When will it stop? How far will Amazon go? Will the e-tailer only be satisfied when there are no brick-and-mortar stores left? We can’t tell you what’s next for Amazon. But we can tell you some ways to fight back.

As Amazon continues to make clear, brick-and-mortar retailers cannot compete on price alone. They must implement other ways to drive traffic to their stores, by offering and promoting benefits that customers cannot get through online shopping.

I nutshelled a couple of these strategies in a comment I left on Katie Morell’s OPEN Forum article about Amazon’s Price Check promotion. I’ve fleshed them out here though, and added a few more to the list. Here are four strategies brick-and-mortar retailers should use to better compete against Amazon and other online retailers:

1. Push for a fair sales tax structure. All retailers should be required to collect and remit sales tax at the point of purchase, not just brick-and-mortar businesses. Retailers and the public alike can push for a fair tax structure by asking their state representatives and governor to support the Marketplace Equity Act and the Marketplace Fairness Act – the two pieces of legislation that would even the playing field between online and brick-and-mortar retailers.

2. Provide value-adds customers can’t get online. This includes some obvious tactics, but many retailers are not executing on as many as they can to improve their customer experience. Some major check boxes are ensuring customer service is superior to that provided online, having extensive product knowledge, and answering customers’ questions thoroughly. In addition, only brick-and-mortar retailers can physically show products to customers. Ensure products are on display and customers can demo them. Develop tactics for selling ancillary items in addition to large purchases. Focus on making the store a destination, a place where customers can have a pleasant shopping experience.

3. Deploy strategic online marketing programs. Brick-and-mortar retailers can turn the tables on online retailers and use the Internet to their advantage through strategic advertising and marketing campaigns. Just as Amazon entered brick-and-mortar stores with Price Check to lure customers online, brick-and-mortar stores can enter the Internet to steal customers right back. Beyond the essential of having a good website, other tactics include running ads and promotions online, developing and deploying a search engine marketing campaign, and integrating it with a social media program.

4. Compete on convenience. Say a customer visits a store and discovers an item’s price is $10 more than what it is online. Brick-and-mortar retailers should strive to make the customer realize the savings isn’t worth it based on convenience and other value-adds they can’t get online. Firstly, the customer is there in the store, product in hand. They could take it home that day, whereas they’d have to wait for it to ship and be delivered if they buy it online. Additionally, brick-and-mortar retailers can offer coupons, discounts, and promotions for buying the item in the store (buy one get one free, etc.), as well as all of the benefits outlined in #2.

What’s happening today between online and brick-and-mortar retail is not unlike what small mom-and-pop shops experienced 20 years ago when the big boxes and “category killers” first entered the market. It was feared that the large anchors would drive mom-and-pops out of business, and unfortunately, that was the case for some smaller retailers.

But those who survived — and thrived — were those that focused on their assets. What can brick-and-mortar retailers do better than the online juggernauts? Lean on the basics — more personable service, greater product knowledge, getting to know the customer, and convenience. In addition, use the Internet to run ads and promotions. And push for a fair sales tax structure.

How are you fighting back against the unfair advantage online retailers have? Share your ideas with everyone here.

Store owner Sherrie Ammirato with her dog, Jessie

Sherrie Ammirato is used to seeing dozens of furry tails when dog owners bring their four-legged friends into her Doggie Bag store to shop for doggie treats, toys, and apparel. But this week, she’s also paying close attention to the tail-end of the holiday shopping season in the run-up to Christmas.

We interviewed her about how the holiday season is going for her store in the Country Gables shopping center, one of Kimco’s properties in Granite Bay, Calif. (Sherrie also recently opened a second store in Roseville, Calif.)

She shared some ways she’s driving traffic to her store, including insight into her couponing, email marketing, and promotional gift card strategies.

Sherrie also told us how she’s using the Doggie Bag’s Facebook and Twitter pages to connect with her customers and drive traffic. And she gave some advice for other retailers on what to do-as well as what not to do-to increase sales this holiday season. Hit play to listen in, or click on a specific timestamp using the index below to jump to a certain topic.

• 0:55 Background on The Doggie Bag
• 2:24 How the holiday season is going for The Doggie Bag
• 5:14 How Small Business Saturday went for the store
• 6:37 How Sherrie is driving traffic to her store this holiday season
• 8:14 How Sherrie is using social media to drive traffic to her store
• 10:38 Sherrie’s #1 tip for driving store traffic
• 11:41 Sherrie’s thoughts on the biggest mistake retailers can do to hurt their sales
• 12:30 Sherrie’s overall outlook on the holiday shopping season

If you prefer reading over listening, here’s the transcript to our interview as well. And be sure to scroll down for more photos.

What are your thoughts on Sherrie’s approach to driving traffic to her store? For all pet store owners and managers, what are some ways you drive traffic to your store that’s unique to your category?

The Doggie Bag interior

The Doggie Bag holiday coupon

Jessie poses with Doggie Bag toys

But while these stats show signs of good things to come, it doesn’t mean every retailer is doing well. What’s important to you is how you can boost your foot traffic and sales. This is especially true if you are a smaller retailer, as some mid-sized stores and mom-and-pop shops have to work twice as hard to compete against the big-box juggernauts.

We asked our blogging team to reach out to some of our retailers and property managers to find out what they’re doing to increase their foot traffic this holiday season. One of the first who stepped up was Mark Bachus, the General Manager of Suburban Square, Kimco’s open-air lifestyle center in Ardmore, Pa.

We interviewed him to get his take on the retail traffic and sales forecasts, and the strategy and tactics he’s using to drive traffic to Suburban Square this holiday season. Mark told us the #1 way to get consumers into stores this season, as well as the biggest mistake retailers can make to hurt their sales. Tune in for Mark’s perspective and advice, or click the links below to jump to a specific part in the video.

• About Suburban Square
• Mark’s predictions on holiday sales increases
• How Suburban Square is driving traffic to its retailers this holiday season
• How Suburban Square is working with its retailers to develop holiday plans
• #1 way Mark believes retailers will drive traffic this holiday season
• Biggest mistake Mark believes will hurt retailers’ sales this holiday season
• Mark’s overall outlook on the holiday shopping season

If you don’t have time to watch video, here’s a quick snapshot of the ideas and tips Mark covered during our interview. But there’s a lot more where that came from, so we encourage you to watch the video when you have time.

• Integrate social media into your traffic-driving efforts. Now is the time to launch a social media marketing program if you don’t have one, or build upon the program you have in place.

• Amp up your customer service. Make sure you have enough employees on hand to help customers on the floor at the point of sale.

• Hold in-store entertainment events, private shopping nights, and evenings for friends and family to create fun, personal shopping experiences.

After you’re done watching, share your strategies for boosting foot traffic this holiday season in the comments section.

You can also read the transcript of our interview here.