming. It might be easier to attract new customers than to build a loyal following or have an army of “regulars.” So what keeps customers coming back? Either a good product or excellent customer service. This is where social media comes into play. Thanks to social networks, it is easier than ever to reach (and be reached by) [...]