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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.

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…
pexels data sheet
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…
Person holding tablet learning about digital marketing
Photo: Pexels

4 Easy Ways to Start Learning More About SEO

If the words "digital marketing," "SEO" and "social media marketing" make your eyes glaze over and your hearing go fuzzy, you are not alone. Digital marketing seems to have grown overnight, changing…
Tempaper Kimono wallpaper
The Kimono wallpaper from Tempaper channels a vintage chinoiserie look.

It’s Classic

At a time when contemporary furniture, edgy LED fixtures and minimalistic, modern style has permeated mainstream home decor, there is a still a yearning for traditional design. In fact, all signs…
Augmented reality illustration
Photo: elenabsl - stock.adobe.com

Why You May Not Have To Pay For Augmented Reality

Free augmented reality (AR) services. Let that sink in. It may sound too good to be true, but right now, developers at Mozilla, creator of the Firefox browser, are working on developing an AR tool…
City street in Washington, DC at the Adams Morgan retail area
DC Adams Morgan retail streetscape. (Photo: Brett VA via Flickr)

How to Take Advantage of 2018's Expected Retail Growth

Monday started off with good retail news from the U.S. Census Bureau. Preliminary estimates from the Bureau show that retail sales went up to $3.53 trillion in 2017, up 3.9 percent from 2016.…
pexels kitchen island with stools
(Photo: Pexels)

What’s Hot in Kitchen Renovation Trends

Homeowners these days are obsessed with decluttering their kitchens, Houzz’s latest Kitchen Trends Study found. This is just one takeaway from the annual study which surveyed 1,734 U.S. homeowners…
ASID 2018 Interior Design Outlook and State of the Industry logo
(Photo: ASID)

3 Takeaways from ASID's 2018 Interior Design Outlook and State of the Industry Report

The American Society of Interior Designers released its annual Interior Design Outlook and State of the Industry Report. There's a ton to unpack with great information for interior designers as well…
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