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.
How Home Furnishings Retailers Can Sell More Furniture
How to sell more furniture is actually pretty simple, but you may have been hiding your retail gold. I meet a lot of furniture retailers who have a valuable team of designers but they aren’t showing…
Elevate Your Sales Game With These Tips From the Retail Doctor
Good morning.” “Good afternoon.” “Good evening.” According to The Retail Doctor Bob Phibbs, this simple customer greeting is far more effective than the standard, “Can I help you?” Why?
At September…
A 'Vacay' Vibe: How J. Banks' Joni Vanderslice Manages Interior Design and Retail Businesses
When it comes to interior design, Joni Vanderslice, President and Owner of J. Banks, does it all. She’s been at the helm of Hilton Head, SC-based J. Banks for more than 30 years, which covers…
Home Furnishings Association Names 22 Awards Finalists
The Home Furnishings Association (HFA) has announced 22 finalists for the association’s annual Retailer of the Year, Emerging Star and Trailblazer awards.
The finalists, who range from Top 100…
POS: Keeping Up With Retail
For retailers in any industry, a point-of-sale (POS) system is essential to making the sale, taking payment and keeping track of inventory — often across multiple stores or platforms such as a…
Today’s Affluent Consumer: What the Research Tells Us
Affluent consumers are evolving, but having more money doesn’t necessarily mean owning more things. Research has shown that many affluent consumers care about design, and they’re also interested in…
Create a Luxury Home Furnishings Retail Experience
When you hear the term “luxury,” images of opulence, haute couture and flashy displays of wealth might come to mind. But these days, luxury doesn’t look just one way, and luxury consumers aren’t just…
Today's Planters Bring Style to Trending Natural Design Elements
As the outdoors continues to move in, the desire to bring more natural elements indoors and out continues to climb. Because today’s tech savvy consumers are exhibiting a newfound appreciation of…
Who Defines Your Brand?
Branding. It’s what differentiates one company from the next. It’s also what connects us to our customers. “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room,” says Amazon's…
Design by Retail: How the Mother-Daughter Duo Behind Coco & Dash Continue to Evolve Their Business
By now, if you’re in the home industry, you’ve probably heard of Coco & Dash and Ciao, Coco!, the award-winning Dallas home furnishings and accents stores run by mother-daughter team Teddie and…