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There is a crazy amount of free stuff available on the web that can help you get your business rolling or improve productivity, at virtually no cost. Since most of these applications are in the cloud, you can access these apps and your information from anywhere; work, home, on the road, or mobile phone. As a small business owner, I take advantage of free applications all the time. While I do pay a small monthly or annual price for premium services on occasion (which is disclosed below), these costs are minimal.

This list is not intended to be exhaustive, nor is it necessarily the best solution in their respective area of specialty; they are simply the applications that I have selected based on my own research and trial & error.

So here is my list of TOP TEN FREE APPLICATIONS (not in any particular order):

1. LinkedIn - Absolutely the most effective and powerful application I use on a regular basis. No time in history has it been so easy to stay in touch with your business network. LinkedIn provides the perfect medium to keep in touch with my network, stay current with industry news, be involved in group discussions, and instantly share updates and company news. I do pay for a premium account ($249/year).
2. DropBox – Great tool for backing up and sharing files. All of my files are stored centrally in Dropbox. I can access these files anywhere, even my Android phone. I am able to share specific folders with colleagues or clients as needed. I do pay for additional storage space which costs $99/year for 50 GB of storage.
3. FreshBooks – Another killer app. Incredibly easy to use and saves me a whack of time each month. I do all of my invoicing using FreshBooks. Tracks all time, activities, comments, and rates for all team members. Subcontractors use their own FreshBooks account, linking their time to the owner’s project, making it simple to reconcile their invoices. I pay $20/month, which is the cost once you have more than 3 customers.
4. Ace of Sales - A great tool for contact management. For $20/month, you can send unlimited  e-greetings, e-zines, and branded emails. Includes great tools and analytics for tracking open and click-through rates.
5. WordPress – Website, blog all created with WordPress at no cost!!
6. Skype – IM, calls to other skype users, video conference calls, Skype to land lines (small fee). Incredible tool when working in a virtual office.
7. FreeConferencePro – for those that prefer land lines, this is a great free service to initiate and schedule free conference calls (just long distance charges apply).
8. Join.Me – This is the simplest and most effective tool for connecting to other PCs remotely. Since most of the work I do is remote and I work as part of a virtual team, I use this tool ALL the time for support, demos, and team collaboration.
9. Google Analytics – Another great free tool. Google provides so much information on web-site visits. Some of the key metrics I look at on a regular basis; number of site/page visits, location (where they are from), content (which pages, landing and exit page), network (sometimes indicates company name), time on site, etc.
10. Google Reader/Twitter – These are the tools I rely on for a daily review of my all news feeds and blogs. I follow many blogs, news organizations, and people of interest for both personal and business use.

Regardless of the type of work you do there are free (or almost free) applications for almost anything you need. What are your favorite free applications?

ERP systems are built for the masses. In order to meet the needs of many it must include many options and many features. And these can slow you down! Every retailer is different and everyone’s workflow is varied. How can a system designed for the masses possibly meet the needs of every retailer? It can’t. This is why we are seeing an explosion of Custom or Specialized Apps. It is such specialization that can make you more efficient and give you an edge.

We have already seen this trend in the consumer world. It was not long ago, that consumers did not have much choice, they used a few major applications and had to work within these constraints to get things done. Not always the most productive way of doing things.  Now we live in the world of Apps, thanks to Apple and Google, and as a result, you can find an App for almost anything!! Apps are now so highly customized and so specific, that every consumer can have their own customized experience based on the array of Apps they download. We are starting to see a similar trend in business. Retailers want to get the most out of their ERP system, and sometimes that means purchasing specialized apps that can work with their ERP System. Systems are more standard and more open today, therefore opening up the possibilities of developing highly customized apps and “plugging” them in to your ERP system. Need sophisticated Price Optimization? In-depth forecasting capability? Intelligent promotions engine? You no longer have to rely solely on your ERP vendor for specialized functionality. Highly specialized solutions are available on the market or “Custom Apps” can be designed and developed, while being fully and tightly integrated with your ERP system. Now any retailer can afford to build, rent, or buy their own customized apps.

How do we know? We know, because at RIBA Retail, we have built a number of such highly customized business apps, integrated with the Retailers’ back office system, such as our speedy web-based PO Entry system (POExpress). Do you see it the same way? What specialized apps can your retail operations benefit from?

We see them everywhere, but what are they and what is their purpose? And more importantly is there any value in them? On a recent trip to the NRF Show, I created a special batch of business cards with a QR Code. When scanned (you can try scanning QR code on left), it takes you directly to a specifically designed webpage for your smartphone. This webpage gives you a little blurb on my company with a nifty link that allows you to add my contact info right into your smartphone’s contact manager. Genius! Simple, easy to use, informative, great functionality, and looks pretty nifty (high tech) too! What I did not expect was  the number of questions and comments I received about this quirky code. What do I do with it? How do I scan it? Or more commonly, interesting but really no intent of scanning or using it.

What I came to realize is that people want to know what’s in it for them? They have probably seen these codes all over the place, maybe even scanned a few out of interest, but it resulted simply in a link to a web-site or youtube video. So their value in scanning was almost nil. Ultimately, I believe these codes are largely ignored.

QR Codes, short for Quick Response Code, have been around since the mid 90′s. Originally developed and designed for the car industry as a way to track vehicles through the manufacturing process, they have been used mostly for commercial use because of their quick readability and storage capacity (far greater than traditional UPC codes). With the recent explosion of smartphones, we are now seeing QR codes being used for consumer purposes, since smartphones with cameras can easily scan these codes and deliver some actual information or functionality to the consumer. But until the consumer sees value in scanning these codes, most will be ignored. So how can retailers make us of these codes and have an impact with their consumers.This article shows three ways that Retailers can make effective use of QR codes. But ultimately, people must be creative and devise new ways to engage the consumers with use of these codes, and then consumers will start to notice them and use them.

What has your experience been with QR codes?

Just wrapped up another spectacular event in New York city. The show was busy as ever, with nearly 29,000 attendees. With a line-up of exciting sessions and an Expo Hall packed with even more vendors and more innovative solutions than prior years, I am guessing that NRF 2012 was a success.

From sessions to Expo Hall, I think Mobile and Customer Service were on the minds of most retailers. I think this makes sense and the 2 are very much related. As competition increases between E-commerce and Brick & Mortar, retailers must deliver even better customer service, and ‘MOBILE’ is all about Customer Service. We have been hearing “mobile” for a very long time, and now that we are well into the 2nd generation of the iPad revolution, things are starting to take off. Believe me, I do not think the iPad is the answer to ALL mobile, there are many other tablets, mobile devices, operating systems, and solutions that do not require Apple’s pricey footprint. But the iPad has made this new technology accessible and desired universally. It has made what seemed like a pipe dream for Retailers only a couple of years back, a reality today. Retailers now understand that today’s mobile technology is ready for prime-time – it is easily developed/integrated, it is affordable, it is widely accessible, and fully accepted. In a flash, every retailer now MUST have a Mobile Strategy. As a result, vendors were strutting all their new wares in this area. Real or not, it was being discussed, demo’d, and even sold.

On another note, Montreal’s very own Mitch Joel from Twist Image, was a keynote speaker on everything Digital, which you can read more about here. Visit the NRF Blog where you will find more discussions on other sessions regarding customer service and mobile.

If I saw you at NRF, it was nice to catch up.  You can continue to stay up to date with RIBA Retail by following me on LinkedIn, Twitter, and this Blog.

The Big Show gets bigger every year, and this year’s event will not disappoint, with keynote speaker President Bill Clinton, kicking things off!

Being in the Retail IT industry for over 25 years now, and having my own business for the last 9 years, this once-a-year mega event is critical for my small business. Last year, there were over 22,000 attendees from over 84 countries, over 500 exhibitors using 500,000 sq ft of expo space, and 100+ sessions to choose from. Big Show 2012 will be bigger. It’s a lot to take in over a 3-day period. You can’t do everything, there’s not enough time. Planning is critical. Over the years, I have developed a strategy for getting the most accomplished in this tight timeframe. Here are a few tips you might find useful when planning your visit to NRF this year:

1. Plan travel arrangements well in advance – Booking flights and hotel rooms will be a lot cheaper if this is taken care of early. I always book 2-3 hotels that offer a good price in different locations, so that I can choose what will suit me best as the convention approaches. You don’t have to stay at an NRF hotel; you can simply walk a few blocks to the lobby of one of these hotels to catch a shuttle. While I usually prefer to stay somewhere central, near all the NRF hotels/events, you can also stay closer to the Javits center and simply walk to the convention.
2. Register ahead of time – Take care of your registration ahead of time. Registration lines at the convention can be very long. If just attending the Expo, then retailers can register at no cost. For non-retailers, you can easily find free passes online from exhibiting vendors. If you arrive to NYC on Sunday, it is best to pick up your badge Sunday afternoon.
3. Plan your sessions – Plan which sessions you are attending ahead of time, because this will affect the rest of your schedule. There are a lot of good sessions to attend, so planning is critical. Review this year’s agenda ahead of time and allot the time for the sessions you MUST attend.
4. Layout your Expo Plan – The Expo is huge. Map out ahead of time which vendors you want to visit. NRF provides a great mapping tool that allows you to locate where each booth is. Plan your schedule of booth visits to minimize floor-walking. While you want to allow some time to walk the floor and see what’s new, you don’t want to leave it to chance to finding the booths/vendors you need to see.
5. Schedule meetings ahead of time – Whether meeting with vendors, prospective clients, colleagues, or friends, plan all of your meetings ahead of time. This all has to be coordinated with any sessions you are planning to attend. Try to maximize your time available, and plan meetings during available off-hours. Early breakfast, end of day cocktails, shuttle rides back to the hotel, or late night snacks are good times to squeeze in a few extra meetings.
6. Pick appropriate gatherings – There are lots of after hour cocktail parties, dinners, and gatherings to choose from. Aside from letting loose and having some fun, make sure you choose the events that work best for you, where you have the best chance to make new relevant contacts and create business opportunities.
7. Eat a hearty breakfast – This is probably the best advice I can give. Make sure you eat a hearty breakfast and pack a few healthy snacks for the day. Aside from exorbitant convention prices, food lines are long and seats are hard to find during peak lunch-time hours. This will waste too much time! The food court and other convention eateries are a great place to grab a coffee/snack or coordinate a brief meeting during off hours. Also, the Expo is less busy during lunch hours, making it easier to move around the floor and meet with vendors.

I hope you find these tips useful. Let me know if you have any of your own tips that you can share. Are you planning to attend NRF this year? Maybe we can meet for breakfast