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Retail Education

Home furnishings and lighting retailers face many challenges in this ever-changing economy. From new consumer expectations to online competition, today's retailers work hard to ensure their customers have access to on-trend products and great customer service. In this section, you'll find all things retailing — news, features, analysis and tools — needed to make your retail business a success.

Coco & Dash
“People come to us for color,” says Teddie Garrigan, co-owner of Coco & Dash.

The Impact of Decorative Pillows on Retail Sales

Tossed. Carefully positioned. As support. On a bed, sofa or accent chair. Pillows, those lovely pieces of textile surrounding deliciously soft insides, can be a quick fix for updating a room or a…

Home Design Business Think Tank: A Focus on Profit for Retailers

Home Design Business Think Tank: All About the Benjamins As a home furnishings retailer or interior designer, one of your primary goals in business is to turn a profit. We’ve put together a Home…
High Point Market Authority, Purple mattress, ideastreams
How has Purple developed it's unique brand loyalty paradigm?

High Point Market Authority Partners with HFA, Purple for May IdeaStreams Webinar

The High Point Market Authority is partnering with the Home Furnishings Association (HFA) and Purple Innovation for its next webinar in the spring 2021 IdeaStreams series. The session will explore…
Image by Hands off my tags! Michael Gaida from Pixabay
Image by Hands off my tags! Michael Gaida from Pixabay

March Retail Sales See Strong Rebound

Retail sales rebounded with huge gains in March as government checks fattened consumers’ bank accounts and more vaccination against COVID-19 made it easier for shoppers to get out of the house and…
Photo by Hakan Nural on Unsplash
Photo by Hakan Nural on Unsplash

How Will Business Change After the Pandemic?

As we’re closing this issue, I’m getting ready for my first COVID-19 vaccine. The thought of finally being somewhat protected from this virus after a year of hunkering down has allowed me to start…
Photo by Blake Wisz on Unsplash
Photo by Blake Wisz on Unsplash

7 Questions That Need a ‘Yes’ to Close More Retail Sales

If you work in retail sales, you have to care about your customer first. If you start with what they — as a visitor to your Planet Furniture or Planet Lighting — are experiencing and if you are aware…
Photo by Christiann Koepke on Unsplash
Photo by Christiann Koepke on Unsplash

3 Payment Platforms for Retailers and Designers

In an environment where cash may not be exchanging hands and checks can require the extra step of going to a bank, not to mention the convenience of credit cards for clients and customers on big-…
smart lighting
Light layering is important for good lighting design, says Lightstyles’ Melvyn Kahn. In this project from his lighting design team, smart lighting controls help manage each light layer for a cohesive look that can be easily adjusted.

Understanding the Smart Home Spectrum

At one time, smart home systems were only found in ultra-high-end luxury design projects. Their complexity and high price tags made them unattainable for the average homeowner. Times have since…
Photo by sydney Rae on Unsplash
Photo by sydney Rae on Unsplash

Setting Customer Expectations

As we came into 2021, with coronavirus still around and new, more contagious variants, I finally made the move to curbside grocery pickup. I was hesitant in this change, even though I’d heard…
Image by Joseph Mucira from Pixabay
Image by Joseph Mucira from Pixabay

5 Steps to Micro-Influencer Success

We’re still living in the age of the influencer, and while it can be tempting to strive for hundreds of thousands of social media followers, sometimes quality over quantity is key. Enter the micro-…
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