Improving Downtown, One Business at a Time

July 3, 2012 - PRLog -- Providing retailers with the tools to improve their individual businesses makes downtown better for everyone.
In the July issue of "Downtown Promotion Reporter," Editor Sheila Grant interviews Christine Moynihan, cofounder of Best Retail Practices. Moynihan points to three specific ways that downtown organizations can help their retailers thrive. These are:

Hands-on training with local experts in topics such as internet marketing and in-store merchandising. "It's amazing what people will go back and do after attending a program that includes little tips that were probably part of their effort when they first opened, but then their weeks got too long."

Handbooks, which provide information on all of the resources available through the city and local businesses.

And self-assessments. Moynihan notes that 70 percent of a buying decision is made at the store, so helping retailers evaluate and improve the appearance of their businesses and the customer experience are an important focus for training and assessment.

Readers may access Moynihan's "Retailer's Gut Check" a 70-question self-assessment that business owners can use to see how they fare regarding exterior and interior appearance via the Downtown Research & Development Center website at: http://www.DowntownDevelopment.com/web_extras.php

About the Downtown Research & Development Center

For over 50 years, the Downtown Research & Development Center has acted as the information clearinghouse on practical strategies and tactics for revitalizing the hearts of our cities and towns.

The Group's main activities include publishing the widely influential Downtown Idea Exchange and Downtown Promotion Reporter newsletters; publishing relevant books and reports; and operating the DowntownDevelopment.com website.

Website: http://www.DowntownDevelopment.com