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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.

Fine Furniture Design Partners With Esquire For Licensed Collection

Fine Furniture Design announced today it has partnered with Esquire to launch the Esquire Home Collection. The 50-piece furniture collection debuting at the spring High Point Market in April…

How Shipping Can Make — Or Break — An Online Sale

You can thank Amazon for setting consumer shipping expectations. For those enrolled in Amazon Prime, free shipping — free two-day shipping to be more specific — is the norm, and while that's not true…
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Photo: Pexels

4 Tools For Creating Social Media Visuals

Whether you’re posting a promotion, announcing event details or wishing your customers a happy holiday, images are a great way to share messages across your social media channels. Visuals are much…
Person ordering item on ebay through a laptop
Online retail may be changing if the Supreme Court has something to say about it. (Photo: Pexels)

U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Case on Sales Tax

Independent showrooms face a ton of competition online, and though many showrooms can compete well online with their own e-commerce stores, there's one major benefit that online-only retailer enjoy…

Howard Elliott Launches Photo Contest

Howard Elliott this week announced the launch of its Show Us Your Howard Elliott contest, where contestants can submit photos featuring Howard Elliott product for the chance to win $500.…
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Get off the whiteboard and onto the internet. (Photo: Startup Stock Photos from Pexels)

4 Online Project Management Tools That Actually Manage

Are these scenarios familiar: An annoyed customer calls for the second time to ask why an associate didn't follow up on her question. The second part of an order was never placed, and now the…

Sunbrella, Ballard Designs Launch Indoor Performance Upholstery Collection

In an exciting new debut, veteran home furnishings retailer Ballard Designs and performance textile leader Sunbrella® have partnered to launch the retailer’s first collection of performance fabrics…
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Photo: Pexels user Lukas

3 Answers to Your Questions on Creating Customer Surveys

When it comes to getting customer feedback, you may casually ask patrons questions in your store and look at your online reviews from time to time. But if you want to truly gauge how your business is…

The Jungle Look: 6 Dining Room Ideas

Sure, it’s bright and sunny in California and maybe Florida and Arizona, but for those of us in the other 47 states, baby, it’s cold outside. Chicago is snowed in. Seattle is wet and dreary, and in…
Brick and mortar storefront
Photo: Konstantin L - stock.adobe.com

3 Big-Box Strategies to Borrow and Improve

Although they are inherently different, independent showrooms and big-box retailers like Restoration Hardware, Target and West Elm compete for consumers’ business, and it can sometimes feel like an…
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