McVan Blog

Saint medals are staples in the lives of those who practice the Catholic faith. They venerate holy figures and offer the protection of powerful saints. The saint medal one chooses to wear will offer unique protections based on the works of the saint during his or her life. Understanding the meanings of the most popular saint medals can help you choose the perfect protector for you or your loved ones. Each medal has a different significance. This is part two of a three-part series on the meanings of the most popular saint medals.

The Catholic faith uses medals to venerate major figures, places, and events in the history of Catholicism, as well as a form of holy protection. Some of these figures are saints who have played a notable role within the religion. Each medal has a specific meaning or purpose related to each saint. Learn more about the meaning behind each saint medal in the first part of our series.

This Christmas season, many buyers are in search of gifts that are unique and personalized. According to a report by Deloitte Consumer Review, more than 50% of consumers expressed interest in purchasing customized products for themselves and their loved ones. Retailers who take part in product personalization trends have the opportunity to increase product sales and build repeat business!

The Christmas holiday is one of the busiest seasons for businesses. It’s make-or-break time, when every end-of-day sales report counts. This year, however, you’re in luck: Consumer reports are predicting 5% to 5.6% growth in retail sales from 2017 and 17% to 22% growth specifically in online sales.

Get the facts on market growth and use this list of Christmas marketing ideas to plan a campaign that’s sweeter than sugarplums; because unlike visions dancing in your head, your marketing results will be real!

The Catholic Church honors medals as a form of religious protection. These medals often represent one of our many beloved saints, one of which is of Saint Christopher. The Saint Christopher Medal is one of the most popular around the world because of his significance in the Catholic faith.

The Saint Christopher medal is believed to protect the wearer on his or her travels. For this reason, many people wear Saint Christopher pendants around their necks, on their wrists, and some even hang the medals in their cars!

It shouldn't come as a surprise, but most religious retailers have to make it work with a small team behind them. During our 2018 Religious Retail Survey we found that 82% of retailers have less than five employees.

With a lean crew of five employees, it’s of the utmost importance to develop a team who is friendly and knowledgeable about the products you offer. This type of unique product understanding and personal communication is the experience that shoppers look for in a store of your size. Customers have the option of shopping online or from other larger stores. What’s the secret to creating a memorable experience for visitors? How do you accomplish this?

As a religious jewelry manufacturer, our success is directly linked to the prosperity of our retail partners. That’s why we recently conducted the 2018 Religious Retail Survey. It's our goal to learn about your challenges, successes, and how we can best support your business growth. While the survey covers an extensive list of questions, today we’ll focus on our retailers' biggest marketing challenge - boosting retail foot traffic. 

Marketing for all retailers, including religious retailers, is becoming increasingly focused on digital content. Whether you run a brick & mortar store, an e-commerce site, or a mixture of both, you shouldn’t overlook the role direct mail can play.

Many people associate direct mail with junk mail, but research has shown that direct mail marketing requires 21% less effort to mentally process, making it easier to understand than digital content. Consumers retain an average of 75% of what they read on direct mail marketing and only 44% on digital versions.

What is Drop Shipping?

As a religious retailer, you're often tasked with finding unique ways to increase sales and reduce overhead. Drop shipping, an order fulfillment method, may be just the solution your business needs to tackle both of these challenges at the same time.

The 2017 holiday season was certainly merry and bright for online and in-store retailers. Based on the latest sales figures, store owners enjoyed their best holiday season sales since 2011. Year-end sales increased 4.9% compared to last year – the greatest Christmas gift consumers could have given religious retailers.