Another year gone – can you believe it? 2022 packed some interesting twists and turns (Wordle, anyone?), but it’s time to sit back, pour another eggnog, and watch the end-of-year lists and 2023 forecasts roll in. We’ve never been one to disappoint, so we’ve got the home improvement retail trends we’d like to see in the new year. What Market…

Finding the right creative services provider has always been a challenge. Hitting upon a quality partner isn’t easy. Not only do they have to offer what you need and be good at it, but they also have to offer the right price, timing, and culture to make the effort productive and successful. Nowadays, the partnering process is harder than ever….

Your brand has been chugging along and meeting all KPIs, hitting all targets and just killing the game in general. Perhaps you’ve been pondering your next move but can’t decide exactly what that move should be. Maybe you’re feeling the need to branch out and expand but aren’t sure how. Well, we have good news: You might be a good…

Long before the term “influencer” was coined, the home improvement industry had its own professional trendsetters. The pros, as we call them, are the backbone of the industry. We often emphasize the role of the homeowner as the primary consumer. But the DIY (do-it-yourself) market has a powerful sibling. The DIFM (do-it-for-me) market is led by the pros, and it’s…

Seasonality is a term we use to describe the routine peaks and valleys in annual retail sales and traffic. Seasonality originated in the grocery industry where variety was tied to seasons, and timely promotion was a competitive advantage. Then, as global markets delivered year-round abundance, growing cycles became irrelevant, and retailers had to find new ways to promote variety and…

The possibility of a recession has been haunting the market since earlier this year when gas and housing prices began to rise, along with inflation. Although these factors have decreased in recent weeks, consumers and retailers alike have every reason to be wary. So what could a possible recession mean for the home improvement market and its retailers? Is the…

In today’s digital marketplace, so much of our experience is artificial. This is particularly true with online shopping, where what you see isn’t always what you get. Consumers are far more cynical today than a decade ago, which is why more and more shoppers are turning to online ratings and reviews for advice. Like the rest of ecommerce, the volume…

If you’ve ever led the merchandising of a retail product, you know how hard it can be. There are a wide range of moving parts, uncontrollable environments and multiple stakeholders with sometimes conflicting agendas. It’s one thing to get through it without mistakes. It’s another to come out the other end feeling victorious. If this sounds familiar, we’ve got a…

The retail industry is a two-headed beast. One head speaks the language of business, the other speaks the language of consumers. Getting products through this complex creature requires speaking both languages without missing a beat. That’s what we call B2B/B2C fluency, and it’s an essential skill for getting in and succeeding in retail. Because every product in retail has to be…

It seems like we just can’t stop talking about the pandemic and its effect on commerce. In the retail universe, it’s a bit like the big bang, complete with cascading ripple effects, like the massive shift to eCommerce that gave certain retailers a massive advantage. Sure enough, retailers are leveraging their massive online traffic to attract advertising revenue. It’s called…