by U.S. Chamber of Commerce
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Joan Verdon

CONTRIBUTOR

About Joan

Joan Verdon has been covering business and retail news for the past 25 years. She has covered trends in tech, manufacturing, real estate and retail, first for The Record of North Jersey and USA Today, and now for CO—. She is a senior contributor, retail, for Forbes.com. Her passion is reporting on how Americans buy and sell. She has covered the birth of billion-dollar companies and the evolution of 100-year-old brands. Previously, she has been an education, general assignment and investigative reporter for The Grand Rapids Press and Buffalo Courier-Express. She spent a year working on Capitol Hill as an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow.

Latest—
GOOD COMPANY » LAUNCH PAD

5 Consumer Trends to Know in 2022
The pace of change triggered by the pandemic isn’t slowing down, retail leaders say. Survival depends on knowing what customers want, and reacting quickly.
READ
GOOD COMPANY » THE LEAP

How 1-800-Flowers Changed Its Corporate Gifting Strategy to Monetize the Remote Workforce Trend
The gifting conglomerate that also owns Harry & David has added a new B2B platform that businesses large and small can use to maximize employee and client appreciation programs.
READ
GOOD COMPANY » LAUNCH PAD

Retail Executives Share Growth Strategies This Holiday Season
The holidays are a key time to share your brand’s core message and innovations with customers, according to six executives from top consumer brands.
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GOOD COMPANY » THE LEAP

Retailer Joann Rethinks About Customer Service While Reinventing Its Stores
As the fabric and crafting retailer embarked on an ambitious project to reinvent its stores, it first had to listen to what its customers were saying.
READ
GOOD COMPANY » LAUNCH PAD

What Small Businesses Can Learn From Big Retailers' Holiday Strategies
Consumers will be in a spending mood this coming Black Friday weekend, but competition for their attention — and dollars — is tougher than ever. Here’s how merchants are reeling them in.
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GOOD COMPANY » LAUNCH PAD

The Zero-Waste Movement Is Creating Opportunities for Businesses Large and Small
With a growing number of consumers looking for alternatives to single-use disposables and plastic packaging, businesses from mass retailers to Main Street merchants are heeding their call.
READ
GROW » MARKETING

Digital Strategies Small Businesses Can Use to Boost Sales on Small Business Saturday and Beyond
Small businesses can increase their in-person customer interactions during the crucial holiday season by leveraging these simple online tools, marketing experts told CO—.
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START » STRATEGY

Boost Small Business Saturday Sales With Tips From Big Retailers
The largest retailers and brands are banking on these consumer trends to drive holiday sales. Here’s how small businesses can capitalize on them.
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START » STRATEGY

How to Make the Most of Small Business Saturday
Research reveals shifts in consumer behavior that you can capitalize on to drive sales.
READ
GOOD COMPANY » THE LEAP

How Sally Beauty Maximized Worker Productivity and Modernized Its Store Operations
The 5,000-store beauty supply retailer brought its payroll and store management systems into the digital age, yielding lessons for businesses large and small.
READ