A new report by cybersecurity firm 4iQ reveals data breach attacks to small businesses surged over 420% in 2018, exposing almost 15 billion identity records including credit card numbers, bank accounts, and email addresses. According to Verizon’s 2018 Data Breach Investigations Report, small businesses now account for 58% of malware attack victims. In 2017, cyberattacks affected 61% of SMBs according to a Ponemon Institute report.

Why the increased threat to small businesses?

First, smaller companies are being increasingly targeted because they don’t have sophisticated security and larger companies are getting tougher and tougher to hack. Small companies are more vulnerable and often have valuable information. Second, the number of hackers has dramatically increased because the dark web has made powerful hacking tools available to anyone and a marketplace to easily sell stolen data.

Think your small business is below the radar and too small to be hacked?

Think again. Regardless of your industry or company size, you’ll likely have data thieves want to steal such as confidential customer information that can be easily sold to identity thieves on the dark web. Your database may also contain other kinds of confidential data such as customer credit card numbers, employee personal records, and trade secrets. Plus, hackers don’t just steal data, they can corrupt it or hold it for ransom (ransomware).

What you should do:

1. Make sure your employees are properly trained.

You need to have procedures for securing data. Most security problems, particularly at small companies, are caused by employee-related errors – clicking on bad websites, opening up infected files, etc.  Make sure your employees are well aware of potential problems to avoid putting your small business at risk.

At a minimum, employees should:

• Change passwords on a regular basis
• Not open emails, download files or click on links from suspicious sources
• Ignore popup messages
• Keep laptops secure (password protected and locked away at night)

2. Secure remote worker access.

If an employee or contractor is working remote, then they’re connecting to your network through online services which have a risk of being hacked. Even employees who bring their laptop home risk having their laptop lost or stolen.

3. Look for signs you may have been hacked.

• Login problems. A hacker may have locked your account after too many unsuccessful attempts to log in. Or worse, they got in and changed the password locking you out.
• Popup messages, anti-virus warnings, new toolbars, should raise concerns.
• Slower network. Can be caused by hackers transferring files out of your network.
• Fake or phishing emails sent to your employees.
• High turnover and/or disgruntled ex-employees.

Some of the ways we help protect our clients from data breach threats:

1. Multilevel security. It takes more than antivirus software to protect your business. We can recommend the best tools for your specific environment and budget and will use a multi-layered approach to implement and manage those tools for you.
2. Affordable remote access solutions. Many companies think remote access tools are out of their reach. However, secure remote access is easy, offering you both the productivity and accessibility your employees need, while keeping your data and networks secure from threats.
3. The best defense is a good offense. Our OneCare managed services plan offers companies the ability to proactively protect their networks.
4. Responding to clients promptly. Each ticket that comes in is reviewed and escalated within 12 minutes, regardless of how the ticket is generated.

Remember a time when Halloween was simple? Those days are over. For category managers, the huge opportunity (over $9 billion expected in sales this year) presents a daunting array of products and strategies to consider.

Second only to Christmas in dollars spent, Halloween continues to grow. This year, consumers are expected to spend $3.4 billion on costumes, $2.7 billion on candy, $2.7 billion on decorations, and $410 million on greeting cards. Greeting cards? We have to assume this includes party invitations.

Some retailers that are doing fright right.

Target

It starts with Target’s Hyde and Eek boutique on their website. Like their stores, Target’s Halloween landing page is clean, uncluttered and upscale. Target presents three different home decorating themes. When you click one, you’ll find home décor items that that go together. Coordinated Halloween décor? Who knew! Plus, Target’s product page offers a unique user experience. When you move your cursor over an individual product, it shows how the product might look in an actual home setting.

The lesson for category managers is always keep your core customers in mind even if it’s just a seasonal promotion. Target is a discounter, but its success is based on appealing to customers from middle to upper income brackets. Coordinated Halloween decorating themes in upscale settings likely hits home with these customers. Target understands their target audience. No bones about it.

Party City

Party City has capitalized on the Halloween opportunity by adding pop-up locations to augment sales at their regular stores. Pop up stores are especially popular with Millennials and because so many brick and mortar stores have closed, there are plenty of good locations and great deals.

If you visit Party City’s website, you’ll find they’ve taken the lifestyle theme to another level with 13 “house illusions”. Each includes the suggested scene, a paragraph describing how it works and a complete list of items needed.

It’s also interesting to look at “Customers Also Bought” sections on Halloween sites. E.g. on Party City’s website, when you click on the “Animated Possessed Doll” and scroll down you’ll find even more creepy ideas such as: Animated Terror Clown, Light-Up Mourning Zombie Baby with Sound Effects, Light-Up Bonnet Baby with Sound Effects, etc.

Amazon

Amazon is expected to grab the largest share of Halloween related purchases. Not surprisingly, their Halloween store is easy to navigate with the key categories at the top. Then featured essentials, costumes sorted by genre so you can quickly scan options you’re interested in. It also has Halloween toys (unusual) and a banner link to “Halloween for Teens.” Plus, Amazon offers safe treats that are free of the top 8 allergens: peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, milk, soy, wheat, fish, and shellfish. Even with Halloween, it seems Amazon offers everything from A to Z.

Grandin Road

While some furniture e retailers dabble in Halloween décor, Grandin Road offers 17 pages of higher end décor you simply won’t find anywhere else. Grandin Road’s innovative thinking was further evidenced when they tried inserting pop up Halloween stores in Macy’s two years ago.

Get Social

Pinterest is a favorite go-to site for costume ideas. In fact, 27 million Pinterest users pinned Halloween content last year. 17% of all costume buyers used Pinterest for ideas, up 133% since 2012. So? Well, Millennials are in their prime Halloween costume buying years and they are heavily influenced by peer recommendations.

Finally, remember Halloween is $9 billion opportunity! Start planning now for next year. Do your homework. Find out what others are doing. Get creative. Don’t be afraid to think outside the coffin. Take a stab at something different. As long as you give it your best shot, no one will say boo.

Some start off as pop up stores and move into permanent spaces. Many are locating in upscale, premier malls. Most are what you’d expect — higher-end fashion clothing retailers where customers prefer to try on items before they buy. Some examples include Fabletics, an online active wear retailer, which recently added two dozen stores, and women’s intimates retailer Adore Me, which is planning 300 additional stores.

Other examples where customers want to interact with products before purchasing include mattress maker Casper (already in Target stores), which plans to open 200 of its own stores. The original online eyeglasses retailer, Warby Parker, opened its first retail location in SoHo in 2013. It now has 75 brick-and-mortar stores in the U.S. and more opening soon. Indochino offers tailored suits for men. You send them your measurements or visit one of their stores (now in most major markets) where a professional can take your measurements.

What’s driving this?

Boosting online traffic – For a brand that’s less than 10 years old, new store openings will result in a 45 percent increase (on average) in online traffic according to a recent survey by International Council of Shopping Centers. Plus, acquiring new customers via online marketing is getting more costly and difficult.

Expand customer base – In categories like clothing, there will always be a large customer segment that will only buy if they can first try it on. Yes, items can be returned, but many customers dislike having to re-package and send items back to the online company. Returning items to brick-and-mortar stores is relatively easy especially when it’s a store they visit regularly.

Deeper insights – Online retailers have compiled valuable customer product preferences and buying behaviors, which help them to choose ideal store locations, design appropriate floor plans, and determine optimal product assortment. Plus, gaining face-to-face customer intelligence can lead to new areas of opportunity.

Flexible leasing – Store closings have led to excess retail space and that means landlords are more open to shorter leases and lower rental costs. Plus, landlords can be more flexible when there’s less risk leasing to an established online brand.

Innovative strategies – The showroom model allows customers to interact with products, but they’re shipped from a warehouse. No onsite inventory = less square footage = lower rental costs.

Some will fly and some will flop, but here are some retail trends to keep an eye on this year.

Pop up Stores – Millennials enjoy discovering new store experiences. As more stores close, there will continue to be an excess supply of retail space making landlords more flexible and open to offering short-term rental deals – which is needed to make pop up stores a viable option.

Stores within Stores – Best Buy has perfected this concept with significant floor space in every store dedicated to brands like Apple, Microsoft and Samsung. For the manufacturer, it’s an opportunity to get more involved in creating merchandising design and participate in the customer shopping experience.

Pop ups within a Store – Nordstrom takes it one step further with “Pop-In@Nordstrom, a themed shopping experience that allows customers to shop new and exclusive merchandise from their favorite brands.” E.g. Sleep-In@Nordstrom features Casper mattress products plus an assortment of home and wellness essentials including skincare, accessories, pajamas and restful technology.

Social Shopping – Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are making it easier to shop directly from these sites as brands can now allow users to buy products directly from a post.

Creative in-store Experiences – To attract customers, retailers are enhancing spaces inside stores – some even good enough to trigger in-store selfies. E.g. Some Timberland stores features a 3,500 sq. ft. space decked with Birch trees, hanging plants, and moss.

Cross-merchandising – Not a new idea (think S’mores end-aisle display at your grocery store), cross merchandising has quietly exploded online as the digital platform is a perfect venue for easily showing “customers also purchased” and bundle promotion offers. X merch is more challenging to implement at the physical store level, but the boost in incremental profits can make it well worth the effort. You may even start seeing messaging in-store that you see online such as, “If you like this, you may like this.”

Digital Displays – Kohl’s has mastered the use of digital price displays in their stores. Kroger’s new shelving system uses digital displays to indicate prices, promotions, nutritional and dietary information. Kroger can also generate new revenue by selling digital ad space on the displays.

Blockchain – Gaining maximum efficiency within the supply and distribution chain is crucial to successful category management. Blockchain technology may provide a reliable platform for managing and tracking shipments while reducing fraud, paperwork and delays.

QR Code comeback?

QR (Quick Response) codes were all the rage back in 2010, but never gained much consumer acceptance and quickly faded. But they’re now very popular in China and they’re starting to make a comeback in America, thanks to Snapchat.

Snapchat created their own version (known as Snapcodes with the ghost outline) and integrated them into their app. It allows users to share their account with other Snapchat users by hovering their cameras over their Snapcode. Snap says users are scanning 8 million codes a day.

Apple must see something as they recently added a QR code reader right within the cameras of their newer iPhones, removing the need for users to download any extra apps. Some retailers are taking advantage of the QR codes for payment convenience. Target recently added a QR code-based payment system allowing shoppers to scan the code at checkout for instant payments.

Looks like everything is on the table for 2019. Cutting edge and older technologies. New and not-so-new merchandising methods. It should be an interesting year. Stay tuned.