Museum Store Snippets
As a service to the Museum Store market, several times a week we scour the web for articles we feel are interesting, informative or entertaining and post them online. You can keep up with the latest by following us on Twitter or subscribing to our RSS feed.
- Is 'Made in America' Back In Style?
Last year, the Harrison Group and American Express released a study indicating that 65% of high-end shoppers now prefer to buy American. It’s unclear whether shoppers are showing a preference for American products because they believe they are of superior quality, or because they feel it’s important to support American manufacturing, or some mix of the two. - Steal these 42 Creative Pinterest Ideas for Nonprofits
We’re about to see Pinterest use among nonprofit organizations explode. Pinterest has a lot of potential, especially for organizations whose stories lend themselved to visual storytelling. - Shoppers seek 'Made in USA' label
Tish Llaneza decided it was going to be a "Made in the USA" Christmas at her Hampton store, and customers responded by emptying the shelves.
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It's the growing label trend of the middle class, as more shoppers express a desire to find "Made in USA" marked on the bottom of their everyday items. - MoMA Visitors Fall, Met Museum’s Rise, Led by Blockbusters
“There is a temptation to do exhibits that are crowd pleasers or blockbusters,” she said, speaking of museums generally. “The secret is balance.” - Museums Advocacy Day 2012: February 27
Whether you are a seasoned advocate, or brand new to the process, Museums Advocacy Day is a unique opportunity to network with museum professionals from your state, hear from political and agency insiders about the current political climate, and meet with the Congressional offices that represent your museum.
In short, Museums Advocacy Day is your chance to join with advocates and colleagues from around the country and Speak Up for Museums! - To Pinterest, A Love Letter
Anyone who knows me will tell you: I’m completely commitment phobic. And nowhere is this more apparent than in the world of emerging social media networks. I cringe whenever a new one is released because I simply Can’t. Handle. Another. I’m on Twitter, I’m on Facebook – what else do I need? But every now and then a social network comes along that sweeps me off my feet and makes me believe in the amazingness of the Web all over again. And for me, the social network doing that right now is Pinterest. - Pinterest for Brands: 5 Hot Tips
We've all been hearing a lot about Pinterest lately, so you're probably wondering whether you should take the plunge and create a profile for your company. We say you go for it, especially if women are your target consumers–70 percent of pinners are female. - Gift Idea: Museum memberships offer free admission, more for families
I'm not crazy about filling my house up with stuff at Christmas. My kids rarely play with many of their toys anyway.
I like museum memberships because they don't clutter my house, but they can offer a year's worth of free entertainment for my family and perks for mom, including special admission times, discounts on parties and priority camp registration. - The Man Behind the Best Museum Shop in Washington
The National Building Museum Shop is cited by 1000 Places To See Before You Die as the best museum shop in the country. It features architectural, classical, and modern design-inspired gifts, building kits, toys, housewares, jewelry, and books. We sat down with Shop manager Michael Higdon and asked how he selects the Shop’s inventory and keeps the accolades coming. - 15 of the Best Small, Quirky, and Unusual Museums in the US
A good museum can impact a curious traveler in a number of different ways. They can inspire, educate, and keep weary wanderers dry and toasty-warm on rainy days. Unfortunately, even the best museums can also overwhelm with impenetrable sizes, empty wallets with high admissions, and frustrate with endless crowds - Congressman Pushing Legislation To Require National Park Gift Shops To Carry "Made In America" Items
A congressman from New York hopes to bolster pride in America, and boost American manufacturers, by pushing legislation that would require gift shops throughout the National Park System to carry items made in America.
"When I walk into one of the gift shops at our monuments or national parks, it’s deeply deflating that nearly every item – from American flag mugs to Theodore Roosevelt teddy bears – comes with a 'Made in China' sticker," said Rep. Steve Israel, D-New York. "If we want American manufacturing to thrive again, then we need to show that we believe in it. That’s why I'm introducing legislation to bring 'Made in the USA' back to our nation's proudest sites." - Museum Shops Offer Unusual Holiday Gifts
Museums are not just about learning and culture. Increasingly they are becoming shopping places for the committed consumer. As the holidays approach and New Yorkers are overwhelmed with family, friends, gift-buying and entertaining, museum gift shops are an obvious stop. - How we can all learn from Winnie the Pooh
Training staff to go out of their way to make shopping in your store a pleasant experience is a great place to start. To get people to let go of their money in your store, they need to feel like you are their personal guide to a good purchase. I've noticed that even in the best stores, this skill deteriorates in direct proportion to how busy the store is. - 48 Guerrilla Marketing Tips from Top PR Pros
Your business is feeling the crunch this year — and your marketing budget is dwindling as a result. We’ve asked some of the most experienced public relations professionals to share their secrets on how to market a company on a small budget. Here are some of the best ways to use social media and word-of-mouth marketing to gain a competitive advantage in this tough economy. - Free museum day
In the spirit of Smithsonian Museums, who offer free admission everyday, Museum Day is an annual event hosted by Smithsonian magazine in which participating museums across the country open their doors to anyone presenting a Museum Day Ticket...for free. - Exit through the gift shop
As our summer of Exhibitionism comes to an end, it feels appropriate to close this series the same way you leave a museum: through the gift shop. Even more than a fascinating historical exhibit or a stunning work of art, it is the gift shop that lures you inside with its glittering wares, its promise to render the intangible experience of a museum visit physical with a lasting souvenir. D.C. museums provide much more than your average take homes of postcards and pencils, which is why you need this comprehensive guide to Washington’s museum gift shops. - Business Card to Business Plan: Branding Your Museum
Branding is no longer a marketing decision but a business imperative. Today's museums must compete for visitors' attention...
The store also provides a medium in which to present your brand message. Every rack has room for shelf talkers and table tents, providing additional information about your brand. Every tag can carry your logo. - Attendance up, revenue down at Burnaby Village Museum
Since going to free admission in May, the Burnaby Village Museum has seen attendance increases of 749 per cent for the first two months.
...the city's director of parks, recreation and cultural services, [said] that while he's pleased with the huge attendance increases, the loss in admission revenues won't be made up in increases in food services, gift shop sales and museum donations. - The Three A's Of Business
To me, these are the most difficult lessons a small business can learn. The three A's are for when you mess up — and that's why they're so hard for most businesses to swallow, because business people tend to like to avoid the hard part: apologizing. But here's where you get the magic formula, and it goes like this: acknowledge, apologize, act. - 5 Tips for Driving Facebook Fans to Your Website
While Facebook has become an increasingly significant communication medium, for many businesses and organizations, their website remains the primary consumer touch point.
So what do you do if you want to get your Facebook audience to engage more on your brand site? - From Just Looking to Just Buying
Although you can't turn all lookers into buyers, converting only a few of them can have a substantial impact on your sales results. Here are four things you can do to turn "just looking" into "just buying" customers: - Museum Stores Do Buy American
For some, buying American fulfills a mission or mandate. For the rest, the decision to choose U.S. products over imports is influenced by a tapestry of business imperatives.
Interestingly enough, none of the buyers contacted for this article cited patriotism as a specific reason for sourcing local or domestic merchandise. So stow the red, white and blue bunting and turn down the Sousa march music: museums that are buying American-made products are doing it to keep their customers coming back. - Eyeing a portion of the proceeds, museums welcome new experiments in retail
In an effort to en (rich) museum-going experiences, something new is popping up. Pop-up shops are being added to exhibitions, pairing show themes with related products to give visitors more to peruse and to provide museums and merchants with profit-sharing perks. Note: These are not your average gift shops. - How to Promote a Brand
There are many ways to promote a brand and it is important that you do so. Promoting your brand is very critical to your business. It is no luck that Nike became one of the most famous and influential sports gear company in history. They didn't sit around waiting for shoppers to see what they had, they promoted it like crazy! - Smithsonian's 'Made in America' gift shop opens
A gift shop selling only items designed and made in the U.S. opens today on the third floor of the National Museum of American History, fulfilling the wishes of lawmakers who insisted that the taxpayer-funded museum should do its part to promote American businesses.
The experiment may mean higher prices for tourists but could pave the way for similar "Buy American" efforts at other Smithsonian shops. - 'Made in America' Pledge: What is American-Made in Your Home?
In the global trade battle, you cast a vote every time you open your wallet. The decision? Whether you spend your money on products made in America or overseas. - Smithsonian opening a 'Made in America' gift shop
Any visitor to a Smithsonian gift shop along the Mall has seen it. Flip over a flag pin, coffee mug or bust of President Obama, and there it is: "Made in China."
But in a change prompted by congressional pressure, Americans visiting the American History Museum will soon be able to "Buy American."
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