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.
ICFA Announces 2018 Lifetime Achievement Recipients
Steve Elton, Chief Brand Curator for Brown Jordan, and Larry Smith, owner of Village Green Home and Garden in Rockford, IL, are recipients of the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the…
4 Design-centric Charities to Support this Upcoming Holiday Season
Based on the Showroom of the Year entries we receive every year, we know our readers are a charitable bunch. Each year, we hear stories from showrooms working to make their local communities better,…
This Isn't Going Well: An Industry Guide to Tariffs and Trade Wars
International trade can best be described as the most convoluted game of Monopoly ever played: Everyone has a few good properties and a few okay properties and they're all just trying to make it…
How to Think Critically About Style Reports
The major markets in Atlanta, Dallas, High Point and Las Vegas make style reporting a focal point of their programming and literature. Market goers can always expect to find some type of style-…
4 Factors that Drive In-store Purchases, According to New Study
Ever since the retail apocalypse/renaissance (depending on your optimism) hit, the retail industry has whispered about the demise of the brick-and-mortar store and whether or not it will survive into…
Color Your Clients Happy
On the surface, color psychology paints a pretty picture: Yellow makes us feel happy. Orange makes us feel energized. Green makes us feel calm. Sigh. If only life were that simple. We may roll our…
Website and E-Newsletter V. Social Media: Which Should You Prioritize?
We asked Leslie Carothers, CEO of The Kaleidoscope Partnership, speaker and expert on strategic planning and social media, for insight on how retailers and designers can balance their website and…
Charm School
Last month, the Lighting & Decor team attended the second annual ART + IDS Conference in Savannah, GA, where we basked in southern allure (and Spanish moss!), networked and learned, and donated…
Okay Google, Why Should I Have a Smart Speaker in My Showroom?
Are you Team Google or Team Amazon?
New research out last week found these two companies heavily competing in the smart home speaker race. As Canalys reports, Google beat Amazon for the first time…
2018: Year of the Smart Home, Part 2
Light + Building's “Smart Living in an E-House” exhibit was a mockup of an intelligent house, equipped throughout with cutting-edge smart products that provide greater comfort, safety and efficiency…